System of inquiry Essay Example Essay Example

System of inquiry Essay Example Paper System of inquiry Essay Introduction This paper examines how an organization can develop a system of inquiry. This system of inquiry is to be used to evaluate decision making, problem solving and employee behavior in a business setting. This paper elaborates how the system of inquiry will be implemented, and why, how and when as well as by whom it is used. In addition it considers the reaction of the employees towards the code as well as the effects the code will generate in the organization. It further discusses the steps which an organization can take incase there is a breach of the code of ethics in an organization considering that it maintains confidentiality and objectivity as well as avoiding publicity when necessary and also calling for publicity when need arises. It also analyses the reactions of an organization in case there is an accusation as whether to sack all employees or investigate before taking action. The basic analytical framework used here is based on the fire systems of inquiry as described by churc hman (1971) and his co-workers Mitroff and Sagastic (1973).IntroductionThis system of inquiry will be developed from the code of conduct that serves as the code of ethics. The code of ethics is responsible in providing guidance to its employees which include how to engage in work ethically and legally without violating the organizational culture and beliefs. The code of conduct also serves as a tool to define the responsibility of an employee in an organization. The code of conduct can be defined as a set of unwritten rules of which people in a particular group, class or situation must abide by so as to achieve the set mission and vision otherwise there will be a breach of the organization’s rules and regulation (churchman 1971). Inquiry on the other hand is defined by churchman (1971) as â€Å"a multifaceted activity that involves making observations, posing questions, examining books and other sources of information to see what is already known, using tools to gather, anal yze and interpret data, proposing answers, explanations and predictions and communicating results†.The framework used to examine approaches to inquiry is based on the work of churchman (1971) and his colleague’s Mitroff and sagasti 1973: Mitroff and turroff 1973: they outlined five systems of inquiry: these areLeibnizationLockeanKantianHegelianSingerianOf all the five systems as given by churchman (1971). The Singerian system is the most complex and usually synthesizes all the other inquiring systems. This system of inquiry can be used to apply any system repetitively including itself, however there is a continuous questioning of the underlying assumptions subject to analysis. For many researchers the tentative nature of such an approach to inquiry is problematic. In Singerian approach to inquiry the ethical considerations are an important addition to the modes (churchman, 1971). Ethical domains for this investigation are multifaceted, ranging from the â€Å"real world † issues to concerns regarding employee actions.BodyA system of inquiry serves to evaluate decision making, problem solving and behavior in a business setting. It demonstrates the careful alignment of the document and the organizational goal and mission and vision statements. It is developed from the code of ethics which can be defined as â€Å"a standard of conduct of ethical behavior governing an individual behavior as regards to his/her relationship with colleagues, company executives, other organizational, the community and society at large† It serves three purposes, which include:To increase professional and ethical consciousness among professionals and their sense of responsibilityTo guide professionals in making more informed ethics choicesTo help the profession it self function at the fullness of its potentialThe code of ethics is necessary since it is the basis for an organization to run efficiently and employees must agree among themselves as regards to their profession, what they profess and particularly their values and ethics at work(Mitroff ,I .I .Turoff.1973).Code of ethics (Churchman .1971).All employees and other personnel must observe the laws and regulations of each of the country in which the organization operates.The company does not permit the bribery of any form and any person involved in the group’s business should not engage in this vice.All employees and personnel of the organization must maintain the confidentiality of price sensitive information.Employees and other personnel should avoid situations where personal interests could conflict or appear to conflict, with the interests of the organization.Employees and other personnel should not use price sensitive/inside information for their personal advantage.It is agreed that many organizational decisions may involve ethical difficulties. In case where an employee is unsure of the correct course of action, he/she should inform the immediate line manager first for gu idance. The company and all its personnel must respect the laws of all nations and communities in which the organization operates. However incase of any conflict between our company policy or procedure and the laws of any country or society claim should be directed to the company secretary. Any breach of this company code of ethics or of any individual code in place from time to time will usually be considered to be a disciplinary matter.System of InquiryThis is a sample of a system of inquiry as discussed by(Mitroff and sagasti ,1973).1. Incase you are faced with a dilemma in the work place what steps will you take?2. What will you do if an item needed urgently by a customer is out of stock and you know a competing company which has the same item but at cheaper rates?3. What will you do if a rival company needs confidential information of your company from you?4. What will you do incase someone offers to reward you in order to do him or her a favor?5. Incase of violation of the law s of the country in which your company operates, what steps will you take?This set of question will make a part of the system of inquiry which will be used by the organization to test the knowledge and adherence of the company code of ethics by the company personnel and all other employees. It will also be used to evaluate decision making, solving of a problem as well as establishing employee behavior as regards to business and organization at large.Implementation of the System of InquiryAfter the development of a system of inquiry based on the organization code of ethics the next step is the implementation. Implementation is the process of putting into action a new rule or procedure. It is the most critical phase of the development of an organization system of inquiry. This is because the company personnel and other employees may receive it with suspicion and may result into rejection and revolt. However the management must implement it with a lot of care so as to be effective. The Singerian system of analysis will then be employed this system of approach embraces the ethical considerations of inquiry ranging from real world issues to concerns regarding employee response towards the investigation (Churchman, 1971).This system of analysis also defines the direction in which an investigator could take incase it is unsuccessful and still retain its employees and also decrease suspicion.The company management will first discuss with its line managers on the details of the code of conduct/ethics and the system of inquiry. They should elaborate clearly to them and clarify all ambiguities. This will involve the system of rewards and punishments, job design, individual performance, evaluation process and empowerment of staff for decision making. The line managers will then be sent to their respective juniors so as to discuss with them. Once all employees are aware of the system of inquiry, the management should also give them the repercussions incase there is a breac h of a group or any of the laid down rules and regulations. Employees should also be given handouts so that they can remind themselves on the rules. Equally every office should have a copy of the code of ethics. In addition, the company should state its vision, mission and goals clearly, precisely and to the point such that every employee owns them and becomes part and parcel of the team that strives to achieve the objectives of the company.Effects of the Code of EthicsThe code of ethics has both positive and negative effects to the organization and its members. Although the advantages outweigh the demerits studies have shown that organizations with the code experiences less difficulties when compared with those without these codes. Some of the merits and demerits of the code of ethics in an organization includeMerits of code of ethicsSurveys have collected evidence that support the effectiveness of the code of ethics these are:Establishment of ethical climate: the code of ethics de monstrate that an organization is conscious of the fact that people may need to choose between right and wrong while they are at work.Reduced sabotage- studies have shown that instances of fraud, virus invasion and other forms of sabotage are less likely when codes of conduct prohibiting these are clearly spelt out in an organization.In a professional association, the code of ethics serves as an agreement between the members regarding the standard of professional behavior that is expected from them. The code spells out the need to take into account what whole community and their fellow professionals have to say on ethical matters and ethical behavior.Incase of a challenging disaster, an individual may not be able to decide wisely alone on how to resolve conflict of interest or any ethical dilemma but if there is clear professional code one may make ethical decisions with reference to them.Demerits of Code of EthicsIn some organizations, code of ethics is a source of propaganda, inst ruments of organizational self-preservation rather than for purposes of reducing harm to all stakeholders and the society at large. Organizational code of ethics also gives shareholders a false sense of security which may not be the case in reality. Opponents of the code of ethics further argue that codes are ineffective unless reinforced by structural aspects of the organizations such as traditions, culture, belief and role models. They further argue that code of ethics could displace individual ethical reasoning by causing individuals to follow the code instead of following their conscience which rationally tells what is right or wrong(Mitroff and sagasti,1973).ConclusionThis paper concludes that the Code of ethics of an organization is very essential in the development of a system of inquiry in an organization. This is because the system of inquiry will base its investigation on the code of ethics and since this code of ethics specify why, how, when and by whom they are used. Sin ce the system of inquiry investigates the adherence of the code of ethics and the possible resentments from the employees towards the code. The code of ethics also helps employees to abide by the ethical tenets of an organization and not rely solely on their own conscience. Although many organizations have the code of ethics and always emphasize on its advantages, the proponents argue that the code of ethics makes employees to depend on it when making judgments instead of using their own conscience which tells them what is right or wrong. That not withstanding, the code of ethics have been found to have many advantages key among them being reduced sabotage, improved working standards and establishment of ethical climate which demonstrates that an organizations consciousness in doing right to everybody. System of inquiry Essay Thank you for reading this Sample!

ApplyTexas Essay Sample African - How To Write A Great Cover Letter For Texas Job Applications

ApplyTexas Essay Sample African - How To Write A Great Cover Letter For Texas Job ApplicationsFor the best results, you should always make sure you are applying for an online job that provides the perfect ApplyTexas Essay Sample African. You can also use the application as a guide to what to write on your resume. It will help you be sure that you are giving your best, even if you are the most qualified candidate for the position.There are many reasons why an applicant should look for the ApplyTexas Essay Sample African when they are trying to land the best job possible. One reason is because the job is difficult and requires an individual with exceptional communication skills. Other factors include the amount of time it takes to apply for the job. With all of these factors, the applicant may end up with the position but not be qualified enough to get hired.ApplyTexas essay samples are a great tool to use when filling out the application. They allow you to clearly spell out all of the information needed in the application. Because they have the same requirements as an actual application, they can help you be sure that you are communicating clearly in the writing portion of the application. Once the skills that you learned on the ApplyTexas Essay Sample Africa are translated to an actual resume, they can become even more effective.One of the reasons that some people do not succeed is because they do not take the time to practice applying for ApplyTexas jobs. The ApplyTexas Essay Sample African allows you to do so at your own pace. When the time comes to fill out the application, you can simply copy and paste the format and send it in.If you happen to be a person who has a large work schedule, you can use this as a time management tip. The ApplyTexas Essay Sample African provides you with a template for each section of the application. You can simply use them and create a resume that is ready to be submitted.The ApplyTexas Essay Sample African is not just for stud ents. While some of the information can be useful to anyone who is looking for a job, it can be even more beneficial to those who are already employed. Some of the major benefit is that the ApplyTexas Essay Sample African is very helpful to both students and employees.Of course, the applyTexas Essay Sample African is not the only thing that you can use when filling out the application for ApplyTexas jobs. You can find many other applications that are designed specifically for this purpose. For example, there are application manuals that you can purchase to take advantage of.By taking the time to read the ApplyTexas Essay Sample African and other applications, you can see exactly how to use them for each type of application. By creating a cover letter or resume, you can quickly and easily use the skills learned on the ApplyTexas Essay Sample African to make yourself stand out among the hundreds of others who are applying for the same job. In doing so, you can ensure that you are goin g to get the job and get hired.

Free Essays on The River

Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The River†: A Story of Faith? Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"The River† is a story of faith. The main character of the story is a young boy whose real name is Harry Ashfield. Although his real name is Harry he tells people his name is Bevel. Bevel is introduced to Christianity by Mrs. Connin, who is a babysitter that his parents have hired to take care of him. â€Å"The River† is about Bevel and his exploration of religious faith. This story is a good example that a person who is a little devil and has no religious background can change his beliefs and start to have faith in god. Bevel is a joker and is used to living everything out as a joke, almost nothing is of a serious matter to him. Bevel does not come from a religious family. In matter of fact it is said that, â€Å"If he had thought about it before, he would have thought Jesus Christ was a word like ‘oh’ or ‘damm’ or ‘God’ or maybe somebody.† (160). It can be seen that he did not even have any religious background and no knowledge of a god existing. His family becomes angry with Mrs. Connin when she told them that he was baptized. But thanks to Mrs. Connin, Bevel acquires some faith and returns to the river to try to find the Kingdom of Christ. Mrs. Connin’s introduction of Christianity to Bevel was successful because he went from having no faith to returning to the river that he was baptized at. The baptism performed by the preacher prepares us for the last scene of the story. The baptism taken place in the river and Bevel’s search of the ki ngdom of Christ brings him back to the river which leads to his death. The final scene of the story is a puzzle because it is not clear what exactly happens to Bevel, but it can be taken that he drowned in the river. This is a horror because Bevel wanted to find the Kingdom of Christ that the preacher said was in the river. Because of what the preacher said, Bevel returned to the river... Free Essays on The River Free Essays on The River Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The River†: A Story of Faith? Flannery O’Connor’s story â€Å"The River† is a story of faith. The main character of the story is a young boy whose real name is Harry Ashfield. Although his real name is Harry he tells people his name is Bevel. Bevel is introduced to Christianity by Mrs. Connin, who is a babysitter that his parents have hired to take care of him. â€Å"The River† is about Bevel and his exploration of religious faith. This story is a good example that a person who is a little devil and has no religious background can change his beliefs and start to have faith in god. Bevel is a joker and is used to living everything out as a joke, almost nothing is of a serious matter to him. Bevel does not come from a religious family. In matter of fact it is said that, â€Å"If he had thought about it before, he would have thought Jesus Christ was a word like ‘oh’ or ‘damm’ or ‘God’ or maybe somebody.† (160). It can be seen that he did not even have any religious background and no knowledge of a god existing. His family becomes angry with Mrs. Connin when she told them that he was baptized. But thanks to Mrs. Connin, Bevel acquires some faith and returns to the river to try to find the Kingdom of Christ. Mrs. Connin’s introduction of Christianity to Bevel was successful because he went from having no faith to returning to the river that he was baptized at. The baptism performed by the preacher prepares us for the last scene of the story. The baptism taken place in the river and Bevel’s search of the ki ngdom of Christ brings him back to the river which leads to his death. The final scene of the story is a puzzle because it is not clear what exactly happens to Bevel, but it can be taken that he drowned in the river. This is a horror because Bevel wanted to find the Kingdom of Christ that the preacher said was in the river. Because of what the preacher said, Bevel returned to the river... Free Essays on The River THE RIVER The River written by Gary Paulsen is a sequel to the book â€Å"The Hatchet.† This book is about a boy named Brian Robeson who has survived months in the woods by himself and now goes back to the woods to show and teach people how to survive. Three men have come to Brian’s house to ask him if he would go back to the woods to survive again. They want to write everything down and make a â€Å"survival book† for other people to read. After much thought and talking his mom and dad into it, Brian decides to go. Derek Holtzer, a psychologist, will go with Brian to the woods and document everything Brian does to survive. They are flown to the place that they have picked out. Brian decides that it wouldn’t actually be surviving if they take all the equipment that Derek has packed, such as food and a tent. The only thing Brian agrees to keep is a radio to be used only in emergencies and for Derek to check in every week. One of the first things that Brian and Derek did was to make a shelter. They also looked for food, and found some nuts and berries. Derek was writing everything down that Brian was doing. It almost seemed that everything was going really good, but then the storm hit. Brian could only hear the loud storm and see whenever lightening struck. It was then that he saw Derek reach for the radio and was struck by lightening. When Brian woke up, he couldn’t remember anything. It was like he was in a daze. Then he saw Derek lying on his bed and realized that Derek had been struck by lightening. At first he thought Derek was dead, but he was just knocked out. After waiting for Derek to wake up, Brian realized that Derek was in a coma and needed help fast. When Brian remembered the radio, he tried to call for help. The lightening had struck the radio also, and it didn’t work anymore. Brian had to think of something to do to keep Derek alive. He knew without food or wa ter, Derek would...

3 Tips for Composing a Successful MBA Application Essay by Lauren Gartner

3 Tips for Composing a Successful MBA Application Essay 3 Tips for Composing a Successful MBA Application Essay Your BS in business is within reach – perhaps only a semester left. And yet you also know that a Bachelor’s in business administration will not qualify you for many career positions. What’s more, the positions that are available are flooded with applicants just like you. So, you have decided that the best course is to get right on with graduate school and get that Masters in Business Administration. Then, many more doors are automatically opened. One hurdle in this application process will be that application essay – maybe more – that you will have to prepare, and that will figure importantly as reviewers look over your applicant materials. Below you will find 3 tips for writing essays that will be exceptional and memorable. Common Application Essay Questions You can probably expect to write a minimum of two MBA application essay pieces in response to several prompts. One prompt is usually required and then you may choose from the remaining ones for your 2nd essay. Tip 1 The Required Essay: Every B-school is going to ask you about your goals. In this essay you will need to consider the following: What will be your area of specialty in your master’s program? Perhaps you have decided on operations, or finance, or HR. You need to think about why this specialty is exciting to you and convince the reader of your excitement. Once you have your MBA, what are your career goals? Be as specific as possible here and explain why this goal is a match for you personally. Are you looking to join a large corporation with the potential of a position overseas? Have you prepared for that by studying a foreign language? These things show that you have really thought about your goals and have already taken steps to achieve them. Tip 2 The Optional Essay Prompts: Every school has variations of these, but in general they will relate to the following: What do you bring to the business school community? What leadership roles have you already experienced, what was your style, and what did you achieve? What management theory aligns best with our style? Here, you need to be cautious and do not talk in extremes (e.g., there is only one theory that best fits). Situational management is pretty big right now, so, while you may have a favorite theory and a preferred style, you need to appear to be flexible. What specific skills and talents do you have that will make you a good manager/administrator. And how were those skills and talents developed? Tip 3 Essay Writing: If you are not really skilled in essay writing, you will need to get some help. These essays are far more important than that simple one you wrote for college admissions 4-5 years ago. These are heavily scrutinized, and they must be scholarly, beautifully-written, and highly engaging. You may have great thoughts but if you cannot translate them to the printed word, you are in trouble. Getting That Help: 3 Options If within your circle of friends, relatives, and acquaintances, you have any accomplished writers, you may want to seek assistance there. However, you also want to be certain that they have some understanding of business administration as well. If you have a decent relationship with both an English and a business professor on campus, you can certainly solicit help from these two. Generally, however, they will want you to write the essays and they will provide suggestions for revision and polishing. You can contract with a professional writing service that has graduate-degreed business writers on staff. They have lots of experience with these essays and will happily take your thoughts and ideas and craft exceptional essays for you. Just make sure best essay writing service. Don’t jeopardize your chances for admission by mediocre essays. This is just too important to your future. Take the tips seriously and get the help you need.

Economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics - Term Paper Example In their notable works, famous economic thinkers such as Mishan (1967), Scitovsky (1976) and Arrow et al. (1995) have critiqued GDP, arguing that it is a significant mathematical measure, but not a comprehensive measure of the economic activity of a nation (Kitov, n.d.). In the recent past, GDP economic measure has been considered equal to the social welfare of society. It is evident with the recent adoption of the term "standard of living", used synonymously with GDP. However, this relationship is not buoyed by any significant macroeconomic concept, but has become a habit in the recent past. What is conceivably utmost conspicuous is that a huge bulk of reporters and legislators, irrespective of their party-political inclinations, make very credulous declarations about GDP (vintrova, n.d.). It is therefore not astounding then that we see the majority of people in the world prefer economic growth in terms of GDP growth. The same has been supported by an obvious emphasis on GDP growth by global institutions such as the OECD and IMF. Numerous items and events in this life cannot be assessed through GDP, but they are measurable using the cadent of education, health, clean environment, social welfare, freedom and many others. A famous economist started the process of distinguishing the commodities that are comprised in the GDP measure and the capabilities that are omitted from it. His efforts, buoyed by his colleagues efforts led to the notable discoveries of techniques of supplanting GDP. There are various flaws associated with the GDP measure of economic growth. Key among them; it is reported that GDP measures average costs rather than the benefits that emanate from the market operations. It is also said that GDP leaves out many external costs associated with the country’s economic growth. In the years between 1950 and 1965, a negative mean welfare trend was experienced in

Earliest Microsoft operating systems to the present-day release of Essay

Earliest Microsoft operating systems to the present-day release of Windows Vista - Essay Example Rowland Hanson, marketing head of Microsoft suggested that Windows would be a very appealing name to the customer when compared to â€Å"Interface Manager†, which was supposed to be its name. Windows 1.0 was rather an operating environment than a complete operating system; it extended MS-DOS and shared the intrinsic problems and flaws of the latter. It included a simple word processor called Windows Write, an appointment calendar, a simple graphics painting program called Windows Paint, a computer terminal, a clock, a control panel, a notepad, a card filer, and a RAM driver. The MS-DOS Executive and a game called Reversi were also included in the first version. On the 9th of December 1987 the second version of Microsoft Windows 2.0 was released, and gained more popularity than the first version. â€Å"Windows 2.0 supported the Video Graphics Array (VGA) display System, which allowed you to use 16 colors at 640x480† (Shinder, 2003, p. 5). It achieved more popularity than the first version because of the new Microsoft graphical applications namely Word and Excel for Windows, and because of its inclusion as a run-time version. Windows 3.0 version which was released in the year1990 was quite successful because apart from improved capabilities to the native applications it also allowed the users to a more advanced multitask based on older MS-DOS software when compared to Windows/386 due to the introduction of virtual memory. The third version of Windows gave strong competition to the user interface of the Macintosh computer. This version of Windows was compatible with any Intel processor from 8086/8088 to 80286 and 80386 and could run in Standard, Real and 386 Enhanced modes, and was the first version to run Windows program in protected mode, even though 386 enhanced mode kernel was an improved version of the kernel protected mode in

Brand Equity And Luxury Brands

Brand Equity And Luxury Brands Most of successful businesses hinge upon their great business strategies. The business strategy generally composes of four components: the product-market investment decision, the customer value proposition, the organizations assets and competencies, and functional strategies and programs (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). In terms of organizations assets and competencies, brand appears to be one of the most valuable intangible asset of the company (Keller and Lehmann, 2006). Therefore, concept and importance of brand has been widely discussed amongst both researchers and practitioners (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). Brand is different from product (Capon, Mac Hulbert, and Capon, 2009) and more than service. A classic definition of brand by Kotler (1991, pp.442) brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design or combination of them which is intended to identify the goods of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. This definition has been discussed as being failed to capture the essence of what brand involves and achieves (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). Fifield (2008) thoroughly redefines brand as a set of consistent meanings which exist in addition to the product or service offering. In other words, brand is a set of belief and feeling exist in customer minds [derive from what they have been promised]. The promises of brand are conveyed through the value proposition the brand delivers through ranges of marketing mix (Fifield, 2008; Moutinho and Southern, 2010). Moutinho and Southern (2010) restate definition of brand as an entity, which offers customers add ed value based on factors over and above its functional performance. These added values differentiate offer and provide basis for customer preference and loyalty. Marketers use the marketing mix to position the brand and to create brand value around a coherent set of each marketing mix [base on relevant stimuli]. Brand draws a number of benefits to the business in terms of both recruit and retains customers. Aaker (cited in Fifield, 2008) highlights the benefit of the brands in terms of financial benefits namely price premium. This financial benefit leads to perceived higher quality and perceived higher value which provide point of differentiation in consumer mind. It therefore would increase consumer usage which results in increase in return on investment for company at last (Fifield 2008). In addition to that, brand creates customer value by managing two types of risk for them including performance risk; by providing promise of sameness and predictability, and psychological risk ; by providing image and social acceptability (Keller 2003 cited in Moutinho and Southern, 2010). Branding is suggested to be expensive to the business. It is also difficult to identify its cost or investment (Fifield, 2008). However, the additional return from brand appears to be more worthwhile. Fifield (2008) suggests the commodity products without branding would end up with price war. This would not only produce small return to a single company, but also small value to the whole value-chain. Brand Equity Since brand appears to be a strategic intangible asset that could allow succeed to the company but costly to do so, the reflection of real value that the brand name hold is essential for further business direction. The reflection of value of the brand name is known as measuring brand equity. There are a number of researchers has investigated concept of brand equity since early 1990s (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). In a general scope, according to Keller (1993), brand equity is defined in terms of marketing effects uniquely attribute to the brand. This means the certain outcome of marketing a product or service would not happen if that product or service does not hold that name (Keller, 1993). In other word, brand equity is the value that brand name gives to a product or service (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). Brand with high brand equity provides their owners with competitive and financial benefits (Aaker and MacLoughlin, 2007). In terms of behavioral viewpoint, brand equity is essential to make point of differentiation which lead to competitive advantages based on non-price competition (Aaker, 1991). Brand equity creates a number of values to the firm and customer. It affect merger and acquisition decision, stock market response, determinant of brand extension, increase probability of brand choice/willingness to pay premium price/ marketing communication effectiveness/ brand licensing, and decrease vulnerability to competitive marketing action/ elastic response to price increase (Yoo, Donthu, and Lee, 2000) Brand equity has also been defined and motivated to be studied in two perspectives: financial and consumer perspective. In a financially base perspective, the motivation of studying brand equity is to determine the value of a brand for the purpose of accounting, investment, or divestment (Keller, 1993). Therefore, it has been defined as the incremental cash flow of products or service over the cash flow that comes from the sale of unbranded product or service (Simon and Sullivan, 1993). This incremental cash flow incorporates the value that is evaluated by consumers of branded products and the cost that are saved by brand equity with competitive advantages (Simon and Sullivan, 1993). On the other hand, in the consumer-oriented perspective, the motivation to study brand equity comes from the need to improve marketing productivity (Keller, 1993). In regards to brand equitys definition in this perspective, there are two researchers, Aaker in 1991 and Keller in 1993, conceptualizing brand equity concept that is widely accepted by researchers and practitioners. Unfortunately we are unable to provide accessible alternative text for this. If you require assistance to access this image, please contact [emailprotected] or the author Figure 2.1: Aakers dimension of Brand Equity (Source: Aaker, 1992) Aaker combines behavioral and perceptual approach to assess brand equity (Hsu, 2011). Aaker defines brand equity as a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or to that firms customers (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). In Aakers model, brand equity derives from five sources: brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and other propriety brand asset (Figure2.1). Figure 2.2: Kellers dimension of Brand Equity (Source: Keller, 1993) Meanwhile, Keller focuses on consumer perception (Hsu, 2011). Keller (1993) refers the memory principle namely associative network memory model in defining brand equity. He suggested that an individual dimension of brand is a node in a memory that connects together with links that has various types and degrees of association. Therefore, it would leads to different knowledge of brand which means different level of brand equity (Janiszewski and van Osselelaer, 2000). Keller stated, Brand equity is the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. Keller suggested that brand equity comes from brand knowledge; whereby brand knowledge arises from two sources: brand awareness (derived from brand recall and brand recognition) and brand image (derived from brand association which influenced by type, favourability, strength, and uniqueness) (Figure 2.2). According to both researchers, their concepts share some common major components namely brand awareness and brand association. In fact, dimension of brand equity in Kellers model seems to have deeper investigation in the source of brand association dimension in perceptual perspective. The perceptual components of brand equity might be important sources of competitive advantage for suppliers that rely strongly on intangible value. Since luxury brands are more about aspiration and perception to the brand, Kellers brand equity dimension could fits to the scope of the topic and worth to investigate in detail. Therefore, the following will discuss dimension of brand equity according to Kellers brand equity model which composing of brand awareness and brand image. Brand Awareness Brand awareness refers to the strength of brands presence in the consumers memory (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). It is reflecting by the ability to identify the brand under different conditions by consumers (Keller, 1993). Brand awareness is important to the business because it yields to more tendency for the brand to be liked and frequently purchased (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). This is because brand awareness influences the information and strength of brand association in the brand image (Keller, 1993). There are two main measures of brand awareness according to Aaker and McLoughlin (2007). The first measure is prompted awareness. This refers to the consumers ability to recognize the brand from a list of brand name. In fact, prompted awareness is known as brand recognition in Kellers model. The second measure is unprompted awareness. It is the consumers ability to recall the brand name when asked to identify brand in a category (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). Brand recall is a synonym of unprompted awareness when looking at Kellers model. Practically, brand recall is more desirable in marketing perspective than brand recognition (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). This is because it implies that the brand has achieved a dominant awareness level and becomes a member of the consideration set for that category in consumers mind (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). This means brand recall allows consumers to create choice themselves because they can generate picture of the brand in their minds without aiding. Therefore, brand recall could provide higher degree in likability and purchase than brand recognition. Brand awareness is generally created through ranges of marketing tools, particularly marketing communication (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). This is because communication media provides brand visibility and keep the brand in consumers sights that allows consumer to repeatedly encrypt the brand name. Brand Image and Brand Association Brand image is a picture of the offering in consumers mind that includes symbolic meaning when consumer associate with the specific attribute of product or service (Cretu and Brodie, 2007). It is a set of perception about a brand, which consumers form in order to reflect their association to the brand (Keller, 1993). Keller (1993) defines Brand Image as a perception about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in a consumer memory. Brand image play an important role in the business, especially where it is difficult to differentiate products or services based on tangible quality features (Cretu and Brodie, 2007). Brand image derives from various dimensions of brand association including type, favorability, strength, and uniqueness. Brand association is anything in consumers memory (Aaker, 1991). It can be any aspects of brand that consumer relates with the brand (Aaker and McLoughlin, 2007). The aspects of brand come from the product itself as well as other entities that built around the brand. Brand association is important as it provides opportunity for consumer to develop positive relationship with the brand when consumers have ability to connect to the brand in certain circumstance (Aaker, 1991). Types of Brand Association To understand more on the process that consumers create brand association, Keller (1993) has categorize the aspects/attributes of brand into two types and identify the perceived benefits gain from each type of brand aspects/attributes. It therefore leads to certain attitude about brand in consumers minds and influence brand image. Attributes can be categorized into two types according to Keller (1993): product-related attribute (intrinsic (Fill, 2009)) and non-product-related attributes (extrinsic (Fill, 2009)). The attributes that is product-relating arises from the physical composition of product itself and usually form the perceived functional benefits after consumers use certain product (Keller, 1993). This type of attribute also can build up the perceived experiential benefits when the product attributes satisfy consumers experiential needs such as sensory pleasure, cognition stimulation, and variety. (See example in Appendix A) Meanwhile, the non-product-related attributes arise from price, packaging, type of person who use product (user imagery), and when the product is used (usage imagery). Non-product-related attributes usually profile certain personality to the brand (known as Brand personality) and generates symbolic benefits relating to the needs of social approval and personal expression to consumer (Keller, 1993). (See example in Appendix A) When consumers evaluate all brand attribute and its benefits, they would profile a specific attitude towards brand; known as Brand attitude (Keller, 1993). Brand attitude is important because it influences motivation and evaluation on consumers choices of brand (Keller, 1993). The attitude would leads to specific perception towards brand; Brand Image. Favorability, Strength, and Uniqueness of Brand Association According to Keller (1993), apart from type of brand association explained above, image of the brand is also influenced by three dimensions of brand association namely favorability, strength, and uniqueness. Firstly, favorability of brand associations arises when consumers feel satisfied to the attributes (product-related and non-product-related attributes) and benefits (functional, experiential, and symbolic benefits) provided by brand. Therefore, they would create positive attitude towards brand. This would eventually leads to positive brand image. Secondly, strength of brand associations depends on how consumers memories receive and maintain information about brand. It could be both quantity and quality wises of processing information that influence the strength. The strength of brand association could ease consumers in recalling the brand. Thus, consumers can portrait the picture of brand in their mind. Lastly, uniqueness of brand association derives from all type of attribute (product-related and non-product-related attributes) and their benefit (functional, experiential, and symbolic benefits) that differ from that of competitors. This would too promote distinct picture of brand in consumers mind. Therefore, it could draw the competitive point of difference which would create unique selling proposition and strengthening brand position. To sum up, different types of brand attribute create different perceived benefits; then lead to brand attitudes that forms brand image. These three dimensions of brand association assist in creation of positive/negative brand image. This is because consumers have positive/negative attitude toward brand, be able to recall the brand easily, and see the brand different from the other brands in the category. Several researchers have proved Kellers dimensions of brand equity. Danes et al (2011) reports that recent branding research measuring brand image via free association method has found that brand equity increase as the number of associations increase (Chen, 2001 cited in Danes et al, 2011). This is correspondent with traditional construct and scales brand equity measurement, which indicates that functional and non-functional brand associations influence brand perception, and can create differential advantage to the brand. Luxury Brand The word luxury generally connects with extravagance, prestige, elitism (Moore and Birtwistle, 2005) and higher price (Beverland, 2004). It is something nonessential, but provides pleasure and comfort, or some other things that is expensive and associates with an exclusive sumptuous lifestyle (American Heritage, 1993). There are the attempts from a number of researchers giving the definition and dimension of luxury brand (Figure 2.3). However, the definition of luxury brand has not been completely defined. Jackson and Haid (2002 cited in Moore and Birtwistle, 2005) purpose that luxury brand consists of high status that grants opportunity for brand owner to charge premium price. These brands possess a desirability that extends beyond their function and which provide the user with a perceived status through ownership. Their appeal and desirability is a result of their constructed scarcity in availability (usually as a result of enforced restrictions on distribution) and because of thei r associations with particular consumer segments. (Jackson and Haid, 2002). In fact, luxury brands are regards, as image in mind of the consumers that comprise association about a high level of price, quality, aesthetics, rarity, extraordinariness, and a high degree of non-functional associations (Heine, 2011). Luxury framework.jpg Figure2.3: Key Model Identifying Luxury Brand Dimensions (Source: Fionda and Moore, 2009) Phau and Prendergast (2000, pp. 123-4 cited in Beverland, 2004) suggested that generally luxury brands have four fundamental characteristics: perceived exclusivity, well-recognized brand identity, high levels of brand awareness and strong sales, and customer patronage/loyalty. In order to do branding, Beverland (2004) provides a model of a luxury branding which identifies and unites six components that marketers should take into consideration when designing marketing activities. The six components are brand heritage (history and culture), product quality/credibility/excellence (product integrity), personality and consumer group support (endorsements), and brand image investments (marketing). These dimensions of luxury branding provide luxury positioning and association through brand marketing decisions (Moore and Birtwistle, 2005). Okonkwo (2009) said luxury branding is about an identity, a philosophy, and a culture. Figure2.4: The Components of a Luxury Branding (Source: Beverland, 2004) About Parameter for Luxury Branding Product integrity: This component is dawn with respect to sub-components including product quality, attention to detail, credibility, and product/production integrity (Beverland, 2004) Value-Driven Emergence: The reason that luxury brands could be sold in high price is their supplementary perceived value adding to their products (Beverland, 2004). Culture/ History: Most luxury brands are linked to their history by a number of means which can be grouped as stories (Beverland, 2004). Each brand might use several important stories to define its image, such as stories of people, products, event, and association that retain the link to the past and develop present culture (Beverland, 2004). Heritage or long history of brand adds authenticity, and is considered one of the hallmarks of a luxury brand (Fionda and Moore, 2009). This is important for brand promotion campaign (Beverland, 2004) as luxury brand identity usually associate with the story that the brand owns (Kapferer and Bastien, 2008) Marketing/ Endorsements: Marketing campaign and endorsement could create awareness and positioning of the brand (Beverland, 2004). Understand Luxury Branding In building luxury brand, Kapferer and Bastien (2008) suggest that brand identity is more likely to be a major focus for luxury than brand positioning. This is because luxury brands consumption is functioning as a stamp for consumers superiority (Okonkwo, 2009). Consumers differentiate themselves through possession of luxury brand in order to shows their distinction; to be admired, recognized, appreciated, and respected (Okonkwo, 2009). Therefore, consumers use luxury brands in expression of a taste, a creative identity, and an intrinsic passion of a creator. Luxury makes the statement, this is what I am, not that depends which is what positioning implies (Kapferer and Bastien, 2008). Brand identity is the unique set of brand associations implying a promise to customers and includes a core and extended (Appendix B) that the brand managers aspire to create or maintain (Ghodeswar, 2008; Srivastava, 2011). Brand identity appears to be similar to brand image in the sense that both are dealing with brand association, but in different perspective. Brand image comes from consumer perception toward the brand, while brand identity is the things that brand manager would like brand to be perceived. In other word, brand identity originates from the companys need to differentiate itself in consumers minds with unique features (Srivastava, 2011). Therefore, brand owners are more likely to create and ensure that brand identity and brand image of their product are identical through communication process (Srivastava, 2011). . Brand image: How the brand is now perceived? Brand identity: How brand managers want the brand to be perceived? Brand position: The part of the brand identity and value proposition to be actively communicated to a target audience. To sum up, in accordance to managing brand equity for luxury brand, creating brand association through brand communication with regards to luxury brand components is highly essential to strengthen luxury brand equity. Additionally, balancing brand image and brand identity is also completely necessary. Luxury Brand 2.0- Role of New Media in Luxury Brand Communication In an account to the research on antecedents of brand equity from Yoo, Donhu, and Lee (2000), brand equity could be created, maintained and expanded by strengthening dimensions of brand equity through marketing activities. One of crucial marketing activities that grow brand equity is marketing communication such as public relations (Aaker 1991) or promotional event (Keller 1993). Percy and Elliot, R. (2009) suggest that brand equity is a result of positive brand attitude that could influenced by effective marketing communication strategy. Main purpose of marketing communication in strengthening brand equity is to portray brand identity and create brand image (Winer, 2008). About Marketing Communication According to Fill (2009), since 1990s, the influence of relationship marketing concept and interactive approach embrace additional perspective to marketing communication. The purpose of marketing communication is not only creating awareness and persuasion, but also to develop understanding and preference, reminds, and reassure customers about the brand (Fill, 2009). Marketing Communication becomes a long-term strategic approach with integrative and interactive orientation instead of merely short-term one-way communication aiming at promoting product (Fill, 2009; Pickton and Broderick, 2005). With recent integrated one-to-one/ one-to-many two-way dialogue approach, marketing communications has been defined as a management process that organization seek to engage with audiences; by understanding their way of receiving message, then communicate message which audiences value, and aim at audience responses. The response from audiences includes attitudinal, emotional and behavioral respons es (Fill, 2009). In short, marketing communication process concerns on three aspects: engagement, audience, and response. Marketing communication mix consists of three elements: tools, media, and messages. Tools are methods/ disciplines to convey message through the mean (media) that could reach target audiences (Fill, 2009). There are five principles of marketing communication tools: advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing and personal selling (Fill, 2009). These five tools could be more effective with the support from word-of-mouth recommendation from consumers (Fill, 2009). In regards to media, traditionally, media in marketing communication includes broadcast (television and radio), print (newspapers and magazines), outdoor (billboards, street furniture, transit), In-store (point-of-purchase and packaging), and other (cinema, exhibitions, product placement, ambient, and guerrilla) The selection of marketing communication mix includes the degree of control required over the delivery of the message; the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ nancial resources available to pay a third party to transmit messages; the level of credibility that each tool bestows on the organisation; the size and geographic dispersion of the target audiences; the communication tasks each tool is best at satisfying. The key turning point of marketing communication was when the internet and digital technologies formed the new concept and channel of media. Since mid 1990s, the internet and digital technologies have enabled new interactive forms of communication, where the receiver has greater responsibility for their part in the communication process (Fill, 2009). In terms of new media usage with interaction to brand, consumers no longer merely seek for entertainment and information, but for discovering, participating, sharing, and expressing themselves (Moore, 2007 cited in Fill, 2009). Therefore, the measurement of success for the brand owner on new media is to measure consumers expectation on brand and their interaction (dwell time, dwell quality, and dwell insight (Appendix C)) rather than measuring the reach and frequency of message. Consumers currently consume a mixture of traditional and new media (Fill, 2009). New media definition and characteristics In terms of marketing communication, new media includes websites and other digital communication and information channels in which active consumer engage in behaviors that can be consumed by others both in real time and in long forwards regardless of their spatial location (Hennig-Thurau et al, 2010). Characteristic of new media appears to build around the interactivity and digital (Winer, 2008). Recent research has conceptualizes new media characteristics as being digital, proactive, visible, real-time and memory, ubiquitous, and network (Hennig-Thurau et al, 2010). Each characteristic can be explained as following. Digital means there are no marginal cost for producing additional copies of digital product and easily distribute. Pro-active stands for the contribution of consumers in all part of the value chains e.g. review, co-creation, and develop the open source, etc. Visible indicates that consumers activities on new media can be seen and tracked by others. Real-time involves no time limit; meaning that consumers can access to new media at anytime, while Memory is crucial for personalization of future interaction. Ubiquitous means consumers can reach and be reached by other whenever wherever through mobile device. Networks represent that new media allows consumers to be part of network sharing, creating, communicating, and building relationship with other through social networks. Shankar and Hillinger (2007 cited in Winer, 2008) have classified new media into three groups: intrusive where advertising plays role in interrupting consumers, non-intrusive where the consumers select the communication to receive, and user-generated where the consumers create communications. To name media in each group, firstly, intrusive new media includes internet advertising (i.e. buttons, banners, skyscrapers, rectangles, interstitials, pop-ups), advergames, and M-commerce. Secondly, non-intrusive ones include social networking site, podcasting, Buzz/viral marketing, and some types of internet advertising i.e. streaming audio/ video, destination site, sponsored search/ paid links. Lastly, user-generated type includes blogs, video sites, rating/ recommendations. Affect of New media on Branding New media change the structure of marketing communication with Interactivity that enables new way of engaging, communicating, and delivering benefit to target audiences that traditional media unable to (Winer, 2008). It also increases number of media with internet and digital technology-base. Generally, brand building via marketing communication involves two main constructions: identity that managers wish to portray, and image that constructed by audiences perception. Web2.0 and user-generated-content have added a new dimension to managerial-driven perspective of brands in two ways. Firstly, consumers seem to assume greater role in defining what brand means to them and share with their familiar stakeholders as much as with the organization who own the brand (Figure2.5). Secondly, apart from reducing brand managers role in influencing and controlling the way brands are perceived, Winer (2008) points out that the coordination of message across a number of new media is also burdensome w ith new media as the market is fragmented. Figure2.5: Modified Mass Communications Model (Source: Hoffman and Novak, 1996) New Media in Luxury Brand communication Marketing Communication for Luxury brand Luxury is not just a product, a service, an object, a concept, or lifestyle. It is an identity, a philosophy, and a culture (Okonkwo, 2009). The communication of luxury brand appears to be not only on the intrinsic, but also rely strongly on the extrinsic attributes (Fill, 2009). Luxury brand communication strategies usually associates brand name to consumers aspirational needs and social and psychological motivation (Fill, 2009). Kapferer and Bastien (2008) claim that, for luxury, the role of advertising is not for selling, but aiming at recreating the dream. For example, one executive of BMW stated, My job is to make sure that the 18-year-olds in this [USA] country decide that, as soon as they have the money, they will be buying a BMW. I have to see to it that when they go to bed at night they are dreaming of BMW. Method of developing luxury brand includes the combination of advertising, public relations, direct marketing, event (e.g. fashion shows), word-of-mouth, celebrity endorsement, craftsmanship, and a touch of mythology (Fill, 2009; Pickton and Broderick, 2005; Fionda and Moore, 2009). The purpose of powerful marketing communications is to build brand image (Pickton and Broderick, 2005). Each communication tools convey distinct function in building luxury brand and strengthen elements of brand equity. For instance, advertising provides support in establishing the brand image, which consequently assists in creating identity and attraction, and generates awareness (Fionda and Moore, 2009). Direct communication with the customer on a personal level is an area of growing importance as managers ensure that a relationship with the customer was developed (Pickton and Broderick, 2005). The investment in PR made the brand interesting and attainable and raised awareness (Pickton and Broderick, 20 05). A fashion shows increase fashion element of the brand and help maintaining fashionable positioning (Pickton and Broderick, 2005). Communicating Luxury Brand 2.0- driver and barrier Similar to other industries, new media change structure of communication, which create multiple challenge and opportunity for luxury brand. The major driver that pushes luxury brands to present and conduct business online is that consumer is there. In a meantime, communication of luxury brand through new media concerns the issue of incompatibility of media and industry characteristic, lack of industry reference, and lack of control in message delivery and interpretation. Although luxury industry appears to be associating with innovation, avant-gardism, and creativity, which should compatible with channel of modern business like digital technology, characteristics of new media seems to against luxury core value (Okonkwo, 2009). New media in communication, especially Internet, are suggested to be available to the mass consumer base (Okonkwo, 2009). This is becau