The Struggles Of The Heart, Mind And Soul Essay - 1888 Words

The Struggles of the Heart, Mind and Soul â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a short story written by Kate Chopin set in 19th century Louisiana prior to the Civil war at a time of white dominance, racial tension and slavery. Chopin was born in February, 1850, â€Å"her father was an Irish immigrant and her mother creole† – she lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the small town of Coulterville which provided her with a living knowledge and information to write the story (Cruz 430). â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is about Armand Aubigny, a noble slave owner of the southern Louisiana plantation L’Abri, confronted with a deeply rooted family secret that had been hidden from him and the community since birth. The secret threatened the purity of his family name, significant social consequences if unveiled, and was strictly forbidden in the antebellum period of Louisiana. This secret is revealed at the end of the story when Armand discovers an old letter written by his biological mother to his father. The significance of the letter brings a completely different twist to the story and its interpretation. Armand the protagonist in the story, falls in love with a nameless woman that was left on the doorstep of a neighboring plantation (Valmonde) as a child. The nameless woman is given the name Desiree, who grows into a â€Å"beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere – the idol of Valmonde† woman (Chopin). Struck by love, Armand asks for Desiree’s hand in marriage, even though Desiree’s father, (Monsieur Valmonde)Show MoreRelated The Mind of Man in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Essay898 Words   |  4 PagesThe Mind of Man in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad The changes take place inside you know the doctor warns Marlow in Heart of Darkness (9). Joseph Conrad, the author of Heart of Darkness, uses the words of the doctor to warn the readers of the changes Marlow faces on his journey. This journey was a physical journey to the heart of the Congo River, but it was also a journey into the depths of his own mind. As Marlow encounters three stations along the Congo River, he encounters three stationsRead MoreEssay about Mumford and Sons1021 Words   |  5 Pagesthe audience of searching into the heart and truly seeing what is inside and returning to God to find the ultimate love and freedom from sin. I believe the theme in â€Å"Roll Away Your Stone,† to be about what blocks us from seeing our most in-ward being, our â€Å"soul.† The â€Å"stone,† in the song is a metaphor for the sin in our lives that darkens and blocks our view to our soul. Mumford writes, â€Å"You told me that I would find a hole, within the fragile substance of my soul.† To me he is referring to sin andRead MoreGood And Evil : Dr. Faustus1228 Words   |  5 Pagesbattle or struggle in many ways such as constantly battling over winning various individuals souls, the concept of God versus the Devil, and the idea of religion versus science. This war between good and evil creates both internal conflicts for Faustus along with the external conflict between Faustus and various characters. The struggle between good and evil is also represented in the topic of damnation with the struggle to save Faustus’s soul from hell versus fighting to ensure Faustus’s soul is condemned Read MoreThe Theological Formulation Of Repentance918 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to John Wesley the theological formulation of repentance means an inward change, a change of mind from sin to holiness. To qualify it further, he stated that repentance is the total change of a human heart from a focus on sin to a focus on God. Wesley was deeply convinced that new believers may not be able to, at the outset, sense the inward sin that remains in one’s heart. For instance, at the point of one’s conversion, believers may begin to imagine that all their sins are removed, andRead MoreEssay on The Essence Of a Soul659 Words   |  3 Pagesis what exactly is a soul. During the Roman Era, people believed in many gods, spirits, and life after death. As time progressed, different religious beliefs arose, and new sects of faith were established. The belief in one God replaced the belief in many gods and the belief of ones soul transforming into the after life was established. G od was known as a Supreme Being, who gave his creations a soul and free will. But what does this mean? The problem of what exactly ones soul is has been a battleRead More Good and Evil in Good Country People Essay1332 Words   |  6 Pagesits own. What Mrs. Hopewell received was a disabled daughter who lived miserably at home and was the antithesis of everything her mother believed. The name Hulga is also a mask. When Joy changed her name to Hulga, Mrs. Hopewell had made up her mind that Joy had thought and thought until she hit upon the ugliest name in any language (OConnor 299). Although Joy-Hulga chose the name because of its ugly sound and how well it suited her, she secretly desired an inner self that was beautifullyRead MoreThe Love of God as the Key to Knowledge1327 Words   |  6 Pagesperceived by the mind through the emotional sensory system of each individual in a possession of a brain of human status which, if properly attune to life will respond to experiments combining the perception and expectation desired by individual. These qualitative perceptions will be a feeling of exaltation if the mind perceptions exceeds the expectations. It will be a feeling of satisfaction if perceptions and expectations are identical, but if the perception is less than the mind expectation thenRead MoreCan True Happiness be Achieved?690 Words   |  3 Pagesunderstan ding that true happiness can never be achieved. Moreover, that the purpose of life is to suffer and to work until death. This thought raises many questions about the steps to take in order to achieve true happiness. The struggle to answer these questions goes above and beyond minds because humans are made so distinctly that the definition varies from person to person. But if true happiness is in fact achievable, it will be attained only when we are one with ourselves, with what we produce, and withRead MoreCritical analysis essay on Good People by David Foster Wallace1020 Words   |  5 Pagesissue of an unplanned pregnancy. The critic reviewing this short story is Matt Bucher. He takes a psychological/philosophical approach and references the division and dichotomy within the story. Religious imagery is highlighted as well as the struggle and divisions within ourselves. Outwardly, this story seems focused on â€Å"to abort† or â€Å"not to abort,† but in reality, it is a story about our inner battle between good and evil; division and union. The setting is in the spring, at the park. WhileRead MoreDying by the Struggle: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne927 Words   |  4 Pagesback the truth which was the key to Dimmesdale’s salvation. She signified a parasite, a virus of sin that soon caught up to Dimmesdale’s life. Chillingsworth was a character who followed his heart throughout the whole novel; he uses his spare time to conduct new plans to deteriorate Dimmesdale’s health and mind. He starts out strong with his plans but it all fails when Dimmesdale dies on the scaffold. In â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, the reader finds out that all main characters had one initial purpose whether

Serial Killers Essay - 2668 Words

Serial Murder The mind behind the crime! Thesis statement: Serial Murderers are not just murderers but also victims of the rotten hand they were dealt. Abstract I. Definition History A. The Most Infamous Killer B. Myth Theory 1. WereWolves 2. Vampires III. Causes A. Serial Killer Characteristics B. Theories VI. Case Studies A. Charles Manson 1. Bibliographical Info 2. Childhood Trauma B. John Wayne Gacy 1. Bibliographical Info 2. Childhood Trauma V. The Female Serial Killer IV. Closing Abstract -Thesis Statement #8220; God, I#8217;ve never done anything. Help me, help me, help me! God, why is this happening? Help†¦show more content†¦1). The perfect ingredients for a blockbuster thriller. Myth Theory Serial murder. It is the stuff of horror films and, in fact, the legends of vampires and werewolves may well have begun when mutilated bodies of ancient serial killers were found. Even today there are deranged vampire killers like Richard Quentin Chase, and killers who seem normal, even charming, like Ted Bundy while they conduct their own campaigns of carnage. (Mind of a Killer, intro) III. Causes: SERIAL KILLER CHARACTERISTICS R. Ressler, A. Burgess, and J. Douglas executed a study involving 36 incarcerated serial killers, and compiled the data collected into a chart of childhood behavior traits among serial killers (p. 29). Frequency of Reported Behavior Indicators in Childhood BEHAVIOR # OF CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIOR PERCENTAGE WITH BEHAVIOR % Daydreaming 28 82 Compulsive Masturbation 28 82 Isolation 28 71 Chronic Lying 28 71 Enuresis (bed wetting) 22 68 Rebelliousness 27 67 Nightmares 24 67 Destroying Property 26 58 Fire Setting 25 56 Stealing 27 56 Cruelty to Children 28 54 Poor Body Image 27 52 Temper Tantrums 27 48 Sleep Problems 23 48 Assaultive to Adults 25 38 Phobias 24 38 Running Away 28 36 Cruelty to Animals 28 36 Accident Prone 24 29 Headaches 21 29 Destroying Possessions 25 28 Eating Problems 26Show MoreRelatedSerial Killer : Serial Killers939 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is a serial killer? Serial killers are very sick and distraught compared to others. As indicated by the Vancouver Sun, a serial killer is characterized as somebody who is responsible for more than three killings over a period that than traverses over one month.In 2005 the fbi changed it to at least two killings with no reference to intention or time span. Generally, serial killers murder for some kind of mental benefit. Serial Killers can come in all shapes and sizes: don t be tricked byRead MoreSerial Killers And The Serial Killer1101 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The serial killer ‘is an entirely different criminal,’ †The term serial killer is misleading on the ground that each murder is intended to be the last.† We see them as a figure of â€Å"the dark side of human potential,† but they believe they’re â€Å"on a heroic quest for the biggest score possible† They believe they are â€Å"the archetypal figure of impurity, the representative of a world which needs cleansing.† However, society knows that serial killers are not heroes, and they’re not cleansing the worldRead MoreSerial Killer And Serial Killers Essay1171 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica has some of the most infamous serial killers who ma rked history, serial killers who once didn’t even think to harm any human being. Many people grow up differently from others, some people grow up in a safe environment surrounded with caring people and others grow up in a completely different environment being missed treated by others, therefore are serial killers made or born? A serial killer is defined as â€Å"a person who commits more than three murders over a period that spans more thanRead MoreSerial Killer And Serial Killers1644 Words   |  7 PagesSerial Killer A serial killer is someone who has killed three or more people on separate occasions with enough time between, allowing them to calm down or reflect on what they did. There are separate categories for serial killers. The types of serial killers are organized killers, unorganized killers, and medical killers (Crime museum, 2015, para. 1, 2, 3). Beverley Allitt was considered to be under the medical killer category. Allitt killed a total of 4 children in less than a year span (McCrystalRead MoreSerial Killer : Serial Killers909 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to an FBI study, â€Å"there have been approximately 400 serial killers in the United States in the past century, with anywhere from 2,526 to 3,860 victims (Hickey). No one really understands serial killers. It is actually quite difficult to comprehend how the mind of a serial killer works. Some believe that a serial killer feels strongly attracted by a specific physical characteristic in the victim. It could be his or her appe arance: facial features, clothes, or even personality. On the otherRead MoreSerial Killers And The Serial Killer1080 Words   |  5 Pageshelp? This was the technique one of the most infamous serial killer Ted Bundy used to approach his victims and ultimately murder them. B. Background and Audience Relevance: Today, I will be speaking to you about serial killers. C. Speaker Credibility: I decided to do my topic on serial killers because, criminology is something I’m genuinely interested in and would like to learn more about it myself. D. Thesis: By learning about serial killers, hopefully in the future they can be captured fasterRead MoreSerial Killers : A Serial Killer1820 Words   |  8 Pagesunderstand a serial killers background to get an understanding of how childhood trauma could lead to their need to kill. Although there are no exact factors that would absolutely cause a child to grow up into a serial killer, research found by Laurence Miller in â€Å"Serial killers: II. Development, Dynamics, and Forensics,† suggest that there are several common factors found in multiple serial killers’ childhoods. For example, some of the leading childhood characteristics found among serial killers includeRead MoreSerial Killers : A Serial Killer Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesCrimes and criminals define not only places, but certain time periods. Serial killers are usually the ones that individuals tend to remember the most. An individual is considered a serial killer when they murder three or more individ uals during a period of time with a cooling off period between each crime (Frailing Harper, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to discuss one of the most controversial and yet famous serial killer, Theodore Robert Bundy. Something interesting that attracts the attentionRead MoreSerial Killers : The Serial Killer Essay2076 Words   |  9 PagesThis serial killer was chosen because this serial killing pair is the most infamous English serial killers duo in the 1990s. Fred and Rosemary West were not convicted of all the murders they participated in; however, they were sentenced to life imprisonment. Also, this case is interesting because Rosemary West, to this day, does not claim to know anything about the murders even though she has victims that survived her attacks and have spoken against her in court. These serial killers have been coveredRead MoreFemale Serial Killers : A Serial Killer Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesFemale Serial Killers For the most part the domain of serial homicide is ruled by men. There is however some females that has and can be serial killers. According to Bartol Bartol (2005) there have been at thirty six female serial killers throughout the United States. In general society we do not like to believe that women are capable of committing such acts, but as we continue to alter our views, moral, and beliefs of women’s equality and feminism there is room for women to be just as likely

Vegetarian Diet a Good Practice to Lose Weight or Not Free Essays

Vegetarian Diet: A Good Practice to Lose Weight or Not? Obesity is one of the major problems of modern societies. At this present, Thai people are getting fatter. According to Kasikorn Research Centre, the researches in 2008 indicates that the number of Thai people classed as overweight is expected to increase between 10 – 12 millions, which is almost 1 in 6 people of the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Vegetarian Diet: a Good Practice to Lose Weight or Not or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, nowadays, people are more concerned about their health and fitness. They want to be good looking and healthy, so people are looking for ways to lose weight. One popular dietetic practice is vegetarianism. In many areas, people are vegetarians because of inadequate income, lack of animal products, and religious belief. Vegetarian diet becomes the most popular diet practice as it has been proved to lose weight effectively. However, vegetarian diet remains a controversial issue among people. Some people claim that vegetarian diet is lack of nutrients, unhealthy and a difficult practice. However, vegetarian diet is a good practice for losing weight as it benefits weight loser in many ways. Firstly, vegetarian diet is an effective practice to lose weight. Many studies indicate that vegetarian dieters can lose weight very fast. The easiest concept of losing weight is people have to eat fewer calories than they expend. Vegetarian diet helps people lose significant weight since vegetarian foods which include vegetables, fruits and grainsarevery low in calories. Moreover, there are other supporting factors. The fact is fruits and vegetables contain a large amount of water and fibers which enable people to feel full quickly. From the scientific study, human body can absorb vegetable nutrients better than meat. Besides, vegetarians can eat unlimited amount of high-fiber foods without feeling hungry. Furthermore, eating vegetables helps increase calories burnedafter meal since the nutrients from vegetables are digestedfaster than from meats. Also, the consumption of whole grains, one of the staples of vegetarian diets, is proved to be associated with a lower body mass index and waist circumference(BMI). From the researches, vegetarian dieters can achieve their weight losing as they can lose weight about a pound per week without additional exercise and calories intake limitation (physician committee for responsible medicine, 2006). Vegetarianism is the only diets for permanent weight loss since it enables people to shed off unnecessary fats. If people decrease their animal products intakes, undoubtedly, they will lessen their fats intake which is the main reason of weight gain. Quoted in physician committee for responsible medicine, Susan E. Berkow, the author of the Nutrition Reviews, wrote in her reviews that both male and female vegetarians weight 3 to 20 percents lower than meat eaters. Therefore, vegetarian diet is proved to be an effective way to lose weight It has been claimed that being vegetarian is not a good practice because it has many side effects. Some people argue that vegetarians are fainted easily and stressed since they have to avoid meats. In fact, vegetarian diet has fewer side effects when compared to Atkins diet and using diet pills. The first one, Atkins diet practice, gives many trans-fats which come from eating an unlimited amount of meat, dairy products. As reported in Akins Nutritional Organization article, trans-fats have no nutritional value and are the major cause of obesity and the contributor to heart disease. Additionally, meats are converted to fats and fats have been added to weight increasing. Nutritionists have found that Atkins weight loss program increases the risk of heart disease while vegetarian diet decreases it. Moreover, according to the American Cancer Society’s studies, meat increases the risk of colon cancer. On the contrary, fruits and vegetables help lower the risk of getting cancer. The second way to lose weight compared to vegetarian diet is taking diet pills. Diet pills restrain appetite so they make people feel full so that they can lose weight very quickly; however, it causes many side effects on health. The fact is diet pills cause many ailments such as nervousness, fatigue, headaches, and diarrhea. Moreover, diet pills overdose leads to tremors, hallucinations, heart attack and even death. Many pills contain dangerous chemical substances. For example, Phenylpropanolamine can increase heart beat rate and blood pressure. From the report published in 2004 by the New England Journal of Medicine, San Francisco researchers link diet pills to be the cause of 10 deaths and 20 heart attacks and strokes within the past two years after their drug intake. Hence, losing weight by eating plant products poses less harm than Atkins diet and taking diet pills. Also, vegetarian dietbenefits weight losers in terms of the expenses. Some people may argue that vegetarian foods cost much money and cooking vegetarian dishes can be complicated since they have to select specialthe ingredients. In fact, vegetarian diet helps save money because vegetables and fruits, actually, cost less than meats and whole grains are less expensive than protein from meats. Moreover, since vegetarian diet has few side effects, it helps people save the money spent onmedical care and health insurance. On the other point of view, people who disagree with vegetarian diet claim that vegetarian diet is an unhealthy practice for losing weight since it lacks many nutrients. They claim that those who practice vegetarian diet may lack of nutrients from protein, vitamins and fats. Protein for body growth generally comes from meat and dairy products and vitaminB12, for example, which used to help forming red blood cells and functioning nerve systems comes from milk. In addition, energy which is used during all stages of life comes from fats, carbohydrate, and protein. Besides, they argue that water and fibers reduce energy density and increase the volume of foods. Vegetables and fruits, naturally, contain a lot of water and fiber content, so they might low in calories and give low energy density. Therefore strict vegetarian diet does not providepeople enough energy to use during the daily activities in life. Actually, to people who are not well informed, vegetarian diet is proven to be a good practice to lose weight. The fact is there are four main types of vegetarian diet. It is categorized by the animal meat restriction in the diet. The first type is a total vegetarian or vegan which is the group of people who eat only vegetables. People who are vegans can lose weight very fast. The second type islacto vegetarian. This type of vegetarian allows vegetables and dairy products. Ovo-vegetarian is another type of vegetarian. They consume vegetables and eggs which give them enough protein. The last type of vegetarian is lacto-ovo vegetarian. People who practice lacto-ovo vegetarians eat all vegetables,eggs and dairy products. It is proved that adopting this diet has many health benefits, more than a meat-full diet since lacto-ovo vegetarian food provides protein, carbohydrate, fats, minerals and vitamins which are necessary to human body. So, people in this diet type do not need to find other supplements to stay healthy. Another point is that there are other sources of nutrients from plants which function as protein in meats, vitamins and minerals such as whole grains, legumes, vegetable seeds and nuts. Moreover, lacto vegetarians and lacto-ovo vegetarians can gain vitaminB12 by eating dairy products while vegans can obtain vitaminB12 from soy milk and yeast. Besides, milk and dairy products are another source of calcium. Also, kales and green leave vegetables can give calcium which are absorbed better than that from milk. Furthermore, vegetables contain the less amounts of saturated fats than meats, so it can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, vegetarian meals have essential minerals and vitamins which are good for health. Vegetables are rich in antioxidants and protective Phytonutrients which lower the risk of cancer and chronic syndrome. Besides, losing weight by vegetarian diet is not proven to cause an illness. People who consume a lot of meat have a high risk of heart-disease, cancer and bone loss. The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans found that those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day were more than 30 percent likely to die from heart disease and cancer during ten years followed. In conclusion, there are several benefits of vegetarian diet for weight losers. Vegetarian diet is proved to be an effective way to lose weight since it has lesser negative side effects and benefits weight losers in terms of the expenses. There are four types of vegetarians included lacto vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians, ovo-vegetarians and vegans which are categorized from the restriction of animal products. Although some people argue that vegetarian diet is an unhealthy way to lose weight, many studies prove that vegetarian diet is a healthy weight loss practice. Albert Einstein once said â€Å"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution of vegetarian diet. † Nevertheless, there are many people who starting vegetarian diet without nutritional background knowledge about balanced diet. Therefore, vegetarians should be aware of what nutrients lack in the diet and carefully select types that appropriate for each person to become a wise weight loser. ThanchanokSrisawang 520110045 How to cite Vegetarian Diet: a Good Practice to Lose Weight or Not, Papers

Slavery, a better understanding. Essay Example For Students

Slavery, a better understanding. Essay Slavery in the American SouthBy William RculardThroughout history, individuals have always wanted power, but in order to seize it, they must first know how to. Some obtained it through talking (Martin Luther King Jr.), while others through strengh, building huge armies and destroying their enemies. In the American south slavery, things were different, indeed, landowners enslaved other human being, claiming their inferiority based on skin colour and different culture. To better understand the Africain American cult, it would be interesting to discuss what the slavery in the south was about, but precisly how it made the African American Culture evolve. Slavery always existed, although it was for different reasons, not basd on race or ehnicit, itstill consisted of stealing away smebodys freedom. In the Amerian Soth, it ws a racially bsed slaveryIn the mid to late 17th century, a rpid increase in the number of African Slaves, caused a majority of southerners to creae a slave system in order to controle the slaves. Causing positive results to the southerners, it evolved rapidly. Some of the slaves have been slaves in colnies since 1919, although some had an ambiguous status. By 1660s, southern colonies creating slave and shared codes defined slaves as chattel, or a piece of property. Slavery was set for life (unless emancipatd) and child whos mother was a slave was one as well. Emancipatin depended on time periods and colonies since they might not have enough slaves if done to much. To protect temeselvs, it was made illegal to teach to read and write to a slave, first of all because they were cosidered inferior intellectually since their country is not civilized, but most of ll because if a slave knew how to read, he might be able to read the declaration of independence, thus getting ideas, power and the act. Slaves were given no legal rights, althouh it was illegal to kill a slave. Consequently, Planter Aristocracy emerged because of the way people lived and considered themeselvs, some considered themeselvs superrior, specially to collored men. A Southern way of life thus emerged, having as characteristics a minority of large plantation owners (planters elite) who were verry powerfull and controlled economy and politics. They had an opulent lyfestyle (mansion, luxury goods), were educated, had done military training, and ejoyed all sort of leisure. They belived in Southern gentility and their wealth and lifestyle was based on Slave-labor. As for the truth, only a few owned slaves and even less were true planters. The Southern culture was then headed by this planter elite. In order to understand slavery, it is neccessary to first understand the worldview of slave and slave owners. First of all, most southerners viewed slavery as the basis of all great civilizations, such ase ancient greece and Rome, and Africains as racially inferior and suited to labor. They thought of themeselvs as paternal (my negroes, my people.) The Southern male was a patriarchal figure of whome the child and his mother owed absolute respect. The slave would be living in the sama cabin since the slave and his owner worked on the field. Nevertheless, most suscribed to the same cultural values. According to the slave system, slaves were stupid, childlike (which is silly since its actually positive), lazy, prone to lying and stealing, promiscuous/animal like, dependent on whites and capable of violence and wickedness (like every person on earth, although some refuse to do it). At the same time, they believed they had to shape the slave, make him obediant and willing to work, had to break in a new slave, according to them, beating and breaking the slave would make him submissive and dependent. The slaves were taught that they were inferior and dependent on whites, one of the process was infantilization boy, uncle, girl, auntie. This process was to make inferior, skip adulthood since its independence, and create a child to mother/father relationship. This was considered as psychological conflict because the slaves were always told they were bad, childlike, and since they had no way of proving the opposite, it destroyed them. Nevertheless, the slave owners backed up the process of enculturation with rewards and punishments because just beating was not productive,

Left000 Largemouth Bass Essays - Fish, Freshwater Fish,

left000 Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides Description; they grow 4 to 6 inches during their first year, 8 to 12 inches in two years, 16 inches in three years. They are usually green with dark blotches that form a horizontal stripe along the middle of the fish on either side. The underside ranges in color from light green to almost white. Their upper jaw reaches far beyond the rear margin of the eye. Habitat; Largemouth bass seek protective cover such as logs, rock ledges, vegetation, and man-made structures. They prefer clear quiet water, but will survive quite well in a variety of habitats. Eating; They are carnivores. Hibernation; Yes, they hibernate during winter months. Reproduction; During one summer, a female largemouth bass can spawn three times releasing 2,300 to 81,100 eggs per spawn. This rate ofreproductionis necessary to maintain adequatebassforage in a balanced largemouth bassfishery. Largemouth bass can spawn at 1 year old, but typically beginspawningafter they reach 9 to 10 inches long. right20002500Life Cycle; Life Cycle. Largemouths usually spawn in the spring when water temperatures are between 60F and 70F. However, if water conditions are unsuitable and disrupt the plannedspawningseason, the fish can waitfor aslongas sixty days to resumespawning. Endangered; They are on the "Least Concerned" list.

Honey Bees and Economics Essay Example

Honey Bees and Economics Essay Example Honey Bees and Economics Essay Honey Bees and Economics Essay are among the most well-known and economically of import insects ( Delaplane 2006 ) . There are 20 six recognized races around the universe, supplying honey and wax merchandises, and functioning every bit of import pollinators for harvests and wild vegetations ( Thomas 2002 ) . The tropically-adapted African honey bee races, Apis mellifera scutellata ( once adansonii ) , was introduced to Brazil in the 1950s to crossbreed with antecedently introduced European honey bee races in order to better honey production in the Neotropics ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . While hybridisation between these races was expected, and sought in the genteelness plan for which the African races was introduced, cistron flow between the races is asymmetrical and the European traits are mostly displaced by the African traits over clip ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . These African traits tend to be characters that make the Africanized honey bee an efficient encroacher and coloniser, as evidenced in its scope enlarg ement throughout South and Central America and the invasion of a figure of southwesterly States in the U.S. ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . This scope enlargement could take to a figure of social, economic, and ecological jobs since the Africanized honey bee can be really aggressive, has high generative capacity, and may interfere with native pollinators and established European settlements, therefore interrupting their pollenation services ( Fewell and Bertram 2002 ) . This paper investigates the properties of A.m. scutellata that enabled this races ( but non European honey races ) , to go an invasive species, effects of its invasion, and direction issues associated with it. History of the Africanized Honey Bee Honey bees are non native to North, Central, and South America, jointly known as the New World, but became widely established after holding been brought by European colonists in the 1600s ( Delaplane 2006 ) . The natural biogeographical scope of Apis mellifera spans from northern Europe to southern Africa and from the British Isles to the Arabian Peninsula ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . There are four geographic line of descents that correspond to populations in East and West Europe, Africa, and the Middle East ( or Asian ) which probably exhibited allopatric distribution before worlds began transporting and blending populations on a big graduated table ( Schneider et al. 2004 and Zayed and Whitfield 2008 ) . At least eight of the 20 six honey bee races have been intentionally introduced to the Americas and the European races Apis mellifera ligustica Spinola, A.m. caucasica Gorbatschev, and A.m. carnica Pollman, provided the familial stock of the U.S. domestic honey bee ( Thomas 2002 ) . From the 16th to 18th century, Apis mellifera mellifera, of the West European line of descent, dominated debuts to the New World but the three races that comprised the U.S. honey bee, all of the East European Lineage, dominated subsequent debuts ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Geographic isolation can take to familial distinction of populations into races due to local choice force per unit areas and familial impetus ( Clarke et al. 2002 ) . This phenomenon is apparent in the honey bee races from Europe and Africa. The European races are well-suited to temperate climes in that much of their energy goes into bring forthing and hive awaying honey that is needed to last drawn-out periods when resources are absent, such as winter ( Sanford and Hall 2005 and Delaplane 2006 ) . In contrast, the African races exhibits a composite of behaviours and physiological features that make it well-suited to tropical environments, such as high generative rates and coevals of droves to replace settlements that are often lost to predation ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . African and European honey bee races had been geographically separated for about 10,000 old ages, developing separating features to last in their corresponding environments, before human-assisted debuts caused blen ding between big populations ( Clarke et al. 2002 ) . While most of North America was able to prolong both managed and wild honey bee populations of European decent, the European honey bee was non every bit good adapted to the tropical and semitropical environments of Central and South America where they could merely be maintained with punctilious attention ( Delapane 2006 ) . It was the insufficiency of European races to win in this clime that led research workers in Sao Paulo, Brazil to present one of the tropical African honey bee races, Apis mellifera scutellata, in an effort to develop a better tropically-adapted domestic honey bee ( Thomas 2002 ) . It s deserving adverting that North African bees had been introduced antecedently to North America and that ferine populations exhibited low frequences of African DNA prior to the spread of the African bee from Latin America but did non ensue in an invasive species as seen with A.m. scutellata ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . The purpose of conveying the African races to Brazil was to present familial stuff from these tropically-adapted honey bees into the resident European honey bees in order to develop better honey manufacturers in the tropical clime of this part ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . The genteelness plan, organized by insect geneticist Warwick Kerr, used South African Queenss paired with docile Italian drones and employed dual queen excluders to forestall flight ( Thomas 2002 ) . The queen excluder keeps the queen in the brood nest and is used as a safeguard against settlement flight since the hive will non go forth without the queen. Unaware of this intent, in 1956 a sing apiarist removed the excluders and hence, 26 of the Africanized urtications escaped with their Queenss ( Thomas 2002 ) . The African stock became established in the ferine population around Sao Paulo and spread quickly throughout Brazil and the Neotropics, displacing and/or crossbreeding with the resident races of honey bee ( Spivak et al. 1991 ) . It s of import to observe that the term Africanized is controversial and that the term Neotropical African is likely better terminology for the honey bee with traits of both European and African descent ( Spivak 1992 ) . Africanized, African-derived, and Neotropical African entail different familial procedures in footings of cistron flow between European and African populations such that Africanized refers to settlements that result from European Queenss and African drones bring forthing a hybridized population ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Although it was assumed that the African and European races would crossbreed and give rise to the Africanized honey bee and significant hybridisation has so occurred, over clip the European features are displaced by the African traits since cistron flow between the races is asymmetrical, prefering the loss of European traits ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . In fact, recent genetic sciences research has revealed that some wild Africanized honey bee populations consist of unbroken African female parent lines that extend all the manner back to the original Queenss that were introduced to Brazil in the 1950s ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . Interestingly, European honey bee Queenss mate disproportionately with African drones, a phenomenon that contributes to displacing European cistrons in a settlement with African ( Kaplan 2004 ) . Additionally, there is grounds that the intercrossed exhibits reduced fittingness when compared to either European or African settlements. Hybrid workers have been rep orted to hold lower metabolic capacity for flight and dispersion and less efficient scrounging ability, two factors that accordingly result in lessened endurance of intercrossed settlements ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . Indeed, intercrossed settlements have been observed to vanish over clip unless actively managed and maintained by worlds ( Schneider et al. 2003 ) . Spread of the Africanized Honey Bee A ; Barriers to Range Expansion The spread of the Africanized honey bee is one of the most impressive biological invasions that have been documented, colonising most of the Americas in less than 50 old ages ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Factors that have facilitated the constitution and enlargement of Africanized honey bees include the inclination of African settlements to turn faster than those of European races, familial mutual exclusivenesss between European and African races that favor keeping of African over European traits, and the greater ability of African bees to set up nests in a broader assortment of locations ( National Research Council 2007 ) . Besides, African droves will assume European settlements, intending they invade and replace the occupant queen with their ain, a phenomenon which loses both maternal and paternal lines of the European honey bee ( Kaplan 2004 and Schneider et Al. 2004 ) . The African honey bee produces big Numberss of offspring that form many generative droves and absconds more readily than European races, which abscond and drove less often ( Schneider 1990 and Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . This is important because honey bee population growing is influenced by settlement growing and generative rates in that the greater the generative rate, the faster the settlement growing, the more rapidly a settlement becomes overcrowded, and the more frequent the demand to split the settlement ( Fewell and Bertram 2002 and Kaplan 2004 ) . Hence, since the African honey bee produces greater Numberss of offspring, African settlements drove and disperse to organize new settlements more often than European honey bees. In the Neotropics, a 16-fold addition can be seen in African settlements, taking to a rapid addition in African honey bee population denseness, whereas a mere three to sextuple addition is seen for European settlements in temperate parts ( Schneider et al. 2 004 ) . While high generative rates that lead to frequent teeming give the African honey bee an built-in capacity for rapid population growing, bolting may or may non lend to its colonisation and enlargement ability. Absconding, abandoning the nest and traveling elsewhere, may increase the opportunities of endurance merely if the settlement is able nest in a more favourable country or coalesce with another drove ( Spivak 1992 ) . Therefore, the increased inclination of African bees to bolt is advantageous, and therefore a conducive factor to their scope enlargement, merely when they are able to successfully relocate to an country with suited conditions and appropriate resources. A figure of differences in diet and foraging schemes may explicate the generative and survival capacity of the African honey bee that give it a competitory advantage. Competition for flowered resources frequently involves a figure of factors that differ between consumers, such as strength of usage, resource defence, and resource penchant, and successful invasive species are frequently able to out-compete occupant species by working more resources ( Villannueva-Gutierrez and Roubik 2004 ) . This appears to keep true in the instance of the African honey bee, which is able to use a greater diverseness of dietetic resources ( Villanueva-Gutierrez and Roubik 2004 ) , and harvest pollen more intensively than European settlements in the same home ground ( Fewell and Bertram 2002 ) . They are besides less selective about the nectar beginnings that they consume and will roll up less-concentrated nectar from a greater assortment of flowered resources than European honey bees which are selectiv e in the quality of nectar for honey production and endurance intents ( Pankiw 2003 ) . These characters, in combination with the inclination of the African honey bee to readily drove and colonise new countries, make it a really successful encroacher. It has steadily colonized lowland woods of South America since 1957 ( Roubik et al. 1986 ) and, spread outing at a rate of 80-500 kilometres per twelvemonth, it reached Central America by the 1980s and North America by 1990 ( Thomas 2002 ) . Today, all of Latin America, with the exclusion of Chile, has established populations and in North America, subsequent scope enlargement since the first natural settlement was discovered in Hidalgo, Texas has occurred chiefly in a westbound mode, bit by bit covering most of the southwesterly U.S. ( Delaplane 2006 ) . By 2005, nevertheless, populations of Africanized bees were found in the more eastern States of Louisiana and Florida ( Delaplane 2006 ) and have besides been reported in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico ( Kaplan 2004 ) . There are now confirmed populations in south ern California and Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, the bulk of Texas, Oklahoma, and a few counties of southern Louisiana and southern Florida ( National Research Council 2007 ) . There have besides been a few stray droves in southern Utah ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . The invasion of the southern United States by A. m. scutellata may hold been significantly influenced by the devastation of European settlements in the U.S. by a parasite. Range enlargement into North America coincides with heavy harm to European settlements due to infestation by the varroa touch, Varroa destructor ( once jacobsoni ) , an invasive honey bee parasite from Asia that was discovered in U.S. populations in 1987 ( Kaplan 2004 ) . The touchs readily transferred from the native host, the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, to European honey bees when European bees were brought to Asia in the 1950s and so shipped to South America in the 1970s ( Lindquist 1989 ) . The touchs reached Mexico by the mid 1980s ( Lindquist 1989 ) and as the infestation spread, the ensuing decimation to the resident European population in the southern U.S. may hold provided an ecological vacancy that the Africanized bees were coincidently able to make full. The northbound scope enlargement has non been every bit terrible as that experienced in Central and South America and there may be a figure of effectual barriers that prevent extended invasion of temperate parts of the United States and Canada by A. m. scutellata. Certain features of the tropically-adapted African races, those that enabled it to displace resident European settlements in tropical parts of the Americas, may non be suited to lasting in temperate parts where winter conditions require a life history scheme closer to that of European honey bee races ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . Since settlement behaviours mediate choice of settlement phenotypes and hence drive version in societal insects, the enlargement of honey bees into temperate parts was probably facilitated by choice for honey billboard and ability to organize a winter bunch ( Zayed and Whitfield 2008 ) . The European bees exhibit these characters, using more energy bring forthing and hive awaying honey that is used t o last predictable dearth seasons and less energy into bring forthing big Numberss of offspring ( Thomas 2002 and Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . In contrast, the African honey bee is adapted to an environment in which menaces, such as predation, are more localised and far less predictable than the widespread, seasonal alterations in temperate parts, ensuing in the version of defensive behaviour and inclination to bolt and teem ( Villa et al. 1987 and Thomas 2002 ) . In other words, the African races are suited for dispersion and colonisation whereas the European races are better suited for keeping the settlement. Evidence that African honey bee scope enlargement may be limited by environmental conditions, and hence implicates that these bees may non last in the temperate parts of North America, can be seen in Argentina where the regional laterality of the European or African parental genotypes of established populations corresponds to the environment that resembles those in which the different races evolved ( Spivak 1992 ) . The tropically-adapted Africanized bees are established in the tropical North of the state which exhibits conditions to which they are well-suited, whereas the temperately-adapted European bees dominate the temperate South ( Clarke et al. 2002 ) . A similar distribution is observed in the Andean Highlandss of Peru where African bees are non found above 2300 metres altitude but European honey bees are common, a likely effect of alterations in climatic conditions with height instead than latitude ( Spivak 1992 ) . In short, the tropical versions of the Africanized bees are less advantageous in temperate parts and cold conditions may efficaciously restrict overwintering capacity as to forestall farther scope enlargement ( Delaplane 2006 ) . It s of import to observe that a passage zone between tropical and temperate parts, where the scopes of African and European honey bees overlap and the races interbreed, will hold bees with changing grades of African and European traits. In the U.S. , where African traits will probably rule in southern parts and northern parts are more likely to keep European traits, a big passage country may develop ( Delaplane 2006 ) . While loanblends may be transported with seasonal motion of bundles, Queenss, and apiarists serving harvests, enabling impermanent scope enlargement in some northern venues, African and Africanized bees are non likely to last in temperate climes without sufficient energy shops to last the winter months ( National Research Council 2007 ) . Besides, although the northern spread of Africanized bees may be limited by clime, one ground that the Africanized bee has non spread into Canada is that the boundary line between the U.S. and Canada has been closed to honey bee tra de and conveyance since tracheal touchs infested U.S. honey bee populations ( National Research Council 2007 ) . If the lodger was reopened to these activities and Africanized bees were imported, their scope enlargement would likely be impermanent since they are non as well-suited to temperate parts as European races. There besides appears to be a important correlativity between the sum and distribution of rainfall and the spread of the Africanized honey bee. For case, rainfall greater than 55 inches distributed equally throughout the twelvemonth reflects the conditions at the border of their eastern enlargement ( Kaplan 2004 ) . This evident barrier may be a effect of the African honey bee being better adapted to arid home grounds, as they seem unable to colonise even in southwesterly parts of the U.S. where the temperatures are appropriate for tropical races but the sum and distribution of rainfall differs from other parts where they ve successfully established ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Finally, the northbound scope enlargement of the African honey bee may be limited by differences in twenty-four hours length between tropical and temperate parts. The seasonal forms of settlement growing and reproduction for European honey bees closely correlates to photoperiod whereas African honey bees are ad apted to tropical climes where one-year alterations in rainfall and flowered copiousness are more of import than photoperiod ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Economical, Social, and Ecological Consequences of African and Africanized Honey Bees There are several honey bee characters that are of import to people. These include disposition, the inclination to teem and bolt, honey production, and manageableness for apiarists ( Kaplan 2004 ) . Because of differences in these characters between the African and European races, the spread of Africanized honey bees may hold several of import economic impacts on the honey industry and has possible to impact public safety. As an foreigner species to the Americas, the African bee and its loanblends could besides act upon pollenation ecology of natural and agricultural landscapes ( Roubik et al. 1986 ) . The inclination of Africanized settlements to bolt makes them hard to maintain and their heightened defensive behaviour makes them hard and inconvenient to pull off ( Hackett, 2004 ) . While the invasion of Africanized bees ab initio resulted in apiarists abandoning the pattern and doing the honey industry to endure in Central and South America, apiarists in these parts have adjusted good ( NRC 2007 ) . Fewer urtications are kept in any one location and are spaced farther apart, protective vesture and tobacco users are ever used, and the urtications are non worked as often throughout the twelvemonth to forestall absconding, with some apiarists preferring to work their urtications at dark ( Thomas 2002 ) . While bettering honey production was, after all, the purpose of presenting African bees to South America since the European races could merely be maintained in the Torrid Zones with great attention, early comparings of honey production in African and European settlements gave assorted consequences. For illustration, Spivak et Al. ( 1989 ) found no important difference in honey production between races in settlements in Costa Rica although studies from Brazil were systematically higher for African bees and comparable to or lower than European bees in other countries of South and Central America. Even sing these disagreements between studies in different parts, the part of the African honey bee to honey production in Brazil can non be ignored. After the debut of African bees, Brazil s one-year honey production increased nonuple, from 5,000 metric dozenss to 45,000 metric dozenss ( Thomas 2002 ) . However, beekeeping patterns in the Neotropics are basically different from those in the U .S. and Canada and hence, the effects of the African honey bee in these parts may non be an ideal theoretical account for foretelling the impact of Africanization in the apiculture and honey industry of North America ( NRC 2007 ) . Early anticipations of challenges that U.S. agriculturists would confront with the invasion of the African honey bee from Latin America included breaks of both beekeeping patterns and harvest pollenation ( Rinderer et al. 1991 ) , ensuing in increased costs of bee-pollinated nutrient merchandises ( Collins et Al. 1982 ) . Indeed, keeping European urtications while surrounded by African settlements has been a major challenge for U.S. apiarists in the sou-west. They must requeen on a regular basis, utilizing Queenss that have been pre-mated to European drones in African-free zones , to protect against hive trespass by African droves, a pattern that is clip devouring and expensive, particularly for commercial apiarists with 1000s of urtications to keep ( Kaplan 2004 ) . Sing that the apiculture industry was already threatened by important jobs, such as parasitic touchs and disease-causing bacteriums, before and during the African invasion, a farther decrease in the net income border fro m beekeeping was an expected effect of the increased costs incurred from frequent requeening and labour-intensive direction and monitoring of urtications to keep European lines ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . For harvest pollenation, nevertheless, differences in scrounging scheme between European and African honey bees may be advantageous in some harvests. For illustration, Basualdo et Al. ( 2000 ) study that Africanized bees collected significantly more pollen from helianthus in intercrossed seed production systems of Argentina, proposing that the tropical races may be a more efficient commercial pollinator. The Africanized bee has received considerable ill fame for its defensive behaviour toward perceived menaces to the settlement which has resulted in a figure of negative social effects. They rapidly recruit 100s to 1000s of settlement members to drive off interlopers and although the toxicity and sum of venom delivered per sting does non differ from European races, the big figure of stings incurred during a mass onslaught and the drawn-out continuance of onslaught has led to the deceases of pets, people, and farm animal ( Rabe et al. 2005 ) . The inclination of Africanized honey bee droves to settle in topographic points near worlds airss increased wellness jeopardies ( NRC 2007 ) and therefore, constabularies, fire sections, and other authorities bureaus have adopted preparation and processs to cover with incidents affecting these bees ( Rabe et al. 2005 ) . Indeed, the frequence of onslaughts dramatically increased when the Africanized bees escaped and spread throughout South and Central America, but as people learned to avoid nesting bees the figure of onslaughts declined ( Thomas 2002 ) . It s deserving adverting that while the aggressive behaviour of Africanized bees poses a really existent menace, public sentiment of the true danger of Africanized bees has been distracted by overdone studies from popular media and Hollywood that use the catch-phrase killer bees ( Lindquist 1989 and Thomas 2002 ) . This widespread public fright has frequently caused apiarists to lose many of the locations that they rent to maintain urtications, even if such locations are considerable distances from known Africanized bee zones ( Hackett 2004 ) . This loss of apiary locations has farther contributed to the decreased net income border of apiculture ( Sanford and Hall 2005 ) . Even so, the early anticipations of the economic impacts of African bees on U. S. agribusiness have therefore far overestimated the existent harm, due possibly to a combination of heightened readiness based on the Latin American experience, apparent reduced fittingness in temperate climes, and a slower-than-predicted enlargement rate ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . The invasion of Africanized honey bees may hold of import ecological deductions as good. In the tropical Americas, even the earliest surveies showed grounds that African bee settlements can displace native pollinators from flowers, a effect that can be attributed to their superior ability to turn up and reap flowered resources ( Roubik et al. 1986 ) . An of import illustration involves societal stingless bees of the genera Melipona and Trigona. Early experiments with species of these genera showed that big forager size, big settlement size, and ability to pass on the distance and way of a nutrient beginning are all characters that conferred a competitory advantage of the African honey bee over native stingless bees ( Roubik 1980 ) . In a survey of bee population tendencies and distribution in Mexico, Cairns et Al. ( 2005 ) study that the Africanized honey bee had adopted new behaviours to vie better with native pollinators that include physically assailing native stingless bees. Furt hermore, the African honey bee may hold an advantage over both societal stingless bees and European honey bees in footings of nesting sites. While the stingless and European settlements may be limited by the handiness of preferable nesting sites, the African honey bee is timeserving and utilizes a assortment of sites that the others would non busy ( Roubik 1980 ) . Some would reason that since the European honey bee races neer performed good in the Neotropics, the African honey bee can non be said to hold displaced the European honey bee by competition in these parts, even though the invasion has resulted in an about complete replacing of local European populations ( Fewell and Bertram 2002 ) . However, Villanueava-Gutierrez and Roubik ( 2004 ) study that competition with the African honey bee for locally-adapted pollen beginnings in Mexico appears to do resident European honey bees to abandon former resources, usage fewer resources intensively, and use other taxa as resources, thereby doing competitory supplanting. While the European bees used more resource species in this survey, the African bee used more to a important grade, probably ensuing in less pollen income on norm for the European honey bee ( Villanueava-Gutierrez and Roubik 2004 ) . Therefore, the ecological laterality of the African honey bee may non merely affect certain native be es but besides European honey bees. This consequence may be minor in the Torrid Zones where the European bees have historically had small success, but there may be major deductions for North America where they ve performed good ( Fewell and Bertram 2002 ) . Current and Future Management of Africanized Bees Presently, no agencies of eliminating Africanized honey bees exists since anything that negatively affects the African-derived populations will besides impact the European populations, and perchance wild bee populations ( Hackett 2004 and Hackett 2007 ) . The European honey bee is already in diminution due to disease and parasites in the U.S. so extra force per unit area is unwise. Alternatively, certain African traits can be considered good and hence, engendering plans may seek to pull off African honey bees for selected features. For illustration, the Africanized honey bee seems to be more immune to the varroa touch, Varroa destructor, which has been decimating honey bee settlements across the New World, a trait that could be valuable to the apiculture and honey industry ( Rabe et al. 2005 ) . Although the harm to European settlements caused by the varroa touch may hold contributed to the successful invasion of the U.S. by the African honey bee, its opposition may be merely what th e apiculture and honey industries need. The Asiatic honey bee, Apis cerana, exhibits behavioural mechanisms, often referred to as hygienic behaviour, by which it is able to defy infestation, such as remotion of dead or infested brood and training, and so does Apis mellifera scutellata ( Lindquist 1989 and Ibrahim et Al. 2007 ) . The African honey bee besides has shorter brood rhythms and this may lend to resistance in that the touch may non be able to finish development before the brood emerges ( Kaplan 2007 ) . Furthermore, there appears to be some unknown mechanism that influences the touch s generative capacity in African urtications ( Carneiro et al. 2007 ) . While opposition to varroa touchs is surely a good feature, the less desirable African characters, such as disposition and endurance in temperate climes, may be of import sing beekeeping patterns of temperate parts of North America. The inclination to bolt when disturbed, for illustration, makes African bees hapless campaigners for migratory apiculture operations ( Schneider et al. 2004 ) . Furthermore, Carneiro et Al. ( 2007 ) reported alterations in generative capacity of V. destructor in Brazilian African honey bee settlements ; they are get downing to get the better of generative barriers. Therefore, utilizing A.m. scutellata for opposition may no longer be a feasible option. However, honey bees from far-eastern Russia exhibit both opposition and tolerance to varroa touchs ( Rinderer et al. 2001 ) . Engendering with these bees alternatively would avoid unwanted African traits and jobs associated with enlargement restrictions in temperate climes. While research continues, apiarists and the general populace can larn to populate with Africanized bees and follow certain patterns as a agency of incorporating the job. These include look intoing for bee nests before runing machinery such as lawnmowers, as the quivers may upset the settlement ; sealing clefts and gaps in edifices, as these are attractive to a drove in hunt of a nesting site ; and apiarists can where more protective vesture, nevertheless inconvenient, when sing urtications and working around their bees ( Hackett 2004 ) . Cheap pheromone traps are besides used, particularly around schools, airdromes, golf classs and other high traffic countries, to do swarm remotion easy and incidence of onslaught less likely ( Kaplan 2004 ) . In the southern and coastal U.S. parts where commercial queen production takes topographic point, Danka et Al. ( 1994 ) suggest pin downing African droves as a agency of keeping the unity of European traits in their genteelness operations for th e U.S. apiculture industry. In the interim, the ARS of the USDA, the primary monitoring bureau for Africanized bees, provides legion updates that inform research workers and the general populace on the position of this invasive species ( Kaplan 2004 ) . Decisions The African honey bee is an efficient encroacher and coloniser and its scope enlargement can hold a figure of social, economic, and ecological effects. This tropically-adapted races was able to displace resident European bees in the Neotropics through competitory advantages attributed to reproductive capacity, superior resource development, and familial mutual exclusivenesss with European races. While de

Discuss whether it seems possible for alternative (i.e Essay

Alternative Media Substituting Mainstream Media in Developed & Developing Countries - Essay Example While such pluralism dissipates political subversions of free opinion, smaller countries with authoritative regimes at the helm of affairs do throttle traditional media mechanisms. The situation is even worse in nations where the capitalist mode of an economy still persists. As argued by critical theorists Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, both microcosmic as well as macrocosmic social structures unleash equal amount of media propaganda in the guise of art. Maintaining this line of argument it can be inferred that technological boom has affected people’s cultural integrity and identity in a detrimental manner, resulting in generalization of opinions and conscious worldviews (Adorno and Horkheimer 1944). If we take the example of a developing nation like Turkey, or any other Middle-Eastern country for that matter, it would be clear that mainstream media has long resorted to alternative media agents in order to remain independent of state administered policies. Instead of acting like a mere vehicle to voice the politically motivated manifesto of the State, media houses do adopt a neutral standpoint within a restricted religious ideal (Romano 147). It has to be underlined that consumer culture primarily driven by religious fundamentalism does very little to encourage semi-formalized notions of production and absorption of mass

Technology, Strategy and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology, Strategy and Innovation - Essay Example In Europe, firms with less than 10-49 employees are termed small firms, whereas firms with 50 to 249 employees fall under the definition of SMEs. SMEs usually tend to have greater market power than small firms and constitute around 99% of the total global enterprises (Shapira, n.d.). Despite their strength in numbers, a heavily competitive and globalized business environment is causing SMEs to struggle in order to compete effectively with large corporate companies. Particularly so because large companies have greater resources to influence the market power of SMEs. Their vast resources of manpower, materials, machines and money can be used to counter any competitive threat from SMEs. Under such circumstances, innovation in new products and business strategies becomes the only way for SMEs to survive. According to Fagerberg (2004), innovation is the process through which firms create and develop knowledge to develop new and improved products and services. On the other hand, Bordia et al. (2005) define innovation as the ability to define and develop new products and services and deliver them to market. According to Susman et al. (2006, p.16), innovation usually takes place in products, processes and markets. This paper discusses the importance of innovation in SMEs and how it is practiced. Innovation in small enterprises Innovation in firms is usually practiced through six channels: product, process, activities, non-technological, organizational, and marketing. The chart below provides a comparison of the popularity of various innovation channels in SMEs and large organizations. (Shapira, n.d., p. 2) From the chart, it is evident that process and organizational innovation in large organizations is carried out on a larger scale than in SMEs. In all other innovation channels, SMEs are not far behind large organizations. Product and process innovation together are termed as technological innovation because utilization of new technology is an essential characteristic of both. Product innovation utilizes new technology to develop innovative products. The iPhone is a good example of product innovation. When all other mobile phone manufacturers were concentrating on manufacturing traditional mobile phones, Apple came out with a touchscreen phone and created history. Many people have the illusion that technological innovation is the sole monopoly of large organizations. However, such innovation is possible in SMEs too. Bennet (1994, p.147) points out that smaller organizations are even more technologically advanced than the larger ones. It should be noted that when Hotmail was first introduced by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith it was an innovative service. After witnessing its popularity and realizing its potential, Microsoft acquired Hotmail later. Companies such as Google and Apple are busy acquiring the patents of many innovative products and services from SMEs. In short, product innovation in SMEs is not facing any barriers. On the other hand, pr ocess innovation in SMEs is taking place at a slower pace. Process innovation refers to improvements in production and delivery methods. Six Sigma implemented at Motorola is an example of process innovation. The core of process innovation is to eliminate or reduce costs of production, reduce waste, improve marketing and logistics operations, etc. Process innovati

Impact of recently discovered hominins on the understanding of human Research Paper

Impact of recently discovered hominins on the understanding of human phylogeny and biology - Research Paper Example Scientists have called these early hominids as australopiths which is Latin for apes. Then starting around 2.3 million years ago, something curious happened. New hominids hit the scene, species that were subsequently christened homo, which is Latin for man. With the coming of these hominids, came the flattening of the snout and the shortening of the hook-like fingers of the australopiths, an evolutionary process that is assumed to have given birth to modern man (Homo sapiens). By approximately 1.8 million years ago, a species by the name Homo ergaster, which was about as tall as living humans, with stiff feet in its long legs that were only good for walking on the ground, hit the ground. Its brain on the other hand was only a third of our brain. This is how far the australopiths reached. What followed afterwards was the discovery of a group of species that were more man-like but with slight differences in their feature, species that have since assumed the name â€Å"Homo† whic h is Latin for man. A careful analysis of this narration reveals a missing link between the Australopiths (apes) and the homo (man). The big question that evolutionary scientist

Consumer Perceptions of Private Label Brands in China and UK

Consumer Perceptions of Private Label Brands in China and UK CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF PRIVATE LABEL BRANDS IN CHINA COMPARED WITH THE UK Summary In China there are fewer studies of private label brands (PLBs) that take up less market share than generic brands and national brands. However, there is a successful development of PLBs in the UK. Therefore, this thesis aims to explore the difference of consumer perceptions on PLBs between China and the UK with national brands as a standard. The literature review will review theories like brand equity/image, PLBs and double jeopardy; PLBs development compared with national brands in China and the UK; the influencing factors of consumer purchase behaviour and previous researches of consumers perceptions about PLBs in China and the UK. The main objective of this part is to ascertain the difference of consumers perceptions between PLBs and national brands in the UK. Primary research will take the form of a non probability convenience sampling method to randomly select 200 members of the public from two shopping malls of Xidan and Wangfujing and several large-scale supermarkets in Beijing. Questionnaires will be used for data collection, and data is analysed by Snap statistical programme. The finding shows that there is a significant difference of PLBs perception between China and the UK. Before the evaluation of brand image, the awareness of PLBs in China is understood and just less than half of respondents know the own-label biscuits. With reference to the literature reviewed on consumer perception in the UK, it can get the result that Chinese PLBs are perceived lower than British PLBs on the all attributes except â€Å"cheap† and â€Å"good value†. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 The topic of research The aim of this thesis is to better investigate how private label brands (PLBs) are perceived by consumers in China, and compare it with the UKs. 1.2 Principle research question To understand how Chinese consumers perceptions of private label brands differ from the UKs. 1.3 Overall research objective The primary purpose for this research is to discover the main difference of consumers assessment of private label brands between China and the UK. This thesis will explore if there are significant differences between Chinese consumers evaluation on PLBs and the UKs, and analyse the relevant factors that cause the distinctness of consumers evaluation roundly on the basis of prior research in this subject scope. 1.4 Individual research objectives In order to achieve the principle objective of this study, it will intend to fulfil the following objectives: To identify the actual development of PLBs in China and the UK To establish the influence factors of consumer purchase behaviour in China and the UK To determine consumers perception of PLBs and national brands in the UK To determine consumers perception of Chinese PLBs and national brands To ascertain the different brand perceptions of PLBs in China and the UK 1.5 Report Structure This thesis contains eight chapters. Chapter2 to 4 are based on a literature review about theories and relevant knowledge of marketing background. Chapter2 outlines the theories about branding, and then chapter3 introduces the private label brands and their development in the UK and China. Chapter4 refers to consumer perception of PLBs review between two countries based on analysing the determining factors of purchase. The research method is explained in chapter5 with some specific designing scheme. The results of surveying Chinese biscuit category is presented, interpreted and analysed in chapter6, and discussed relating with the UKs market of literature review in chapter7 before conclusion and recommendations are given in chapter8. Chapter 2: Branding Chapter 2 introduces the definition of branding with its importance in the retail market, and moves to realize â€Å"brand image† and â€Å"brand equity† as well as the shift between them. In addition, the Double Jeopardy (DJ) Effect is identified finally. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate Chinese consumers perceptions of private label brands (PLBs) in comparison to UKs. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the background knowledge about â€Å"brand† first. 2.1 The conception of branding A brand was defined as â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors† (p.404, Kotler, 2000). Aaker (1996) indicated that brand was used for suppliers to reflect the consumers purchase information and make communicate with customers easier, so that it is helpful to build a long-term relationship of belief between buyers and sellers. Wileman and Jary (1997) had realized that retail branding was playing an important role in the modern retail market gradually. Managers and executives also perceived that retail branding could be used to increase benefits as a strong vehicle in the competitive retail industry (Carpenter, et al. 2005). The reason is that the relationship between a product and consumers is personified by the brand name (organizations name) on the product itself, like Microsoft and Nescafe (de Chernatony and McDonald, 2003). The difference between a brand and a commodity is shown below in figure1, which describes the process of decline from brand to commodity. Following the disappearance of brand characteristic, a reduction in the differentiation of price and product/image is demanded to achieve the likeness of product offerings in the particular category. Thus the â€Å"added values† is the main difference between a brand and a commodity. The result proved the strong power of added values in the blind (brand cancelled) and open (brand revealed) test of Coke and Pepsi preference (de Chernatony and McDonald, 2003). 2.2 Brand image Brand image is explained as the integrated effect of brand associations (Biel, 1992). Also, Faircloth et al. (2001) cited Engel et al. (1993) as claiming that brand image refers to consumers perceptions of brand tangible and intangible association. Keller (1993) stated that brand image, a part of brand knowledge, belongs to the perceptions about a brand that is reflected by the brands attribute, benefit, and attitude association in the memory of consumers. Besides, consumers brand image is derived from the accumulative effects of marketing mix actions of companies (Roth, 1994). Wulf el al. (2005) has argued that image is one prerequisite for the presence of brand equity. Brand image in the consumers memory network that is decisive to make decision, provides preferred brand reminding and evaluation (Holden, 1992), and so it can contributes the positive effect on brand equity (Yoo et al. 2000). Furthermore, Winchester and Fletcher (2000) argued that measuring brand image was one of the most important research projects undertaken by a company, because it could help firms to understand their products perceptions in consumers memory. For example, retailers have the cheaper brand image than the manufacturers in most of consumers memory. Also, they suggest that consumers consider retailer brands as â€Å"me too† products compared with manufacture brands (IGD, 2003). Thus it demonstrates that retailers are trying hard to build up a strong image for their own brands to shoppers. The enhancement of brand image will be beneficial to drive the sales, brand equity and increase the gross margin of private label products (Quelch and Harding, 1996). Therefore, brand image is an important determinant of consumers perception about private label brands. 2.3 Brand equity Brand equity, like the concept of brand, has been identified as having multiple meanings. For instances, people have debated the concept of brand equity both in the accounting and marketing literature for several years (Wool, 2000). The original concept of brand equity is the added value that a brand name offers to the fundamental product (Quelch and Harding, 1996; Wulf el al 2005). Wood (2000) also cited Feldwick (1996) as claiming a classification of different meanings of brand equity as: â€Å"- the total value of a brand as a separable asset when it is sold, or included on a balance sheet; a measure of the strength of consumers attachment to a brand; a description of the associations and beliefs the consumer has about the brand.† (p. 662, Wood, 2000) According to the statement of Wood (2000), brand equity rests on financial accounting no longer, but extends to the measure of brand strength (brand loyalty) and the description of brand image. Additionally, Aaker (1996) identified the major asset categories of brand equity to include brand name awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand associations (brand image). It reflected the value supplied by a product or service to a firm and/or customers in the various different ways. If the name and symbol of the brand change, the assets or liabilities will be affected and even lost due to the link between both sides. To brand awareness, the strength of a brands presence is mentioned in the consumers minds, ranging from recognition to recall to â€Å"top of mind† to domination. Recognition is more important than others due to the perception obtained from the past exposure. Also, recall can be a deciding factor of the purchasing of products. Otherwise, Chou (2002) also insisted on two categories of definition of brand equity—the customer-based and financial brand equity. The customer-based one is defined as the different effect of brand knowledge on consumers response to the purchase of brand (Keller, 1993; Lassar, et al. 1995), and the financial one refers to the intangible asset of the value of brand name to the firm (Chou, 2002). Through understanding the multiple concepts of brand equity, it can deduce that brand equity has attracted more attention in the marketing literature over the last decade, because it reflects if a brand would be repurchased by consumers. As Shapiro (1982) has demonstrated, certain brand equity offered genial value even though the appearance of products is uncertain. Nowadays Broniarczyk and Gershoff (2003) still emphasise the importance of brand equity; also, as one of the most valuable assets, it should be maximised to manage brands for the company (Keller and Lehmann, 2003). High brand equity can increase the opportunity on consumer choice of a common sales promotion (Simonson et al., 1994) and reduce the negative debates of consumers for a price increase (Campbell, 1999), because consumers lean to buy the brand more than the real product. Consequently, brand equity is also a factor to evaluate consumers perception of own brands. 2.4 The Double Jeopardy Effect In recent years, more authors (Sharp et al. 2002; Ehrenberg and Goodhardt, 2002) have been interested in understanding, developing and reinforcing the concept of Double Jeopardy (DJ), which represents a natural constraint on customer loyalty, which cannot be increased by marketing inputs much or for long unless a significant benefit increases the brands penetration (Ehrenberg and Goodhardt, 2002). The DJ effect is that â€Å"small share brands have fewer customers, but these customers buy the brand less often than the larger brands get bought by their customers† (p. 17, Sharp et al. 2002). A conceptual model of the DJ effect is showed in the figure2, which illustrates if a small firm would have higher turnover of their customer base if they lost the same number of customers as a large firm. The DJ effect is fit for the discussion of national brands and PLBs. Bigger brand will be known by more customers, and have more opportunities to be purchased and receive more responses than smaller brand. It will be an essential theory to support the last result of investigation about the comparison between own labels and national labels. Chapter 3: Private Label Brands This chapter attempts to understand private-label brands, their development in UK and China and the reason for focusing on them. National brands will be also mentioned as the scale for the validity of comparison between Chinese and UKs own labels. 3.1 The definition of private label brands â€Å"Retailer brands are designed to provide consumers with an alternative to manufacturer brands, to build customer loyalty to a retailer or improve margins.† (p.11, IGD, 2003) They are particular to a definite retailer, and may have a same or different name of the retailer but exclude other retailers name (IGD, 2003). The terms â€Å"own label† and â€Å"own brand† are always used together; also private label, retail brands or distributor brands are in common used (Fernie and Pierrel, 1996). Own brands can help retailers reduce the direct impact of price competition, since retailers carry their own brands instead of national brands that are sold in the most of the stores (Carpenter, et al. 2005). Furthermore, according to IGD (2003) study, doing own brands can provide competitively priced products, increased profitability and loyalty due to the special store, establishes store image, drives innovation and targets specific consumer groups. 3.2 The development of PLBs in UK Based on more previous researches about UKs PLBs, it will specify them as the base to compare with Chinese growing PLBs. 3.2.1 The history of development The generation of own brands in the UK can date back to the end of the nineteenth century (Key Note Market Review, 2001). Until mid-1960s, manufacturers perceived that the development of store brands could be a direct threat for them (Ogbonna and Wilkinson, 1998). After that, own brands rose to penetrate into grocery markets gradually (Fernie and Pierrel, 1996), because supermarket had to implement a new strategy under the tough economic crisis (Ogbonna and Wilkinson, 1998). The growth of own labels in the UK had been rapid during 1980s, and slowing down in the 1990s (Laaksonen, 1994). After 1980, the UKs retailing had a big metamorphosis to change their own-label products from previous low-price/low-quality/poor-packaging to current high quality, competitive price and good packaging (Burt and Davis, 1999; Key Note Market Review, 2001). Especially from 1990, more retailers began to provide own brand lines in stores and penetrated towards the grocery field (Veloutsou et al., 2004), and even innovated in product categories to be consistent with branded-products, such as the expansion from grocery to clothing (Quelch and Harding, 1996). Fernie and Pierrel (1996) illuminated that Marks Spencer, Sainsburys, Tesco and Safeway had developed their own brands, which competed successfully with other brands in the UK. Otherwise, there were more private labels on the shelves of supermarkets than ever before (Quelch and Harding, 1996). The main reasons for growth of own-label products include lower pricing (60%-85% of branded products), improved quality and higher profits for retailers (Ashley, 1998). Through the review of historical evolvement of PLBs, the current bloom of PLBs development in UK that is built on the basis of constant change can be seen. Also, it can be a good explanation for the condition, in which customers choose more own brands of supermarket rather than manufactures brands. 3.2.2 Current development At present, private label brands have taken up a significant share of nearly 29% in the UK food market. It is expected to increase further in 2009. Especially since 2008, own label has been gaining popularity following accelerating economic downturn. As consumers have begun to feel the pitch, so they have bought own-label products instead of branded products to save money. Thus the competition between own-labels and brands is reinforced. There is the highest own-label consumption in the FMCG sectors, like milk and frozen vegetables, or some products without emotional appeal. However, manufacturer brands still account for the majority of sales in the most of grocery categories (Mintel, 2009). Table1 shows the share of brands and own-labels in the following different categories. From this table, it can see that own label is the most dominant in the category of ready meals; and it has the least share in the crisp category. Also, more share own labels account for, more increasing opportunities they have. In addition, UKs supermarkets recognise that consumers have a wide range of product needs, so they segment the market by providing the brands that cater for the best, healthy, valuable, kids and organic requirements as table2 shows. 3.2.3 The feature of development The development of PLBs, a competitive strategy adopted by retailers, is necessary for them within the current retail market of high competition in the UK (Carpenter et al. 2005). Own brands are developing fast and winning a better share of the food market with definite advantage in the supermarket product ranges, because retailers can offer their private label products with high-quality and low-price (Wulf et al., 2005). Also, own-brand products exceeding 40% of market share have expanded their presence across markets—from low-priced, value-for-money items to the premium and lifestyle arenas so as to cater for consumers concern about healthy eating (Drewer, P. 2006). Therefore, it can fetch up the limitation of national brands that segment the market less, and target desired consumers more narrowly. For instance, figure3 shows Sainsburys Be Good to Yourself range of lower fat which is one kind of â€Å"healthier† own-label ranges; and Asdas value (Smartprice), healthy (Good for You) and Premium (Extra Special). Furthermore, the feature difference of own brands has been gradually shortened from national brands in terms of aspects such as packaging, size, and label (Choi and Coughlan, 2006). In figure4, Sainsbury instant coffee products are taken as an example of private labels with reduced feature differentiation as national labels inside FMCG sector. Some of the UKs retailers such as Sainsburys and Tesco have set up own brands focusing on quality and taste due to more consumers regards on flavour and aroma. Production methods have become diversified, and manufacturers have been found around the world to get various products with exotic flavours. For instance, the recipes of multiple ready-meal foods are derived from characteristic foods of different countries, like Waitrose chicken chow mein, which is developed from Chinese stir-fried noodles. Thus it is common for retailers to compete by developing premium own brands (Fenn, 2007), yet the majority of retailers changed their attention from premium ranges to the promotion of value ranges in 2008 (Mintel, 2009). 3.2.4 Marketing support The increase of own-label products is supported by the gradually concentrated nature of the retail market. Retailers control own brand marketing, which has obtained higher promotional support than national brands since there are better space and location for private labels on supermarket shelves (Cataluna et al. 2006). Retailers have got bargaining power in the market and more confidence to invest in their own brands, which bring higher profits than generic brands (Fenn, 2007). In addition, own-label food and drink has been supported strongly in the competitive market, although the main retailers began to promote the potential of saving money on PLBs purchase in 2008 and early 2009. For example, own-label brands are promoted principally in the main retailers like Morrisons. Marks Spencer also spent a third of its total budget on MS brands in 2008 (Mintel, 2009). Table3 shows the market support on foods in the form of media advertising expenditure. Generally, an increasing trend is shown for the retailers spending on foods in this table. However, depending on the retailers spending share, it can ascertain that branded manufacturers are still the biggest spenders on advertising for food and drink. They use the â€Å"Reassurance† and â€Å"tradition† as the key themes of promotion to fight against PLBs (Mintel, 2009). 3.2.5 The biscuit category Own-label biscuits take up a fifth of the UK market, where it has remained the share stably over previous 5 years. The biscuits category has increased substantially since 2002, although there is an unhealthy high sugar content in the most biscuits. The benefits can be obtained from defying all advice of nutrition, because consumers regard biscuits as a reward for their efforts on healthy eating most of the time. Moreover, the development of biscuit market is likely to be influenced by three key factors: requirement for healthy foods, indulgent products and convenient products. The indulgent demand can benefits the branded biscuits, as consumers believe premium-branded products more than PLBs (Kidd, ed. 2007). Figure5 shows the UK biscuits market shares in 2007. From this figure, it can see own labels account for more share than any one manufacturer brand, but it is less than the total share of main large manufacturers. In short, UKs PLBs market has been described and compared with manufacturers brands specifically, so that it can be as the firm foundation for the later comparison with Chinese PLBs market. 3.3 The development of PLBs in China Private label in China is still in an emergent stage, where many retailers had increased the place of own label development in 2004, but most do not have their own brands until they have greater scale in the market. According to IGDs estimation, own brand only takes up 2% of sales at Wal-mart and less than 6% at Carrefour, which is the strongest retailer in China. Although the foreign retailers have a long history to sell private label brands, this is a big challenge for them to sell in China, where own brand is a new concept for the Chinese consumers. They just believe the value and quality of local branded products. Thus retailers need to prove their own products are not only cheaper, but also provide better value to consumers (IGD, 2005b). Auchan, Carrefour and Wal-mart will be chosen as the example of private label development, because they have wider range of own label products than others. â€Å"Pouce†, â€Å"Auchan† and â€Å"First Price† ranges were introduced by Auchan in 2003. And they were developed across both food and non-food categories by the end of 2004. In Carrefour, own labels can be found in most categories, especially strong in non-food. Its private label brands include â€Å"Great Value†, â€Å"Equate† and â€Å"Kids Connection†. Wal-mart is developing their own brands including â€Å"Simply Basic†, â€Å"Equate† and â€Å"Great Value† in China, where the quantity is more limited than other developed international markets (IGD, 2005b). But actually, most of supermarkets usually just focus on the value with low price, and use the name of supermarket as their own brands name to attract consumers attention, such as â€Å"Ito-yokado†, â€Å"Dia%† and â€Å"Tesco†. 3.4 Why the focus on PLBs Veloutsou et al (2004) indicated that all grocery retailers have been entangled by private brands in Great Britain in the last decade. Also, the growth of private labels is one of the most obvious successes to the retail stores (Drewer, P. 2006); own brands have been seen as the strategic weapon to provide retailers with more powers and opportunities to distinguish themselves from national brands and build store image (Juhl et al. 2006). Nevertheless, there is a completely different situation in China, where the study of PLBs is less than the UKs and is strongly encouraged (Song, 2007). PLBs is undeveloped with low sales account in China, even if some foreign retailers (e.g. Carrefour, Wal-mart) have launched their own brands (IGD, 2005b). Consequently, there is a need to expose why PLBs have little market in China, and understand the shortage of Chinese PLBs development through comparing consumers different perceptions between China and the UK. Chapter 4: Consumers Perception of PLBs in China and UK This chapter will evaluate private label brands and national brands based on a cognizance of factors determining purchase. A generality of different viewpoints about consumers perceptions on brands will be discussed and some factors influencing the PLBs purchase will be presented. 4.1 Determinant of Purchase behaviour Consumers purchase can be influenced by environment, personal preference and psychological factors. Customers who live in diverse regions have their own experience about private-label products (Veloutsou et al 2004). Individual consumers often choose certain brands that they know to be guaranteed due to their habits, instead of spending more time to re-evaluate the brands with different attributes when purchasing (Ehrenberg, 2004). Furthermore, consumers preferences are different following the change of age (IGD, 2005a). For example, young people high on the new things more than old people. From the psychological aspect, â€Å"the right customer mindset can be crucial to realizing brand equity benefits and value† (p29, Keller and Lehmann, 2003). During the decision making process, purchase can be influenced directly by several factors. Veloutsou et al (2004) cited Omar, Burt and Sparks (1995) as claiming that many consumers always consider their products characteristics, quality and perceived value instead of the prices of products when consumers make purchasing decisions. However, the price cannot be excluded from factors of decisions, because most of consumers go shopping after they have a budget in mind (Hogan, 1996). Additionally, a generalized private-label attitude is discovered to influence purchase behaviour; factors include: â€Å"consumer price consciousness, price-quality perception, deal proneness, shopping attitudes, impulsiveness, brand loyalty, familiarity with store brands, reliance on extrinsic cues, tolerance for ambiguity, perceptions of store brand value, and perceived differences between store brands and national brands† (p347, Collins-Dodd and Lindley, 2003). 4.2 Consumer perception in China Due to the limitation of consumption per capita, the market was driven by price instead of brand loyalty in China (IGD, 2005b). According to China Management Newspaper (2008) reported, it is a fact that consumers who realise the supermarket own labels account for rather low percentage of total population. Moreover, â€Å"low price† and â€Å"high quality† are the main motivations to drive consumers purchase. Thus national brands with better quality can attract more consumers, although they have higher price than own labels. This results from the increase of Chinese consumers purchase power and the improvement of living level in recent years. Moreover, PLBs and national brands were considered as less difference on price (Chen, 2009). Thus it can be deduced that â€Å"low price† strategy of own brands in China would be successful due to less brand loyalty. However, following the improved standard of living, people would increase their demand from low price to high quality, which could be a challenge for the PLBs. 4.3 Consumer perception in UK 4.3.1 Comparison of PLBs with national brands Following the quality improvement of PLBs, Richardson (1997) found that store brands could be compared with national brands from the aspect of quality and consumers preferred to buy store brands where they usually shopped. As Quelch and Harding (1996) discovered that this was similar for consumers to perceive and judge the manufacturer and retailer brands in the orange juice private-label test, because consumers had a low involvement activity on grocery shopping. Nevertheless, â€Å"If all retailers stock manufacturers brands, they can only differentiate on price or sales promotions; with own labels/brands, they can offer further differentiation in the market place.† (p49, Fernie and Pierrel, 1996) They supported that own labels/brands could bring retailers more differentiation in the market place than manufacturers brands that just differed on price or sales promotions from each other. However, there is a different understanding based on consumers mind. Dick et al. (1996) considered that private labels were less famous than national brands, which have a distinct identification with a particular manufacturer. Richardson (1997) also supported the unification of store brands without the speciality of national brands. In the research of Harris (2007), he also demonstrated a significant difference of brand image evaluation for national brands and store brands. He established that PLBs have the advantage of â€Å"cheap† and â€Å"good value† to compare with national brands, while national brands were used more with higher quality/superiority based on attributes than store brands. However, after breaking down PLBs into three relative positions (premium, standard and value), he discovered that premium private labels were overpriced more without better value for money than national labels; customers buy more value private labels than national labels due to their cheapness. This implicates that consumers prefer the high quality of national brands and the good value of value PLBs at the same time. Therefore, he identified the characteristic of â€Å"worth more† regarded by consumers mostly. The brand association strengths are summarized in the following figure7 from his study. Furthermore, his researching results (see Appendix3) will be used as the reference of British consumer perception of PLBs to compare with Chinas later. In addition, according to Mintel research (2009), it has been a long-term trend for more consumers thinking that own labels are better than national brands. 4.3.2 Evaluation of PLBs To the quality/value thinking, other authors have had same ideas. Quelch and Harding (1996) predicted that consumers would choose PLBs readily rather than the higher-priced name brand, if there were more quality PLBs in the market. Richardson (1997) cited Richardson et al. (1994) as claiming that store brand market share could be increased by successfully communicating a quality rather than a low price strategy. Moreover, according to the IGDs research, PLBs have become one of the important factors for shoppers to choose the supermarket they shop in. The satisfaction of quality with lower price has attracted more consumers. The proportion of main reasons is â€Å"45% lower price, 45% better value than branded equivalent, 26% the same as branded, 24% a good reputation for own brand (IGD, 2003). Furthermore, consumers are not confused about the increasing number of own-label brands, but the segmentation is beneficial for them to choose products that are fit for themselves. The clear d ifferentiation among brands is also the key for retailers to success (Mintel, 2006). Chapter 5: Methodology On the basis of the relevant literature review about the market analysis of PLBs and national brands, especially the UK market, this has been analysed for the final discussion to compare with Chinese PLBs. This chapter will look for the most appropriate approach to implement the needed research and achieve the objective of this thesis. 5.1 The objective of this study Perceptual variables related to consumers perception are investigated in this study. It needs to finish the following objectives: The difference of consumer perceptions between PLBs and national brands in the UK (achieved in literature review) The difference of consumer perceptions between PLBs and national brands in China The difference of consumer perceptions of PLBs in China and the UK Based on the understanding of the UKs markets and perceived PLBs compared with national brands by consumers in the literature review, the Chinese situatio