Illegal Immigrants And The United States Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigrants In the United States illegal immigration is a major problem. this problem has led to other issues in this country and has existed for decades . Although it is a problem, it is a source of business for farmers in the United States and drug dealers. It is a controversial issue with many opinions on it. There is not one solution to this problem, politicians including the president have proposed various solutions, but are not supported by the general public. In this research paper I will be discussing the various reasons many illegal immigrants are motivated to cross to the U.S illegally. The majority of undocumented immigrants work in low-skill jobs, (Constable, 2015). According to The Pew Research Center (2014) the†¦show more content†¦For instance, illegal immigrants get educated, food stamps, health care, etc. They can cost the government thousands of dollars each year by doing this. Illegal aliens find loopholes in the government system to receive benefits. They may have a baby born while they are in the United States, then their child is a U.S citizen and they qualify for government help. Crime is another factor that creates controversy with illegal aliens. Some illegal aliens become involved in drug trafficking, rapes, murders, and other crimes. Their involvement reduces the sympathy American citizens show toward them. Many police departments use up their resources investigating the crimes committed by illegal immigrants. This leaves less officers available to assist U.S. citizens. According to the Center for Immigration Studies (2009), about thirty-three percent of crimes committed by illegal aliens are for trafficking drugs. In the same study, eleven percent of them were arrested for assault (Vaughan Camarota, 2009). Caroline May (2015) from BreitBart News describes in her report that 37.6 percent of federal sentences in 2014 were given to illegal immigrants. In 1980 our federal and state prions held 9,000 criminal aliens, that has now gone up to 55,000. The cost to keep them in prison is estimated at $1.5 to $1.6 billion per year. There are several solutions to try and control the illegal immigration problem in the U.S. One solution that is frequently in the news is theShow MoreRelatedIllegal Immigration Is The Entry Of Non Us909 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Illegal immigration is the entry of non-U.S. citizens into the United States without their having applied for entry at one of the many border crossings† (Illegal Immigration 9). There are numerous ways that illegal immigrants travel into the United States. The most common forms of entry are through Canada and Mexico. However, illegal immigration did not used to exist. In fact, immigration without applying to enter into the country was allowed in the United States at the beginning of 1655. OverRead MoreImmigration And The United States986 Words   |  4 PagesImmigration in the United States continues to increase rapidly year by year. According to an analysis of monthly Census Bureau data by the Center for Immigration Studies, the immigration popula tion in the United States, both legal and illegal, hit a record of 42.1 million in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 1.7 million since the same quarter of 2014 (CIS.org). Clearly, Immigrants make up a large part of the population in the United States, and for most immigrants, migrating to theRead MoreImmigration : The Ongoing Question1419 Words   |  6 PagesImmigration: The Ongoing Question It was estimated in 2014 that there were at least 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States. Illegal immigration has been in the headlines for the last ten years and will forever plague the United States of America. New immigration policy such as the â€Å"Priority Enforcement Program† was implemented in 2015, and programs like these are one of the main topics up for debate in the upcoming election. Over seventy-five percent of people deported back toRead MoreEssay on Why should the U.S have border patrol?1611 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿United States Border Patrol: Why should the U.S have border patrol? Illegal immigrants have always been a problem in the United States for some time now. â€Å"In October 2008, the illegal immigrant population stood at 11.9 million according to the Pew Hispanic Center† (Illegal Immigration Facts Statistics†). An efficient border patrol in our country would be a good step in the right direction to stop illegal immigration and the effect it has on our country. 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Strategic (SWOT, Five Forces) Analysis of Glaxosmithkline Free Essays

string(133) " five forces that can be used to analyze a company’s \(for instance GlaxoSmithKline\) framework and business strategy development\." Abstract GlaxoSmithKline is an English pharmaceutical, vaccine, biologics, and consumer healthcare company with its headquarters in Brentford, London. The establishment of this company was as a result of the 2000 merger between Glaxo Wellcome plc with SmithKline Beecham plc. Going by the 2009 prescription drug sales recorded across the nation, it is the fourth largest pharmaceutical company by ranking (Robson, 2013, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic (SWOT, Five Forces) Analysis of Glaxosmithkline or any similar topic only for you Order Now 63). As of July 2012, it was ranked fifth among the FTSE 100 companies with a market capitalization of ?74.8 billion. The company, also a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Anon., 2003, p. 785). The company has had to face ardent competition from such rivals as Pfizer and Sanofi especially following the July 2012 guilty plea to criminal incriminations in the USA due to the marketing of the company’s antidepressants- both Wellbutrin and Paxil- for unauthorized uses, failure to report safety data on Avandia and wrongful sales and marketing of Advair (BBC, 2012; Thomas Schmidt, 2012). The total fine for these charges was an astounding $3 billion. Introduction Competition is an important aspect in the business world. Every organization wants to dominate the global market and become a market leader and trendsetter by beating its competitors through the production of higher quality, as well as superior, products. Market domination entirely depends on customers’ trust towards an organization and the services or products it offers. Various forces play a role in the determination of the success of an organization and the type of rapport that it creates with the clients and customers. Providing quality products at affordable prices should be considered in order to achieve advantage in the global market (Armstrong, 2011, p. 45). In addition, an organization needs to evaluate its strength and weakness for efficient operations. Such considerations and evaluations are imperative in the formulation of plans, goals and objectives since they aid in defining the successes or failures of a company in the market in relation to its competitors. This report is based on the SWOT and PORTER analysis of GlaxoSmithKline; considering its strengths and weaknesses that aid or hinder it from competing within its industry effectively. GlaxoSmithKline SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis technique can be used to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses of GlaxoSmithKline (Armstrong, 2011, p. 46). The environmental opportunities and strengths facing GlaxoSmithKline can also be identified using the SWOT analysis technique. A good technique is one that maximizes on the company’s opportunities and strengths, and minimizes on its threat and weaknesses. Highlighting these key aspects of the company not only aids in the portrayal of it s market position, as wells help to explain on the reasons for this position, but also it provides a platform for the evaluation of the various steps and plans that can be effected to improve on market performance in terms of sales and revenues (Anon., 2011, p. 32). Strengths of GlaxoSmithKline The vast resources and funds available to the company enable it to employ a strong sales and marketing team. The strong sales and marketing infrastructure of GlaxoSmithKline positions it to be the marketing choice for customers. This is on the back of vigorous marketing and public relations campaigns undertaken by the company through print and tele-visual media. Apart from being one of the world’s top 5 pharmaceutical companies (Torun, 2007, p 2), it is also UK’s biggest funder and investor in research and development. It has dominated the chemistry industry through efficient resource utilization and manufacturing. It has over 97000 employees who effectively focus on and explore new markets (Healy Palepu, 2010, p. 54). Consequently, this has continued to play as a major strength for the company, especially after the criminal charges faced in the USA, through which it has embarked on sales, marketing and public relations efforts. Weaknesses of GlaxoSmithKline Increased productivity leads to numerous cases of expired bulk-buster products. Issues of safety of drugs used by customers raise controversies for the company’s image. Research and development strategies may also fail to deliver the required expectation. These are no different problems that the company has had to battle through the years. Owing to the mass production it engages in, the company has, time and again had to call back some of the products due to quality, quantity or even expiry date issues (Anon., 2011, p. 58; Bass, 2008, p. 89). This has served a major blow to the company’s efforts by denting its record and public image. Opportunities for GlaxoSmithKline It has the opportunity to move into oncology market, biologics, segments and specific antibodies specialization. The opportunity to facilitate potential mergers and acquisitions through its strong cash flow position is highly advantageous. In addition, there has also been increased awareness and demand for healthcare solutions globally. The company was established through a merger of various smaller companies (Anon., 2011, p. 2). As a result, it has continued to develop top-notch laboratories while simultaneously amassing vast amounts of resources, funds and wealth. This serves as an epic opportunity for it to exploit to expand into new markets and products and also force through mergers, acquisitions, as well amalgamations for it to expand its operations and clients’ base (GlaxoSmithKline plc, n.d.). Threats for GlaxoSmithKline There is high risk of unsuccessful new products due to inadequate awareness of consumers. Environmental regulations have become more strict, precise and exacting nowadays. The possibility of economic slowdown in markets in European countries poses significant threats. The company has also been constantly facing the threat of new conventional forms of medicine, herbal medicine, which has been proven to be more effective and has lesser side effects (Jarvis, 2006, p. 14). The fact that the company has started exhibiting complacency in its operations due to the synonymous market leadership it holds also serves as a chief threat as explicated in the USA where new drugs were introduced without following all the rules (Robson, 2013, p. 55). GlaxoSmithKline’s PORTER Analysis The PORTER analysis constitutes five forces that can be used to analyze a company’s (for instance GlaxoSmithKline) framework and business strategy development. You read "Strategic (SWOT, Five Forces) Analysis of Glaxosmithkline" in category "Essay examples" The five forces considered include bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, rivalry with competitors, and threats of substitutes and new entrants (Dhar, 2008, pp 17). These forces are imperative in the analysis of the existing competitive intensity in a market since a company, in this case GlaxoSmithKline, is able to determine how competitors are acting and thus the attractiveness of this market. For GlaxoSmithKline, the market is very lucrative as attested to by the huge number of profits raked in annually. This in turn implies that the possibility of new entrants into the market is very high and the company has to be constantly monitoring how it responds to competitors activities to maintain its market position (Torun, 2 007, p. 34). Threats of New Entrants for GlaxoSmithKline The cost required to enter the pharmaceutical market is quite high due to extensive research and development needed in the industry. As a result, GlaxoSmithKline has limited worry due to threats of new entrants. The government impacts strict rules to companies wishing to enter the drugs industry. High chances of products expiry act as barriers to new entrants. GlaxoSmithKline has also established a strong brand name with customers thereby eliminating several competitors (Torun, 2007, p. 45). However, the profitability of this market has in the recent past attracted myriads of smaller firms into the industry. This has been mainly through the formation of bigger corporations through mergers, acquisitions and amalgamations of smaller firms. Eventually, GlaxoSmithKline will have to deal with these new developments in order to capitalize on the robust brand name it has built and counter the threat of new entrants into the market (Anon., 2011, p. 99). Threat of Substitutes for GlaxoSmithKline Generic brand medication is the main substitution for pharmaceutical companies like GlaxoSmithKline. Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is one of the products substitute to GlaxoSmithKline (Reuters, 2010). These substitutes deliver same products to customers except that they use different brand names and prices. These new forms of contemporary medicine are a major threat for this company since they have been found to be much safer and cheaper in comparison to conventional medicine (Healy Palepu, 2010, p. 77). For this reason, GlaxoSmithKline faces a major threat with the increased proliferation of this form of medicine. Bargaining Power of Buyers in GlaxoSmithKline GlaxoSmithKline spends most of its research and development techniques to produce high quality and transparent products. As a result, there is a small significant threat of buyers to GlaxoSmithKline. Major consumers of their products include patients, doctors, hospitals, pharmacists and other healthcare facilities (GlaxoSmithKline plc, n.d.). The power of buyers is small considering their numbers in the market. The fact that GlaxoSmithKline is also among the top pharmaceutical companies globally has cemented this fact by availing funds, latest forms of technology and manpower to the company. Buyers, therefore, do not pose any threat to the company for they have limited bargaining power. Being an oligopolistic form of market, sellers, such as GlaxoSmithKline, control the prices in the industry (Bass, 2008, p. 67). Bargaining Power of Suppliers in GlaxoSmithKline The main suppliers include raw materials and labor providers, study staff, clinical officers, and investigators of production, distribution and marketing (Jarvis, 2006, p. 87). They can easily impose huge threats to GlaxoSmithKline by withholding or reducing the quality of supplies. GlaxoSmithKline has a clean history of treating their suppliers well by meeting their demands. The company also offers excellent remuneration to it employees. The company maintains a clean record in meeting all contractual requirements and terms with its suppliers (Griffin, 2012, p. 45). This has rendered it in pole position in dictating terms with its suppliers. Thence, suppliers wield minimal bargaining power, quashing the threat of altogether. GlaxoSmithKline’s Rivalry with Competitors Government policies and regulations in pharmaceutical industries are strict thereby limiting number of competitors. The large industry size enables GlaxoSmithKline to prosper without necessarily stealing the market from other competitors (Bass, 2008, p. 23; Thomas Schmidt, 2012). Pharmaceutical industries grow rapidly thereby generating quicker revenue and in the long run reducing competition. Due to this, GlaxoSmithKline uses planning and foresight to position itself for long term success in the world of competition. Furthermore, pharmaceutical industry requires costly extensive research and development techniques which limit number of competitors (Torun, 2007, p. 32). Conclusion and Recommendations Gaining advantages in the world of competition requires high quality product delivery using appropriate techniques. GlaxoSmithKline, for example, should focus to eliminate its weaknesses and threats so as to achieve competitive advantages. They should do this by improving their strengths and taking great advantages in their opportunities. They should organize several campaigns that address issues of security and safety of drug use through media and internets. Production of adequate (but not excess) products reduces high chances of products expiries. Highly qualified personnel in the field of research and development will ensure required expectation in researches. To combat the problem of Europe’s economic slowdown, they should focus on global production by extending their market all over the world. The cost used to improve these recommendations can easily be recovered from high profits achieved from sales of new improved products. To summarize, GlaxoSmithKline should add these recommendations to their strategies hence enable them compete effectively in the pharmaceutical market. Reference List Anon., 2003. About GlaxoSmithKline. Nature, 422(6933), pp. 783-800. Anon., 2011. GlaxoSmithKline Case Study Through Mergers Acquisitions to Success.. 1st ed. S.l.: Datamonitor Plc. Armstrong, M., 2011. Armstrong’s handbook of strategic human resource management. 5th ed. London: Kogan Page. Bass, A., 2008. Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial,. 1st ed. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. BBC, 2012. GlaxoSmithKline to pay $3bn in US drug fraud scandal. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18673220 [Accessed 11 February 2014]. GlaxoSmithKline plc, n.d. What we do. [Online] Available at: http://www.gsk.com/about-us/what-we-do.html [Accessed 11 February 2014]. Griffin, R. W., 2012. Fundamentals of management. 6th ed. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Healy, P. M. Palepu, K. G., 2010. Business analysis and valuation: IFRS edition, text only. 2nd ed. Hampshire [etc.: Thomson. Jarvis, L., 2006. BIOPHARMACEUTICALS GlaxoSmithKline Forges Into Biologies. Chemical Engineering News, 84(51), p. 14. Reuters, 2010. FACTBOX-The 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. [Online] Available at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/03/26/pharmaceutical-mergers-idUSN2612865020100326 [Accessed 10 February 2014]. Robson, K., 2013. Service-ability create a customer centric culture and gain competitive advantage. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley. Thomas, K. Schmidt, M. S., 2012. Glaxo Agrees to Pay $3 Billion in Fraud Settlement. [Online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/glaxosmithkline-agrees-to-pay-3-billion-in-fraud-settlement.html?_r=0 [Accessed 10 February 2014]. Torun, F., 2007. Novartis – an internal scanning of a pharmaceutical company. 1st ed. Munchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH. How to cite Strategic (SWOT, Five Forces) Analysis of Glaxosmithkline, Essay examples

Statistics Frequency Drawing of Histogram

Question: Discuss about the Statistics Frequency for the Drawing of Histogram. Answer: 1: The data records the body temperatures of males and females. The body temperature of males and females are assumed to be normal. The mean body temperature is calculated on the basis of the given sample data and a confidence interval for the mean value is calculated. First of all, one has to test whether the distribution that is assumed to be normal in the problem, really a normal distribution or not. The normality can be checked by different methods. The most common method is drawing Histogram of the data. The histogram of body temperatures is given below: Figure: Histogram of body temperatures (Source: Created by author) The above figure shows the histogram of normal body temperature. The distribution is approximately normal. The normal body temperature is classified into two groups males and females. In general, the body temperature of male differs from that of females. Therefore one should at first test whether there is a significant difference between the means of the two distributions or not. Therefore, the hypothesis is to test, H0: 1 = 2 against H1: inequality in H0. The statistic for the test is t = ((x1bar-x2bar) - (1 - 2))/s. The value of the test statistic is -2.28. The p-value of the test statistic is 0.01, which is rejected at 5% level of significance. Therefore, the male and female population differs in terms of body temperatures. Therefore, in order to detect whether a patient has a normal body temperature, separate confidence intervals for male and the female population needs to be calculated. The confidence interval for normal body temperature of the males is: I = (x-bar 1.96 * s/) I = (36.4297, 37.02014) The confidence interval for the female population is given by the following formula: I = (x-bar 1.96 * s/) C.I = (36.55164, 37.22006). The normal body temperature for males should lie between (36.4297,37.02014) and the normal body temperature for female should lie between (36.55164, 37.22006). However, as per these results at 95% confidence interval, the confidence interval for normal body temperature came out to be (36.7347, 36.8760). As per this result, the mean body temperature of male and female lies outside the confidence interval, which depicts that 95% confidence interval, is not a fit for the model. The mean value of normal body temperature is 36.8054. The confidence interval for the mean at 99% confidence interval for both male and female together came out to be (36.71200, 36.89876). The mean body temperature of males and females are 36.724 and 36.885 according to our sample data lies in this confidence interval for normal body temperature. On the other hand, this depicts that 99% confidence interval suits the model than 95% confidence interval. 2: The p-value for the t test with significance level 0.05 suggests that the test would be rejected. Therefore, the level of significance for this test could not be 0.5. The level of significance needs to be lowered in order to accept the test. There are two types of errors associated in any testing problem. One is type I error and the other is Type II error. The type I error occurs when null hypothesis is accepted when it is false and Type II error occurs when the null hypothesis is rejected when it is true. The following table gives the type I error and type II errors. Null hypothesis true Null hypothesis false Reject H0 Type I error Correct Accept H0 Correct Type II error In order to get a good test one need to reduce both the errors. But it is not possible to reduce both the error probabilities at the same time. One can reduce one error probability at the cost of increasing the other error probability. The Type I error probability involves rejection of the null hypothesis when it is true. Therefore, the rejection of null hypothesis when it is true is more serious than accepting the hypothesis when it is true. The Type I error has to be reduced as much as possible in order to get a better test.

Newton Lab Report Sample

Newton Lab Report Paper Procedures of experiment: All groups had to complete two types of labs. The first lab our group had to complete was completed like so: using a car one had to tie a piece of string approximately 80 centimeters in length to a toy car on a ramp. This string was then feed one top of a super frictionless wheel. The end of the rope that had the end nearest to the ground was tied off with a 0. Kilogram weight. The car was then pulled back by a participant until it reached 0. 8 meters and was let go. A second participant would then record the time it took for the car to reach the end of the ramp. This was repeated a few times. One would add 0. 5 kilogram weight to the car and the time was then recorded in a similar fashion. These times would be recorded into a table and would be used as raw data. The second part of the lab was different in that: a group had to tie a small scale to opposite end of the rope where the weight was located. Immediately following that scale, one would then tie a toy car. After the toy car another scale would be attached; likewise another car would follow. One student would then pull the whole system back before the back end of the second car would touch the wall provided by the amp. We will write a custom essay sample on Newton Lab Report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Newton Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Newton Lab Report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Immediately after that student would release the system he and a second student would read the scales. Essentially, one student would have to read one scale and the other releasing would have to read one too. These force readings would be recorded in a table and would be used as raw data too. Ill. Summary of data: Each group had to determine the mass of each car before beginning each lab. Our group had found that both of our cars were 0. 261 kilograms. Additionally, group had to record the trail times for the first lab report like the following.

Abortion made illegal again essays

Abortion made illegal again essays Thirty-two years after the enactment of Roe versus Wade, abortion remains one of the most painful and controversial subjects in the United States. Of the 2.6 million unintended pregnancies (excluding miscarriages), in the U.S. each year, approximately 1.4 million women terminate their pregnancies by medically safe, legal abortions [1]. Since the legalization of abortion has occurred, deaths from abortions have declined dramatically, with more than half of abortions being performed at or before 8 weeks of pregnancy, decreasing the number of deaths from 0.2 per 100,000 procedures [1]. Abortion is when a woman who is pregnant decides to terminate her pregnancy before the birth of fetus, resulting in the death of the fetus. Women choose to terminate their pregnancies for a variety of reasons from being too young or too old, having enough children and not wanting anymore, or not being able to take care of a child financially. I feel that abortion should stay legal. For myself, I am anti -abortion but with respect to society, I am pro-choice. I think that people should however be informed of the consequences of an abortion before making a final decision. Many Americans will argue that there is a multitude of good reasons that Roe versus Wade should not be overturned. First, those situations where a variety of medical conditions in a pregnancy may have the potential to affect the health of the mother, therapeutic abortions are an option. Therapeutic abortions are also performed in cases to terminate a pregnancy in which the child has severe defects that would make it unlikely to survive. Such was the case with Sherri Finkbine, who in 1962 discovered early in her pregnancy that the drug thalidomide, that she was taking to help her sleep, caused birth defects including missing limbs, and malformed internal organs. She chose to have an abortion but went public before it occurred to warn other women about the effects of the drug. Un ...

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Quotes

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Quotes A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving serves up some surprisingly poignant and often funny quotes about Turkey Day. The Peanuts characters, including Lucy, Linus, Patty, Sally, Marcie, and of course, Charlie Brown, maybe youngsters, but they provide plenty of thoughtful wisdom about Thanksgiving traditions like football, turkey and  pumpkin pie. Of course, the words are put into their animated mouths by creator and writer Charles M. Schulz, who was just five days shy of his 51st birthday when the special aired in 1973. It won him the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Childrens Programming. It continued to air every Thanksgiving on CBS until 2000, the year that Schulz died, and then on ABC. Enhance your Thanksgiving dinner conversation with some of these pithy quotes from the TV special, which is also available on DVD and streaming video. Thanksgiving History Linus: In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast. They invited the great Indian chief Massasoit, who brought 90 of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food. Governor William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests. Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this: We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land. We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice. Expressing Thanks Peppermint Patty: Are we going to have a prayer? Its Thanksgiving, you know.Marcie: Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. We should just be thankful for being together. Traditions Lucy: But Charlie Brown, it’s Thanksgiving. One of the greatest traditions we have is the Thanksgiving Day football game and the biggest, most important tradition of all is the kicking off of the football.Lucy: Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade  away.Charlie Brown, after singing  Over the River and Through the Woods to Grandmothers House We Go: Well, theres only one thing wrong with that...My grandmother lives in a condominium. The Food Charlie Brown: I cant cook a Thanksgiving dinner. All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.Peppermint Patty: Look at this! Is this what you call a Thanksgiving day dinner? Did we come across town for this? Were supposed to be served a real Thanksgiving dinner!Peppermint Patty: What kind of Thanksgiving dinner is this? Wheres the turkey, Chuck? Dont you know anything about Thanksgiving dinners? Wheres the mashed potatoes? Wheres the cranberry sauce? Wheres the pumpkin pie? Uninvited Guests Marcie to Peppermint Patty, after they crash Thanksgiving dinner at Charlie Browns house: Wait a minute, Sir; did he invite you here to dinner? Or did you invite yourself and us too? Meet-Ups Sally: Why dont you come along, Linus? We could hold hands under the table. Stress Charlie Brown: Weve got another holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us.

Interpreting archaeological data from Paleoindian to Archaic sites Assignment

Interpreting archaeological data from Paleoindian to Archaic sites - Assignment Example The evidences for such activities include animal skeletons especially the extinct ones, bone tools, and stone tools. In addition, there are traces of marmot bones and ground squirrel bones amongst others. Therefore, these are evidences that link the community in question to the aforementioned activities. Yes, the range of activities tells us something about how long people lived at the site. For instance, the fact that the community ate deer and other extinct animals is a clear indication on how long they lived in this particular environment. Besides, the length of their stay could be deduced from the kind of tools they used and the bones obtained. There is the mention of the carbonized seeds and gathered plants and how they stayed to the next available summer or fall, which may give a rough idea that the people in question stayed therefore during that period after which they left for other places where the plants were found. There is very little difference between the two sites. One conspicuous evidence is the fact that whereas the community that lived in site A were hunters and gatherers, the community that live in site B were only hunters since there are no evidences pointing towards

Psy sim 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Psy sim 5 - Essay Example In other words, we conform to the behaviors and opinions of others present in the environment. The ambiguity and uncertainty about the nature of the stimuli are the main reasons behind subjects conforming to other people. Ans: The experimental design and the conditions created, that is the experimental and the control groups differed on the method of reporting results. The independent variable used in the study was the social pressure individuals experienced. It was found that the errors given in by the majority of people in the study influenced the perception of the right answer and the subjects gave in to social pressure. Hence they gave wrongs answers. Ans: informational social influence happens when there is no obvious correct answer to quantify the given question or situation. Therefore we look towards others for the information on the issue and in order to be right we get influenced by what they think. This finally leads to internalization. An example can be that in a restaurant we see how people are behaving and we behave in the same way. On the other hand, normative social influence happens when we accept what others’ perceptions are because we want to be accepted or liked by the group. This influence might also stem from a thought process designed to prevent embarrassment or a possible ridicule from the normative population they belong to. This finally leads to compliance. An example to illustrate is that teenagers start smoking because others in their peer group smoke. Ans: reactance is the desire for personal control. Burger (1987) defined reactance as an emotional reaction in direct contradiction to rules or regulations that threaten or eliminate specific behavioral freedoms. It can cause the individuals to adopt an attitude that is contrary to what others think and increases resistance to social influence. Ans: The thought processes involved the concepts of objects which led the mind to

Hrm Interventions Essay Example for Free

Hrm Interventions Essay It is also an important and comprehensive approach to manage employees in the workplace environment. HRM needs to be integrated with the overall strategy to ensure effective use of people and provide better returns to the organizations in terms of ROI (Return on Investment) for every rupee or dollar spent on them. If the HRM continues to practice this way it will lead to the success of the organization and also the organization will start utilizing its employee capabilities completely. Human resources are the most difficult resources to manage in an organization. HRM is responsible for effective designing and implementation of various policies, programs and also about developing and managing knowledge, skills, creativity and talent. HRM focuses on managing physical and emotional capacity of employees. As a result of this the range of HRM is developing day-by-day. Hence, HRM manages harmonious relationships in an organization along with maintaining a balance between organizational goals and individual goals. There are three human resource management interventions: Performance management, Career planning and development and work force diversity. Organization’s human resource specialists perform these change processes. Performance management is an integrated process in which an organizational employees are involved either individually or within a team to achieve its goals and policies. Employee performance management includes: 1)Planning 2)Monitoring 3)Developing 4)Rating 5)Rewarding 1)Planning: It means setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals to use their abilities to achieve organization objectives. Employees should be involved in the planning process to understand the goals of the organization. Performance appraisal plans are developed to evaluate the performance of a team or an individual by a manager or a supervisor. Performance appraisal plans should be official working documents that are put into effect. 2) Monitoring:In this stage the performance of employees is monitored and feedback is provided to the employees about their performance. Monitoring continually will help the organization to check the standards of the employees and also help them to make changes to meet the standards of the organization. This can be done by conducting status meeting and submitting reports about their progress. Any unacceptable performance can be identified at any time with the help of continuous monitoring. 3)Developing: In this phase of the process the organization helps the employees to develop their skills by providing training. Training helps the employees to improve their performance, boost their job-related skills and to withstand the changes in the workplace such as the introduction of new technology. Lack of performance of the employees can be developed in this stage and help them to achieve more goals of the organization. )Rating:In this stage the organization evaluates the performance of the employees against the standards of the organization’s performance plan. By rating the organization will come to know about its best employees. This can be done by maintaining rating record which compares the performance of the employees from time to time . The rating of record is assigned according to procedures included in the organizations appraisal program. It is based on work perfo rmed during an entire appraisal period. 5)Rewarding: Rewarding means appreciating employeesfor their performance. It can be done in different ways such as saying simple words like thank you and rewarding employees with awards based on their performance. Rewards can either be formal or informal. Therefore, all the five components in the performance management process work and support each other for effective development of the organization. Second and most important HRM intervention is Career planning and development. Nowadays most of the organizations have adopted career planning and development to increase communication and healthy environment among the employees which will result in the effective growth of their organizations. Career development programs are required to the people irrespective of age and gender for the development of the organizations. Career is the progress and actions of a person related to occupation throughout a lifetime. Different stages are present in a person’s career. There are five stages in a person’s career-Growth, exploration, establishment, maintenance and disengagement/withdrawal. Growth (4-13 years of age) is the initial stage in a person’s career where the person thinks about his/her future. Second stage is exploration (early teens to mid-twenties) where the person becomes definite about occupational choice. They do many trial jobs before deciding on their appropriate field to work. Third stage is establishment (mid-twenties to mid-forties) where the person establishes in a long-term in their chosen field. Maintenance (mid-forties to mid-sixties) is the fourth stage in which the person achieves successes in their career. They also tend to help their subordinates as they are more experienced. They try to maintain stability in their job. Last and final stage in career is disengagement/withdrawal (mid-sixties) in which the person takes retirement and try to explore new jobs. Career development helps people to achieve their career objectives. It can be linked to career planning at different stages. It includes managing a person’s career between different organizations. Career development interventions can be used for many goals. These interventions are mainly designed for young employees rather than managers. Some of the interventions which are related to career stages are as follows: realistic job preview is related to establishment which helps the person to know the work requirements. Developmental training helps the person to gain knowledge to reach their goals. This intervention is related to establishment and maintenance stages in career planning. Performance feedback and coaching comes under establishment stage which helps the person to know about their performance. Work life balance planning helps the person to maintain balance between personal and professional life. It comes under establishment and maintenance stages . Challenging assignments keeps the person engaged with interesting and creates an enthusiasm towards work. This comes under maintenance stage. Dual-career accommodations comes nder maintenance stage and it helps the person to find satisfying work projects. Phased retirement falls under withdrawal stage of a person’s career where the person retires from the job. All these interventions will result in various desired consequences such as increases job satisfaction and commitment, monitors human resources development, strengthens organizational capability, improves quality of life, maintains member motivation, increase s productivity ,decreases stress in later stages of life and also reduce turnover and training costs for the organization. Work force diversity interventions are the third type of HRM interventions. Organizations should develop their human resources in such a way that it should maintain diversity in an efficient manner. People from various regions may work together in an organization. They may differ in various ways like age, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality traits, ethnicity and culture. An organization with diverse workforce can better achieve its goals. Employees from diverse workforce can learn more and achieve more experience as they work in a mixed environment. Other than the employees of the organization, clients can also gain profit from it as the organization which encourages diverse workforce will be more open and flexible. As people come from various cultures and backgrounds in diverse work force they can learn more business practices. Employees can develop their knowledge, communication skills, problem-solving capabilities through diverse workforce. All the employees need to be trained to work either individually or as a part of a team.

Personal Narrative- Converting to Judaism :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative- Converting to Judaism One day in grade five, I decided to find myself. Most people are not "lost" when they are eleven years old, but in my own naà ¯ve, inexperienced world, I needed a change. My teacher was the indirect cause of this awakening. She was Jewish and opened our closed WASP-y minds to a whole new world of Judaism. We explored the Jewish holidays, learned about the Holocaust, and watched Fiddler on the Roof. This brief yet fascinating view into the world of another religion captured my attention and compelled me to investigate further. I hungrily searched for books on Judaism and bombarded my teacher and my two classmates who were half-Jewish with questions. I decided, after careful (or so I thought) deliberations, that I wanted to convert to Judaism. I did not (and still do not) know why Judaism intrigued me so. Perhaps their high degree of suffering as a people seemed romantic to me. On the other hand, maybe it had to do with the fact that my religion (as my more Roman friends are quick to point out) does not seem to have any clear and decisive beliefs. It could have been the fact that Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God and are still waiting for the Messiah to appear, which seemed to be a good reason as to why there was so much wrong with the world. Whatever it was, it drew me in and launched me into a world of discovery and discouragement. One Day, after my teacher had taken us to Mount Allison to see Fiddler On The Roof, I sat at the supper table and calmly announced my intention to covert to Judaism. I caught the glance that passed between my parents and was perceptive enough to understand what it meant. "Yeah, right." But my parents are supportive and told me that it was my decision and that they had never forced any particular beliefs onto us and they were not going to start now. So I marched to my room and got out the dictionary. Kosher (ko’shc r), adj. 1. Judaism 2. Fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws. The next night I went grocery shopping with my father and was excited to see the jar of kosher pickles sitting on the shelf. I do not like pickles and I did not even know why they were kosher, but how could I not take advantage of a wonderful opportunity to prove to my parents that I was serious about converting.

Product Samsung

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0309-0566. htm EJM 44,7/8 Consumer responses to brand extensions: a comprehensive model ? ? Eva Mart? nez and Jose M. Pina ? Facultad de Ciencias Economicas y Empresariales, The University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to understand the reciprocal spill-over effects of brand extensions by testing a comprehensive model that gathers both the brand extension evaluation process and the later in? uence on brand image. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from 699 face-to-face interviews conducted in Spain.Structural equation modelling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – The results indicate that brand extensions have feedback effects on brand image depending on the attitude toward the new product and perceived image ? t. Consumer attitude depends, in turn, on initial brand associations, perceived category ? t, perceived image ? t and consumer innovativeness. Brand familiarity also shows indirect effects. Research limitations/implications – The model should be tested with extensions of the same (line extensions) or different categories.It is also necessary to analyse non-? ctitious products, and to take different moderating effects into account. Practical implications – The results suggest how to protect the brand image from unsuitable extension strategies. The paper shows what kind of perceived ? t is more important for consumers as well as the direct and indirect role of several variables. Originality/value – The paper extends previous research by proposing a complete framework that considers the factors that in? uence either the attitude to the extension or the attitude to the extended brand.Samsung Distribution ChannelKeywords Brand extensions, Brand image, Brand equity, Consumer behaviour, Spain Paper type Research paper 1182 Received January 2008 Revised October 2008 January 2009 Accepted February 2009 Introduction Brand extension is a strategy that many companies follow with the aim of bene? ting from the brand knowledge achieved in the current markets (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Milberg et al. , 1997). When a new product is marketed under a well-known brand name, failure rates and marketing costs are reduced (Milewicz and Herbig, 1994; Keller, 2003). Keller (2003) states that more than 80 per cent of ? ms resort to brand extensions as a way of marketing goods and services. The support that the brand gives to the new product often leads to a change in the brand image associations. Both the affection and the speci? c knowledge associated with the brand and the new product are interchanged in the consumers’ mind (Czellar, 2003). European Journal of Marketing Vol. 44 No. 7/8, 2010 pp. 1182-1205 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0309-0566 DOI 10. 1108/03090561011047580 The authors would like to thank the following sources for their ? nanc ial help: CICYT (Ref: ?SEJ2005-02315) and Government of Aragon (â€Å"GENERES†, Ref. S-09; â€Å"PM0262/2006†). They also gratefully acknowledge the constructive comments of the three anonymous EJM reviewers. This feedback process can increase the memory and strength of brand associations (Morrin, 1999; Aaker, 2002) and, thus, improve the positioning of the brand (Park et al. , 1986). Nevertheless, several authors indicate that the dilution of current beliefs is more likely (Tauber, 1988; Ries and Trout, 1993; John et al. , 1998). This dilution effect can take place even though the extension is not related to negative information (Morrin, 1999; ?Ahluwalia and Gurhan-Canli, 2000; Mart? nez and Pina, 2003). Virgin, for instance, is a company that has grown through extensions into the audiovisual sector, retailing, alcoholic drinks, passenger transport (by railway and air) and space tourism, among others. However, market research studies suggest that customers’ per ceptions of the Virgin brand mainly depend on the performance of the airline, which implies a constant threat of image dilution (Hughes, 2007). The in? uence of brand extension on brand image is explained by several theories, most of them coming from Psychology.According to the â€Å"associative network theory†, brand image may be understood as a mental scheme formed by a network of concepts (nodes) interconnected by linkages or associations (Anderson, 1983; Morrin, 1999). Park et al. (1993) explain that extensions which are coherent with the brand schema will not lead to image dilution (assimilation process). On the other hand, the brand schema will be modi? ed to accommodate examples that are far from current brand attitudes and beliefs (accommodation process). Following Weber and Crocker’s (1983) ? ork, Gurhan-Canli and Maheswaran (1998) suggest that the image modi? cation could be re? ected in the formation of a mental subcategory inside the brand scheme (sub-typin g model) or in a complete modi? cation of brand associations (conversion model). The sub-typing or conversion processes may occur when perceived ? t or typicality between the extension category and the brand is low. However, it is just possible that brand attitudes and beliefs would always change because of the new information, which is called the bookkeeping model (Weber and Crocker, 1983; Loken and John, ? 993; Gurhan-Canli and Maheswaran, 1998). Consumers could react according to the bookkeeping model when the information on the new product is highly accessible. Regardless of perceived ? t, higher accessibility gives rise to an image enhancement, whereas lower accessibility has a negative effect on brand evaluations (Ahluwalia and ? Gurhan-Canli, 2000). The brand extension literature shows that brand extensions can affect both the ? general brand associations (Mart? nez and de Chernatony, 2004) and the beliefs in speci? attributes (Keller and Aaker, 1992; Loken and John, 1993). T he beliefs related to the most representative product of the brand, or ? agship product, are more resistant to dilution ( John et al. , 1998; Chang, 2002), as well as the perceptions linked to the brand personality (Diamantopoulos et al. , 2005). Most previous research on brand extensions develops experimental designs, focusing on a reduced number of variables (e. g. Loken and John, 1993; John et al. , 1998; Alexander and Colgate, 2005). Some authors have tested models through structural ? equation modelling (e. g.Bhat and Reddy, 2001; Volckner and Sattler, 2006) although they concentrate on consumer attitude toward brand extensions and not on reciprocal spillover effects. According to literature, brand extensions may give rise to both a â€Å"forward† effect from the parent brand to the new product and a â€Å"feedback† or â€Å"backward† effect from the new product to the parent brand (Milberg et al. , 1997; Responses to brand extensions 1183 EJM 44,7/8 1184 B alachander and Ghose, 2003). Neglecting this potential backward effect affords a limited view of consumer behaviour and may lead to inappropriate marketing actions.With the goal of better understanding the way that extensions in? uence brand image, our work proposes and validates a theoretical model that, according to the previous literature, integrates the most relevant variables. With the exception of the ? contribution of Volckner and Sattler (2006), previous models only focus on a few variables, which makes it dif? cult to determine how the consumers’ responses to brand extensions are generated. Furthermore, the proposed model considers both the brand image before the extension and the image variation, which is a step forward in literature.As well as brand image, we will analyse the effects of brand familiarity, attitude to the extension, extension-brand ? t (category and image ? t), perceived dif? culty in manufacturing the extension product and consumer innovativeness. Hence, the study expands previous research by testing a comprehensive model that gathers both the brand extension evaluation process and the later in? uence on brand image. This model can help brand managers to protect their brands from unsuitable brand extensions by showing the main determinants of spillover effects and the direct and indirect effects of the speci? variables. Relationships that have been individually supported in previous works could be rejected when considering complex models with several dependent and independent variables. The study is structured in four sections. The next section contains a brief review of the literature to justify the theoretical model and the relations established in the hypotheses. The third section describes the methodology used to validate the model, and the results are reported in the fourth section. Finally, we address the conclusions and managerial recommendations.Proposed model and hypotheses The proposed model helps us to understand t he in? uence of brand extensions on brand image. For this reason, the model includes the variables with the greatest impact on extension attitude (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Hem et al. , 2003). This attitude will determine the development of the brand image (Lane and Jacobson, 1997), affecting the current associations. The model stems from the initial brand image and attempts to identify the main relations and interactions that follow the launching of the brand extension and its potential effects on the established associations.Generally, consumer attitudes toward brand extensions can depend on factors related to brand associations, extended category, perceived ? t, and consumer characteristics (Czellar, 2003; Reast, 2005; ? Volckner and Sattler, 2006). Hence, two brand knowledge factors, brand familiarity and initial brand image, are considered. In relation to the new product and its ? t with the parent brand, we consider perceived dif? culty in manufacturing, perceived category ? t a nd perceived brand image ? t. Extension attitude and consumer innovativeness are also taken into consideration. Whereas brand associations and ? have been examined in nearly every study on brand extensions, perceived dif? culty and consumer innovativeness have received lesser attention. Since Aaker and Keller’s (1990) fundamental study and all subsequent replications (Barrett et al. , 1999) analysed perceived dif? culty with inconclusive results, it seems necessary to study this variable more in depth. On the other hand, the whole literature on brand extensions relies on the assumption that a known brand reduces the risk associated with buying new products (Smith and Park, 1992), and consumer innovativeness re? ects the consumer’s risk aversion.The proposed effects of these variables and the remaining ones are depicted in Figure 1. The ? rst variable included in our model is brand familiarity. This variable is closely related to the dimension of brand equity labelled a s awareness by Aaker (1996), since familiar brand names usually present high awareness. Moreover, it is also akin to the brand image construct, which refers to the different â€Å"perceptions about a brand re? ected as associations existing in the memory of the consumer† (Keller, 1993). Direct effects on extension attitude are expected for brand familiarity as well as indirect ones through brand image.First, individuals will have a better initial image of the brands they are familiar with (Low and Lamb, 2000; Lemmink et al. , 2003). By means of a â€Å"halo effect†, the impressions of familiar attributes are used to form precise opinions on brands (Reynolds, 1965) and develop more complete knowledge structures (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987; Grime et al. , 2002). Furthermore, familiarity indirectly re? ects the experience with a brand (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987), presenting a clear relationship between experience and brand image (Hoek et al. , 2000).Familiarity can also ha ve a direct effect on brand extension evaluations. Consumers are more inclined to buy products of brands they have previously consumed (Swaminathan, 2003) and know better, unless the experience has been unsatisfactory (Swaminathan et al. , 2001). Although some works have failed to prove that familiarity affects consumer attitude to an extension (Glynn and Brodie, 1998) and to the extended brand (Diamantopoulus et al. , 2005), we hypothesise: H1. The greater the familiarity of the core brand, the more positive the initial brand image. H2.The greater the familiarity of the core brand, the more favourable the attitude to the extension. Brand image is an essential factor for understanding consumer attitude toward brand extensions, since the credibility of the new product increases when brand perceptions become more favourable (de Ruyter and Wetzels, 2000). If the brand image consists of Responses to brand extensions 1185 Figure 1. Proposed model to analyse the effect of brand extension strategy on brand image EJM 44,7/8 1186 associations such as a high-perceived quality, the extension attitude will be better (van ? Riel et al. 2001; Volckner and Sattler, 2006). In the same vein, the extension attitude is positively related to the perceptions of reputation (Hem et al. , 2003), prestige (Park et al. , 1991) and the consumers’ affection for the brand (Sheinin and Schmitt, 1994). In the case of corporate and service brands, a positive image also clearly generates favourable perceptions of the new products (Brown and Dacin, 1997; de Ruyter and Wetzels, 2000). Given that the extension leverages the current brand associations, the better the initial brand image the more positive will be the consumers’ response.Therefore: H3. The more positive the initial brand image, the more favourable the attitude to the extension. If consumers perceive a high ? t between the brand and the new product, the brand leveraging increases and the potential negative effects are less likely (Czellar, 2003). Some authors state that consumers can consider a category ? t or an image ? t (Bhat and Reddy, 2001; Grime et al. , 2002; Czellar, 2003). Thus, individuals can believe that the new product is physically similar to the other products of the brand (category ? t) or coherent with the general brand associations (image ? ) (Grime et al. , 2002; Czellar, 2003). Whatever the case, the consistency between cognitive elements and the similarity among various stimuli ease and improve consumers’ evaluations (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Eagly and Chaiken, 1993). Brand image-perceived ? t interaction effects are revealed in the literature (Boush et al. , 1987; Aaker and Keller, 1990) as well as ? direct effects (Volckner and Sattler, 2006). The next hypotheses deal with the direct effects of perceived ? t dimensions on extension evaluation. As commented above, perceived category and image ? will directly affect the consumer attitude to the extension. Generally, the assessment of an extension will be more positive as perceived closeness with the brand grows (Aaker and Keller, 1990; ? Volckner and Sattler, 2006), even in the case of non-prestige brands (Park et al. ,1991). However, consumers believe that extensions to non-related categories are not very reliable and offer low quality, which causes a negative assessment (Kirmani et al. , 1999). According to the literature, a high-perceived category or image ? t makes success more likely (Boush et al. 1987; Boush and Loken, 1991; Park et al. , 1991). The important thing is to get the consumers to relate the new product to the brand, independently of the kind of closeness. This discussion leads to the following hypotheses: H4. The greater the perceived category ? t between the extension and the core brand, the more favourable the attitude to the extension. H5. The greater the perceived image ? t between the extension and the core brand, the more favourable the attitude to the extension. Another va riable included in our model is perceived dif? ulty in manufacturing or offering a new good or service. This variable has been analysed in numerous works, although it is not clear whether it in? uences consumer behaviour or not (Barrett et al. , 1999; van Riel et al. , 2001). Moreover, present research does not clarify whether this in? uence is positive (Aaker and Keller, 1990; van Riel and Ouwersloot, 2005) or negative (Semeijn et al. , 2004). This diversity of results re? ects that the in? uence of dif? culty in manufacturing might depend on the study settings and the variables interacting with such dif? culty.Generally, consumers who think that the new product category requires little manufacturing effort may question its advisability (Aaker and Keller, 1990). They could even think that high-quality brands are trying to make fast money by overpricing trivial products (Aaker and Keller, 1990; van Riel et al. , 2001). In a sense, easy-to-make extensions could resemble downscale ext ensions, where the brand stretches down by offering lower price-quality products (Kirmani et al. , 1999). Consequently, we posit: H6. The greater the perceived dif? culty in manufacturing the new product, the more favourable the attitude to the extension.The last variable of our model to explain attitude to the extension is consumer innovativeness, a concept that represents the consumers’ propensity to buy new products and consider new ideas (Roehrich, 2004). Since innovative people are more risk-prone (Klink and Smith, 2001; Hem et al. , 2003), they show a better attitude toward brand extensions, whatever their perceived ? t (Klink and Smith, 2001). In this sense, some authors have found that higher consumer innovativeness increases perceived quality and purchase intention of new services (Hem et al. , 2003; Siu et al. , 2004) and ? tangible products (Volckner and Sattler, 2006).Rogers (1983) claims that one of the most salient traits of consumer innovators is the comfort th ey gain from taking risk. Unlike later adopters, highly-innovative individuals ? nd far extensions appealing (Xie, 2008) and, consequently, do not mind trying products that get away from the company’s core business. As a matter of fact, they should be more prone to try new products regardless of the degree of brand knowledge or perceived ? t. Consequently, we posit: H7. The greater consumer innovativeness, the more favourable the attitude to the extension. The following hypotheses relate to the feedback effect on brand image.Because of the new information, the brand schema could vary its structure of nodes and links (Morrin, 1999). There is no doubt that most brand associations will remain stable after stretching to new categories, being the ? nal perceptions mainly determined by the ? initial ones (Lee and Ulgado, 1993; Mart? nez and Pina, 2003). However, product introductions in the marketplace involve providing consumers with information, which not always ? ts with the ini tial beliefs and feelings about the brand. As elucidated by previous research, the attitude to the extension is a major driver of spillover effects from the extension to the parent brand.Low quality or negatively ? assessed extensions will entail a detriment of brand image (Chang, 2002; Mart? nez and ? Pina, 2003), diluting both general and speci? c beliefs (Mart? nez and de Chernatony, 2004). Diamantopoulos et al. (2005) found that brand personality is more dilution-resistant, although any brand association is exposed to the risk of dilution. A way of reducing this risk is to strengthen the attitude to the extension, given that consumers who are satis? ed with the extension are usually satis? ed with the brand (Alexander and Colgate, 2005). The following hypothesis is based on these arguments. H8.The better the attitude to the extension, the more favourable the feedback effect on the extended brand. Responses to brand extensions 1187 EJM 44,7/8 1188 The literature reveals that the attitude to an extended brand directly depends on the degree of ? t with the extension (Grime et al. , 2002). The introduction of extensions far from the core business will involve losing brand differentiation and credibility, whereas extensions to related markets will avoid potential damage (Aaker, 2002). Some authors like Milberg et al. (1997) have proved that low-? t extensions generate negative feedback in terms of attributes or image.Similarly, Lee and Ulgado (1993) ? veri? ed that ? t has a positive effect on the image of service ? rms, whereas Mart? nez and de Chernatony (2004) veri? ed the same for tangible product extensions. Other works equally suggest that the impact of brand extensions on the parent brand is ? directly related to similarity (Mart? nez and Pina, 2003) or image ? t (Loken and John, 1993; John et al. , 1998). All in all, we expect a more positive feedback effect provided the brand stretches coherently with either its image or current products. H9. The great er the perceived category ? between the extension and the core brand, the more favourable the feedback effect on the extended brand. H10. The greater the perceived image ? t between the extension and the core brand, the more favourable the feedback effect on the extended brand. Methodology An empirical study was conducted to contrast the hypotheses and validate the model displayed in Figure 1. Following the usual procedures, we utilised real brands and realistic hypothetical extensions (Aaker and Keller, 1990; van Riel et al. , 2001; van Riel and Ouwersloot, 2005) that were previously selected through three pre-tests.Below, we explain these and other aspects related to the methodology applied. Pre-tests In line with previous research, a sample of undergraduates was employed in the pre-tests (Sheinin and Schmitt, 1994; Kim, 2003). The speci? c brands and extensions were selected by means of Wilcoxon tests, which were necessary due to the lack of normality in the data. The aim of the ? rst pre-test, conducted with 91 students, was to choose brands in three sectors (fast moving consumer goods, durable consumer goods and services) that were familiar (F) to individuals and had a different image perception (I).Familiarity is an essential requisite to guarantee that consumers have a clear image to evaluate (Low and Lamb, 2000). Two questions were thus formulated to assess those concepts in seven-point Likert scales (1 ? Totally unfamiliar/7 ? Very familiar; 1 ? Bad image/7 ? Excellent image) for a total of 11 brands. According to the results, Colgate ? and Signal (FC ? 6. 38; FS ? 5. 50), Nike and Puma (FN ? 6. 56; FP ? 5. 64), Telefonica Movistar and Amena (FT ? 6. 64; FA ? 6. 27) were chosen as familiar brands. The image is signi? cantly different in toothpaste brands (IC ? 5. 74; IS ? 4. 96; Z ? 2 4. 618; p , 0. 0001), sports brands (IN ? 6. 21; IP ? 5. 10; Z ? 2 5. 449; p , 0. 00001) and mobile phones (IT ? 5. 67; IA ? 4. 88; Z ? 2 4. 001; p , 0. 00001). The seco nd and third pre-tests, where 98 and 81 students, respectively, participated, were aimed at ? nding two extensions –one for each sector– with differences in perceived ? t. Both perceived category ? t (CF) and brand image ? t (IF) were considered (Bhat and Reddy, 2001) in two Likert scales (1 ? Not at all similar/7 ? Very similar; 1 ? Non-coherent/7 ? Very coherent). For the toothpaste brands, â€Å"sugar-free whitening tooth decay-preventing sweets† and â€Å"sunglasses† were selected.The ? rst showed a higher perceived ? t than the second for Colgate (CF1 ? 5. 36; CF2 ? 1. 31; Z ? 2 5. 341; p , 0. 00001) (IF1 ? 5. 69; IF2 ? 1. 54; Z ? 2 5. 339; p , 0. 00001) and Signal (CF1 ? 4. 86; CF2 ? 1. 19; Z ? 2 5. 120; p , 0. 00001) (IF1 ? 5. 19; IF2 ? 1. 25; Z ? 2 5. 019; p , 0. 00001). On the other hand, for the sports brands, we chose â€Å"skis† as a close extension and â€Å"DVD players† as a far extension, both from the perspective of product c ategory of Nike (CF1 ? 3. 33; CF2 ? 1. 28; Z ? 2 5. 120; p , 0. 00001) and Puma (CF1 ? 3. 32; CF2 ? 1. 14; Z ? 2 4. 910; p , 0. 00001).Similarly, there were statistical differences between the image ? t of the extensions for Nike (IF1 ? 4. 23; IF2 ? 1. 36; Z ? 2 5. 561; p , 0. 00001) and Puma (IF1 ? 3. 89; IF2 ? 1. 14; Z ? 2 5. 113; p , 0. 00001). Finally, â€Å"telecommunication on-line courses† and â€Å"insurance† were the service extensions selected. Speci? cally, the perceived category ? and image ? t were statistically different for Telefonica Movistar (CF1 ? 4. 67; CF2 ? 1. 84; Z ? 2 5. 475; p , 0. 00001) (IF1 ? 4. 72; IF2 ? 1. 72; Z ? 2 5. 543; p , 0. 00001) and Amena (CF1 ? 3. 73; CF2 ? 1. 76; Z ? 2 4. 283; p , 0. 00001) (IF1 ? 4. 27; IF2 ? 1. 84; Z ? 2 4. 61; p , 0. 00001). Sample and procedure Subsequent to the pre-tests, we elaborated 12 questionnaires with a different brand-extension combination. On the ? rst page, individuals had to indicate their consume r innovativeness and answer some questions about the corresponding brand (familiarity and image) and product category (perceived dif? culty). Then, on the second page of the questionnaire, respondents were required to imagine that the speci? c brand launched the extension. Questions then assessed the ? t, the respondents’ attitudes towards the extension and the brand image, supposing the existence of the new product category.No additional information about the products’ attributes was provided in order to avoid bias that could defeat the objective of the study (Bhat and Reddy, 2001). The surveys were answered by a total sample of 720 individuals (699 valid cases) in a Spanish city, which is sometimes considered as a test market for products aimed at Spain. The respondents were approached by a team of interviewers in different parts of the city, on different days and at different times during May 2005. By following a quota sampling procedure, the sample was required to match the population structure by sex (50. 9 per cent women and 49. per cent men) and age (46. 5 per cent 26-45 years, 33. 3 per cent 16-25 years, 20. 2 per cent 46-64 years). These demographical variables may be strong predictors of changes in attitudes and behavior (Hansman and Schutjens, 1993) and, therefore, should be controlled to get adequate variance in the data. Table I shows the type of questionnaires used in our research and the speci? c number of individuals who satisfactorily responded to each. No individual answered more than one questionnaire. Measures Variables were measured through seven-point Likert scales by requesting individuals either to state their level of agreement with the speci? statement (1 ? Totally disagree, 7 ? Totally agree) or directly assess the variable (e. g. 1 ? Not at all familiar, 7 ? Very familiar). In all cases, items were extracted or based on the literature. In order to avoid potential order effects (Klink and Smith, 2001), perceived Respons es to brand extensions 1189 EJM 44,7/8 N8 Brand 49 Colgate Extension (high ? t) Sugar-free whitening tooth decaypreventing sweets Sugar-free whitening tooth decay†¦ Skis Skis Telecommunication online courses Telecommunication online courses N8 Brand 50 Colgate 48 49 49 80 Signal Nike Puma ? Telefonica Movistar 75 AmenaExtension (low ? t) Sunglasses Sunglasses DVD players DVD players Insurance Insurance 1190 Table I. Type and number of questionnaires Signal Nike Puma ? Telefonica Movistar 79 Amena 49 48 49 74 dif? culty was assessed prior to brand characteristics and ? t. For the same reason, ? nal image was measured once the individuals had formed an opinion about the brand extension. Table II shows the scales used for each factor. First, consumer innovativeness was measured with the items proposed by Roehrich (1994), who considers a dual perspective, â€Å"hedonistic† and â€Å"social†. Perceived dif? ulty was assessed through an item used by Aaker and Keller (19 90) and two additional items coherent with the concept. For brand familiarity, we used Dawar’s scale (Dawar, 1996), whereas the scale validated by Martinez et al. (2004) was employed to assess initial and ? nal brand image. This scale utilises items from several works (Martin and Brown, 1990; Weiss et al. , 1999) which attempt to assess tangible (functional image) and intangible (affective image) attributes and bene? ts, as well as the global attitude to the brand (reputation). The distinction made by several authors between category ? t or similarity and image ? or consistency with brand image (Park et al. , 1991; Bhat and Reddy, 2001; Grime et al. , 2002) was used to measure perceived ? t. Thus, a series of items that assess ? t from both perspectives (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Taylor and Bearden, 2002) were chosen. Finally, extension attitude items were suggested by authors like Aaker and Keller (1990) or Pryor and Brodie (1998) considering both the general assessment of the new product and purchase intentions. Results The collected data were analysed by means of structural equations methodology, assessing both the measurement and the structural model (Kline, 2005).The structural model allows us to know whether there is evidence to reject the proposed hypotheses, although previously the measurement model has to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scales in terms of unidimensionality, reliability and validity. Furthermore, some ? t indicators show whether the measurement and structural models explain the collected data with relative precision (Hair et al. , 1998). Scale validation Prior to analysing all the variables as a whole, we studied whether initial brand image, ? nal brand image, consumer innovativeness and perceived ? should be considered as multidimensional or unidimensional factors, since the distinction between the Scale Consumer innovativeness. Roehrich (1994) Measured concept Hedonist innovativeness (HINN) HINN1: I am more intereste d in buying new than known products HINN2: I like to buy new and different products HINN3: New products excite me Social innovativeness (SINN) SINN1: I am usually among the ? rst to try new products SINN2: I try new products before my friends and neighbours SINN3: I know more than others about the latest new products DIFF1: Dif? ulty in designing and making the product DIFF2: Complex techniques or knowledge are needed DIFF3: Specialised resources are needed (personnel, facilities. . . ) FAMI1: Familiarity with the brand’s products FAMI2: Purchase frequency of the brand’s products FAMI3: Knowledge of the brand’s products Functional image (FUIM) (initial/? nal) FUIM1i/FUIM1f: The products have a high quality FUIM2i/FUIM2f: The products have better characteristics than competitors’ FUIM3i/FUIM3f: The products of the competitors are usually cheaper Affective image (AFIM) (initial/? al) AFIM1i/AFIM1f: The brand is nice AFIM2i/AFIM2f: The brand has a personalit y that distinguishes it from competitors AFIM3i/AFIM3f: It is a brand that does not disappoint its customers Reputation (REIM) (initial/? nal) REIM1i/REIM1f: It is one of the best brands in the sector REIM2i/REIM2f: The brand is very consolidated in the market Category ? t (CAFI) CAFI1: The extension is similar to the brand’s products CAFI2: The ? rm’s resources are helpful to make the product extension Image ? t (IMFI) IMFI1: The product extension ? s with the brand image IMFI2: Launching the extension is logical for the company IMFI3: Launching the extension is appropriate for the company EXAT1: Favourable attitude towards the extension EXAT2: Perceived quality of the extension EXAT3: Likelihood of trying the extension Responses to brand extensions 1191 Perceived dif? culty (DIFF). Aaker and Keller (1990) Brand familiarity (FAMI). Dawar (1996) ? Brand image. Mart? nez et al. (2004). Based on: Martin and Brown (1990) Aaker (1996); Weiss et al. (1999); Villarejo (2002) Perceived ? t. Aaker and Keller (1990); Taylor and Bearden (2002) Extension attitude (EXAT).Aaker and Keller (1990); Pryor and Brodie (1998) Table II. Scales used in the questionnaires EJM 44,7/8 1192 proposed dimensions (e. g. hedonistic and social innovativeness) could be statistically non-advisable. Through a previous analysis with SPSS 13. 0, we detected a weak item-total correlation of FUIM3i (corr. ? 0. 281) and FUIM3f (corr. ? 0. 296) with the respective dimensions of functional image. After eliminating them, we conducted an explanatory factor analysis for the unidimensional and multidimensional models using the EQS 5. b and ERLS (elliptical re-weighted least squares) estimation method.The initial image, ? ?nal image and perceived ? t scales proved to be reliable in both models (Joreskog and ? Sorbom, 1993), although it was advisable to eliminate HINN1 related to consumer innovativeness. Although the factor loadings exceeded the cut point lU ? 0:540; lM ? 0:673? ; the R 2 co ef? cients ? R 2 ? 0:292; R 2 ? 0:453? were below those recommended in the literature (Hair et al. , 1998). Once the scales had been properly re? ned, we proceeded to compare the unidimensional and multidimensional models through several indicators (Hair et al. , 1998; Kline, 2005). Tables III and IV display the coef? ients obtained, which clearly favour the consideration of independent dimensions for all the factors analysed. The only indexes in which the unidimensional model surpasses the multidimensional one are PNFI and PGFI for the factors of initial brand image (PNFI ? 0. 511 , 0. 638; Comparative indicators Initial image Unidimen. Multidimen. 126. 181 0. 047 0. 221 112. 181 0. 160 0. 638a 0. 466a 154. 181 72. 177a 0. 034a 0. 152a 61. 177a 0. 088a 0. 511 0. 377 106. 177a Final image Unidimen. Multidimen. 211. 559 0. 053 0. 343 197. 559 0. 283 0. 628a 0. 449a 239. 559 51. 082a 0. 027a 0. 122a 40. 082a 0. 057a 0. 516 0. 382 85. 082a x2RMSR (Root mean square residual) ECVI (Expec ted cross-validation index) NCP (Noncentrality parameter) SNCP (Scaled noncentrality parameter) PNFI (Parsimonious normed ? t index) PGFI (Parsimonious goodness of ? t index) AIC (Akaike information criterion) Table III. Indicators of the alternative models of brand image (initial and ? nal) Note: aCoef? cients that are favourable to the speci? ed model Comparative indicators Consumer innov. Unidimen. Multidimen. 195. 411 0. 079 0. 309 190. 411 0. 272 0. 453a 0. 292a 215. 411 31. 088a 0. 022a 0. 076a 27. 088a 0. 039a 0. 394 0. 261 53. 088a Perceived ? t Unidimen. Multidimen. 77. 634 0. 34 0. 140 72. 634 0. 104 0. 483a 0. 314a 97. 634 50. 164a 0. 025a 0. 103a 46. 164a 0. 066a 0. 391 0. 256 72. 164a x2 RMSR (Root mean square residual) ECVI (Expected cross-validation index) NCP (Noncentrality parameter) SNCP (Scaled noncentrality parameter) PNFI (Parsimonious normed ? t index) PGFI (Parsimonious goodness of ? t index) AIC (Akaike information criterion) Table IV. Indicators of the alter native models of consumer innovativeness and ? t Note: aCoef? cients that are favourable to the speci? ed model PGFI ? 0. 377 , 0. 466), ? nal image (PNFI ? 0. 516 , 0. 628; PGFI ? 0. 382 , 0. 449), consumer innovativeness (PNFI ? . 394 , 0. 453; PGFI ? 0. 261 , 0. 292) and perceived ? t (PNFI ? 0. 391 , 0. 483; PGFI ? 0. 256 , 0. 314). Nevertheless, the parsimony indicator, AIC, which allows us to choose between models with a different number of latent variables, as in our case, presents better values in the multidimensional structure: initial image (AIC ? 106. 177 , 154. 181), ? nal image (AIC ? 85. 082 , 239. 559), consumer innovativeness (AIC ? 53. 088 , 215. 411) and perceived ? t (AIC ? 72. 164 , 97. 634). After verifying the multidimensional character of initial brand image, ? nal brand image, consumer innovativeness and perceived ? , our next step was to conduct a factor analysis of all the scales. Again, we used EQS and ERLS, obtaining the results shown in Table V. We can i nfer from these results that the scales present good statistical properties. As can be seen in Table V, all the proposed items unidimensionally ? t the respective 13 factors or latent variables. The values obtained in composite reliability coef? cients and extracted variance analysis (EVA) are above 0. 6 and 0. 5, respectively, which guarantees the internal consistency of the scales. Moreover, the validity criterion was satis? ed from both convergent and discriminant viewpoints.Thus, all lambda coef? cients for the observed variables are signi? cant (t . 1. 96) and they load on the corresponding factors with standard loadings above 0. 5. The con? dence intervals of between-factor correlations were calculated to analyse discriminant validity. No intervals included value 1, which indicates the differentiated character of the factors. The main goodness-of-? t indicators for the measurement model are shown at the bottom of Table V, distinguishing between global and incremental ? t index es. On the whole, the indicators are positive and above the minimum established by researchers (Hair et al. 1998; Kline, 2005). With regard to global ? t, GFI is above 0. 8 (GFI ? 0. 884), whereas RMSEA and SRMR error statistics were below the maximum values of 0. 06 (RMSEA ? 0. 053) and 0. 08 (SRMR ? 0. 040) recommended by Hu and Bentler (1999). The only unsuitable indicator is the Chi-square test (x 2(417) ? 1224. 142; p , 0. 001), which often occurs in samples of over 400 observations. On the other hand, all the incremental ? t measures were above the required 0. 8 (AGFI ? 0. 844) and 0. 9 (CFI ? 0. 973; IFI ? 0. 973; NFI ? 0. 960; NNFI ? 0. 966) levels, which proves the statistical convenience of the proposed model.The validation process concluded with the estimation of three second-order models for the dimensions of brand image (initial and ? nal) and consumer innovativeness. These models presented favourable ? t indicators for initial image (GFI ? 0. 958; SRMR ? 0. 035; NFI ? 0. 975; IFI ? 0. 979), ? nal image (GFI ? 0. 972; SRMR ? 0. 028; NFI ? 0. 985; IFI ? 0. 989) and consumer innovativeness (GFI ? 0. 978; SRMR ? 0. 022; NFI ? 0. 985; IFI ? 0. 987). Model and hypotheses contrasting After analysing the psychometric properties of the scales, we proceeded to the estimation of the structural model, which corresponds to the structure shown in Figure 1.Previously, the global effect of extensions on brand image was analysed, comparing the values of initial and ? nal image in each scenario. Responses to brand extensions 1193 EJM 44,7/8 Factor HINN SINN Items HINN2 HINN3 SINN1 SINN2 SINN3 FUIM1i FUIM2i FUim1f FUIM2f AFIM1i AFIM2i AFIM3i AFIM1f AFIM2f AFIM3f REIM1i REIM2i REIM1f REIM2f FAMI1 FAMI2 FAMI3 DIFF1 DIFF2 DIFF3 EXAT1 EXAT2 EXAT3 CAFI1 CAFI2 IMFI1 IMFI2 IMFI3 Reliability t (. 1. 96) l(. 0. 5) 22. 230 20. 993 26. 547 25. 862 19. 829 22. 534 20. 543 24. 779 24. 208 21. 076 19. 473 17. 864 21. 545 21. 680 17. 880 23. 342 18. 125 25. 834 19. 868 22. 112 19 . 930 20. 822 18. 05 24. 402 18. 291 22. 956 18. 606 21. 579 22. 312 18. 837 26. 733 26. 683 24. 607 0. 861 0. 820 0. 915 0. 899 0. 744 0. 835 0. 776 0. 873 0. 859 0. 787 0. 741 0. 693 0. 798 0. 802 0. 694 0. 871 0. 706 0. 919 0. 751 0. 838 0. 771 0. 799 0. 729 0. 926 0. 725 0. 831 0. 712 0. 795 0. 839 0. 730 0. 906 0. 905 0. 859 Convergent validity * CRC (. 0. 6) EVA (. 0. 5) 0. 828 0. 891 0. 787 0. 857 0. 785 0. 810 0. 770 0. 825 0. 845 0. 839 0. 824 0. 763 0. 920 0. 707 0. 733 0. 650 0. 750 0. 550 0. 587 0. 629 0. 704 0. 645 0. 638 0. 610 0. 618 0. 793 1194 FUIM (i) FUIM (f) AFIM (i) AFIM (f) REIM (i) REIM (f) FAMI DIFF EXAT CAFI IMFITable V. Reliability, convergent validity and ? t of the measurement model Notes: Fit indices: Global ? t: x 2 ? 1224. 142 (417) p , 0. 001; GFI ? 0. 884; RMSEA ? 0. 053; SRMR ? 0. 040. Incremental ? t: AGFI ? 0. 844; CFI ? 0. 973; IFI ? 0. 973; NFI ? 0. 960; NNFI ? 0. 966; CRC: Composite reliability coef? cient; EVA: Extracted variance analysis, GFI : Goodness of ? t index; RMSEA: Root mean square error of approximation; SRMR: Standardised root mean square residual; AGFI: Adjusted goodness of ? t index; CFI: Comparative ? t index; IFI: Incremental ? t index; NFI: Normed ? t index; NNFI: Non-normed ? t indexGiven that the Cronbach alphas exceeded 0. 7, a single measure of initial and ? nal image, obtained as the mean of all the underlying items, was considered. Figures 2-4 gather the results according to the sector. For a better understanding of the effect on image, a single initial image (IMAG * (i)), calculated as the mean of initial brand images for close and far extensions, was taken into consideration. A new ? nal brand image (IMAG * (f)), resulting from adding IMAG * (i) to the difference obtained between the ? nal and the initial image in each scenario, was also considered. In general, these Responses to brand extensions 195 Figure 2. Brand image variation (toothpaste brands) Figure 3. Brand image variation (sport brands) Figure 4. Brand image variation (mobile phones brands) graphics suggest that ? rms should avoid entering markets far from their sector, since such extensions clearly entail brand image dilution. Once the global effect of extensions was analysed, the model hypotheses were tested. To test hypotheses related to feedback effects we created new variables based on unstandardised residuals. These residuals represent the brand image variation in such a way that higher values indicate more favourable feedback effects.They were obtained by regressing the post-test scores against the corresponding post-test scores, and the psychometrical properties of the resulting construct were similar to those of brand image factors (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 795). EJM 44,7/8 1196 Table VI contains the results of the model estimation and goodness of ? t measurements, which are acceptable and above the thresholds established in literature. Again, reasonable values were obtained for the error statistics ( RMSEA ? 0. 044; SRMR ? 0. 077) and the global ? t GFI (0. 892). The incremental ? t indexes also met the statistical requirements (AGFI ? 0. 74; CFI ? 0. 972; IFI ? 0. 972; NFI ? 0. 952; NNFI ? 0. 969). Next, the speci? c results concerning the hypotheses are commented. First, familiarity has a direct and signi? cant in? uence on initial brand image (best ? 0. 485; t-value ? 10. 419), as proposed in H1. However, contrary to H2, familiarity seems to have no signi? cant effect on extension attitude (best ? 2 0. 052; t-value ? 2 1. 443). Consequently, the most familiar brands will lead to more favourable brand associations, although not necessarily to a better assessment of the extension. The effect of initial brand image on extension attitude is signi? ant and positive (best ? 0. 232; t-value ? 6. 351), as proposed in H3. Therefore, consumers will prefer the brand extensions of companies that have managed to build and communicate positive brand associations. Since brand image depends on brand familiarity, consumer attitude toward brand extensions seems to be the result of a cognitive-affective sequence (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Supporting H4, category ? t seems to be a clear determinant of extension attitude (best ? 0. 299; t-value ? 2. 439). In the same way, extension attitude is signi? cantly dependant on image ? t (best ? 0. 587; t-value ? 4. 76), which con? rms H5. Consequently, consumers will prefer those extensions marketed in a category that ? ts the brand portfolio, especially in terms of general brand associations. The effect of perceived dif? culty on extension attitude is positive (best ? 0. 035), as expected. Nevertheless, the coef? cient relating both factors fails to reach statistical signi? cance (t-value ? 1. 186), which implies rejecting H6. This lack of statistical signi? cance reveals that consumers do not consider dif? culty of manufacturing as a heuristic of the perceived quality of the new product. Hypotheses H1: FAMI !IMAG (i) H2: FAMI ! EXAT H3: IMAG (i) ! EXAT H4: CAFI ! EXAT H5: IMFI ! EXAT H6: DIFF ! EXAT H7: INNV ! EXAT H8: EXAT ! IMAG variation H9: CAFI ! IMAG variation H10: IMFI ! IMAG variation Standardised b (t) 0. 485 * 2 0. 052 0. 232 * 0. 299 * 0. 587 * 0. 035 0. 093 * 0. 631 * 2 0. 050 0. 159 (10. 419) (2 1. 443) (6. 351) (2. 439) (4. 876) (1. 186) (2. 924) (5. 846) (2 0. 313) (1. 004) Hypotheses validation Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No Table VI. Results of the structural model Notes: *Signi? cant at p # 0. 05; Fit indices: Global ? t: x 2 ? 1131. 700 (481); p , 0. 001; GFI ? 0. 892; RMSEA ? . 044; SRMR ? 0. 077. Incremental ? t: AGFI ? 0. 874; CFI ? 0. 972; IFI ? 0. 972; NFI ? 0. 952; NNFI ? 0. 969; CRC: Composite reliability coef? cient; EVA: Extracted variance analysis, GFI: Goodness of ? t index; RMSEA: Root mean square error of approximation; SRMR: Standardised root mean square residual; AGFI: Adjusted goodness of ? t index; CFI: Comparative ? t index; IFI: Incremental ? t index; NFI: Normed ? t index; NNFI: Non-normed ? t index Regarding H7, consumer innovativeness appears to have a clear, though reduced, effect on extension attitude (best ? 0. 093; t-value ? 2. 924).All in all, attitude towards extensions will be fundamentally explained by the initial brand image (H3), perceived ? t (H4 and H5) and, to a lesser extent, by other factors such as consumer innovativeness (H7). H8 to H10 indicate the factors that explain the potential feedback effects of brand extensions on brand image. With respect to H8, extension attitude has a positive and signi? cant effect on brand image variation (best ? 0. 631; t ? 5. 846). Hence, the more favourable the attitude to the extension is, the more favourable the attitude toward the extended brand will be. Because of the high coef? ient obtained, companies launching brand extensions will have to avoid damaging their brands with low quality products. Contrary to our expectations, perceived category ? t has no direct effect on brand image variation, which rejects H9 (best ? 2 0. 050; t ? 2 0. 313). Despite showing a relatively high and positive coef? cient, the effect of image ? t proposed in H10 is not signi? cant either (best ? 0. 159; t ? 1. 004). The lack of signi? cance in both coef? cients suggests that the in? uence of ? t on brand image variation is only indirect through extension attitude (H4 and H5).To sum up, then, while perceived image and category ? t are essential factors for the success of a brand extension, it is signi? cant that extension attitude synthesises their effects. The centralising role of extension attitude was also corroborated by checking through the estimation of competitive models that neither brand familiarity nor consumer innovativeness nor perceived dif? culty have direct effects on brand image variation. Given the importance that literature attaches to perceived ? t to explain feedback effect (e. g. Loken and John, 1993; John et al. , 1998) and the lack of signi? ant effects in our model, we took a new step in the analysis. According to Czellar (2003), perceived ? t may moderate the in? uence of the attitude to the extension on the attitude to the extended brand. In the same way that high-perceived ? t increases the transference of brand associations to the new product (Aaker and Keller, 1990; Czellar, 2003), we think that the opposite effect could take place. This possibility was explored by means of two multi-sample analyses for each of the ? t dimensions, category ? t and image ? t. Speci? cally, the sample was split into high ? t (mean . 4) and low ? (mean , 4) and the structural model were replicated without considering direct effects of ? t. The Lagrange Multiplier (LM) Test and the maximum likelihood estimation method determined whether the model coef? cients are signi? cantly different (Iglesias and ? Vazquez, 2001). The comparison between the considered sub-samples yields interesting results. Although the effect of extension attitude on image variati on was similar for category ? t (x2dif ? 0. 182; p . 0. 1), the results lend support to the existence of moderating effects for image ? t at 90 per cent (x2dif ? 2. 868; p ? 0. 090). In the expected direction, the in? ence of extension attitude was higher in the high ? t condition (best ? 0. 810; t ? 12. 740) than in the low ? t one (best ? 0. 666; t ? 11. 203). In consequence, spillover effects between the brand and the extension (forward and backward) will depend on image ? t perceptions rather than on category ? t. Responses to brand extensions 1197 EJM 44,7/8 1198 Discussion A brand is one of the most important assets for ? rms and, therefore, marketing managers must be on the alert for inadequate strategies that erode brand assets. One of this potentially risky strategies involves the launching of unsuitable brand extensions ? hat erode extended brand bene? ts and associations (Mart? nez and de Chernatony, 2004; Diamantopoulos et al. , 2005). However, so far there is no clear u nderstanding of the main variables leading to spillover effects between brand extensions and parent brands and their relative in? uence. The present work proposes a model to ? nd out how extension strategies affect brand image, one of the major dimensions of brand equity. Unlike most previous research, this paper focuses on extension evaluation and feedback effects on the core brand as interrelated rather than independent phenomena.Moreover, it incorporates a few key variables into an operative model instead of considering most of the potential variables that might divert the attention of researchers and practitioners alike. The estimation of this model showed positive goodness-of-? t indexes and, without considering non-validated relationships, it sheds some light on the main factors and processes explaining consumer attitude. According to the literature, core parent brand experience positively in? uences probability of extension trial (Swaminathan et al. , 2001; Swaminathan, 2003) .However, our results reveal an indirect effect of brand experience or brand familiarity on consumer attitude to brand extensions. This variable has a distinctive in? uence on brand image, which, in turn, affects the assessment of the new category. These results are coherent with the behaviour models de? ned by some authors who maintain that the individual’s beliefs determine attitude and this, in turn, determines purchase behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). From this perspective, brand image, rather than brand familiarity, would explain consumer attitude to the extension. Our ? dings validate previous results in the literature concerning the positive effects of perceived ? t, either category or image ? t, on consumer attitude. In the same way, it was con? rmed that consumer innovativeness increases likelihood of consumer ? acceptance, although to a lesser extent than perceived ? t (Volckner and Sattler, 2006). Nevertheless, we could not verify the proposed relationship bet ween the attitude to the extension and dif? culty in manufacturing the new category. Due to the clear inconsistency of results along studies, the relevance of this variable proposed by Aaker and Keller (1990) should be questioned.In relation to feedback effects, our results suggest that perceived ? t (category and image) has no direct effect on the extended brand image, though an indirect effect occurs through attitude to the extension. Previous works focusing on the in? uence of perceived ? t on parent brand associations have mostly resorted to experimental settings (e. g. Loken and John, 1993; Milberg et al. , 1997; John et al. , 1998) rather than SEM models. Therefore, this relationship cannot be taken for granted in complex models where several constructs are interrelated. The estimation of the model also revealed that image ? moderates the effect of extension attitude on image variation. In the light of the results, consumers that perceive the extension as coherent with the bra nd image will modify their brand associations mainly on the basis of their resulting attitude. A high ? t perception usually entails a categorisation process where the extension is associated to the brand category and leverages the current beliefs and attitudes (Monga and Houston, 2002). According to our results, this process occurs in the opposite direction in such a way that a high ? t will involve the leveraging of the attitude to the extension.The results obtained are thus in line with those works that indicate that consumer attitude toward brand extensions mainly depends on perceived ? t (Aaker and ? Keller, 1990; van Riel et al. , 2001; Volckner and Sattler, 2006). Moreover, it contributes to the body of knowledge by showing that the effect of perceived category and image ? t on the extended brand image is not direct. On the contrary, it occurs an indirect effect through extension attitude and, in the case of image ? t, a further moderating effect on the relationship between e xtension attitude and image variation. To sum up, the coef? ients obtained indicate that extension attitude is especially determined by perceived category ? t, image ? t and initial brand image, which, in turn depends on familiarity. Consumer innovativeness is also a factor that explains consumer response to brand extensions. Furthermore, the results reveal that the existence of positive feedback effects will be an immediate consequence of the attitude to the extension. These results clearly support the basic argument of our model: the consumer will assess the product according to a series of variables and, as a result, the consumers will modify the initial brand schema.Implications Considering all the results obtained as a whole, we can make some recommendations for ? rms launching brand extensions. There is no doubt that the most important aspect for the success of an extension is coherence with the image of the extended brand. Though positive, it is not essential that the new pro duct or service belongs to a new category, but the ? rm has to be able to communicate the brand essence to the different markets (Kim, 2003). Once the new product is ? rmly associated to the current brand image, consumers will perceive a high quality of the new product and the risk associated to purchasing it will be lowered.Although innovative consumers are expected to prefer low-? t products (Xie, 2008), consumer innovativeness is a factor with a weak effect on the attitude to the extension. In comparison to introducing a new brand name, brand extensions will increase consumer trust and reduce the weight of consumer innovativeness as a risk reliever. Since consumer behaviour will be relatively similar regardless of consumer predisposition to new products, this factor should not be used for potential market segmentation. In consequence, companies must identify other consumer characteristics able to alter perceptions of quality and purchase ntentions of speci? c product categories. A favourable initial image will also be positive for consumer acceptance increasing the appeal of the new product. This image is hard to obtain in the short term, although our model suggests that increasing familiarity through communication or brand trials is an effective way of building brand associations. Since brand familiarity does not directly in? uence extension attitude, companies do not have to worry when their brands are not familiar enough or the current market share is scarce.Whenever they are capable of transmitting a positive brand image and ? t is high, success should be easy to obtain. Moreover, launching products perceived as trivial or very easy to make will not prevent consumers from trying the new product, a concern highlighted by Aaker and Keller (1990). Responses to brand extensions 1199 EJM 44,7/8 1200 Once consumers have developed a favourable attitude toward the new product, the brand associations might not be diluted but even strengthened. Provided perceived ? between the extension and the core brand is high, especially on the basis of image ? t, the attitude to the extension will be the main driver of feedback effects. Consequently, increasing the success of brand extensions and protecting the leveraged image are not con? icting but complementary goals. Companies should thus address their efforts towards the success of the extension by building a bundle of coherent and strong brand associations. This is the best way to avoid the risk of image dilution. Future research Our ? ndings raise several issues for future research. The ? st issue refers to the lack of time between the extension stimulus and the subsequent measurement of brand image, which is the common procedure in most studies. The fact of the matter is that higher experience reduces the likelihood of negative feedback effects (Sheinin, 2000; Swaminathan, 2003), since the mere exposure to the new product affords consumers to establish links with the brand that, otherwise, woul d not exist (Klink and Smith, 2001). However, experiments requiring the cooperation of respondents over time are likely to suffer from a â€Å"history problem† caused by the in? ence of external events (Campbell ? and Stanley, 1963). By analysing FMCG through a longitudinal study, Volckner and Sattler (2008) show that feedback effects diminish over time, although they also admit the possibility of confounding effects. Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of the different procedures, the present study opted to exclude extraneous variables by minimising the time between pre and post-test scores. Since we aimed to test the interrelationships between factors, the setting of the study was designed to reinforce internal validity as much as possible.Consequently, it must be observed that the paper generates a picture of feedback effects in the short-term and these effects should be checked through a long period of time. It would be also advisable to verify whether th e validated relationships are consistent when consumers are exposed to all the market signals (competitors action, distribution support, etc. ) by using real extensions. Another issue to consider is whether the model can be applied to extensions of the same category or line extensions. Since line extensions are products with a higher perceived degree of ? t (Grime et al. 2002), there is a possibility that the relationships are sustained. It might be even more interesting to study whether service companies can successfully extend to the goods markets and vice versa. Indeed, it would be worthwhile to examine the brand and extension conditions that lead to higher effects of perceived ? t dimensions on the extension attitude toward the brand. Given that the in? uence of consumer innovativeness on extension attitude was less than expected, further research could also explore whether consumer innovativeness has moderating effects rather than mediating ones.Klink and Smith (2001) proved th at the in? uence of perceived ? t on extension attitude is lower among innovative consumers, who are more receptive to new products. 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