Employment And Gender Equity Sociology Essay

Employment And Gender Equity Sociology Essay Introduction: Although there is a significant progress that has been achieved to gender equality in the labor market over recent decades and women are moving steadily into occupations that have been reserved for men and have managed to overcome the institutional discrimination that prevents them from certain jobs that hinders their career development, but there are many obstacles remain and rooted in the way that the work itself is organized or in the challenges that face women who try to reconcile work and family commitments or for cultural and religious reasons that have social / cultural and anthropological aspects. Women are still concentrated in the most unsteady forms of work and still far reaching from getting equal working opportunities, facing the phenomenon of glass ceiling which hinders them to get into high positions. Women worldwide have achieved higher levels of education than ever before and represent more than 35% of the global workforce in 2007  [1]  . The majority of top management positions in almost all countries are primarily held by men while female managers are holding lower management positions with less authority than men. It is something goes beyond just sex differences. Although women in general may be less emphasis on career success than men, but there are considerable huge number of professional women seeking top management positions and are unable to get them. Women seeking top managerial positions levels face large amount of challenges and may require different skills to be successful in the work place than their male counterparts. The causes are varies depending upon the size of the organization, level of management, and requisite job duties. Gender mainstreaming has been defined  [2]  as a process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in any area and at all levels. It is a strategy for making the concerns and experiences of women as well as of men an integral part of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally, and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal of mainstreaming is to achieve gender equality. Gender mainstreaming is a synthesizing concept that addresses the well being of women and men. It is a strategy that is central to the interests of the whole community. Although men and women are entering the labor force in equal numbers and qualifications, but the majority of top management positions still belong to men, and women share of management positions remains unacceptably low. Perception of Gender Roles: In 1960s-1970s, liberation movement has helped in changing the public perception of traditional gender roles. The introduction of the Equal Employment Organization, Affirmative Action, and Discrimination Laws helped shape public awareness. Although economic roles between men and women have become more similar over time, sex differences are still prevalent and tensions still exist in the workplace. In the United States in 2003, the most significant difference between men and women in the workforce is between Hispanic men and women 76% to 56% and the lowest difference is between black men and women (only 6% difference)  [3]  . There is a huge amount of theories explaining why sex differences exist, but most can be categorized in supporting either a nature or nurture theory. Those that support biological factors argue that people behave as they do because they are biologically male or female. Those that support the nurture approach view social-environmental factors as influencing be havior and believe that biological sex has very little to do with how people behave. What comprise sex discrimination? Article 11 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), states that appropriate measures should be taken to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of employment in order to ensure, on the basis of equality of men and women. The US Civil Right Act of 1964 provides strong protections against sex discrimination  [4]  . In modern societies, skilled women have the power, right and ability to compete with every field engaged with men including, employment, athletics, academics and politics without sex discrimination. Unfortunately, there is a fundamental nature all around the world to keep womens salaries lower and opportunities fewer in the employment realm. Less common, men too can be subjected to unlawful sex discrimination regardless the shape and form it takes. Unequal pay and discriminatory job standards on the basis of sex discrimination are prohibited by law. Unequal treatment on the basis of sex is the core of sex discrimination. Se parate rest rooms, does not constitute sex discrimination, but it is sex discrimination to provide different working conditions, salaries, hiring, promotion or bonus criteria to women and men. Everyone, men and women has the right to secure and perform their jobs free of unwanted demands for romantic or sexual relationships, or unwanted communications or behaviors of a sexual nature that interfere with their ability to work. Another form of unlawful discrimination is the workplace harassment. It is not enough for employers to offer his women and men employee equal pay and opportunities; they must also remedy any sexual harassment situations that are known such as: Harassment of lower-tier employees by a manager or executive of lower position. Sexual harassment among coworkers. Harassment involves unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Make sexual conduct a condition or term of employment, to base employment decisions on such conduct, or to permit sexual conduct that unreasonably interferes with an employees work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Offensive or rude comments, unwanted touching, displays of sexual objects or photographs, or offensive cartoons or drawings may constitute sexual harassment when they interfere with an individuals work performance. Is there a real limitation on women employment capabilities? The role of men and women in the society is clearly segregated. This division of role is part of division of labor. Unfortunately the nature of division of labor between men and women became too firm and continued to persist when it was no longer appropriate. The initial division of labor between men and women was primarily influenced by the child bearing role of women and their lower average of their physical strength. These differences in characteristics have not changed and the importance in division of labor becomes marginal. The most important requirements for most important jobs are mental capacities that both men and women have. With changing technologies and social structure, women are not tied down to the home to the same extent for performing their child bearing role. Changes in economic structure and culture have greatly reduced the importance and need for domestic duties. Therefore, most of the jobs today can be equally carried out quite well by men or women. For some jobs, it can be performed better by women because of their thin fingers and other jobs can be carried out better by men for it require heavy or physical manual labor. Women continued to encounter obstacles in first getting employment and advancing in jobs although of the change in the reality that women become equal to men. These obstacles can be referred to two main reasons. Women were not encouraged to acquire the education and skills that are needed to do many jobs. There was a cultural resistance in certain societies against women carrying out many of the jobs performed by men. This resistance came not only from men, but from women too, describing them as unladylike. Women employment situation today has considerably improved and these obstacles are no longer serious enough to be a significant barrier for women with a little determination. Ascendancy of so many women across the world occupying senior most position in government and business, including as prime ministers of countries and chief Executives officers of large corporation is a testimony to this fact. The Glass Ceiling and its Causes Although women are entering the labor force in large scale, but they cannot reach top managerial level positions that oppressed by men. About 70 percent of women and 57 percent of men believe that an invisible barrier, the glass ceiling (a term coined in 1986 by the Wall Street Journal), prevents women from advancing to top positions  [5]  . There are varied causes of the glass ceiling. Some refer the causes to self-imposed by some women for choosing for example to work fewer hours than men in order to spend more time with their families. Women measure their success in the workplace differently than men while men tend to measure success by high salaries and important job titles whereas women place a higher value on their relationships with colleagues and community service. Others refer the glass ceiling cause in organizations to the good old boy network when deciding who to promote in these organizations, women are often not even considered. The majority of employees in any companies or organizations have a life outside the office. These companies or organizations that are called family friendly organizations recognize this fact and introduce to their employees options such as flex-time, onsite child care, employee-assistance programs, and telecommuting to allow them to have a better chance to accommodate and balancing their home and work lives. But the problem lies in fact that some employees have no children, no family obligations and do not want to work in a family-friendly organization dislike their organization offering services that do not apply to them. To determining what employees want in the work place is to determine how people define career success. Men and women use different types of measures when determining what makes a career successful. Men focus on earnings, promotional opportunities and success while women focus on positive interpersonal relationships and feelings  [6]  . There are also difference between men and women in their career gaps. Women not like the men in regards that they are more likely to take a leave of absence and work a part-time job. Organizations need to adopt a culture that will allow them to stay competitive but also allows their employees to maintain a balance with their lives outside of the office. Employees should take advantage of work-family programs offered but women may feel reluctant to take advantage of these programs as they feel it may lessen their chance for success within the company. Extensive travel is another issue that women must face when considering executive jobs within an organization. Women have to find a solution on how to balance and accommodate family and work life and deal with doing business in countries like Saudi Arabia as an example that might not be as receptive to women in top positions. Although that video and teleconferencing has given companies as well as managers on the top of the companys hierarchy the ability to offer alternatives to extensive travel but they will not replace face to face meetings for relationship building and contract negotiations. Great efforts were made by women to knock on the glass ceiling but have not quite broken through it yet. It is true in high business companies where women represent less than 10% of executive positions  [7]  while they were represent almost 50% of worldwide workforce. This concludes discrimination due to hiring practices. Women will continue to push towards breaking the boundaries of their employment discrimination until companies recognize the value in securing a diverse work force. The glass ceiling may not be shattered for some time, but there are more holes in it than ever before. Gender Inequality in the Economy Around 200 million women worldwide have managed to find jobs in the last decade. In 2007, working women were 1.2 billion and men 1.8 billion but still the number of unemployed women increased from70.2 to 81.6 million  [8]  . If equitable and sustainable progress is to be achieved, womens status must be improved, their rights must be respected, and their contributions must be recognized. Women freedom has improved and has more power than before. However, they are still disadvantaged not receiving the full rights compared to men in virtually all aspects of life. Women, in developing countries in particular, often lack the education and skills necessary to gain employment in more lucrative sectors. The reasons can be summarized to the following categories: Capacity: Girls likely are less than boys enrolled in primary school and less likely to attend irregularly or not at all. If gender gap exists in primary school, it widens dramatically when it comes to secondary and higher education. Girls and women are vastly overrepresented among the worlds illiterate. Women are less likely to receive professional or vocational training once employed, significantly limiting their chances at promotion and success.   Even when resources are made available to women in the form of microcredit and help with starting small businesses, business management practices are not generally taught.   Most women-owned microenterprises do not experience growth beyond subsistence level. Access to Resources Women have not much access to resources necessary to start and grow businesses. Divorce, inheritance, and land laws often discriminate against women and girls, robbing them of valuable capital and property. Without capital, women are often unable to obtain credit, an absolute necessity of business transactions.    Decision-Making Women often lack of ability to act as their own agents of change and improvement. Women are often underrepresented in positions of power and influence, and are less likely to be able to effectively pursue and protect their interests.    Women lack accessibility to informal channels of power and influence. Household Responsibilities Women are generally responsible for the majority of unpaid work associated with care of the home, children, and the elderly. Household responsibilities thus take away from the time women have to spend in paid employment, whether full-time or part-time.   This reduces female earning power and economic status. Norms and Stereotypes Even when laws prevent official employment discrimination, the participation of women in a diverse range of jobs, gender inequality may still result from cultural norms, stereotypes, and traditions. Economic activity cannot be separated from the socio-cultural context occurred from families to communities.   Values, norms and attitudes shape both hiring and job-seeking; choices are made by men and women alike that serve to economically marginalize many women. Muslim women are not permitted to leave the house while western women strive to balance traditional motherhood with work. Policies to enhance gender mainstreaming at workplace: Recruitment policies or processes should be the same, clearly written and phrases not to discriminate employee on the basis of race, color, national, ethnic origin, gender, religion, disability, etc  . Non discrimination policy encompasses the operation of any work programs or activities. The law is the authority that protects anyone from being directly or indirectly discriminated  [9]  . Direct discrimination would include treating somebody differently and less favorably than others on the bases of gender, indirect discrimination that would include rules and working regulations within the workplace that advantages males against females or vice versa. Anny Human Resource Manager in any organization, recruitment process usually has three stages: Announcement or advertising, selection criteria and interview, and appointment. Before creating recruitment policy, a considerable and well thought -out approach is needed rather than trying to tackle issue on an ad hoc basis. Employers should take in consideration the following recruitment principles before formulation a recruitment policy: To be objective in identifying necessary skills and qualifications of the post candidate that will be able handle the job. Avoid any discriminatory language or implications Remain open-minded. In the announcement stage, it is unlawful to publish any advert that might be understood or hold an intention of discrimination against applicants from a particular racial group or sex. Gender neutral language must be selected and used. If the post title denotes a specific gender, it is necessary to state that application will be welcome from either sex. No graphics, style or expression indicate tendency to recruit a specific gender or race. It is of paramount importance to encourage applications from all categories of the community through including an equal opportunities statement within a job advert. Sex and race are not the only areas of discrimination, but disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status and age are grounds on which a person may not be discriminated against during the recruitment process. Selection criteria and interview should be related to the requirement of the post. Employers must be clear, precise and objective in their selection. No assumption as to stereotypical requirements for the job. Because of job criteria requires physical strength, it does not mean to exclude female candidates from the selection process. Employer should consider individual wish to work on part-time basis if he or she could undertake the required job. A covered refusal will negatively affect one gender and might raise complaint for indirect sex discrimination. If the selection process falls down on the basis of gut- feeling selection, more than one person carries out the interview to ensure that discrimination do not affect the selection process. In the appointment process, some employers use system of points to remove subjectivity from the process. Job is not necessary to be offered to individual with highest points but if it is offered to who did not score higher points is discrimination with no satisfactory explanation. No legal obligation to tell applicants why they have been unsuccessful, but many employers committed to equal opportunities which enable them to explain to the candidates why they were not selected. This approach will reduce the likelihood of a claim for discrimination being made and demonstrate the objectivity and openness used in the appointment process. Gender equality promotes the equal participation of women and men in decisions making. Supporting gender equality can reduce the gap between womens and mens access to and control of resources and the benefits of development are still out of reach for most women worldwide. Women continue to have fewer rights, lower education and health status, less income, and less access to resources and decision-making than men. Nevertheless, womens critical roles in food production, income generation, and management of natural resources, community organization and domestic responsibilities are essential for sustainable development. Gender Mainstreaming and Development effectiveness In the new conceptualization of poverty reduction, access to livelihood resources, capabilities building, security against vulnerability and equality of gender have come to be viewed as one integral process of the national plans of macroeconomic and social policies to promote growth and reduce poverty  [10]  . Scholars have identified the following dimensions of poverty  [11]  +  [12]  : Lack of access to labor markets and employment opportunities and productive resources. Lack of access to capabilities and public services as education and health. Vulnerability to economic risks and to public and domestic violence, as well as constraints on mobility. Lack of representation/empowerment, being without voice and without power at the household, community and national/international levels Gender mainstreaming introduced changes that were community sanctioned and supported, precisely because they provided identifiable and visible benefits for the house hold and communities such as: improved health status, expand primary school enrollment or both girls and boys, increased harmony in households and community , greater integration of children into community life etc.. Gender mainstreaming has integrated women more fully into communities in ways that enhanced their status. Instead of withdrawal from the house hold and separation from the community, gender main streaming increased womens opportunity, collaboration and contribution to the family and to larger community. Hence, gender mainstreaming quietly challenged long held cultural traditions and practices that ruined individual and community progress. Moreover, embedded in gender mainstreaming is a flexibility that enabled individual and communities to embrace the process at their own level of comfort and need. It dealt a direct blow to poverty, leaving in its wake a change that was desired, positive, purposeful, community driven and sustainable. Gender mainstreaming encouraged total involvement of all and became the driving force for development effectiveness. Conclusion: Since the start of the womens movement, changes in social acceptance of gender equality have been primarily due to changing perceptions among women and men themselves. Gender concept must be truly understood to be promoted effectively. It is neither an easy nor a straight forward process. It requires efforts to reduce gender inequities, whether they favor men or women. A true understanding to gender approach would eliminate gender gap, on the basis that no gender inequality is good either for individuals or the society as a whole. Gender interventions should not stop at gender equality; it should promote positive synergies that will act throughout the social system as generators of development. Gender equality should be seen within a dynamic system of relations embedded in a development process that seeks to empower its actors. The spread and enforcement of equal opportunity laws have lessened institutional discrimination and add considerable impact on the awareness of populations. Working women have become characterized by more continuous labor force participation. Women have entered many of the professions previously reserved for men, and their earnings have become an essential part of household income. They enjoined the choice for being independent earning that allowed them decide send their children, especially girl children to school. Womens economic empowerment emerged as key gender mainstreaming benefit and opened opportunities for womens participation in community development activities, with potential for their emergence as positive force in local and national politics.

Jack Prelutsky - Recreations of his Childhood Essay -- Childrens Lite

Jack Prelutsky - Recreations of his Childhood Jack Prelutsky grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. He lived in a fairly underprivileged part of town with his mother and father, who were both big influences on his work. Although he says his parents had a normal sense of humor, Jack’s has far surpassed theirs and Jack now writes wacky poems that delight children and adults of all ages. He says his sense of humor started early with his uncle Charlie. Charlie was a nightclub comedian and used to tell terrible jokes, a lot of them involving language and puns. Jack started to understand things you could do with language when he was very young, maybe four or five years old. (Prelutsky) Jack’s poems focus heavily on experiences he’s had throughout his life. He stays very close to his childhood and says he truly remembers what it was like to be a kid. He includes these good and bad experiences in his poetry, really relating with events that happen to today’s youngsters. He includes himself and others in many of his poems. Jack says if you are a friend or a family ...

The Scramble for Africa Essay -- World History

The Scramble for Africa is one of the best examples of colonization in world history. Europe alone managed to colonize the entire African continent in a period of roughly twenty five years, spanning from 1875 to 1900. The quest for power by European nations was only one of the driving forces for this race for colonization. The geographical location and the natural resources to be exploited in certain regions of the continent were important factors in the race for land. Another factor that contributed to the colonization of Africa was the end of the slave trade. The need for new capitalism to exist between Europe and Africa after the call for the abolition of slavery became great. European traders were searching for new avenues for making money, as well as new ways to exploit of the natives of Africa, due to their perceived weakness as a people, made the quest for occupation relentless by European nations. Political, economical and social ambitions all led Europe to partition Africa i nto separate colonies and the race to see what country could establish a monopoly in Africa became a European obsession. There is a consensus among historians that the political Scramble for Africa was begun by King Leopold of Belgium. King Leopold had been a supporter of Henry Stanley, a Welsh journalist and explorer of Africa. In the late 1870s, Stanley had been on another expedition to the Africa, mapping the Congo River from its origins to the ocean. Leopold had developed an interest in the Congo region in Africa. He sent Stanley as his private envoy of his International African Association in an effort to establish a foothold in the Congo region. Leopold had not been forthcoming in his intentions to Stanley. He led Stanley to believe it was his ... ... the continent of Africa resulted in millions of deaths, from mistreatment to disease to outright warfare waged against them. In many regions, the European countries raped the land of its nature resource with little concern for the land or the people who lived on the land. Although their were some positive improvements such as better transportation and healthcare, African cultures were destroyed and lives were lost in the process of European colonization. Works Cited Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print. â€Å"Democratic Republic of Congo profile.† BBC News. BBC. Web. 10 January 2012. â€Å"Imperialism.† Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. 2008. Print. Ogbaa, Kalu. Understanding Things Fall Apart: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print.

Oedipus Rex Essay -- Literary Analysis, Sophocles

Even though Oedipus is a hero, we should not admire him, as the intentions for his actions are self-centered. This distinction is necessary to help us better understand the difference between being a hero, and a hero worth of admiration. It is important to know that somebody’s admiration must ultimately stem from the intentions of their actions rather than the results of their actions alone, so we can act accordingly in the future. Oedipus is a hero, as defined by Johnston. According to Johnston, ‘a hero is someone who confronts fate in a very personal manner and whose reaction to that encounter serves to illuminate for us our own particular condition’ (Johnston, Part 2). Oedipus definitely confronts fate in a personal manner. Among other things, he challenges the mysterious qualities of fate by pursuing the Shepherd despite warnings from Jocasta (Sophocles, 71). Oedipus follows through on confronting fate with his individual approach of uncompromising persistence and integrity (Johnston, Part 3). Even at the end of his downfall, Oedipus maintains that Kreon should banish him and that he must obey the curses he himself ordered for the murderer of King Laios (Sophocles, 89-90). Despite being so broken and publicly shamed, Oedipus still persists with his former way of interacting with fate : noble defiance (Johnston, Part 3). Although this quality itself is admirable, Oedipus takes uncompromising to the extreme, losing insight on everything else. Oedipus becomes ignorant to his surroundings, leading to his downfall (Johnston, Part 3). Oedipus’ story also challenges the fundamental belief that life should be rational and just. (Johnston, Part 3) His story illuminates that fate is arbitrarily cruel and will sometimes pick the gre... ...gender, she did not let this discourage her, but rather become the motivation to start the Million Signatures Campaign, demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iranian law. For her work, Ebadi received death threats against herself and her family and had to seek refuge in Canada as the current regime increased its prosecution of ‘political dissidents’. Although Ebadi, like Oedipus, had to ultimately live outside their community for living completely on their own terms, she was motivated by her intention to better the lives of others living in a similar situation as she once faced. On the other hand, Oedipus, although caring for the wellbeing of Thebes, is must more motivated to realize his greatness and sense of self than to rid Thebes of its worries. The difference of intentions makes Ebadi the admirable hero, and Oedipus, just a heroic man.

Studying Of Environmental Health Health And Social Care Essay

My MBBS ( Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery ) course of study of Community Medicine gave me an chance to analyze the multidisciplinary Fieldss of Public Health.Moreover, I had the opportunity to expose to the wellness attention installation of our state through several Day Visit plans. My Day Visits to Institute of Public Health ( IPH ) Dhaka, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh ( ICDDR, B ) , Expanded plan on Immunization ( EPI ) Centre, Dhaka etc. gave me a perfect range to detect the public wellness benefit in Bangladesh.Through these visits I become interested in this topic. My involvement in Public Health was further stimulated by my field visit experience as a portion of RFST ( Residential Field Site Training Program ) at Sreepur upazilla. We performed a cross sectional survey on â€Å" Psychosocial Assessment of Rural People of Bangladesh † . That was for the first clip I was introduced to epidemiological study and worked utilizing SPSS to come in and analyse data.We were awarded the 2nd award for our distinguishable undertaking. During my arrangement, I had found that most of these rural people were incognizant of the basic wellness regulations and therefore easy infected by many catching diseases.We gave them wellness instruction about nutrition, sanitation and personal hygiene and distributed ORS ( Oral Rehydration Salt ) packages. I was really aroused when they showed self-concern for safe environmental pattern. With the aid of Upazilla Health Officer, we guided them to put in H2O seal latrines. The RFST experience aroused my involvement in the field of Environmental Health. Not merely were we able to make something new but we were besides able to assist the local population. By actuating and educating a group of people about wellness related jobs, we could finally diminish the disease load in the community. I realize the importance of hygiene instruction in our society. In Ibrahim Medical College I managed to keep the top place in my category during the whole undergraduate plan. In the Final Professional MBBS ( Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery ) scrutiny, I stood foremost in the college. Besides academic surveies, I frequently volunteer to the BIRDEM General Hospital and Diabetic Association of Bangladesh ( DAB ) to take part in free wellness cantonments. After my completion of 5 old ages of medical class, I have started one twelvemonth rotatory internship preparation at BIRDEM ( Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation of Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorder ) General Hospital. As an intern physician in third degree infirmary, I have the chance to pull off patients with wide scope of unwellness like hapless patients with diabetes complications, severe malnourished kids enfeebling from Kalazar, Tuberculosis and Helminthiasis, skin malignant neoplastic disease patient with arsenicosis and immature workers with assorted pneumonic complications. To battle the predominating environmental wellness jeopardies in Bangladesh I believe it is imperative to develop an effectual accomplishment in the field of Environmental Epidemiology. An MS grade in Environmental Health in the field of Environmental Epidemiology will supply me a alone chance to analyze the incidence of disease and diminish the impact of environmental wellness r elated jobs from our community. During my internship in Gynaecology Department, I had made another field visit at Ramu Upazilla Health Complex, Cox ‘s Bazar.I was involved in supplying Essential Service Package ( ESP ) and Primary Health Care ( PHC ) to the local community.I organized a little group session with local people to discourse on issues like harmful consequence of chemical fertilisers, generative and child wellness attention and referral cognition for patients with cholera, diarrhea and pneumonia. I found this treatment really effectual as most of them were nescient about modern wellness attention. My community exposure and interaction with patients farther escalate my involvement in environmental wellness. I will be take parting in a research undertaking on â€Å" Identification and Magnitude of Antibiotic Prescription in Different Levels of Health Service Delivery Centres † from November 2012.Under the supervising of Dept. of Microbiology, BIRDEM infirmary I will be working as a research assistant.I think it will be really effectual to better my accomplishments in the field of epidemiology and biometricss. Bangladesh has made a sustained advancement in environmental wellness sector with precedence of issues like sanitation, planned urbanisation, forbiddance of plastic bag usage etc.By utilizing limited resources and wellness installations it has successfully promoted under five immunisation program.Working in both Upazilla and Tertiary degree infirmaries, I think environmental wellness demands more attending at primary level.Lack of sufficient figure of community doctors and unequal wellness installations fail to supply quality wellness service to the rural people. I am determined to function my community as a physician scientist every bit good as research worker to place community wellness job and create consciousness of wellness related jobs among them.After completion of Master ‘s plan I would wish to obtain a PhD grade in Environmental Health so that I can go on my research in the related field. Analyzing Environmental Health at Boston University will be really esteemed and I am peculiarly excited by its accomplishment focused course of study, diverse expertness, outstanding module, multicultural environment in campus and extended practicum chances in this field.As a doctor I am in a alone place of steering the wellness attention squad. I am excited that if I get into the plan I would hold the chance to lend to the bequest of Boston University ‘s School of Public Health plan. Finally, I believe that being an academician in a reputed university will function my ultimate calling dream as a research worker where I could be working towards the benefit of the society.The chance to prosecute my alumnus survey in Boston University will move as the origin of my dream towards a successful hereafter.

US Bakery Industry

The US bakery industry has combined annual revenue of nearly $25 billion from commercial bakeries and nearly $2 billion from small retail bakeries. There are about 2600 commercial bakeries in the US and 7000 small retail bakeries. Some of the leading companies within this industry include Interstate Bakeries and Flower Foods as well as smaller divisions such as Sara Lee and Nabisco. The commercial bakery segment is highly concentrated with 80% of the market held by 50 large bakeries. On the other hand, the retail bakery segment is highly fragmented.Larger bakeries dominate the market because they have greater economies of scale in procurement, production and distribution. The industry is also characterized by high automation. However, the end bakery product is generally low value and but the stable demand is sufficient to generate modest revenues for most players in the market. The most commonly sold bakery items include baked breads (white, wheat and rye), rolls, muffins, buns, bage ls and croissants. Other popular items include cakes, pies, pastries and doughnuts. (Industry Overview: US Bakery Industry; Hoovers Online)Competition is tough but differentiation can be attained through automation. Although baking is a low-technology business, the larger the bakery facilities and the more automated the facility the bigger the profits for that company. This is because in large automated facilities, labor costs can be reduced significantly and maximum production can be attained. However, since bakery products are highly perishable, large facilities are only sensible for bakeries which have high sales and do not maintain a great deal of inventories.Bakeries also face competition from coffee outlets and fast food outlets since most of them also carry bakery style products such as bagels, pastries, doughnuts etc. Commercial bakeries again enjoy a commanding position because they can act as suppliers to these outlets while smaller retail bakeries sometimes have to suffer since customers have more inclination to go to fast food outlets then to visit a bakery. Moreover, customer trends are rapidly changing.There was a time when the average consumer desired freshly baked products but now consumers are willing to purchase packaged products and believe that they are safe, easy and convenient to use. Thus, packaged bakery snack products are also snatching the share from retail bakeries which offer freshly baked products to the consumers. (US Bakery Trends) Consumer demands and preferences are also changing constantly. Today, customers have become more health conscious and demand low fat and fat free products. Moreover, customers are now increasingly aware and quite educated.They have detailed information about nutrition and quality issues and have sophisticated tastes and preferences. That is why the industry has seen a growth in non-traditional bread products such as bagels, flat breads and organic products. Bakeries have had to change their strategies and their technological capabilities in order to keep up with the changing customer demands and preferences. (Bakeries and Snacks: 2005) Bakeries are affected by external factors such as volatile prices of raw materials. Most baked goods use ingredients such as flour, sugar and vegetable oil.These are global commodities with fluctuating prices so it is important for both commercial and retail bakeries to make intelligent and proactive purchase decisions. Flour is the primary ingredient in baked goods and accounts for the largest cost element for bakery products. Wheat prices are quite volatile and this can have a significant impact on profit margins. Price of butter has a similar impact and many bakeries have switched from butter to vegetable oil but again quality has to be maintained in order to sustain a competitive position within the industry.The US bakery industry also has a growing export segment. Since the 1990s exports of US bakery products have been increasing consistently. It is expected that exports of US bakery products will exceed $250 million by the middle of the decade if not higher. Some of the core reasons for the growth in exports include rising incomes, increasing populations, growing tourist industries, reduction in trade barriers and an overall increase in global demand for baked goods.The main factors hindering export growth are demand for freshness and transportation limitations. However, with the improvement of technology, bakeries are now able to produce products that overcome these limitations. Moreover, there is always a demand for baked mixes, cookies and dough’s that can be easily packaged and transported and that have longer shelf lives. The biggest customer of US baked goods is Canada. It is a huge market and Canadian customers have similar tastes to US customers.It is estimated that nearly half of US bakery products are consumed by Canada. (Clair, Thomas: 1992)Bibliography1. Industry Overview: US Bakery Industry. Hoovers Online. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://www. hoovers. com/bakeries/–ID__91–/free-ind-fr-profile-basic. xhtml.2. Clair, Thomas. (1992) Bakery products exports on the rise. AgExporter. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m3723/is_n1_v4/ai_11754641/pg_2.3. The Canadian Bread and Bakery Industry. Agriculture and Agri Food Canada. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do? id=1171653091262&lang=e.4. Bakery industry cashes in on wholegrain trend. 2005. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://www. bakeryandsnacks. com/news/printNewsBis. asp? id=62237.5. Eyre, Charlotte. US Bakery markets beckons for Vivartia. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://www. cee-foodindustry. com/news/ng. asp? id=83797-vivartia-nonni-s-wind-point-partners.6. US Bakery Trends. Retrieved May 5th 2008 http://www. bakeinfo. co. nz/industry/trends/article. php? id=43.

EXPLORING CONSUMER PERCEPTION ABOUT PREMIUM WATCHES IN INDIAN CONTEXT Essay

He had formulated several aspects of marketing mix strategies in the past to face diverse kinds of challenges. For Chakravarti, any challenge in the watch industry, especially in an emerging market such as India, was something he looked forward to, as it gave him immense satisfaction when he was able to find some insights. Xylys was a premium watch brand launched by Titan a few years ago; the brand was aimed at creating a unique perception among consumers. The challenge was to create and shape a perception unique to the brand, since premium watches in India were associated with the Swiss brands Omega and Rolex, or Tag Heuer and other similar brands, which were more contemporary in nature. There were several interesting possibilities for Chakravarti to consider. Would a conventional-positioning approach be sufficient? Was it necessary to obtain some insights regarding the application of the uniqueness aspect to the self-perception of consumers? How were such aspects of uniqueness related to other established brands? How important was the â€Å"Swiss-made† label? Did the buyers and prospective buyers of premium watches hold any specific stereotypical images of such watches? The case delved into several aspects of the perceptual fields associated with consumer behavior with the objective of finding the most appropriate approach to further the prospects of the Xylys brand. No tC The liberalization of markets, the rising disposable income, exposure to western lifestyles, and the need for the new generation to establish an identity for itself were some of the reasons for the growth of the luxury watch category in India. Consumers were buying not only durable categories that were useful to them and satisfied functional aspects, but also categories and brands that reflected their personality. India had 28 states and seven union territories with a population of 77.42 million urban households. The income levels were categorized as follows: 62.7 million households earned up to INR 1,50,000 (Indian Rupees) per annum (1 USD was equivalent to about 45 INR), 11.6 million households earned between INR 1,50,000 to INR 3,00,000 per annum, and 3.1 million households earned 1 more than INR 3,00,000 per annum. With respect to the spending of households on top 10 necessities across all 2  classes of consumers, watches figured at the eighth position, on an average. The latest McKinsey report on India’s consumer market pegged spending on personal products and service necessities (watches were included as the eighth most required item, as described above) at 8% share-of-wallet (SOW) in 2005; this was expected to climb up to 9% 3 SOW by 2015, and to 11% SOW by 2020. THE WATCH INDUSTRY IN 2011 Global 1 â€Å"The Marketing White Book 2010–11: One Stop Guide for Marketers,† BusinessWorld, New Delhi, 2010, pp. 52–54. Ibid., p. 63. 3 â€Å"The ‘bird of gold’: The rise of India’s consumer market,† McKinsey Global Institute, May 2007, http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/india_consumer_market/images/India_Interactive1.swf, accessed on April 11, 2011. Do 2 S. Ramesh Kumar and Kasturi Baral prepared this case for class discussion. This case is not intended to serve as an endorsement, source of primary data, or to show effective or inefficient handling of decision or business processes. Copyright  © 2011 by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (including internet) – without the permission of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 2 of 15 rP os t A significant decline in the global production of watches was witnessed in 2005–2009, with the volumes in 2009 at a fifth of the expected numbers. 4 This was attributed to the plummeting demand in the recession-hit markets of the United States, Japan, and Europe, among others. The premium segment suffered the worst, with the exports of Swiss watches dropping by 22% in 2009, despite having risen to an unprecedented high the previous year. 5 However, what was inexplicable was that while the rest of the world found  even regular watches unaffordable, the developing markets of China and India were experiencing growth in consumer demand for luxury and premium watch products. India In five years, the Indian watch market had grown at an average rate of 8% per annum. 6 The recession during 2008– 2009 hindered the sector’s growth, with a drop in the sales of luxury and premium watches, which was compensated by the growth of volume in the economy segment. 7 Thus, despite the global trends, the value and volume figures for 2009 stood at 40.6 billion units and INR 54.6 billion, with a growth of 8.5 and 15.4% in volume and value, respectively. 8 op yo In terms of category sales, the highest share, as per value, involved watches priced between INR 500 and 3,000. The premium segment—retailed between INR 4,000 and 15,000—had been growing at an exponential rate of 20% annually. 9 Low per capita consumption on the one hand and the growing demand for luxury watches on the other constituted the factors that forecast the compounded annual growth rates of 7.3% and 13.7% in volume and value, respectively, for the period 2009–2014. 10 INDIAN WATCH INDUSTRY Historical Perspective tC The Indian watch industry had its origins in the 1960s, with HMT’s Janata being launched in 1962. Before HMT, watches were sourced exclusively from imports, and could be afforded by only a small number of consumers. HMT was the first major watch manufacturer in India, and the sole indigenous player,  until Titan Industries Limited—a Tata and TIDCO joint venture—was formed in 1984, and started retailing watches in 1987. Titan, with its focus on satisfying the customer’s unspoken needs, gradually wrested market power and shares from HMT and became the undisputed leader in the wristwatch segment over the last three decades. The only other major Indian player was P. A. Time, with its brand Maxima, which managed to survive despite fierce competition. Other indigenous brands such as Allwyn, Shivaki, and SITCO failed to keep up with Titan and languished, with marginal to negligible market shares. No In 1992, liberalization opened up the Indian market to foreign players, and Timex was the first on the scene. It was soon followed by Casio, Rolex, Citizen, Tissot, Omega, Rado, and TAG Heuer (the new export–import (EXIM) policy introduced in 1999 relaxed the hitherto stiff upper bar on imports of luxury wristwatch brands). After the foreign direct regulations were changed by the government to allow up to 51% of foreign direct investment in single-brand retail operations, global brands set up subsidiaries in India with apparel brands such as Esprit, Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton, and Levi’s, also launching brands of their own. Growth of Industry Do The Indian watch industry began in the 1960s with the public sector enterprise HMT, which was the government’s initiative to start the indigenous manufacture of watches. The import industry brought in the more fashionable watches, but the basic need for timekeeping was satisfied by the sturdy and reliable mechanical wristwatch models 4 â€Å"Watches in India,† Country report, http://www.euromonitor.com/watches-in-india/report, accessed on July 22, 2011. Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 5 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 3 of 15 rP os t manufactured by HMT. In the absence of other brands, HMT could afford to retain goodwill despite offering limited styling and choices to its customers. A few decades earlier (when HMT held a monopoly in the category), a watch was a product that anyone who had taken up a job aspired for. Traditionally, the penetration levels were quite low during this time; the notion of a â€Å"watch for the masses† was diffused in the psyche of consumers only after the late eighties, when the country witnessed major lifestyle changes. The nineties enhanced this perception as many brands entered the  market following the liberalization of governmental policies. The Tata group introduced the quartz watch in the 1980s under the Titan brand, and differentiated themselves on the basis of accuracy, style, choice, presentation, and vigorous push-marketing. 11 Timex, in collaboration with Titan, launched its range in India in the nineties, with a mutual understanding that the former would keep to the low-price plastic segment, while the latter would manage the high-price metal segment. Timex positioned itself with the tagline â€Å"You don’t have to be rich to afford a Timex,† and was well accepted by the market. After a few years, Timex became an independent brand and set up its own distribution channels, and emerged as a brand associated with the sports and casual wear segment. op yo Early in the twentieth century, many multinational players entered the market, which was made possible by the EXIM policies that raised the bar on the import of luxury watches in India. AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPETITION The single largest player was Titan, with a brand share of 20.6% in 2009. 12 The next player worth mentioning was Swatch, with a relatively small share of 5.9%. 13 Timex was a relatively strong multinational brand in the market. Rolex, PA Time, Citizen, and Casio had small significant shares, and HMT was also present in the Indian market. Despite the presence of many brands, the market was still primarily controlled by the unorganized sector (to the tune of 65%) even in 2009. The present competition arose from the increasing foray of multinational players into the lucrative luxury segment; however, the real challenge was to tackle the spurious imports being sold by the unorganized sector. tC Watches transformed from time keeping instruments to fashion accessories during the eighties and nineties owing to significant lifestyle changes; this was reflected in some of Titan’s advertisements. Watches as fashion accessories were in competition with a variety of other products such as apparel and fashion handbags; hence, watches had to have a clearly differentiated element of perceived utility apart from fashion. 14 SEGMENTATION OF THE WATCH MARKET The watch industry could be segmented according to various criteria: technology, benefit, and price. No Watches could be classified into three kinds based on technology: mechanical, quartz analog, and quartz digital. The first went out of vogue since the bulky mechanical format did not allow for elegant design; it dropped in volume shares from 7.2% in 2004 to 4.6% in 2009. The second kind was the largest in both value and volume, and was expected to remain the market driver for growth in 2009–2014. Digital watches suffered from the consumer perception of being low cost and lacking in style, and hence, the market for them had not yet picked up. The sales figures by value for these sub-sectors for 2009 were INR 3,000, 46,000, and 6,000 million, respectively. The major market players in these three sectors were HMT, Titan, and Casio, respectively. Do The second basis of classification was benefit, and the market could be divided based on use, namely, casual, formal, and sports. Many of the brands offered some options in all three segments, but most catered only to the first two segments; the sports segment remained a largely untapped segment. Nearly 35% of all watches retailed were casual, 60% were formal, and a mere 5% belonged to the sports segment. 11 â€Å"The Titan Story,† http://www.titanworld.com/titan_stories, accessed on November 29, 2010. â€Å"Watches in India,† Country report, http://www.euromonitor.com/watches-in-india/report, accessed on July 22, 2011. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 12 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 4 of 15 rP os t The watch market could be classified into economy, standard, premium, and luxury segments. 15 The mass market (i.e., the economy segment) accounted for nearly 67% of volume and 50% of value shares, and was catered to almost entirely by the unorganized sector. Popular (standard), with prices ranging from INR 500 to 1,200, was the lowest range offered by the organized sector (Titan and Timex, primarily). The premium segment consisted of watches in the INR 1,500–5,000 range, offered by almost all the indigenous and multinational brands. The demand from the middle and upper income groups promised to be the growth driver for this segment in 2009–2014. op yo A better explanation in terms of consumer behavior was the third basis of segmentation as defined by Yankelovich (1964). 16 He presented a scheme for the non-demographic segmentation of various product categories, including watches. Segmentation by value was considered to be particularly apt for this market. Thus, the authors arrived at three distinct segments, each offering the customer a different benefit and value than the others. As was stated earlier, the watch had always been a product that appealed to people, but the nature of the appeal and the associations related to watches changed with the changing environment. A watch or a specific brand in particular became a symbol of several associations that were in tune with the changing environment. These associations were generally glamour, fashion, sports, and fun, and the intensity of these associations became pronounced depending on the respective segment toward which a brand was positioned. Lifecycle stages also mattered—a school student would celebrate his/her first watch with neighbors and friends, a college student would garner attention among his/her friends with a recently bought watch, and an young executive who had been successful in his job might reward himself with a premium watch after a few years of hard work, and also â€Å"announce his arrival into a world of success† to the outside world. †¢ †¢ Value for money: Low/regular-priced watches that were accurate and sturdy. Owners tended to replace these when they failed.  Premium watches: High-priced watches, with assured longevity, excellent workmanship, and good styling. Owners were ready to pay a premium for the benefits that accompanied these brands. Special watches: Extra benefits such as fine styling, brand name, and accessories (such as gold casings) were desired by potential customers. The watch, apart from being a fashion accessory, was part of a ritual gifting ceremony, and needed to encapsulate the emotional benefits required to succeed. No †¢ tC Symbolic and lifestyle categories that were created in the last 20 years or so included apparel, watches, mobile phones, portable music players such as iPods, cars, televisions, two-wheelers, and spectacles, to name a few socially conspicuous product categories; brands made use of such psychological needs of consumers to position themselves, with one category often competing with another. For example, a typical middle class household in India that had bought a TV (it is a well-observed fact that a TV is generally high on the purchase agenda of a middle class family) on installment basis (the installment plan allows a consumer to pay for the purchased product over a period of time through monthly payments to the seller/retailer) might postpone buying a new watch for a student in the family who was entering college, owing to financial pressures. Such instances would be rare in a developed market, especially with regard to the purchase of a watch. It was interesting to note that the lower end offerings (relatively lower end to be precise, when compared to the price of luxury watch brands) from brands such as Titan also used glamour, romance, and celebrity orientation for the positioning strategies of several of its brands (such as Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, and Ragaa). Titan was a leader in the organized quartz analog watch segment, and millions of pieces had been sold over the years. It was interesting to note that regardless of the price range or the benefit, watches held a symbolic appeal in the Indian context—an appeal that could be associated with the self-perception or the personality/style a consumer would like to project to the outside world. Luxury watches had a special appeal with regard to such an orientation among consumers. Do The watch market in India was divided into three broad segments: mass market (price below INR 1,000), midmarket (price between INR 1,000 and INR 10,000), and premium market (price starting at INR 10,000). Luxury watches in turn, were categorized into three sub-segments: 15 16 Ibid. Yankelovich, D., â€Å"New Criteria for Market Segmentation,† Harvard Business Review, March/April 1964. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context 2. 3. Premium watches: INR 10,000–50,000. This was the space where Xylys operated. The other prominent brands in this space were Tissot, Seiko, and Citizen, in addition to fashion brands such as Emporio Armani and Hugo Boss. Accessible Luxury: INR 50,000–3,00,000. The biggest Swiss brands such as Rolex, Omega, Longines, and Tag Heuer operated in this space. Exclusive Luxury: INR 3,00,000 and above. Very high-end brands such as Breguet, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, and Hublot populated this segment. rP os t 1. Page 5 of 15 From the point of view of look, there were four philosophies from which brands tended to choose and occupy, namely, dress, classical, fashion, and sport. For example, among sporty watches, Tissot, Tag Heuer, and Breitling were the brands in the premium, accessible, and exclusive luxury sub-segments, respectively. LUXURY BRANDS op yo The market for luxury watches was estimated to be 3% of watch retail, and was growing at almost 20% annually, which was more than twice the growth rate of the entire market. 17 Luxury brands were priced above INR 15,000, and primarily included imported brands offered by multinational players, such as Omega, Rado, Longines, Tag Heuer, and Tissot. Titan was the only Indian brand in this sector currently, with Xylys at the luxury end of its portfolio. Personal interviews with some managers at retail outlets suggested that the competition to the Xylys brand was from established brands such as Seiko and Tissot. 18 The main consumer of luxury brands was the new generation executive, who was set to move toward the prime of his/her career, and who had a keen sense of brand consciousness. These included an increasing number of young and middle-aged professionals in the upper strata of management in corporate houses, and also Indians who belonged to the higher socio-economic strata and had a penchant for luxury products. The major consumers of watches in the luxury segment included CEOs and senior professionals in their thirties and forties, new generation entrepreneurs, and young working professionals. tC Successful brands sold because they positioned themselves based on the benefits they offered to those who possessed them; such benefits could be functional, symbolic, or experiential. 19 Brand concept management 20 stated that for long-term success, the brand image needed to be based on a brand-specific abstract concept. The authors felt that such an orientation would help the long-term plans of luxury watch brands. No Functional brands provided tangible and practical benefits, and satisfied the real need for the product. Brands needed to necessarily satisfy functional needs, since these were the hygiene factors for acceptance in this category. Symbolic brands, on the other hand, catered to the consumers’ preference for brands that matched their own â€Å"selfconcept† 21 and their symbolic needs for self-expression, prestige, and the enhancement of self-image and sense of belonging. Experiential brands satisfied the owner’s need to experience sensory pleasure, variety, or cognitive simulation. Luxury watches were bought for their symbolic and experiential benefits as opposed to their functional ones. The selling points were the status and sophistication that the brand denoted when worn by the owner; although aesthetic appeal and durability were important, precision and price were not. Do Hence, the positioning diagrams for luxury watches would need to be based on factors such as status, prestige, and ego gratification.  The methodology was derived from earlier studies on the positioning of brands. 22 Three sets of questionnaires were used to record the respondents’ opinions on brands, adjectives and phrases related to brand symbolism, and more indepth queries regarding the characteristics of brands and their users. 17 â€Å"Watch industry in India to grow at 9%,† India Infoline News Service,  February 5, 2010. Interviews with Viraj, Branch Manager, World of Titan at Brigade Road, Bangalore and Saumya, Branch In-charge, Titan (multi-brand outlet) outlet at Jayanagar 4th Block, Bangalore. 19 Park, C. W., Jaworski, B. J., & MacInnis, D. J., â€Å"Strategic Brand Concept Image Management,† Journal of Marketing, Vol. 50, October 1986, pp. 135–145. 20 Ibid. 21 Malhotra N. K., â€Å"Self Concept and Product Choice: An Integrated Perspective,† Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 9, 1988, pp. 1–28. 22 Bhat, S., & Reddy, S. K., â€Å"Symbolic and Functional Positioning of Brands,† Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1998, pp. 32–43. 18 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context rP os t METHODOLOGY Page 6 of 15 The objective of the study was to analyze and link several aspects of consumer behavior, and to compare users and non-users of premium watches. Three sets of questions were prepared. One set of questions dealt with the selfconcepts of consumers, another was about the brand personality aspects of their watches, and the last set of questions was related to the  psychographics of individual respondents. Non-users were respondents who were potential buyers of premium watches in the near future. Scales were drawn from several resources available in the extant literature. 23 Forty current users of premium watches and forty potential users (prospective buyers) of premium watches were administered the questionnaire in April, 2011 in Bangalore, India. op yo Exhibits 1, 2, and 3 were associated with self-concept, brand preferences along with personality traits, and the activities, interests, and opinions (AIO) of potential users of premium watch brands. Exhibits 4, 5, and 6 dealt with the same factors of the present users of premium watch brands (self-concept, brand preferences along with personality traits, and AIO). The description of the positioning strategies of the various brands presented below is based on the authors’ perception of the advertisements of the respective brands. XYLYS Xylys was a premium Swiss-made watch brand from the house of Titan in India. Priced between INR 10,000 and INR 33,000, the Xylys range of watches was available in three collections—Contemporary, Classic, and Sport—and offered over 60 distinctive models. Xylys was available at select World of Titan showrooms, key multi-brand outlets, and at exclusive flagship boutiques in select cities. tC Xylys targeted the lower spectrum of the luxury watch segment. Titan, which was the market leader in the mid-price segment in India, felt that the upper end of their target customers was moving towards iconic global premium brands. The designs were created in collaboration with renowned Swiss designer Laurent Rufenacht, and Titan’s own design advisor, Michael Foley. It was manufactured in a state-of-the-art factory in Switzerland, which had a heritage of over 80 years in the art of watch-making. All Xylys watches were created with exquisite craftsmanship and impeccable detailing, were painstakingly made from carefully selected materials, and were crafted with a passion for detail. No While carefully analyzing the consumer behavior of customers of premium watch brands, Titan found that consumers were highly influenced by the â€Å"country of origin† association. Consumers loved the â€Å"Swiss-made† tag, and there was a huge association of quality, precision, premium, etc. with this tag. The insight was that it would be difficult for an â€Å"Indian-made† tag to impress the target segment. Do The name Xylys was designed to have only two syllables, a distinctive name in itself. The brand charter aimed to convey style, attitude, and power. Xylys was created for new generation achievers who went beyond the obvious. Xylys reflected their values, attitudes, and unique personal identities. The brand was targeted at today’s people, both men and women, who were supremely confident and conscious of the image they projected. These individuals actively sought new and unconventional experiences. Xylys, with its unique positioning of the â€Å"Power of X,† underlined the power of one’s attitude. This attitude stemmed from a person’s self-belief, which enabled one to achieve success through a passionate pursuit of one’s dreams. Xylys was launched as a contemporary brand targeting upwardly mobile, successful men and women. The brand segmented the market based on psychographic profiles. 23 Tian, K. T., Bearden, W. O., & Hunter, G. L., â€Å"Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness: Scale Development and Validation,† Journal of Consumer Research, June 28, 2001, pp. 50–66; Netemeyer R. G., Burton, S., & Lichtenstein, D. R., â€Å"Trait aspects of Vanity: Measurement and Relevance to Consumer Behavior,† Journal of Consumer Research, 21, March 1995; Schiffman, L. G., Kanuk, L. L., & Ramesh Kumar, S., Consumer Behavior, 10th Ed, Pearson Education, p. 143. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 7 of 15 rP os t Xylys defined its customers as contemporary, dynamic, successful people who had attitude and confidence. The brand wanted to celebrate their success with them. The customers of Xylys were highly individualistic persons who did what they loved. These people would love to express themselves and show their success to the world. The three brand ambassadors of Xylys came from varied fields and represented the attitude of the new generation achievers. Actor Rahul Bose (ad), international supermodel Saira Mohan (ad), and tennis star Carlos Moya embodied the attitude of living life fearlessly on their own terms, with a passion to pursue their dreams. Speaking at the launch, brand ambassador Rahul Bose said, â€Å"Like every movie I choose to be a part of, I have chosen to endorse this brand after careful thought. I can only support those products that I am fully convinced about. It is an exciting new brand from India’s leading watchmaker with an identity that reflects the attitude and values that I consider important—bold, unconventional, and distinctive.† In 2010, the brand changed its positioning from â€Å"Symbol of Success† to â€Å"Feeling of Love.† The brand talked about falling in love with Xylys. Xylys ran a campaign reflecting the new positioning, which was a significant deviation from the core positioning of the brand. The entire brand personality of Xylys was changed in the current campaign. op yo The new identity reflected the attitude, lifestyle, and personality of the new generation consumer. â€Å"You don’t possess a Xylys, it possesses you†: this reflected irrational desirability of the brand. The new creative expression was carefully designed to reflect the effect Xylys watches had on their consumers. It was this aspect that created an â€Å"irrational† desire to own the watch, strongly backed by the â€Å"rational† reasons, namely, that Xylys came from the house of Titan and was Swiss-made. After the launch in 2006, the brand saw the volume of sales doubling between 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, and sales grew at about 33% since then. In terms of value, Xylys grew at a compound annual growth rate) of 54%. Exhibit 7 displays an Xylys’ advertisement. TISSOT tC Tissot, with its signature â€Å"Innovators by Tradition,† pioneered craftsmanship and innovation since its foundation in 1853. Tissot was a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor. For over 155 years, the company had its home in the Swiss watch-making town of Le Locle in the Jura Mountains, and in 2011 had a presence in over 150 countries. As official timekeeper and partner of the International Basketball Federation, the Australian Football League, the Chinese Basketball Association, and MotoGP, and the World Championships of cycling, fencing, and ice hockey; Tissot was committed to respecting tradition, underlining its core values of performance, precision, and setting new standards. No The different collections of Tissot included Touch, Sport, Trend, Classic, Gold, Pocket, and Heritage; and the price spectrum was much wider than that of Xylys, covering both the affordable luxury and the premium luxury segment with ease. The Indian brand ambassador for Tissot was movie star Deepika Padukone, daughter of a former badminton world champion. Her Tissot watch was projected as a symbol of luxury and glamour complementing her multi-faceted lifestyle. The similarities between her personality and the Tissot brand were captured in the brand’s advertisements: â€Å"We are both adventurous, sophisticated and classy, yet very approachable.† Do Tissot’s subsequent advertising campaign revolved around the theme â€Å"In Touch with Your Time.† In its revolutionary new global campaign based on this theme, Tissot used a series of executions featuring brand ambassadors who presented luxury as being accessible rather than exclusive. The brand attributed its success to the trust customers all over the world had in the quality and pleasure offered by Tissot timepieces. Millions of wearers evidently refused to compromise, and the campaign specifically congratulated them on their discerning selection of a stylish Swiss-made watch. The campaign’s approach focused on the idea of â€Å"substance† (the unquestionable quality attached to traditional Swiss craftsmanship) and â€Å"style† (a truly appealing watch design). This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 8 of 15 rP os t The new global Tissot campaign captured real moments in the lives of its ambassadors where reality seamlessly merged with glamour. A variety of locations that were local to the ambassadors (e.g., Deepika Padukone in Mumbai, India) were used for the shoots, which enhanced the campaign’s integral authenticity. SEIKO Do No tC op yo SEIKO Watch India Private Limited is a 100% subsidiary of SEIKO Watch Corporation, Japan set up in 2007; it is headquartered in Bangalore. Over the years, SEIKO has established its leadership position in a number of countries. Backed by such experiences and with India being one of the prioritized markets, the brand is expected to bring its â€Å"total SEIKO brand experience† through its â€Å"flagship stores† that will also provide good customer service. 24 The brand is available at several higher-end  multi-branded watch outlets in the country. SEIKO’s technological development is focused on the creation of â€Å"emotional technologies† 25. While the brand may be positioned below Tissot or Xylys (based on the observation of price points at retail outlets by one of the authors), the brand is likely to be perceived as a brand with strong value given its heritage of technology and innovation. 24 25 http://www.seiko.in/corporate/india.html accessed on October 26, 2011 http://www.seikowatches.com/story/index.html accessed on October 26, 2011 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 1 Page 9 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Self-concept (Potential users of premium watch brands) I would feel embarrassed if I was around people and did not look my best. 3.775 It is important that I always look good. 3.275 People notice how attractive I am. 3.675 My looks are very appealing to others. I want others to look up to me because of my accomplishments. 3.075 3.075 4.15 Achieving greater success than my peers is important to me. 3.475 op yo I am more concerned about professional success than most people I know. 3.575 In a professional sense, I am a very successful person. 3.825 My achievements are highly regarded by others. 3.4 Others wish they were as successful as me. 3.675 I am a good example of professional success. 3.25 I often look for unique products or brands so that I create a style that is all my own. 3.225 The products and brands that I like best are the ones that express my individuality. 3 tC I want my achievements to be recognized by others. 3.375 I enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people I know by buying something radical. 2.95 I often think of the things I buy and do in terms of how I can use them to shape a more unusual personal image. 3.05 No I rarely act according to what others think are the right things to buy. When a product I own becomes popular among the general population, I use it less. 2.625 Concern for being out of place does not prevent me from wearing what I want to. 2.85 Source: The results were based on the questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree for each respondent, and the values were coded as Strongly Agree = 5, Agree = 4, Neither Agree nor Disagree = 3, Disagree = 2, and Strongly Disagree = 1. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 2 Page 10 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Brand and user personality (Potential users of premium watch brands) Brand Factors User Factors 3.525 Up-to-date 3.525 Reliable 4.075 Reliable 4.125 Down-to-earth 3.65 Down-to-earth 4 Honest 3.8 Honest 3.85 Daring 3.125 Daring Spirited 3.775 Exciting 3.625 Imaginative 3.7 Successful 3.825 Upper class 3.325 Tough 3.2 op yo Up-to-date 3.8 3.675 Exciting 4.05 Imaginative 3.975 Successful 3.625 Upper class 3.5 Tough 3.5 tC Spirited Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do No Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 11 of 15 rP os t Exhibit 3 Activities, interests, and opinions (Potential users of premium watch brands) When I must choose between the two, I usually dress for fashion, not for comfort. 3.25 I try to arrange my home for my children’s convenience. 2.975 I take a lot of time and effort to teach my children good habits. I like parties where there is lots of music and conversation. I would rather go to a sporting event than a movie. I like to work on community projects. 2.85 3.075 3.425 3.4 3.7 I think I have more self-confidence than most people. 2.55 I am more independent than most people. 3.725 I think I have a lot of personal ability. 3.8 I like to be considered a leader. 3.95 op yo I have personally worked in a political campaign, or for a candidate, or for an issue. 3.7 I sometimes influence what my friends buy. 3.85 People come to me more often than I go to them for information about brands. 3.5 tC My friends or neighbors often come to me for advice. 3.25 I spend a lot of time talking with my friends about products and brands. 3.575 I would like to spend a year in London or Paris. 3.175 I would like to take a trip around the world. 3.825 I will have more money to spend next year than I have now. 4.375 I spend more than an hour everyday reading the newspaper or watching the news. 4.025 I like to meticulously plan for future savings and expenditures. 3.175 No I often seek out the advice of my friends regarding which brand to buy. Do Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 4 Page 12 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Self-concept (Present users of premium watch brands) I would feel embarrassed if I was around people and did not look my best. It is important that I always look good. People notice how attractive I am. 3.325 3.75 3.45 My looks are very appealing to others. I want others to look up to me because of my accomplishments. I am more concerned about professional success than most people I know. op yo Achieving greater success than my peers is important to me. I want my achievements to be recognized by others. In a professional sense, I am a very successful person. 3.425 3.65 3.75 3.925 4.225 3.65 My achievements are highly regarded by others. 3.6 Others wish they were as successful as me. 3.4 I am a good example of professional success. 3.7 3.225 The products and brands that I like best are the ones that express my individuality. 3.325 tC I often look for unique products or brands so that I create a style that is all my own. I rarely act according to what others think are the right things to buy. 2.75 2.925 I often think of the things I buy and do in terms of how I can use them to shape a more unusual personal image. 3 No I enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people I know by buying something radical. When a product I own becomes popular among the general population, I use it less. Concern for being out of place does not prevent me from wearing what I want to. 2.825 3.2 Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 5 Page 13 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Brand and user personality (Present users of premium watch brands) Brand Factors User Factors Up-to-date 3.775 Up-to-date Reliable 4.275 Reliable 3.8 4.025 3.35 Down-to-earth Honest 3.95 Honest 3.925 Daring 3.6 Daring 3.675 Spirited 3.75 Exciting 3.95 Imaginative 3.925 Successful 4.125 Upper class 3.975 Tough 3.975 3.65 op yo Down-to-earth Spirited 3.875 Exciting 3.9 Imaginative 3.6 Successful Upper class Tough 3.725 3.7 3.625 tC Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do No Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Page 14 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Exhibit 6 Attitudes, interests, and opinions (Present users of premium watch brands) When I must choose between the two, I usually dress for fashion, not for comfort. 2.775 I try to arrange my home for my children’s convenience. 3.725 I take a lot of time and effort to teach my children good habits. I like parties where there is lots of music and conversation. I would rather go to a sporting event than a movie. op yo I like to work on community projects. 3.95 3.075 3.225 3.325 I have personally worked in a political campaign, or for a candidate, or for an issue. 1.725 I think I have more self-confidence than most people. 3.625 I am more independent than most people. 3.975 I think I have a lot of personal ability. 3.775 I like to be considered a leader. 4.125 My friends or neighbors often come to me for advice. tC I sometimes influence what my friends buy. People come to me more often than I go to them for information about brands. 3.75 3.325 3.3 2.95 I spend a lot of time talking with my friends about products and brands. 2.875 I would like to spend a year in London or Paris. 3.175 No I often seek out the advice of my friends regarding which brand to buy. I would like to take a trip around the world. I will have more money to spend next year than I have now. 4.2 3.925 3.75 I like to meticulously plan for future savings and expenditures. 3.65 Do I spend more than an hour everyday reading the newspaper or watching the news. Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Page 15 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Exhibit 7 Do No tC op yo Advertisement for Xylys The authors would like to thank Mr. Manoj Chakravarti, Senior Advisor, Ms. Superna Mitra, Head, Global Marketing, Titan Industries Limited and Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Chairperson, Research & Publications, IIM, Bangalore for the support provided to this case study initiative. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860.