Coffee consumption Essay

Faculty of Farm Management, Banat`s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Timisoara, 119 Calea Aradului, Timisoara; Romania; petz_elena@yahoo. com 2 ) Faculty Economics Science, University Tibiscus Timisoara, 1/A Daliei St. , Timisoara, Romania Abstract. The coffee market is a dynamic market due to the numerous mades, to the wide range of assortments and to the high number of people that are more and more sophisticated. There has been lately a trend toward pre-packaged coffee, i. e. towards high quality produce and to larger weight coffee packages. Despite the high price of the coffee, Romanians drink more and more coffee. The leading assortment is ground coffee followed by soluble coffee. Keywords: needs, aspirations, demand, offer, consumption, behaviour, market INTRODUCTION Marketing research is not an exact science, and it is not an exact science either. It is about working with people, with their ever-changing needs and desires under the impact of hundreds of factors that are more or less known. Market analysis shows what people wish to purchase, to consume, or to use. As a rule, this means something different from what companies want us to believe, to produce and to sell. It is not enough to must study people’s needs; we should also know people’s desires and aspirations. The main component of marketing research is the study of consumer behaviour. The research of consumer behaviour concerns different attitudes in the process of buying decision (e. g. people’s attitude towards information, the choice of the purchase place, fidelity towards the made, getting aware of the price, knowing consumer’s difficult nature, etc. ). Consumer behaviour is a complex phenomenon and, at the same time, an interdisciplinary field. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study aims at presenting the coffee consumer profile, the way the choosing and purchasing of the different types of coffee on the market is done, and the way coffee made notoriety is determined. The target population consisted of all the people aged over 18 and living in Timisoara. The sampling method we used was the quotas method. In applying this method, we started from the characteristics of the target population (e. g. age, sex, occupation, etc. ). Sample size varies depending on the thrust threshold and on the accepted error. The way the questionnaire was applied consisted in a field survey, i. e. questioning people outside the shops. 362 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION At present, consumers are masters of their incomes. Social stratification differentiates incomes and determines significant variations of the consumption structure. Knowing the structure of the consumer’s attitude is a good opportunity to investigate the causes determining the acceptance or rejection of a produce. The most important means is researching consumer’s desires. Question no. 1 in our questionnaire, â€Å"Do you drink coffee? † is a filter question. As a result of the answers we got to this question, we could see that 56% of the people we questioned drink coffee; 17% answered hey do not drink coffee at all; and 27% answered they only drink coffee sometimes. Thus, the 17 people answering they never drink coffee were removed from the study. The answer to question, â€Å"How often do you drink coffee? † resulted in the following answers: 92% of the respondents answered they drink coffee daily; while 8% answered they drink coffee occasionally. The answer to the question, â€Å"Who purchases the coffee in your family? † showed that it is the housewife who does it (76% of the cases). As for the question, â€Å"How often do you purchase coffee? † 40% of the respondents answered they purchase it once a month, 28% answered they purchase it twice a month, and 20% answered they purchase it rather seldom. As for the amount of coffee people purchase, the figure below shows that 40% of the coffee purchasers prefer packages of 500 g, while 36% prefer packages of 250 g (Fig. 1). 40% 40% 36% 35% 30% 25% 20% 16% 15% 8% 10% 5% 0% 250 g 500 g 1000 g More Fig. 1. Amount of coffee purchased The answers to question, â€Å"On what occasion do you purchase coffee?†, 72% of the respondents said they purchase coffee for the daily consumption, while 8% said they purchase coffee for other goals. The questionnaire showed that 64% of the respondents purchase their coffee at the hyeprmarket and supermarket, 24% of the respondents purchase coffee from the corner shops, and 12% purchase coffee from the market. As for the coffee made, we could see that 48% of the respondents prefer the Jakobs made, 24% purchase the Elita made, 16% purchase the Amigo made, 8% purchase the Tchibo made, and 4% purchase the Amaroy and Lavazza mades (Fig.2). The answers to question, â€Å"What do you appreciate most in the coffee you purchase? †, 50% of the respondents answered it is flavour, 40% answered it is the taste, and 10% 363 answered it is strength. Asfor the factors influencing purchase decision, we could see from the respondents answers that 44% of them are influenced by the price, 28% answered they are influenced by the made, and 20% of the respondents admitted it is the advertising (Fig. 3). 48% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 24% 16% 8% 4% Elita Jacobs Amigo Tchibo Other specifications. Fig. 2. Coffee mades 44% 45% 40% 35% 28% 30% 25% 20% 20% 15% 8% 10% 5% 0% Advertising Price Packaging Trade Fig. 3. Factors influencing purchase decision 40% 40% 32% 35% 28% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Home, in family At the cafe/ At w ork (school), terrace, w ith the automatic friends coffee Fig. 4. Favourite place for coffee consumption 364 The answers to question, â€Å"Where do you usually have your coffee? †, showed that 40% of the respondents answered it is at home, 32% answered they have their coffee with their friends, at coffee shops, on terraces, etc. , and 28% of the respondents said they have their coffee at their work place, from the coffee machine (Fig. 4). As for the age of the respondents, we could see that 36% of them are aged 26-40, 28% are aged 18-25, 20% are aged 41-65, and 16% are aged above 65. From the point of view of their income, 56% of the respondents earn less than 1,000 LEI /month, 20% earn between 1,000 and 1,500 LEI /month, 16% of the respondents earn between 1,501 LEI /month and 2,000 LEI /month, and only 8% of the respondents earn more than 2,000 LEI /month. CONCLUSIONS. In order to get higher performances, any company needs a strong consumer-oriented marketing strategy. Therefore, it is very important to monitor and study the consumer behaviour from all points of view: type of consumer, age, sex, occupation, group of appurtenance, personality, culture, etc. the questions marketing operators should use in their studies and shaping of purchase behaviour and consumption behaviour in their attempt to better decide how to react are such questions as Who? , When? , How? , How much? , From where? , How many times? , etc. To have a closer look at the factors influencing the behaviour of the coffee consumer we have carried out the present study by applying a questionnaire to a number of 60 people whose main common feature is that they all live in the city of Timisoara. On the ground of this study, we can draw the following conclusions: 56% of the respondents drink coffee, 27% drink it sometimes, and 17% never; 92% of the respondents drink coffee daily, while 8% drink it occasionally; 76% of the coffee purchasers are women; 40% of the respondents purchase coffee once a month, 28% twice a month, and 20% rather seldom; 40% of the respondents prefer packages of 500 g, while 36% prefer 250 g packages; 72% of the respondents purchase coffee for their daily consumption, while 8% purchase it for other reasons; 64% of the respondents purchase their coffee at the hyeprmarket and supermarket, 24% from the corner shops, and 12% from the market, 48% of the respondents prefer the Jakobs made, 24% Elita, 16% Amigo, 8% Tchibo, and 4% Amaroy and Lavazza; 50% of the respondents purchase coffee for its flavour, 40% for its taste, and 10% for its strength; 44% of the respondents are influenced by the coffee price in their purchase, 28% by the made, and 10% by the adds; 40% of the respondents prefer have their coffee at home, 32% in town, and 28% at the work place; 36% of the respondents were aged 26-40, 28% were aged 18-25, 20% were aged 41-65, and 16% were aged above 65. 56% of the respondents earn less than 1,0 00 LEI /month , 20% earn between 1,000 and 1, 500 LEI/month, 16% of the respondents earn between 1,501 LEI /month and 2 ,000 LEI /mon th, and on ly 8% of the respondents earn more than 2,000 LEI /month. REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Baker J. M. (1997). Marketing – Societatea Stiintifica si Tehnica S. A. ,Bucuresti Balaure V. (2000) Marketing – Ed. Uranus, Bucuresti Demetrescu M. C. (2000) Metode de analiza in marketing – Ed. Teora, Bucuresti Foltean Florin (2000) Cercetari de marketing editi a II-a – Ed. Mirton, Timisoara Kotler Ph. (1997) Managementul marketingului – Ed. Teora, Bucuresti Niculescu Elena (2000) Marketing modern – Ed. Polirom, Iasi Pet Elena (2004) Marketing agrar, Ed. Marineasa Pruteanu Stefan, Corneliu Munteanu, Cezar Caluschi – Inteligenta. Marketing plus – Ed. Polirom 365.

Maslow’s theory of needs in individualistic and collectivist cultures Malika Kassymova Essay

1. Abstract Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a motivation theory elaborated by a humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943. Maslow’s theory consists of 5 main levels of needs that form a pyramid: Physiological, Safety, Belongingness and Love, Esteem, Self-Actualization (Janet A. Simons, 1987). Even though this theory is most commonly used in individualistic cultures, some findings suggest that it may also be applied in collectivist culture. However, the results will differ from those in individualistic cultures. In a collectivist culture, the basic need is belonging to the society; self-esteem is eliminated, and self-actualization is attained in terms of meeting societal development needs (Gambrel, P. A.& Cianci, R., 2003). Thus, contrary to the belief that the basic concept of self-actualisation applies to any human being in any culture, the current findings suggest that an individual’s needs are partially bound by culture. Implications include important impa ct on the workplace, as the concept of self-actualization shouldn’t be forced upon a collectivist culture and vice versa (Nevis, 1983). 2. Introduction 2.1 Review Most famous authors that have investigated international implications of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs include Geert Hofstede, Edwin C. Nevis. Other individualism-collectivism studies by Hampden-Turner and Trompenaars, Schwartz, Bilsky, Ivtzan and Tanaka have a direct relation to theories of motivation as well. 2.2 Purpose  The purpose of this literature review is to organise, compare and synthesize academic papers related to the Maslow’s theory of motivation and to indicate the sources of obtained data. 3. Application of Maslow’s theory in individualistic and collectivist cultures 3.1 Beginning of studies Individualism – collectivism is one of four dimensions of culture in different countries developed by Geert Hofstede. According to (Hofstede, National Cultures in Four Dimensions, 1983), in an individualistic society individuals look after themselves and immediate family members. He defines collectivism as a preference for a close social framework where family members and other in-group members look after them in exchange for loyalty; individualism, on the contrary, refers to a more self-oriented approach to socialization. 3.2 Methodology & Findings Source: www.geert-hofstede.com In a recent study (Ivtzan, 2010) the cultural validity of self-actualization is tested using the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) questionnaire developed by (Shostrom, E.L, 1980) as a comprehensive measure of the self-actualizing characteristics originally highlighted by Maslow. The POI questionnaire was tested on 100 British participants and 100 Indian participants as these two cultures belong to 2 different cultures (Hofstede, geert-hofstede.com, 2004). In support of the hypothesis, the results showed British participants scored significantly higher than the Indian participants on 10 out of the 12 scales, meaning that Individuals from an individualistic culture are more likely to be closer to the self-actualizing ideal, as measured by these scales, than individuals from a collectivistic culture. Thus, one’s cognition and motivation are affected by the social system in which they are raised and fulfilling one’s potential is expressed differently in these cultures. Collectivistic cultures are more ‘other orientated’ with strong emphasis on approval, acceptance and adherence to social groups (Erez & Earley, 1993). In support of this, Tanaka (1978) tested individualistic and collectivistic differences in agreeable responses to various behavioural statements. For example, in response to the statement â€Å"To do something good for society†, participants from Indonesia, Pakistan and India scored the highest and those from Australia and New Zealand the lowest. However, in response to the statement â€Å"To achieve personal happiness†, the pattern of results was reversed. Similarly, Riesman et al (1953) describe that the other-directed person â€Å"hardly thinks of himself as an individual† (p.33) further suggesting that collectivists that define themselves in such an ‘other-directed’ way are less likely to be inner orientated than individualists. Therefore, prestigious companies such as Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS, 2007) that actively use Maslow’s motivational theory may fail to effectively ‘reach out’ their more collectivist employees. Source: www.geert-hofstede.com 4. Summary Hofstede (1983) and Nevis (1983) both conclude that the hierarchy of needs developed by Maslow stresses individual achievement rather than collective, since it was developed on the basis of individualistic US model. However, Hofstede (1983) and Trompenaars (1993) agree that the American way of management does not apply across all cultures, especially as those in Asia. Living to our fullest potential is a universal theme and the route towards unlocking this potential and fulfilling it might be dependent on our cultural values. Therefore, the results of using Maslow’s model will differ in individualist and collectivist cultures. Further research is needed to establish whether the fulfilment of the individual in a non-Western, collectivistic culture is idealised in a different way (Ivtzan, I., Gardner, H. E., Bernard, I., Sekhon, M., & Hart, R., 2013). 5. Implications for Managers Individualistic countries desiring to invest in collectivist countries (e.g. China) can increase their profitability through understanding of collectivist culture and vice versa. Companies where management models are based on individualism shouldn’t force their management practices upon a collectivist environment. For example, in a collectivist culture like China, Nevis (1983) suggests that Chinese business practices should be governed by being a good member of society and placing group needs before individual needs. Therefore, a team-based organizational structure should be put in place by the investing firm. The human resource management plan should also design a benefits plan that centres on the work group with a focus on housing, medical care, and education. Cultural research is important in human resource management in order to divide between individualistic and collectivistic cultures, allowing both to work efficiently and effectively, side by side, in the same organisational environment (Ivtzan, I., Gardner, H. E., Bernard, I., Sekhon, M., & Hart, R., 2013). Also, the human resource management plan should implement a comprehensive cultural training program designed to increase understanding and awareness of a collectivist culture to avoid confrontations and situations that would cause one to lose face (Gambrel, P. A.& Cianci, R., 2003).

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