Medication for Foster Children

Introduction Under the foster care system, many children and teenagers in the United States have been adopted and have been successful in gaining a permanent home. However, this process is not as smooth as it might sound since there are children who live with several families before finally getting a permanent home. Consequently, due to different backgrounds, lifestyles, and culture, some of these children find it difficult to cope with their new families.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Medication for Foster Children specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, they experience physical and psychological stress that might result in the development of adverse behaviors that affect them and the individuals around them. To overcome this problem, psychiatrists have been using psychiatric drugs to suppress and cure disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. This has greatly increased the use of psychiatric drugs on children and adolescents since the 1990s (Vitielo and Jensen, 1997). Safety of Psychiatric Drugs According to Eig (2012), medication is an effective measure of treating psychiatric problems in children and teenagers. However, there are parents who are worried about the long-term effects that psychiatric drugs have on their. Under normal circumstances, only qualified physicians have the mandate to of prescribing antipsychotic. Moreover, such physicians should have the experience of dealing with mental illness in children and adolescents. Administration of these drugs should only be done after precise diagnosis have been made. This enables psychiatrists to determine the type of treatment that a patient might require. As a result, a psychiatrist will be in a position of developing a comprehensive treatment plan for the patient. At this point, a psychiatrist might decide to administer antipsychotic drugs to control and cure the condition that a patient is suffering from. It is the duty of psychiatrists to explain why they have administered antipsychotic drugs to their patients. Consequently, psychiatrists should inform their patients about the possible effects that the drugs might have on them. Different medications have different side effects. Some of these side effects are mild while others are severe. Therefore, to ensure that the administration of antipsychotic drugs achieves the desired goals, psychiatrists should always be in close contact with their patients. Consequently, parents should avoid switching from one psychiatrist to another. If antipsychotic drugs are administered in this manner, there are high chances that their effects will be beneficial to patients. However, if unqualified physicians administer these drugs without proper diagnosis, their effects might be detrimental to the health of the patients. Most importantly, it is advised that the administration of antipsychotic drugs should be supplemented by alternative modes of treatment such as psychological therapy.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Over Prescription of Antipsychotic Drugs Prior to the 1990s, a small proportion of children and teenagers were under the prescription of antipsychotic drugs (Szalavitz, 2012). However, this trend has changed since the numbers of children under prescribed antipsychotic drugs keeps on increasing. Despite this trend, many psychiatrists have admitted that there are physicians who overprescribe these drugs to children. All the children who were featured in the video were under more than one antipsychotic drug at any given time. For instance, when Mark met his father, he was using over five different antipsychotic drugs. His father later learned that he had been prescribed with over 26 different antipsychotic drugs in his life. These drugs had adverse effects on his physical and mental health since most of these drugs are administered without proper diagnosis. For instance, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Mark was administered with five different antipsychotic drugs. However, it was later found that he was suffering from ADHD, a condition that only required one drug for treatment. It is through such negligence that antipsychotic drugs are prescribed to children when they might actually not need them. Who is Responsible? Due to negligence, physicians tend to prescribe antipsychotic drugs without proper diagnosis. Most physicians view the alternatives to antipsychotic drugs as energy and time consuming. Therefore, prescribing antipsychotic drugs not only eases their work but also ensures that they have more time to attend to other patients hence earning more money. Pharmaceutical companies on the other hand have launched marketing campaigns that have led to the successful introduction of second-generation drugs called atypical antipsychotics that are sold off the label in the market (PBS Video, n.d.). Once in the market, physicians can use these drugs to treat various mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and ADHD. In 2009, the sale of these drugs earned pharmaceutical companies over $2 billion in revenue. Thus, over prescription on this ground is profit driven. Alternative Treatments Other than drugs, there are alternative treatments that can be used to control and cure mental illness in children and adolescents. Cognitive mental therapy, psychotherapy, and parent training are some of the alternatives that can be used to treat mental illness in children and adolescents (Vitielo and Jensen, 1997). Physicians are aware of these alternatives but because they are time consuming and do not earn physicians a lot of money, they are always avoided. This trend explains the increased consumption of antipsychotic drugs by children and teenagers in the United States.Advertising We will write a custom essa y sample on Medication for Foster Children specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Eig, A. (2012). Psychiatric Medication and Young Children: Is There too Much Pill  Popping? Web. PBS Video (Executive Producers). (n.d.). The Medication for Foster Children. Need to Know, PBS Video.org. Web. Szalavitz, M. (2012). Antipsychotic Prescriptions in Children Have Skyrocketed: Study. Web. Vitielo, B. and Jensen, P. (1997). Medication Development and Testing in Children and AdolescentsCurrent Problems, Future Directions. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 54(1), 871-876. This essay on Medication for Foster Children was written and submitted by user Harvey Z. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Role Models

Gucci, Prada, Tommy, Nautica, Polo, Benzes and Lexus are all the things that you need to be role models for the youth of today in America; not brains but beauty, not values or morals but valued. Today in America there aren’t many positive role models for the youth known as Generation X. Role models for today’s youth consists of rappers, actors/actresses, and even the young man who hangs out on the street corner all day and sells drugs. Everyone predicted that this generation of youth would be doomed with the exception of few; thanks to Mrs. Rosa Gibbings, my teacher, an significant positive influence and role model in my life I am one of the exceptional few. First, Mrs. R. Gibbings was my second and third grade teacher, she was supposed to retire but agreed that she would stay if she could teach her second grade class in third grade. I still see her and get advice from her today. She helped shape and mold me into the positive, responsible, and confident individual I am today. She would praise my work and tell me what I could do to make it better. She always challenged me and never let me take the easy route. She saw the intelligence and dug deep to get the best out of me at every thing I did; she helped build the determination to succeed attitude that I carry today. Another way Mrs. Gibbings influenced me was with her disciplinary tactics. She let me know that it was all right to have fun and goof around but at certain times and places. She also made me fell that it was all right not to have millions of dollars and still be proud and confidant. Also she taught me to never put anyone else down or laugh at their ignorance to certain things but to teach them and help them to be better. She taught me to take the positive things in my environment and use them and stay away from the negative and learn from all my mistakes. She took no mess from anyone and always pushed me to be my best. To conclude, yes there are m... Free Essays on Role Models Free Essays on Role Models Gucci, Prada, Tommy, Nautica, Polo, Benzes and Lexus are all the things that you need to be role models for the youth of today in America; not brains but beauty, not values or morals but valued. Today in America there aren’t many positive role models for the youth known as Generation X. Role models for today’s youth consists of rappers, actors/actresses, and even the young man who hangs out on the street corner all day and sells drugs. Everyone predicted that this generation of youth would be doomed with the exception of few; thanks to Mrs. Rosa Gibbings, my teacher, an significant positive influence and role model in my life I am one of the exceptional few. First, Mrs. R. Gibbings was my second and third grade teacher, she was supposed to retire but agreed that she would stay if she could teach her second grade class in third grade. I still see her and get advice from her today. She helped shape and mold me into the positive, responsible, and confident individual I am today. She would praise my work and tell me what I could do to make it better. She always challenged me and never let me take the easy route. She saw the intelligence and dug deep to get the best out of me at every thing I did; she helped build the determination to succeed attitude that I carry today. Another way Mrs. Gibbings influenced me was with her disciplinary tactics. She let me know that it was all right to have fun and goof around but at certain times and places. She also made me fell that it was all right not to have millions of dollars and still be proud and confidant. Also she taught me to never put anyone else down or laugh at their ignorance to certain things but to teach them and help them to be better. She taught me to take the positive things in my environment and use them and stay away from the negative and learn from all my mistakes. She took no mess from anyone and always pushed me to be my best. To conclude, yes there are m...

5 Superstar Female Sociologists You Should Know

5 Superstar Female Sociologists You Should Know There are many female sociologists who do important work around the world, on topics ranging from the achievement gap, to global consumption patterns, to gender and sexuality. Read on to learn more about 5 superstar female sociologists. Juliet Schor Dr.  Juliet Schor  is arguably the foremost scholar of the sociology of consumption, and a leading public intellectual who was awarded the 2014 American Sociological Associations prize for advancing the public understanding of sociology.  Professor of Sociology at Boston College, she  is the author of five books, and co-author and  editor of numerous others, has  published a multitude  of journal articles, and has been cited several thousand times by other scholars. Her research focuses on consumer culture, particularly the work-spend cycle- our tendency to spend more and more, on things that we don’t need and that won’t necessarily make us happier. The work-spend cycle was the focus of  her  research-rich, popular companion hits  The Overspent American  and  The Overworked American. Recently, her research has focused on  ethical and sustainable approaches to consumption in the context of a failing economy and a  planet on the brink. Her 2011 book  True Wealth: How and Why Millions of Americans Are Creating a Time-Rich, Ecologically-Light, Small-Scale, High-Satisfaction Economy makes the case for shifting out of the work-spend cycle by diversifying our personal income sources, placing more value on our time, being more mindful of the impacts of our consumption, consuming differently, and reinvesting in the social fabric of our communities.  Her current research into collaborative consumption and the new sharing economy is a part of the MacArthur Foundations Connected Learning Initiative. Gilda Ochoa Dr.  Gilda Ochoa  is  Professor of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Pomona College. Her cutting edge approach to teaching and research has her regularly leading teams of college students in community-based research that addresses problems of  systemic racism, particularly those related to education,  and community-driven responses to it  in the greater Los Angeles area. She  is the author of the 2013 hit book,  Academic Profiling: Latinos, Asian Americans and the Achievement Gap. In this book, Ochoa thoroughly examines the root causes of the achievement gap between Latino and Asian American students in California. Through ethnographic research at one Southern California high school and hundreds of interviews with  students, teachers, and parents, Ochoa reveals troubling disparities in opportunity, status, treatment, and assumptions experienced by students. This important work debunks racial and cultural explanations for the achievement gap.   Following its publication, the book  received two important awards: the American Sociological Associations  Oliver Cromwell Cox Book Award for Anti-Racist Scholarship, and the Eduardo Bonilla-Silva Outstanding Book  Award from  the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She is the author of numerous academic journal articles and  two  other  books- Learning from Latino Teachers  and  Becoming Neighbors in a Mexican-American  Community: Power, Conflict, and Solidarity- and co-editor, with her brother Enrique, of Latino Los Angeles: Transformations, Communities, and Activism.  To learn more about Ochoa, you can read her fascinating interview about her book Academic Profiling, her intellectual development, and her research motivations. Lisa Wade Dr. Lisa Wade is a preeminent public sociologist in today’s media landscape. Associate Professor of Sociology at Occidental College, she rose to prominence as co-founder and contributor to the widely read blog Sociological Images. She is a regular contributor to national publications and blogs including  Salon, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Slate, Politico, The Los Angeles Times, and Jezebel, among others. Wade  is an expert in gender and sexuality whose research and writing now focuses on hookup culture and sexual assault on college campuses, the social significance of the body, and U.S. discourse about genital mutilation. Her research has illuminated the intense sexual objectification that women experience and how this results in unequal treatment, sexual inequality (like the orgasm gap),  violence against women, and the socio-structural problem of gender inequality.  Wade has written or co-written over a dozen academic journal articles, numerous popular essays, and has frequently been a media guest on radio and television. In 2017, her book American Hookup was published, which examines hookup culture on college campuses. With Myra Marx Ferree, she  has co-authored a textbook on the sociology of gender. Jenny Chan Dr. Jenny Chan  is a  groundbreaking researcher whose work, which  focuses on issues of labor and working class identity in iPhone factories in China, sits at the intersection of the sociology of globalization and the sociology of work. By gaining hard-to-come-by access to Foxconn factories, Chan has illuminated many of the things Apple doesnt want you to know about how it makes its beautiful products. She is the author or co-author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, including a heartbreaking and analytically shrewd piece about a Foxconn suicide survivor,  and is writing a book with Pun Ngai and Mark Selden, titled  Dying for an iPhone: Apple, Foxconn, and a New Generation of Chinese Workers. Chan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and was previously a Lecturer at the University of Oxford. In 2018, she became the Vice President of Communications for the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Labour Movements. She has also played an important role as a scholar-activist, and from  2006 to 2009 was the Chief Coordinator of Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) in Hong Kong, a leading labor watch organization that works to hold corporations accountable for abuses happening in their global supply chains. C.J. Pascoe Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, Dr. C.J. Pascoe is a leading scholar of gender, sexuality, and adolescence. Her work has been cited by other scholars  over 2100 times and has been widely cited in national news media. She is the author of the  groundbreaking and highly regarded book  Dude, Youre a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, winner of the 2008 Outstanding Book Award from the American Educational Research Association. The research featured in the book is a compelling look at how both formal and informal curricula at high schools shape the development of gender and sexuality of students, and how in particular, the idealized form of masculinity boys are expected to perform is premised on the sexual and social control of girls. Pascoe is also a contributor to the book  Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living  and Learning with New Media.   She is an engaged public intellectual and activist for the rights of LGBTQ youth, who has worked with organizations including Beyond Bullying: Shifting the Discourse of LGBTQ Sexuality, Youth in Schools, Born This Way Foundation, SPARK! Girls Summit, TrueChild, and the Gay/Straight Alliance Network. Pascoe is working on a new book titled Just a Teenager in Love: Young People’s Cultures of Love and Romance and is a co-founder and co-editor of the blog Social In(Queery).

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the Research Paper

The assessment will involve a series of tasks relating to the identification, conservation, documentation and interpretation of an art work from the Hatton Gallerys collection - Research Paper Example Light and Ultra Violet radiation (UV) contains some energy that catalyzes chemical reaction leading to deterioration. The two main ways that one can measure the response of light is through Color Rendering Index (CRI) and Color Temperature (CT). CRI may be measured in a scale of zero-100. However, the museum lighting designers have suggested 80-100 so that colors can be viewed properly but does not also affect the painting. The level of light in museum is always measured using light meters in lux or using foot candles. This is the measurement of the intensity of the light over one square meter. Sometimes watercolor painting may be placed on exhibition for some months at a level of 50 to 150 lux and yet they do not show some fading. Lower light levels of 50-150 are important for light sensitive materials like watercolor painting. The extent of damage can always be measured lux hours (lx h) the maximum level of light exposure that watercolor painting can sustain annually is 50,000 lxh. Another very important aspect of protection of the watercolor painting is to ensure that the painting is kept off places that have fluctuation of humidity and temperature. The best temperature that would ensure that watercolor painting is stored safely is that which is around 20 degrees F. Places where temperatures may drop to 40 degrees and goes up to 80 degrees at night and day respectively, may not be the best place to store watercolor Fluctuation in temperature usually has a very severe effect on the watercolor painting. When exposing the painting into light, it should be observed that the painting needs not be kept on light for prolonged period of time, especially with too bright light of all types. Watercolor painting always demand that they are kept in places that are not damp. Damp places usually enhance molding, which has ability to promote coloring change. Sometimes the water color painting may be framed under glass.

- Art and Music Appreciation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

- Art and Music Appreciation - Essay Example bit of a sunset: at first you are sad to see the day go, but as the sun sinks down and the sky turns pink, you think, â€Å"Ah, the beauty of the sunset is worth the fact that it is now night and a bit cold out.† It is a fine song to relax to. There is a constant shift from soft notes to hard ones, marking it as a very dynamic piece. It requires a great deal of dexterity from its performer, especially to keep the constant swarm of notes going. It is very brisk and seems to be in a great rush, bouncing off the walls at a dizzying pace. In the middle, it begins to slow down a bit, before playfully speeding up again. I find this to be a cheerful, funny piece, and can easily imagine people smiling as they try to dance to it. 2.) Discussion Questions: Art. The impressionist style of painting is characterized chiefly by concentration on the general impression produced by a scene or object and the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light. -Nicholas Pioch Impressionism is often a kind of soft-focus style of painting where the figures or objects appear in varying levels of detail. The world of light has more influence on our sight than you might expect, is what impressionist seem to be saying. They try to shift our allegiances from strict forms to a vaguer, airier world. They use soft colours that blend into one another and often capture pastoral scenes. They question how we perceive the world and what our visual prejudices might

God Is The Wonderful Creator Theology Religion Essay

God Is The Wonderful Creator Theology Religion Essay God is the wonderful creator of the universe. He is all-knowing and all-seeing. Nothing escapes His notice. God is a special and intimate god who cares for and loves every single speck of creation He has created. God is the ruler of everything. He has complete and total authority over the universe. He has always existed and always will, and is so wonderful that He is best described by the word indescribable. God is good and God is just. He is holy and awe-inspiring. God is unmatched in His glory, supreme above everything. God is infinite, being all places and seeing and knowing all things at once. God is the trinity, existing in wholly and completely in three separate beings (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) while still existing entirely as One. God is perfect. And most importantly, God is loving. He loves us and all of creation more than we can possibly know or even imagine. He loves us so much that He sent His holy and perfect Son to Earth to die on the cross so that our terrible and horrific sins could be forgiven. God is so many wonderful things that it is hard to even begin to scratch the surface of describing who God is. What is nature? Nature is the beautiful creation of God. It was created in the beginning by God out of nothing. Before God created the universe, nothing existed except Him. It was created intentionally, not randomly. God created the universe with a plan and a purpose. God created the world to be good. However, because of the Fall, it is ultimately bad. Although it displays and declares the glory of God, natures ultimate wickedness can also display how evil and corrupt the world is and how much we need His saving grace. God created nature and created man to have power over nature. God gave us this world to take care of and use wisely. God cares about creation and made it beautiful not just for the human inhabitants, but also for Himself. He loves the world He made and hates that it is corrupted by sin. What is man? Man was created in the image and likeness of God as the pinnacle of His creation. In this, each human possesses a distinct disposition, intellect, creativity, and choice and free will in all capacities. We can choose whether we follow God and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. We have the ability to choose in every other aspect of life as well. Ultimately, we can choose to follow Gods will, or ignore it and do our own thing. God leaves the choice up to us. However, we are fallen and sinful. But we are also loved-loved so much that God sent His Son to die for our sins. In this, we have the responsibility to serve God. Being Gods servant means doing good works in His name, preaching the Gospel, and bringing others to Him. And most importantly, we are to love God in return. What happens at death? When we die, we leave this world and go to Heaven, to be in the presence of God forever. Heaven is the most glorious and wonderful place ever. It is so incredible that it is impossible to even begin to imagine how wonderful it is. In Heaven, Jesus has prepared a special place for each and every one of us and is anxiously awaiting the day that we come to be with Him. If we choose not to accept God and live in sin, rejecting all He has done for us, we spend eternity in Hell. Ultimately the choice is simple: choose God, admit that you are sinner and need Him and accept Him as your Lord and Savior and spend eternity with Him in paradise, or reject Him and spend eternity in Hell. What is the basis of human knowledge? Ultimately, God is the basis of human knowledge. God has revealed knowledge to humans since the very beginning, through both general and specific revelation about Himself, and other things as well. Knowledge about God is the most valuable kind of knowledge because human knowledge is ultimately corrupted because of the Fall. God has infinite knowledge, and even when He chooses to reveal something to us it can become corrupted by sin. Human knowledge is also very limited. In reality, we know practically nothing. But what we do know comes from God, who allows us to know and discover things. God is the ultimate source of knowledge, both human and divine, and we should look to him and seek knowledge from Him. What is the basis of ethics? God is also ultimately the basis of ethics. We can learn about what is acceptable through the laws in the Bible that were set by God. In addition to this, every human being has a built-in sort of moral compass that guides us in knowing what is good and what is bad. However, we have to listen to this guide and not ignore it in order to be moral. All of these guides of morality and ethics are found in who God is and in His goodness, holiness, justness, and love. Ultimately, God is the measure of morality. I think the best thing to do when faced with a challenging moral decision, is to ask ourselves, Would what I am doing please God? And if we find ourselves answering no to this, then we should not do it anymore. It is, in some ways, a What would Jesus do? kind of question. In asking this clichà © but still important question, we can analyze if our actions are a reflection of Christ and pleasing to God. And in this, morality and ethics can be found. What is the meaning of human history? Human history is the evidence of Gods role in the world. From the very beginning, God has had plan and this is often evident in the study of human history. Everything is a part of Gods plan, and no matter what happens, God can make good happen from it. God has a specific purpose and goal for us and has things happen to us to get us to the place He wants us to be. Thing happen so that God can teach us a lesson and so that we can learn something about Him. Ultimately, human history shows us how God has taught us things in the past. We have to take what has happened in the past and learn from it, not only from our own past, but from the history of human existence as well. We can always learn something by studying history. History does not happen over and over again in a circle, but rather is unique and has an end and purpose. However, I think that some things in history can repeat if we forget the lessons God has taught us in the past. If we do not study history and learn of past events and what God taught His people through them, then He will have to reteach us the lesson, which can occur in very similar events. Ultimately history is a demonstration of Gods plan being carried out in this world.

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay

Abstract The aim of this study is to find out the three (3) significant variables forming the positive attitude towards the buying the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia, which eventually lead to the ultimate intention in buying the organically-produced food. The different variables are focused on demographic characteristics on household income, product attributes and lastly the perceived value to the customers. This study shows that the household income is seemingly appeared to be an important predictor among the targeted segmentation in consuming organic food. Organic food attributes such as pricing, availability and environmentally friendliness of such organic food may influence consumer buying decision. Lastly, the perceived value from the customers towards organic food on its health effects, sensory appeal, nutrition-worth and belief of perceived benefits, often play an important role in cultivating the intention towards buying organic food. Introduction and Background of the Study Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for organic-produced food or products. Organic food is often seen and marketed as health-conscious food which contains fewer contaminants, more nutrients and most importantly having a positive effect on the environment. It is known that some of these attributes are difficult to quantify, with the contrary that some of researcher has proved that they may cause such potential harm during the organic production. The organic market back in 80’s, while remaining a niche sector, has grown to be able to grab a share from the total spending on food in some countries in the recent years. Organic fruit and vegetables are amongst the products which have been expanding in the rapid production. The demand for organically-produced meat and dairy products has undergone the same rapid progress, with a corresponding increase in the need for organically grown forage and feed crops. This has led to a fast growth in consumer demand whereby the organic food sales have managed to gain a significant market share in the conventional food industry. The market for organically produced crops and commodities has become more structured, looking at the increased number of countries which have adopted uniform standards for organic food production. The standardization has also applied in the organic certification and labelling. While both the production and the marketing of the organic cultivation of temperate crops have developed, there is a trend to be seen whereby the developing country’s farmers are actively involved in the organic farming. Problem Statement and Importance of the Research Organic agriculture industry, no doubt, has offers most of the developing countries a wide range of economic, environment, social and cultural benefits. Certifies organic products have now been growing fast and in the mist of entering the global market. Malaysia, on the other hand, is still in the starting spark-point in adapting the organic-food consumption while the developed countries such as North America and Europe have already gained the biggest market share in this newest industry. Due to expanding markets and attractive price premiums, Malaysia should invent and invest in organically-produced food, taking into consideration of various significant variables which may form the consumer behaviour towards organic food. We would like to highlight that the ultimate goal of this study is to understand consumer’s motivations behind organic food products purchases in order to enable organic producers to develop a more effective strategic marketing plan. The results could be used for the marketing planning of organic food products to enable proper marketing strategies, a proper sales channel and promotion to be targeted to these groups of consumers. Research Questions The present study aims to answer the following questions: †¢ What are demographic characteristics of organic food buyers? †¢ How do demographic characteristics affect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How product attributes effect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How consumer perceived values influence consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ What is the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase? †¢ How can results of the study be applied by managers and marketers? Research Objectives. Regarding to the significance of the growing market of organic foods in the world, and to the previous studies on consumer attitudes towards organic foods and its effects on purchase intentions in several countries (e. g. Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Denmark) we intend to carry out such similar studies in Peninsula Malaysia with objectives as the following: †¢ To report the descriptive analysis on the organic buyers’ demographic characteristics †¢ To identify the effects of demographic characteristics (specifically level of households income) on consumer attitudes towards organic foods. †¢ To determine effects of product attributes on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To investigate the relation of consumer perceived values to consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase †¢ To clarify implications for managers and marketers Literature Review Demographics Based on findings from previous research, demographic characteristics were evaluated as one of the major predictors in gaining intention to purchase the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia. According to Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), the demographic of consumers consist of various characteristics namely the gender, age, household income and education level. Each element has been contributed in forming the valued attitudes towards buying the organic products. Hence, the demographic characteristics, especially on household income is seemingly significant and being the focus in this research. This will eventually lead to the desired intention in buying such products for daily consumption. Level of Household Income. Whilst referring to the studies done in the US, it is seemingly apparent that the demographic variables which herby refer as the income distribution, is significant predictors (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). The research on this particular subject has proven that income positively influenced buying behaviour which in turn may cause the perceived buying behaviour towards the organic food. A same result has shown in Germany as well (Bartels & Reinders, 2009). In Germany, demographic variables such as household income distribution have played an important role in developing significant effect on organic buying behaviour. However, the overall inevitability of the demographic characteristics was relatively different, taking into consideration of research carried in various Western countries. These findings verify the results of earlier studies by Clark & Goldsmith (2006) and Im et al. (2003) proven that the intellectual practice on using the demographic characteristics such as household income distribution and domain specific innovativeness will be seen as strategic tools for market segmentation. In the Western countries, research has identified that the demand and willingness in expenditure on organic goods often affiliated closely with various socioeconomic and demographic variables (Wier et al. , 2008). In addition, Menghi (1997) found that the majority households with middle and higher income levels showed a greater tendency in purchase and consuming organic foods. However, it is shown that almost all of these studies are based upon hypothesized future behaviour rather than observed behaviour in both Denmark and UK. Hence, studies have been carried out by researchers to further invent on the influences of demographic characteristics especially in household income in guiding the intention of buying the organic goods. Through the research it is revealed that higher disposable household income (approximated by total food expenditure) will lead to higher positive intention in purchasing the organic food. Consumers with a lower household income alongside with lower level of education are found to be least likely to have heard of organic agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). On a contrary, those who have a higher income and hold an academic degree are more likely to be the target segmentation in purchasing organic products (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). It is also mentioned that the correlation between the household income level is very much linked to the level of education as well. As mentioned by Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), intended purchases of sustainably produced foods did not differ for demographic characteristics such as household annual income educational attainment. Through the research carried out by Ross NJ.et al. (2000), they have suggested that consumers with a higher earning incomes were more likely to have purchased locally produced food, mainly focus on the organic consumption by various segmentations. Their research and findings were supported earlier by Govindasamy R. and Italia J. (1998) whereby the same results applied. Groups with a higher household income tend to have purchased foods produced with reduced pesticides. In UK particularly, social group is employed as an indicator of income brackets (Wier et al. , 2008). Research has revealed that the tendency in purchase the organic goods seem to increase in accordance to the given social status. However, the highest organic budget shares are observed for middle class households whilst shares in the upper middle class being in fact lower. Quite captivatingly, a similar phenomenon is observed to be happened in Denmark as well. Organic Food Attributes Organic food attributes influence consumer buying decision. Several empirical studies have been performed on customer perceptions of organic food attributes and how they formed the consumer attitudes towards food. In the present research, among different product attributes, we have selected: price of organic food, environmentally friendliness of organic food and organic food availability. Price of Organic Food Organic foods are often of a price premium above conventional products. According to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Thailand the price difference between organic and non-labeled conventional vegetables in Bangkok varied between 50 percent and 170 percent and in some cases even 400 percent. However, in some countries such as Finland there were not significant premium prices for organic foods (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005). As Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) pointed out that despite the price difference of organic and non-organic food, nearly 60% of the ‘organic buyers’ said that the price of organic products was not a problem. In addition, ‘non-organic buyers’ ranked some other items as a reason of not purchasing organic food rather than higher prices. Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) claimed that while 100 percent of people would prefer organic to conventional products with the assumption of similar price, this percentages dropped by only 20 percent when the same question was posed regardless the higher price of organic food. In other words, higher price is an important obstacle for a limited percentage of consumers. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) found out that in Bangkok men were more likely to purchase organic foods than women and concluded that it might be due to the reason of men being willing to pay a higher price premium for organic products than women. Similarly, a study in Klang Valey, Malaysia showed that women werre more likely than men to agree that they would purchase more organic foods if they were less expensive (Ahmed, 2010). Additionally, heavy users were on average stage whereby they are willing to pay higher price premiums than medium and light users (Wier et. al, 2008). Environmentally friendliness of organic food Consumers are getting more conscious and concerned with the consumption of chemical substance used in farming and preserving environment is becoming a strong attitude among consumers. According to Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), subjective norms’ effect on attitudes has been mainly found in behaviors, that involved some kind of ethical decision, and also buying organic food can be seen as ethical decision reflecting environmental concern. In addition, perceived quality is associated with environmentally friendly practices (Ness et. al, 2009). The perception of organic food products as environmentally friendly was a common intuition and has been examined in several studies (Ahmed, 2010; Honkanen et. al, 2006). It is believed that when the consumers have more concern about their health and environmental protection, they will be more likely to have a positive attitude to organic foods (Ness et. al, 2010). Honkanen et. al (2006) found that ecologically oriented consumers were more likely to form intentions to purchase and consume organic food. In other words, the more people are concerned about environment, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food. Organic Food Availability Lack of organic food availability and variety in store is considered as one of the barriers to consumer purchase. Fresh vegetables (which include fresh herbs) were considered the most widely available organic product group rather than other organic foods (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). Chryssohoidis & Krystallis (2005) stated that limited availability was the main factor that hinders organic purchasing. Although according to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008), in Thailand, majority of organic buyers were satisfied with availability of organic products. Most of them reported that they would like to buy more organic products, especially a wider range of vegetables. Value to the Customer. In every product that consumer purchased and used, they in turn are expecting value from it. Value can be defined as a benefit that consumer is receiving by using a product. Benefits here mean sensory appeal of the product, taste, fun, freshness, quality and healthiness of the products. These are some main reasons that encouraged consumer to purchase the organic food. The value may vary from one consumer to another; however there will definitely be one value that effect the buying attitude which motivate the buying intention of consumers. Health Effect of Organic Food Several perceptions contributed to health attribute include the reason of being good for health, good for children, not containing pesticides, high in fiber, natural and nutritious and safer to eat (Roitner-Schobesberger, et. al, 2008; Saher et. al 2006; Lockie et. al, 2002; Ness et. al, 2009). The perceived potential hazards of modern agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides and their residues in food were perceived to be associated with long term and unknown effects on health (Miles and Frewer, 2001;Wilkins & Hillers, 1994; Williams & Hammit, 2001). Saher et. al (2006) revealed that there is very little scientific support for the common beliefs that organic food would be more healthy or nutritious than regular foods, but the belief that they have these properties remains quite strong in consumer’s mindset. The claim is debatable whether marketers can use the health claim for marketing purposes because most of the research concluded that there was no evidence that organic food was healthier or more nutritious than conventional food (Honkanen et. al, 2006). However, most studies in this area suggested that consumer’s perception of organic food as a healthy nutrition is one the most significant motives for buyers. Lockie et al. (2002) pointed out that health was the one aspect consumers are least willing to compromise. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Bangkok, Thailand, examined the motives behind organic food purchase and pointed out that the most important motive was the expected positive health effects. Similarly in Malaysia, organic buyers believed that organic food was healthier compared to conventional grown food (Ahmed, 2010). In Thailand, the health aspect was closely associated with the residues from synthetic chemicals used in agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). In fact, organic products often have a lower level of pesticide residues (Baker et al. , 2002). Lockie et. al (2002) revealed that although price was an important factor, organic consumers consider health has appeared as a more significant factor for purchasing organic food in Australia. These organic food consumers also believed that industrial methods of food processing constitute a threat to customer’s health. Another research by Schifferstein & Oude Ophuis (1997) illustrated that well-being was rated among all other motives by organic food buyers. On the other hand, Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) by examining specific organic products (bread and flour) claimed that health consciousness did not explained the general attitudes towards organic food, although they believed this results might be different by examining different organic products. Sensory Appeals Sensory appeals of organic food are part of the factors that provides value to customer. Sensory appeals include the taste, odor and also the texture of the organic product (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sometimes sensory appeals of the organic food need to be combined with the non-sensory factors such as organic food related expectations to create a value to customer which will affect their attitude towards buying organic food (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sensory factors are also influenced by cultures and background of consumers. For example, consumers from Western countries eat less spicy food compared to those from Asia. Spicy organic food might produce high value to consumers in Asian countries compared to Western. Intrinsic cues or sensory appeal that are associated with physical characteristics of the product such as taste, size, color, appearance, smell, feel and flavor were commonly used as indicators of quality on the organic food (Schifferstein et. al,1997). Quality is also value that consumers experiencing by consuming an organic food. Better sensory appeal of organic food will portray a better quality which will influence the attitude of purchasing an organic food and later increase the intention of buying the organic food. One of the most prominent sensory appeals that yield more value to consumer is taste. According to Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008), taste was the third important motives that consumers purchase organic food (Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al, 2008). Others studies also emphasized that many organic food buyers believed that organic food products taste better than conventional food even if sensory evaluations have yielded inconsistent results (Fillion and Arazi,2002; McEachern and McClean,2002; Zhao et al. ,2007). Perceived Value. One of the studies conducted in eight countries concluded that individual attitudes towards buying organic food are primarily based on the belief about the benefits (Thogersen, 2000). Benefits or value to consumers such as healthy, taste better and environment friendly supersede all the other factors such as belief about the cost. The same proven in one of the study conducted in Klang Valley. Most of the respondents reported that they choose to buy organic food products because they perceived organic food as very healthy, fresher and natural (Bayaah Ahmad et.all, 2010). As such, value of organic food towards customers’ effect their attitudes towards buying which will motivates their intention of purchasing the organic product. Consumers also value organic food as nutritional food since it is produced using traditional method whereby the original nutrition from the food is preserved. Nutrition belief was one of the reasons that made people appeared to have different food styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness (Chen, 2007). Organic food adds value to consumers who has such belief and it will influence their intention of consuming it by affecting the buying behavior. Besides, Chen (2007) points out that an individual’s personal interests or traits act a part in establishing personal food choice criteria through the values held by the individual. These values comprise nutrition beliefs, weight control concerns, and so on. For instance, people seem to have different food-styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness. Another important motive to purchase organic food as reported by Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008) is the consumer’s search for new, trendy and attractive food products. Attitudes towards Organic food and Intention to purchase Basically, consumer attitudes are found to be the most important predictor of intention to buy (Honkanen et. al, 2006). Several studies have found that higher perceived product quality leads to more positive re-purchase intentions (Bou-Llusar et. al, 2001; Hult, & Kandemir 2004; Tarkiainen & Sundqvist, 2005). Chen (7007) highlighted that if the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s attitude to purchase organic food will be more likely to be positive. This is also consistent with another study performed by Honkanen et. al (2006) indicating that relation between attitude and intention is positive and quite strong, indicating that consumers with positive attitudes towards consumption of organic food are more likely to form intentions to consume such food, therefore converting positive attitudes to intentions. Methodology Theoretical Research Framework [pic] Figure1. Theoretical Research Framework Hypothesis Development: Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between demographic characteristics of consumers and their attitudes towards organic foods. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between organic food attributes and consumer’s attitudes towards the organic food. Hypothesis 3: There is a positive relationship between values of organic food to customer with attitudes towards buying organic foods. Hypothesis 4: When the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s intentions to purchase organic foods will be more likely to be positive. Research Design. The questionnaires are only designed in English; since the respondents are assumed to be relatively high educated they will be able to answer the questions without any difficulties. Furthermore it will help to keep the original meaning and understanding that respondents perceived to have towards the questions. Types of questions in questionnaires are mostly closed ended question and only two open ended question. This will only consume little time for the respondent to complete the questionnaire which will encourage them to participate in this study. There are three main categories in the prepared questionnaires. The questions in the first category are more towards understanding demographic details of the respondent such as on the age, income level, ethnicity, religion and educational level. This is useful to confirm the background of the organic food consumers. There are also questions on the product attributes which the respondents are asked to identify what are the main attributes that attract the purchase and also to determine whether this factor have a positive effect towards consumer attitude on organic food. Last part in the questionnaires is designed to understand the value of organic food to customers. All these questions are to test four hypotheses of this study. Data Collection The target population consists of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. In order to carry out the sampling Peninsula Malaysia is divided in to 3 major regions namely Northern, Central and Southern region. Northern region will be represented by Penang, Central region will be Klang Valley and Southern region of Peninsula Malaysia is represented by Johor Bahru. These three areas are chosen based on the economic development and availability of the organic products. From each region shopping complexes and supermarkets that provide organic products are identified. By using random sampling, three shopping complexes and supermarkets in urban areas are selected. Since target respondent with higher educational level and purchasing power are scattered around these urban areas, these will be perfect places to conduct this research. Those three supermarkets and shopping complexes are ensured to be far from each other so that the collected samples will be more accurate in representing the population in each region. Total sample size comprises of 540 individual respondents is collected using convenience sampling and respondents will be approached randomly. Since this study is conducted in large scale, convenient sampling will be more cost effective compared to other types of sampling. Furthermore conducting other types of sampling will be time consuming and the accuracy of the collected samples to represent the actual population will be questionable. In order to collect the data, 60 self-administered consumer questionnaire surveys are distributed in each shopping complexes which will result in 180 questionnaires from each region. Considering the validity of the data, we are expecting a total of about 500 questionnaires to be usable in the later part of data analysis. Although there is no way of knowing if those included are representative of the overall population, the survey is still expected to give a first overview of relevant issues and to allow to derive insights into the perception of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. Data Analysis After data is collected, data will be edited and coded. Editing data is very essential part of data analysis especially when researches involve open ended questions. Editing is done immediately after data is collected so that the respondent can be contacted if any clarification needed. The edited data are identified through usage of different fond and colors. Coding is done before data processing is conducted. Since most of the data collected involve ordinal scale, coding becomes prudent. By doing this data accurately keyed in and avoid wrong interpretation of data. Base on the three sections in the questionnaire, data is also coded in three main groups. Data processing is done using a software program called SPSS version 17. First of all the edited and coded data is checked and scanned through. Wrongly entered and coded data will be identified using the software through methods like identification of the maximum value. Values like variance, standard deviation, mean and range are used to understand the effectiveness of the questions asked in the questionnaire and how respondents reacted to the questions. The reliability and validity test is done to check the credibility of the data. The reliability test also conducted to test the relationship of the variables through the reliability coefficient. 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