High Voltage Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

High Voltage - Coursework Example Voltage stability at the design level on the other hand can be described as the systems deliberate measures to ensure that a steady voltage is maintained throughout the conditions as well as demand. Voltage control measures are the intervention strategies introduced for purposes ensuring that the power system remains stable throughout (Kundur, 1994, p17). Voltage control is aimed at ensuring minimum disturbances by maintaining voltage within the acceptable limits and must satisfy the following; voltage utility at the terminals is always within the required limits, system stability issues are minimized and that reactive flow is maintained at a very low magnitude to facilitate low RI2 and XI2. Voltage stability is maintained if for every system bus, V (voltage magnitude) increases by increases in the utilization at the other end of Q (reactive power injection). However, voltage instability occurs if as a minimum, one bus has V decreasing while Q increases. Otherwise put, voltage stability will be achieved if for all buses V-Q sensitivity is positive or instability will occur if negative for one bus as a minimum. Transient stability is the capacity of a power system to sustain synchronism is exposed to strong transient instabilities or disturbances. The most defining characteristic of the instability that the system is meant to overcome is a system failure that requires a very short critical clearing time. This type of instability is however serious since the generator rotors experience a rapid kinetic energy accumulation so huge that the first power swing is not enough to release it. High voltage power cables require high quality insulation due to the nature of the high electric strength of the currents they transmit. To ensure that the insulation system meets the standard for high voltage involved, several attempts have been made since a long time ago. One

Analysis my journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis my journal - Assignment Example The study takes interest in Implicit Leadership Theories and compares them between participants from both countries. Jing, Avery and Bersteiner (2014, p. 5) on the other hand explores the factors of financial performance, customer satisfaction and staff satisfaction in retain pharmacies in Australia. The research majorly focused on small scale operation characteristics exhibited by a given pharmacy plus the value of trust in the business. In relation to research designs, Kono, et al. (2012, p. 12) utilizes the use of quantitative method of study in the research whereas Jing, Avery and Bersteiner (2014, p.8) utilize qualitative method of research in their study. It is evident that both employ the given mono-methods in their relations. performance in small professional firms through leader–follower trust. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, [e-journal] 52. Available at: [Accessed 20 November

New Product Introduction Of Mcdonalds

New Product Introduction Of Mcdonalds McDonalds is among the leading brands operating in the whole is the UK Irish market when it comes to fast food and quick service restaurants. This gives the company a wide market area to cover and cater. McDonalds is counted among the huge chains all around the world with thousands of restaurants. In this report the plan is to introduce a new product from McDonald with the brand name Mc Tea and as we all know that McDonald is perusing a value strategy offering its products at relatively low prices and they differentiate their products through successful branding campaigns, this thing would be continued with the launch of the new product. The report is divided in many key parts such as introduction, mission statement, company outlook, market status, objectives and strategies, segmentation, target product, promotional program, sales plan, organization, financial. In all these key areas it is defined that through this new product a handsome chunk of revenue can be gained also keeping affects on the overall market share of the company. The company plans to introduce Mc Tea as a flavor tea. The aim is to get market share as much as possible covering the spent money on the overall product its advertising and launch. This new opportunity can help company further penetrate by this new product line extension. As McDonald is entering in an existing market with a new product so there is a handsome requirement for the publicity of the product and the company would be using conventional tools of promotion with sampling as an extra. For advertising the company plans to use both below the line and above line advertising and the company targets the giant media to capture the a good chunk of the market. INTRODUCTION McDonalds is probably the best-known franchised fast food restaurant chain in the world. When the first outlet was opened in the US in 1955 and even when the first UK restaurant appeared in 1974, it would have been hard to imagine a worldwide network of 30,000 outlets by 2002 and 1,200 outlets in the UK. McDonalds is easily the largest fast-food brand in the world and instantly recognizable in many countries. Across the global network, the majority of outlets are operated by franchisees but, in the UK, only a third are franchised although this percentage is increasing. McDonalds has been growing organically, with new sites located in smaller towns, roadside developments and food court concepts in leisure parks and shopping centers.  [1]   SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS STRENGTHS: Promotional strength: is what Mc Donald has in its main and something in which it has been good over the period of time. Market share: is the second strengthen factor where Mc Donald is preferred by people of all ages and they love the food taste and variety offer. Image of the company affects its sales and this plays a positive for McDonalds and the efforts towards green world and reduction of waste has given them a good public image. The company is rated among the top delivery business operators beating even Pizza Hut at many times. New product special promotional strategies have made McDonalds corporation leader of fast food industry. Home delivery has gained wide spread acceptance and has become competitive advantage for them. WEAKNESSES: McDonalds has been frustrated by rising wholesale food prices and labor force. Fast food outlets have to pay higher wages. Despite of providing a branded quality of flavored tea it is likely that the people might not be attracted towards the product because McDonalds does not have any past experience in this product. The company has not been very successful in the past to keep a strict check on the quality of food provided by its franchises. Not all new product launches have been a success. OPPORTUNITY: The company has the opportunity to still expand in many locations in which the company still has not looked towards development or keeping its food hold. The conventional competitors have not thought about a similar product so this would be an early mover advantage. Consumption ratios or hot drinks are increasing and specially a launch in the approaching winter and Christmas season can prove to be a treat. Moving in an alliance with new film releases and media has been an old tactic which has proved worthwhile 90 out of 100 times. A recent alliance during the release of the movie avatar is another proof of opportunity.  [2]   Promotion of the product towards young coffee drinkers through university, colleges and schools can be an added advantage for the company to score big time and earn. THREAT: Rejection of the product is one major threat the company faces and is afraid of to happen. The economy coming out of recession the expected revenues can be lower then what the company expects. Consumer perception might be difficult to change in terms of product selection as already there is an existing competition with Coffee Cafes. Taste preference figures show a lead towards coffee drinkers as compared with tea. Increasing tea leaf prices can affect the overall revenue and costing. MARKET STATUS INDUSTRY UK is the among the leading hot drinks consumer in the world. In fact, the consumption of tea is so widespread in UK that it possesses 2nd position in the tea importing countries of the world, and is only behind the Russian Federation. The already high tea consumption level may further increase in future due to urbanization and increase in per capita income. MARKET SHARE THE MARKET For Mc Tea the target market is entire UK and Irish market with franchises located all over the area giving a huge reach towards the market. KEY FACTORS: LEGAL FACTORS Recent disputes over the prices of tea leaves and prices of payments of farmers have been critical. For the development of the new product the company would require to find out sound suppliers that can be good for the business and can be permanent. Fair trading laws affect the business. Finally the remunerations paid are strictly under review by the EU and specially the UK legal authorities. SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS In UK the concept of flavored branded tea is not yet common among the quick service restaurants, tea is normally taken with milk but this will serve them at time of leisure. On the other hand the product that is being introduced is totally on the contrary. The product is a fruit flavored tea served in tea bags that can be taken anytime anywhere. Aside from this it also has a lot of nutritional values as compared to the conventional tea. However launching flavored tea is quite a challenge as people in UK are not only resistant to change but also have rigid views about the concept of tea itself. ECONOMIC FACTORS Keeping in mind the per capita income of the people of UK, which is good after the recovery from the recession, the company intends to launch Mc Tea, aiming at the lower and middle income groups who are willing to pay normal and medium price for such an innovative and distinct product. Mc Tea is considered to be a superior product as it is distinct from the conventional tea available by the competitors, in the sense of its form, taste and nutritional attributes people consuming Mc Tea should be well educated as to its usage in the form of tea bags since; there is a general misconception that they produce superior quality tea, which is not true. PURCHASE CRITERIA BRAND: The brand name of McDonald is the very important thing in grabbing customers because they have a trust on the products. STANDARD: The brand name of McDonald is itself a standard measure so it is for sure that no one can raise question on meeting the standards. Mc Donald carries a regular check on all franchises on the quality of food provided to the consumers. INGREDIENTS: The ingredients which we are using in Mc Tea are Plum, Strawberry, Double Apple, Grape, and Peach and these ingredients would be of high quality from the companys existing suppliers. PRESENTATION: McDonalds presentation is very unique for this tea as we plan to present all different flavors in their respective flavor colored glasses. PRICE ANALYSIS Name Price Mc Tea (Flavored) 1 Pound Pret a Manger (Plain) 1.5 Pounds Costa Coffee (Plain) 1.8 Pounds Nero Cafà © (Plain) 1.8 Pounds Starbucks (Plain) 2.25 Pounds Others (indirect) (Plain) 50 p COMPETITOR ANALYSIS DIRECT COMPETITOR: COSTA COFFEE/ NERO CAFÉ/ STARBUCKS/ PRET A MANGER Already competition for the products we sell and have started giving the service of tea in collaboration with their suppliers therefore for Mc tea would face direct competition. INDIRECT COMPETITORS: Brands by Unilever, PG have captured a fair amount of local market share hence it can be said to be an indirect competitor. They being among the favorite brands for local people hence competition can be really tough. THE MARKETING STRATEGY OBJECTIVES MARKET DESCRIPTION: Total population is in millions, 30 to 35 percent youth of which 65 to 70 percent are elders. The target of Mc Tea is the 20 to 25 percent of the total population of UK and Ireland. QSR industry is the one of the sources of handsome revenue for UK Irish economies in term of tariff and taxes. The objective is to increase the market share cover the cost and make a profit of million pounds in the first year. ACCORDING TO BCG MATRIX: The Product at the moment is in the question mark stage in BCG Matrix. Ultimately the plan is to make it a star product focusing on investment and market share. Upon maturity and growth Mc Tea will later become a cash cow. HIGH LOW Market Growth Rate HIGH STAR FUTURE OF Mc Tea QUESTION MARK ? CURRENT POSITION OF Mc Tea LOW CASH COW DOG Source  [3]   ACCORDING TO GRID EXPANSION Mc Tea is currently at product development stage. The company is launching new product in existing market. MARKETING MIX: PRODUCT Mc Tea the flavored tea is an instant flavored tea drink that can be taken in hot form, consisting of various nutrients and fresh flavored extracts. The way in which we aim to work this marketing variable is by providing enhanced features that include: a variety of flavors such as plum, strawberry, double apple, grape, and peach, which has been derived from natural fruit, including compositions. These distinct flavors satisfy different taste for different people in the target market. Apart from this, one of the distinct features is the enhanced nutritional value that caters to the health conscious people. The ingredients integrated in our tea include liquorices root, passion fruit pieces, hibiscus, rose hips apple pieces, calcium and proteins. As Mc Tea the flavored tea is made in such a way that allows it to be taken in hot form, this provides the benefit of convenience for many occasions in the cold weather of Ireland and UK. It can be taken as the substitute of local tea brands an d in the same way it can replace the flavored drinks that are available in the market. The company also aim to achieve high quality with a perfect cup of tea with out artificial flavors found in competition. A crucial part of the product is the packaging, which contains the product itself. The packaging of the Mc Tea the flavored tea is in the form of colored cups of the selected fruit flavors that are made using the environment friendly technology. Mc Teas packaging is enhanced appealing and attractive which will encourage impulse buying, and hence provide stimulation to our market share growth. Mc Teas flavored tea is blended and packaged in hygienic conditions untouched by human hands. PRICE Pricing is the significant factor of the marketing mix, which must be carefully administered in order to give consumers the greatest value for their money. The way Mc Tea the flavored tea is intended to price is by using the market survey. As the company is using differentiation as the grand strategy, the charge is low to medium price initially in order to capture uniqueness, innovativeness, high quality and convenience of our product. In this way the maximum sales revenue can be achieved. However the price that we will charge will not be way beyond the competitive prices otherwise we will lose out on sufficient market share. Mc Tea will be launched as a flavored with the market skimming strategy in mind which will attract health conscious people as well as status conscious people. However, when competition sets in future and more companies start launching flavored tea we can alter our price strategy according to our competitive situation and prevailing market demand and supply equilibrium. The pricing method for Mc Tea the flavored tea will be markup pricing. In this way after determining the costs we will add a relatively high markup in order to gain substantial profits and cover our investment costs. Thus, keeping in mind all these things, we will launch all Mc Tea categories at a price of 1 Pound per cup. PLACE Mc Tea aims to be a true company with a huge distribution network, which caters the entire UK and Irish market. The strategy follows to make the product easily available to customers is through huge distribution. PROMOTION This refers to the activity of bringing Mc Tea the flavored tea to the attention of the target market and persuading them to buy the product. Promotion for the Mc Tea will be done through advertising and sales promotion. SEGMENTATION GEOGRAPHIC UK Ireland Density All cities in the distribution network DEMOGRAPHIC Age General population over 12 Income 15000/- above per anum Social class Lower middle class, Middle class, middle-upper class, upper-upper class PSYCHOGRAPHICS Life style Value oriented, sociable and active, actualizers, Personality Sophisticated. BEHAVIORAL Occasion Regular occasion. Benefits Quality, economy, nutrition. User status Non user, potential user, first time user Usage rate Light and medium Loyalty status Tea lovers TARGET PRODUCT McDonald has very large experience of food industry all around the world. Here, the target product of McDonald is Mc Tea. The product is a combination of many fruit flavors and a simple plain tea. Following are the some feature of the Mc Tea: FEATURES FLAVORS: VARIETY OF FLAVORS AVAILABLE: Plum Double apple Grape Peach Strawberry BENEFITS: It has easy usage as the flavored tea can be taken in either form, it can be taken as a substitute of tea. The nutritional values our drink provides contents like vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iodine and folic acid. PROMOTIONAL PROGRAM ADVERTISING Advertising is a very crucial part of promotion as it is responsible for creating long term loyalty towards brands. As consumer choices increases, it becomes essential to stand out in the crowds of brand ad media clutter by building a good corporate image through advertising. And in this we have planned to use both below the line and above the line advertising techniques and list of all the elements are below: ABOVE THE LINE ADVERTISING Media name Selection Television Sky Network (Channels of SKY) RADIO Local Radio channels in the UK Ireland BELOW THE LINE ADVERTISING MEDIA NAME NAME NEWSPAPERS NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS MAGAZINES HERALD VISAGE BILLBOARDS Nowadays bill boards are almost every where we go for example shopping malls, airport, overhead bridges, you name the place and the billboard is there, provided the area being a commercial area. Billboards attract people of all ages. It has proved to be a very effective way to promote and create awareness of a product, there fore this strategy will be used by Mc Tea the flavored tea to promote itself. Mc Tea will occupied all billboards next to or near McDonalds outlets. SAMPLING The company has planned to do sampling of Mc tea at universities, colleges and shopping malls. TRADE SHOWS AND CONCERTS Trade shows and concerts are also one of the very tools of doing advertising. So the company have planned to hold a trade show in London and concerts in Manchester, London etc. ACTION PLAN OF PROMOTION SEPT 1st 2010- Television, newspapers, magazines advertisement. SEPT 1st 2010 Launch in all around UK and IRELAND. SEPT 15th 2010 Promotional trucks in UK and IRELAND. SEPT 20th 2010 free sampling of Mc Tea at all major shopping malls, universities and colleges in UK. OCT 1st 2010 discounted rates offer for all major products of McDonalds at major cities of UK Ireland at buying a minimum of 5 Mc Tea. OCT 15th 2010 Free mugs printed with Mc TEA will be distributed at all outlets. OCT 30th 2010 Free sampling of Mc Tea in universities of Ireland. NOV 15th 2010 Advertising campaign in all major planned areas. AUG 2010 Concert will be held. SALES PLAN FORECAST BY MARKET SEGMENT As a firm develops a target market strategy, it should forecast the short run and long run sales of its offering to that market. Sales forecast outlines expected company sales for a specific good or service to specific consumer group over a specific period of time under a well-defined marketing program. By accurately forecasting sales, Mc Tea will be better able to develop a marketing budget, allocate marketing resources, measure success, analyze sales productivity, monitor the external environment and competition, and modify marketing plans. Factors Sales forecast UK 2 m Ireland 1.3 m Total sales 3..3 m Total Sales 3.3 m Cost of goods sold 1 m - Gross profit 2.3 m Marketing expenses 1 m - Profit before tax 1.3 m Tax (17%) 0.21 m - Net profit 1.09 m === TARGET ACCOUNTS Our target account for the fiscal year is 1.09 m net profit. From these target account we have anticipated that UK people are the tea lover, there we will be able to grab many customers. In Ireland, the winter season is of 4 to 5 months so there we will grab a huge chunk of customers. DISTRIBUTION The channel of distribution of the product will be direct through company outlets. Because the network of distribution is through all outlets which cover the entire market throughout. FINANCIALS ADVERTISING BUDGET Mc Tea now needs to establish an advertising budget for allocating the advertising expenses over several media types. The marketing cost that has been estimated for the promotion and awareness of the product is Pounds 1 million. This cost will be efficiently allocated in the various types of promotional activities that will be taking place. The budget is allocated in the following activities. Electronic media 200,000 Print media 100,000 Billboards 200,000 Promotional trucks 100,000 Free sampling of mugs and tea 200,000 Concert 200,000 TOTAL 1 million CONCLUSION The company has planned to integrate the overall approach towards the launch of MC Tea with the current existing product the tea offered in MC Donald. Also the overall launch of this product is planned to be profitable venture and is aimed to increase the target market share and performance of the company. CRITICAL REFLECTION Selected Learning outcome: Appreciate the importance of the separate marketing functions, the management of these functions, and how each function affects other functions within and external to the marketing domain. The marketing function became a revolution with the beginning of the 19th century. The initial phase of the century did not realize the potential of marketing and its functions but as time progressed the marketing function became a crucial part of the running businesses. Then whether it maybe Henry fords concept of black colors or any other people slowly and gradually started understanding the concept. In todays world of the 20th century marketing acts as a center point for any new or existing product. Now whether may it be a pen or a car. It begins with creating awareness, then moving on to teaching the buyer (consumer OR customer) and then later on towards making sales for the company. The new approach is to quantify things that are in current use by companies and things in practice. Separating the marketing function was like providing a working heart to the company. In the past era there were companies and products about which the customers had to go and extract information out from paid sources themselves. Marketing has revolutionized the entire effort and with it came many other things such as personal selling, sales promotion, advertising, media etc. In todays world a revolutionized marketing looks something like this: Marketing Public Relations Advertising Above the line Sales Promotion Below the line Implementation planning Media Tactics Sales Effort Discounts Teaching Customers Market Budgeting Selling efforts Media Marketing now has its extension further towards complementing other departments of a company. Finance department particularly seeks advertising expenditure and then return revenues. All budgets allocated to the marketing department are now quantified. Human resource department seeks towards good people and assets addition to a company. People involved in operations look to gain money return on production by good sales and promotion, even if they wish to achieve high operational targets they need to keep the marketing department inline so to achieve things such as economies of scale and economies of scope. Now writing towards the amount of learning I have had from this module is phenomenal. I havent heard of many terms and approaches that were used in this course before. The best part was the experience which I had. The course has transformed the way I look at TV ads, hoardings etc. Now I tend to pickup products in the market and carefully analyze the packaging and the mentioned contents in it to find relevance with the theory I had studied. I did missed out on practical part in the course where I should have made more efforts towards learning how the media planning and budgeting actually is done in an original market plan. This was due to lack of resources that I could make myself available. Yet I have filled my desire to see an actual marketing plan by analyzing the ongoing campaigns quite deeply to look for problems and things where they went wrong. I also came to know of potential problems such as promise and delivery gap. My prior knowledge was way too less as compared to what I l earned in this module. What I further intend to do is to get my theory more strong and approach companies to understand the practical part of a marketing plan. Also try and practically see how a marketing effort can be improved and made better.

Julius Caesar Tragic Hero (Brutus) :: Julius Caesar Essays

Tragic Hero Essay In the play the Life and Death of Julius Caesar (just as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies) there is much death, much tragedy, and of course, a tragic hero. However unlike most of Shakespeare’s plays this time the tragic hero is not particularly obvious. Throughout the play a few main characters present themselves as possibilities for being the tragic hero. But as being a tragic hero is not only having a tragic flaw but also entails much more, there really is only one person to fit the mold. The character Brutus is born into power and is higher/better then we are. He has a tragic flaw that causes his downfall and at the end he realizes his mistake (a trait none of the other characters can really claim). Throughout most of the play Brutus is constantly internally conflicted. Does he do what he believes is best for Rome or stay loyal to his friend and leader? Should he assist in the murder of one person to benefit many? Although killing Caesar was in the end a bad choice, Brutus always tries to do what is best for Rome and for the people. However even though all of Brutus’ motives are good he still has the tragic flaw of pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall. The reason that Brutus gets caught up in the conspiracy is because Cassias appeals to his pride and flatters him with forged letters from the Roman people saying he is a greater leader then Caesar. This flaw eventually leads to his downfall because of all the bad decisions it causes him to make. The first mistake pride causes him to make is to kill Caesar and the next mistake follows right after. â€Å" Mark Antony, here, take you Caesar’s body. You shall not in your funeral speech blame us, but speak all good you can devise of Caesar, and say you do’t by our permission; Else shall you not have any hang at all about his funeral; and you shall speak in the same pulpit wherto I am going, after my speech is done.† (24) This was said by Brutus to Antony right after Caesar’s death. Brutus not only allows Antony to live but then allows him to speak at Caesar’s funeral after Brutus speaks, completely unsupervised. This choice of Brutus’ is brought about by his pride (and maybe a little bit of shortsighted stupidity).

Hip hop Essay

Hip Hop is a category of â€Å"music† that has come a long way since it was first fashioned. Born in The Bronx, New York is has defined and interpreted countless of times. The text book definition is â€Å"a style of popular music of US black and Hispanic origin, featuring rap with an electronic backing. Originally produce to tell stories of men and women of the time it has since grown and develop a whole new meaning which is not set in stone. Today, hip-hop, can be located worldwide due largely to media website like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Since the birth of hip-hop one key element has remained true, hip-hop mirrors the issues in the world. In the 1970’s Hip Hop is now a part of the mainstream music scene. It is not uncommon to see artist from different genres collaborating with Hip Hop artists. It is also not uncommon to see Hip Hop music and culture in movies, television shows, and commercials. In the past you would only see people from ethnic communities wearing Hip Hop clothing, now all races including Asian, Caucasian, etc have accepted the Hip Hop style. The subject matter has also changed. In the past Hip Hop lyrics focused on political and societal frustrations, now Hip Hop lyrics steer more toward provocative content. Hip Hop subject matter consists mostly of the aspirations of wealth, sex, drug use, and criminal activity. During the beginning years the age of the Hip Hop listener was wide spread. It ranged from teens to even adults in their 50’s. Although Hip Hop still has an adult audience, it is now more geared toward younger audiences. Younger listeners are more likely to purchase Hip Hop music and paraphernalia, than the older audience. Hip Hop proves to be the voice of the people that may not be able to speak for themselves in conventional ways. Globalization has allowed many people who would not have the means to speak up, to be able to take center stage. Many believe that globalization will be the end of individuality and creativity. This has been a theory that seems to fail when put up against Hip Hop globalization. Hip Hop Globalization has proven to hybridize communities and music,that in the end forms something that has never been seen before. Globalization may prove that instead of making the world â€Å"flat†, it will create new mountains and craters of creativity that were never imagined.

Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder Essay

     INTRODUCTION Personality disorders constitute a major group in the classification of mental disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR),1 these conditions are defined by maladaptive personality characteristics beginning early in life that have consistent and serious effects on functioning. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is frequently seen in clinical practice.2 Characterized by emotional turmoil and chronic suicidality (suicide ideation and attempts), this type of personality disorder presents some of the most difficult and troubling problems in all of psychiatry.   The majority of patients with BPD are seen in psychiatric clinics or in primary care. The keys to successful management include making an accurate diagnosis, maintaining a supportive relationship with the patient and establishing limited goals. Although BPD may persist for years, it does not last forever, and one can be reasonably optimistic that most patients will recover with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotherapy can help speed up the recovery from BPD. The most effective forms of treatment have been developed by psychologists, and therefore when making a referral, physicians should consider a patient’s ability to pay for such therapy.   More research into the causes of BPD is needed, the results of which may help to develop evidence-based approaches to treatment that are practical and specifically designed for this challenging disorder.   THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER   Epidemiologic studies of personality disorders are at an early stage of development. Community surveys of adults have indicated that the prevalence of BPD is close to 1% (similar to that of schizophrenia).3,4 About 80% of patients receiving therapy for BPD are women,2 but sex differences are less striking in community samples.4 As is the case for personality disorders in general, BPD is associated with lower social class and lower levels of education.3,4   THE ETIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER We are only beginning to understand the causes of BPD. As with most mental disorders, no single factor explains its development, and multiple factors (biological, psychological and social) all play a role.   The biological factors in personality disorders consist of temperamental (inborn or heritable) characteristics that present in adulthood as stable personality traits: patterns of thought, affect and behaviour that characterize individuals and are stable over time.5 Heritable factors account for about half of the variability in virtually all traits that have been studied.6 Specifically, both affective instability6 and impulsivity7 have a heritable component of this magnitude, and studies involving twins have demonstrated that BPD itself shows a similar genetic influence.8 Also, family history studies have found that impulsive disorders such as antisocial personality and substance abuse are particularly common among firstdegree relatives of patients with BPD.9 Studies of central neurotransmitter activity have shown that impulsive traits, a major component of BPD, are associated with deficits in central serotonergic functioning.10,11 However, the biological correlates of affective instability are unknown, and no markers specific to the overall disorder have been identified.10 The psychological factors in BPD can be striking but are not consistent. BPD first presents clinically in adolescence, at a mean age of 18 years.12 Although many patients describe adversities such as family dysfunction as well as mood and impulsive symptoms that go back to childhood, longitudinal data are needed to determine the precise influence of early risk factors. 13 Reports of a high frequency of traumatic events during childhood in this population need to take into account community studies, which show extensive resilience following trauma, particularly for less severe adversities.13 The most careful studies have shown that a quarter of patients with BPD describe sexual abuse from a caretaker14 and that about a third report severe forms of abuse.15 However, although child abuse is clearly a risk factor, it is not specific to BPD.13 In general, adverse life events are not consistently pathogenic by themselves but, rather, produce sequelae in vulnerable populations.16 Social factors in BPD are suggested by indirect evidence.   Thus far, there have been no cross-cultural studies of BPD, although characteristic symptoms such as recurrent suicide attempts are less common in traditional societies, in which there is little change from one generation to the next, but are on the increase in modern societies and in societies undergoing rapid change.17   DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER The term â€Å"borderline† is a misnomer, based on an old theory that this form of pathology lies on a border between psychosis and neurosis. Actually, BPD is a complex syndrome whose   central features are instability of mood, impulse control and interpersonal relationships.2 Box 1 presents the DSM-IV-TR1 criteria, reorganized in relation to these basic dimensions, as well as cognitive symptoms.   Since the DSM-IV-TR requires only 5 of 9 criteria to be present, making a diagnosis on this basis leads to heterogeneity; more precise research definitions have been developed that require high scores for all 3 dimensions.18 The affective symptoms in BPD involve rapid mood shifts, in which emotional states tend to last only a few hours.19 When affective instability is monitored with standardized instruments,20 emotions are found to be intense but reactive to external circumstances, with a strong tendency toward angry outbursts. Levels of affective instability are most predictive of suicide attempts.21 Impulsive symptoms include a wide range of behaviours and are central to diagnosis.22 The combination of affective instability with impulsivity in BPD23 helps account for a clinical presentation marked by chronic suicidality and by instability of interpersonal relationships.23 Finally, cognitive symptoms are also frequent. In one case series,24 about 40% of 50 patients with BPD had quasi-psychotic thoughts. In another series,25 27% of 92 patients experienced psychotic episodes.   In a third series,26 psychotic symptoms were found to predict self-harm in patients with personality disorders. BPD is common in practice. A recent study involving patients in an emergency department who had attempted suicide showed that 41% of those with a history of multiple suicide attempts met the criteria for BPD this disorder.27   However, many cases are also seen in primary care settings.   Data from a survey conducted in a US urban primary care practice indicated that BPD was present in 6.4% of a sample of 218 patients.28   Because of the wide range of symptoms seen in BPD that are also typical of other disorders (Table 1), such as mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and eating disorders,29 patients may be felt to have one of these conditions while their BPD goes undetected. The most common disorder associated with BPD is depression, but in BPD, symptoms are usually associated with mood instability rather than with the extended and continuous periods of lower mood seen in classic mood disorders.19 Also, because of characteristic mood swings, BPD is often mistaken for bipolar disorder.30 However, patients with BPD do not show continuously elevated mood but instead exhibit a pattern of rapid shifts in affect related to environmental events, with â€Å"high† periods that last for hours rather than for days or weeks.30 BPD may be mistaken for schizophrenia; however, instead of long-term psychotic symptoms, patients with BPD experience â€Å"micropsychotic† phenomena of short duration (lasting hours or at most a few days), auditory hallucinations without loss of insight (patients with schizophrenia do not recognize that a hallucination is imaginary, whereas patients with BPD do), paranoid trends and depersonalization states in which patients experience themselves or their environment as unreal.   24 Finally, patients with BPD are at increased risk of substance abuse, which forms part of the clinical picture of widespread impulsivity.2 To diagnose BPD in practice, clinicians must first establish whether a patient has the overall characteristics of a personality disorder described in the DSM-IV-TR;1 that is, long-term problems affecting cognition, mood, interpersonal functioning and impulse control that begin early in life and are associated with maladaptive personality traits, such as neuroticism (being easily prone to anxiety or depression, or both) or impulsivity. Personality disorders can often account better for the multiplicity and chronicity of symptoms than can alternative diagnoses such as mood or anxiety disorders. The next step is a personality assessment, which requires a good history. Although practitioners will be able to obtain needed information from most patients during a routine visit, they may also, with the patient’s consent, wish to speak to family members or friends.   The final step is to determine the category that best fits the clinical picture. To diagnose BPD, clinicians   need to establish that patterns of affective instability, impulsivity and unstable relationships have been consistent over time.   THE COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISODERs Managing patients with BPD can be burdensome for clinicians because they may have to deal with repeated suicide threats and attempts over years. Also, patients with BPD do not easily respect boundaries and may become overly attached to their therapists.31 When practitioners fail to diagnose BPD, they may be at risk of becoming overinvolved with patients who suffer greatly but can be personally appealing to the physicians. Fortunately, most patients with BPD improve with time.32–34 About 75% will regain close to normal functioning by the age of 35 to 40 years, and 90% will recover by the age of 50.32 Unfortunately, about 1 in 10 patients eventually succeeds in committing suicide.35 However, this outcome is difficult to predict, and 90% of patients improve despite having threatened to end their lives on multiple occasions. The mechanism of recovery in BPD is not fully understood, but impulsivity generally decreases with age, and patients learn over time how to avoid the situations that give them the most trouble (e.g., intense love affairs), finding stable niches that provide the structure they need.35 BPD is a therapeutic challenge. A series of randomized controlled trials of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy36–47,50,52–54 have been published; however, the trials had a number of defects, most particularly small samples, attrition and durations that were too short (usually 8–12 weeks) for a chronic disorder that can last for years. Finally, outcomes in these studies were generally measured by self-report and did not indicate whether the clinical picture had actually shown full remission. The pharmacologic treatment of BPD remains limited in scope. By and large, the result can be described as a mild degree of symptom relief. A number of agents, including low-dose atypical neuroleptics,38 specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors39,41–43 and mood stabilizers,44,45 all alleviate impulsive symptoms. However, antidepressants are much less effective for mood symptoms in BPD patients than in patients without a personality disorder.48 Benzodiazepines are not very useful in BPD and carry some danger of abuse.49   Thus, although several drugs â€Å"take the edge off† symptoms, they do not produce remission of BPD. Failure to understand this point has led to polypharmacy regimens, on the assumption that multiple drugs are needed to target all aspects of the disorder. The result is that many patients receive 4–5 agents — with all their attendant side effects12 — in the absence of evidence from clinical trials supporting the efficacy of such combinations. Future research may lead to the development of agents more specific to the symptoms seen in BPD.   The mainstay of treatment for BPD is still psychotherapy. Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that targets affective instability and impulsivity, using group and individual sessions to teach patients how to regulate their emotions. This form of behaviour therapy has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours under control within a year.50–53 However, whether this method is effective in the long term is unknown. There is evidence from a randomized controlled trial supporting the use of a modified form of psychoanalytic therapy in a day-treatment setting that also makes us of cognitive techniques.54   Unfortunately, these forms of psychotherapy for BPD are expensive in terms of resources and are not generally available. In practice, therapy tends to be practical and supportive.   Practitioners who manage these cases can also use educational materials for patients and their families.31   BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main problem that practitioners face in managing cases of BPD is chronic suicidality. Physicians in primary care settings are prepared to care for many patients with psychotic disorders but are likely to ask psychiatrists to manage patients who make repeated suicide threats and attempts, or to suggest hospital admission. However, there has been little research on the   Efectiveness of hospitalization for the treatment of BPD and no evidence that it prevents completion of suicide.55 Suicidality in BPD peaks when patients are in their early 20s, but completed suicide is most common after 3035 and usually occurs in patients who fail to recover after many attempts at treatment. In contrast, suicidal actions such as impulsive overdoses, most often seen in younger patients, do not usually carry a high short-term risk and function to communicate distress.56 Self-mutilating behaviours such as chronic cutting, often referred to as â€Å"suicidal,† are problematic but are not associated with suicidal intent and instead serve to regulate dysphoric emotional states.56 Practitioners should move beyond their concerns about these patients and instead concentrate on managing symptoms and the life problems that exacerbate suicidal thoughts or behaviours.   THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR INTENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Explaining and predicting consumer behavior has been the focus of research for many years. Marketing research seeks to find the answers as to why people make specific choices and how can these be predicted.   Are there commonalities among purchasing groups that can be identified as predictors?   The literature available is rich, as researchers try to understand the drive forces and motivators of the consumer. Hovland and Rosenberg (1960) proposed that attitude, acting as an intervening or moderating variable, consists of three components: cognition (knowledge, ability), affect (beliefs, opinions) and conation (behavior or intent of behavior) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Hansen, 1972).  Ã‚   In order for behavior intent to exist, the three components must be present (Fazio & Olsen, 2003). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that attitude does not consist of three components, but is the moderating or intervening variable between cognition and the behavioral intent.   Attitude is derived from cognition, which in turn determines the intent to act or not (Ryan, 1982)   They proposed that researchers need to look at four categories: 1) knowledge, opinions and beliefs (cognition) about the object, 2) attitude (affect) towards the object, 3) behavior intent (conation) and 4) observed behavior to the object (Fishbein and   Ajzen, 1975). The specific action cannot be determined by the assessment of the knowledge of attitude toward an object but rather through the person’s intention to perform the act (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   Previous studies have shown that people may have a positive attitude toward an object; however, the intention of behavior will be negative.  Ã‚   This was found in studies concerning blood donation, condom use, and racial prejudice (Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005; Burnkrant and Page, 1982; Fazio and Olson, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Although many previous surveys showed favorable attitudes toward blood donation, condom use, and other races, their intention to give blood, use condoms or socialize with racial groups was negative.   Therefore, the intent of behavior of an individual must be determined, as well as his beliefs and attitude.   An in-depth discussion of each component will be addressed at a later point of this chapter.   MOA THEORY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Related to the behavioral intent theories is the motivation-opportunity-ability theory of processing information.   Although this theory is in response to communication outcomes, the components are relative to this study.   According to the MOA theory, a person must have motivation, opportunity, and ability to process information in order to develop an attitude towards a brand, which can be enhanced through advertising cues (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Motivation in ad processing refers to the consumers’ willingness to allocate processing resources; whereas, opportunity is the amount of attention that is allocated without disruption; and ability is the â€Å"skills or proficiencies† or prior knowledge (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Each component of the MacInnes et al. model will be discussed in greater detail.   Cognition – Knowledge, Opinions and Beliefs The cognition or knowledge, opinions and beliefs component of the Fishbein and Ajzen model is considered to be the driving force of the model.   Beliefs about an object are formed through direct observation, with information received from outside sources or by inference processes (Fazio and Olsen, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   The information or knowledge sought in belief formation in a specific situation can be influenced by the effort needed to obtain the information, the time constraint, and the likelihood that the information will be useful (Hansen, 1972).   Opportunity Opportunity pertains to those distractions or environmental factors which affect the consumers’ attention to information (Agho et al., 1993; MacInnes and Jaworski, 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Fazio and Olsen (2003) further proposed in their MODE or Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants of attitude-behavior relationship that in order for deliberate processes such as activities used in belief formation, opportunity to engage in the deliberate process must first be available, otherwise, the consumer will resort to memory (Fazio & Olsen, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time is reflective of opportunity as it influences consumer behavior and choices.   This finite and intangible resource is allocated by the consumer by choice, and is acquired by trading for another resource such as money (Bergadaa, 1990).   Therefore, consumers must choose how to use and manage their time.   Okada and Hoch (2004) found that consumers place a higher value on time spent if the outcome is positive and a lesser value if the experience is negative.   Consumers who have little time pressure will process the information in a leisurely fashion.   However, consumers who experience greater time pressure will generally use less time to process the information (Suri and Monroe, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, this study will propose that if the consumer has little time or reduced opportunity to expend on search and information gathering, he or she will be more likely to enlist the services of a realtor.   However, if the consumer is seeking monetary savings, and believes that time is less than the value of monetary costs, that consumer will participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction. Reference groups, friends, and family are important resources for the search of information, which is an integral part of buying or selling real estate.   This social network provides a means for sending and receiving information.   Word-of-mouth communication is important in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the consumer.   â€Å"Personal word-of-mouth influence has a more decisive role in influencing behavior than advertising and other marketer dominated sources (Herr et al., 1991).   Brown and Reingen (1987) found that the stronger the relationship tie, the more influential the communication.   The weaker relationships, on the other hand, were instrumental in developing a bridge in the communication flow and in providing a means for referrals.   The opportunity to obtain information increases as the number of people a person comes into contact with increases.   Ability Ability comprises the second component of cognition.   Not only does the consumer need opportunity to process information, but he or she must have the skill set or ability to access and process the information (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Any increase in ability can reduce the search process for information, as consumers will rely more on internal information than external information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003). The Internet has become a primary source for product research.   By using the Internet, consumers are afforded the ability to research a specific product, as well as compare products, attributes and prices.   â€Å"Retail businesses must struggle with facing an era of unprecedented consumer power obtained through Internet information† (Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002).   This phenomenon would apply to the sale or purchase of a home as well (Muhanna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology and the Internet have provided consumers access to information and products that were previously difficult, if not impossible to obtain, as well as have significantly influenced lowering of search costs.   Armed with this advantage, consumers are now afforded with possibilities of researching on the Internet and taking virtual tours, or viewing pictures and descriptions of available properties from the comfort of their own home.   The use of the Internet as one source of information will reduce the cost to the consumer during the search process (Baen, 1997; Baen and Guttery, 1997; Bakos, 1998; Seiler et al., 2001; Giaglis et al., 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ability is an intangible attribute that is often related to age and education.   As a person ages, or attains higher levels of education, the level of ability increases (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Age contributes to the informal knowledge base while education contributes to the formal knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Experience is also often associated with the level of ability (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Alba and Marmorstein (1987) studied the correlation of frequency or the number of times an event occurs, of experience to knowledge levels.  Ã‚   The greater the number of times a person was exposed to information or experience, the process of decision making was observed to be faster and less complicated.   Furthermore, â€Å"task performance is improved by different types of experiences† (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987).   Gibler and Nelson (2003) described that experienced home buyers remember which dimensions were useful in the past; on the other hand, inexperienced buyers ar e more susceptible to external influences, such as real estate agents, in determining their criteria for selection.   Therefore, the more homes a person has bought and/or sold, the more experience he/she has gained, and the less likely will that person enlist the services of a real estate agent.   The measurement of the levels of ability by the consumer can be ascertained by examining age, education level and prior experience.   â€Å"The greater the accumulation of experience and knowledge as one ages creates a reduced desire for additional information† (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).   Conation/Motivation – Dependent Variable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conation is defined as behavior or behavior intent.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) determined that conation is motivation or behavior intent.   Behavior only occurs if motivation is present to perform the behavior.   MacInnes et al. (1991) stated in their MOA theory that motivation is defined as the consumers’ desire or readiness to process the information.   Therefore, motivation can be defined as behavior intent.   Opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, and ability, measured by Internet access, education and experience (cognition) directly influence the level of motivation or behavior intent (conation).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hovland and Rosenberg (1959) proposed that attitude consists of three elements:   cognition, affect and conation.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argued, however, that attitude is affect, or the feelings toward a behavior.   â€Å"Attitudes reflect reasons for acting, and focus on what the decision maker does or can do† (Bagozzi et al., 2003)   For the purposes of this study, affect and attitude will be treated as the same and will be referred to as affect.   Affect is the result of cognition (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Therefore, if behavior intent is a result of persuasion and persuasion is the result of cognition, then persuasion will act as a moderating variable.   As the persuasion increases positively and based upon previous studies, behavior intent will increase positively.   Media habits, or message exposure, will also moderate cognition-affect-behavior intent (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Rubben, 2003).   The higher the levels of exposure to television, radio, newspaper, and internet, the more frequency the messages will occur (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics have been routinely used in marketing to assist in segmenting markets based upon gender, age group, income, culture, marital status, education and household size.   These variables are often referred to as demographics; however, as pointed out by Art Weinstein (1994), many variables used for demography are often socioeconomic.   It is common in marketing research to refer to all of these variables as â€Å"demographics† (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics are commonly used in business management due to the fact that they are easy to collect, group and analyze.   Furthermore, demographic variables typically have an interrelated correlation, which facilitates generalization and analysis of demographic data (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Household income and household size have a direct correlation with the monetary asset or value.   Consumers with lower incomes, or who have a large number of members in the household, are generally more price conscious.   Therefore, it is proposed that these consumers would prefer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction, foregoing the commissions paid to a real estate agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this study is to identify those determinants which persuade a consumer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction.   Therefore, in order to identify these factors, the proposed model is an integration of the three major theoretical models discussed. Fishbein and Ajzen’s expectancy value model, and Hovland and Rosenberg’s tripartite theory of behavior, provides the cognition-affect-conation model and cognition-attitude-motivation.   Integrated with this model, is the MOA model as proposed by MacInnes, Moorman and Jaworski (1991), in which behavior is influenced by motivation, opportunity and ability.   Through literature, it has been determined that opportunity and ability are components of cognition, and motivation is influenced by cognition and moderated by affect.   METHODOLOGY Study Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The selected population for this study is the participants of a study conducted by Bluefield State College School of Business.   The purpose of the study was to collect raw data regarding the real estate buying and selling behavior of the consumer in the local area, which would be available for future analysis and interpretation.   Their sample is composed of participants over the age of 18 at a local annual exposition held in Mercer County, West Virginia.   Mercer County has a population of 61, 589 people with a median income of $28,130. In 2004, 30,207 housing units existed in the County, with 63.5% of the population living in the same house in 2000.   The homeownership rate was 76.8% in 2000 (US Census Bureau).   The attendance rate at this particular event was approximately 6000 people, approximately 10% of the population (Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 2006).   Table 2 provides a summation of the demographics of Mercer County, West Virginia, in comparison to the State of West Virginia and United States averages.   Table 2. Demographic Data Mercer County, WV, State of West Virginia and United States (US Census Bureau, 2000) Demographic Mercer County West Virginia United States Population 62, 980 1,816,815 281,421,906 Median Household Income 28,120 32,967 43,318 Homeownership 76.8% 75.2% 66.2% For Sale By Owner N/A N/A 13% Living in the same home in 1995 and 2000 63.5% 63.3% 54.1% Housing units 30,207 866,944 122,671,734 High School Graduates 72.1% 75.2% 80.4% Bachelor’s Degree or above 13.8% 14.8% 24.4% In order to determine the appropriate sample size needed to complete this study, the following formula was used (Malhotra, 372); whereas the number of possible homeowners is 76.8% or 77% (US Census, 2000), Proportion of population that are homeowners (Ï€) = .70 Desired precision level (D) =.05 Confidence Level (CL) = 95% z value associated with 95% confidence level =1.96: Therefore, the number of samples needed:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n = Ï€(1-Ï€)z2/D2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(1-.77)(1.96)2/.052   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(.23)(3.8416)/.25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=272.13 or 272 samples needed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bluefield State College study contains 356 usable surveys of individuals rather than households, which is in excess of the 272 samples required for this study.   Based upon attendance of 6,000, this represents .0593% or 6% of the attendees surveyed. Instrument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The questionnaire developed consists of 42 questions including 35 opinion statements followed by 4-point Likert Scale responses and 8 demographic questions.   The Likert responses ranged from â€Å"mostly disagree† = 1 to â€Å"mostly agree† = 4.   Therefore, those who prefer to purchase or sell real estate without the assistance of a real estate agent will answer 1’s or mostly disagree.   These questions were drawn from Mitchell’s 1980 VALS; however, drawing from the works of Wells (1975) the constructs were changed to reflect product specific behavior. Opportunity H1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the level of opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, increases, the behavior intent or motivation to buy or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase.      Two variables will be measured to identify the positive or negative level of opportunity.   As previously stated in the literature, opportunity is influenced by time and social contacts. Six opinion statements are used to identify respondents’ attitudes and opinions regarding time, or the lack of time. These statements are followed by four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   An example statement from the questionnaire is, â€Å"I spend more than 40 hours a week outside of the home†.   Those respondents, who disagree with this statement, will have more time available to search or sell a home.   Previous research cited has shown that reference groups are an important factor during the information search phase of the decision making process.   Therefore, the more people a consumer comes into contact with, the greater access to information.   The questionnaire contains eight opinion statements with 4-point Lickert-scale responses.   These statements represent the respondent’s network by asking questions in regards to school, community, church and family gatherings.   It is proposed that respondents who have a larger network of social contacts will have access to more information than those who choose not to participate in outside of the home activities.   Therefore, based upon the scale responses, 1=mostly disagree and 4=mostly agree, responses that are higher numbers, will most likely have a stronger social network.   For instance, the statement â€Å"I am active in my community†, reflects the activities of the respondent.   If the response is a 4, then the respondent has outside of the home social contacts and access to information. Affect H1a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The direction of the level of affect will moderate the level of motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to determine affect, or beliefs, the survey provided seven belief statements.   Respondents responded using a Lickert scale, with â€Å"1† = mostly disagree to â€Å"4† = mostly agree.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I believe real estate agents are a necessity when buying or selling a home†.   Responses with higher numbers will have a strong belief concerning real estate agents. Ability H2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As ability, measured by age, education and experience, increases, behavior intent or motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase. Ability is measured by three variables:   experience, Internet access and education. In order to determine experience, the survey provides two questions and twelve opinion statements.   Experience can be measured by the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime.   Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more.   As the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime increases, the level of experience increases.   The highest possible response will be a 4 and the lowest 1.   Furthermore, experience with a real estate agent is questioned.   If the respondent had used an agent to buy or sell his/her home the answer would be no, represented by the number 1.   If yes, then number 2. Internet presence, which is also an indicator of information access, is determined in the questionnaire by requesting the respondent to choose which email providers they use for email.   The more email providers would indicate a higher Internet usage of the respondent.   Also, based upon the provider, it can be determined if the respondent has high speed cable or DSL access.   Those respondents without email would respond to â€Å"none†. Information regarding education level will then be analyzed to determine correlation with the questions and statements regarding ability.   According to the literature cited, it is proposed that as the level of education, Internet access, and experience increases ability will increase, which will directly impact behavior intent. Motivation (Behavior Intent) The next twelve statements contained in the survey are opinion statements regarding the use of real estate agents, brokers and intentions of the respondent.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I would always use a real estate agent to help with purchasing a home†.   Respondents were given four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   Therefore, â€Å"3† and â€Å"4† would indicate the respondent’s intent to use a real estate agent, rather than for sale by owner. Media Habits H1b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of opportunity and its relationship with motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent..      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of ability and its relationship with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Media habits, is also an indicator of information access.   Survey questions ask respondents the number of hours spent weekly watching television, listening to the radio, as well as newspapers read.   It is proposed that as the hours spent watching television or listening to the radio will moderate cognition and behavior intent.   As the number of hours exposed to media increases, the level of behavior intent will increase. Demographics H1c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between opportunity and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between ability and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic information regarding age, household income and household size will be collected.   This information will mediate cognition and behavior intent. Questions concerning gender, marital status and zip code will be used as descriptor or extraneous variables which are not statistically significant in this study. Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The data that will be used in this study has been collected by the Bluefield State College School of Business; however, statistical analysis has not been completed.   Therefore, raw data obtained will be used for this study. The first step will be determining the descriptive statistics of the variables used in the study.   This will provide the mean, median and standard deviation of each survey question.   The aggregate mean will then be used for each variable.   The results of this analysis will then be used to conduct inferential statistic analysis. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistic analysis will be conducted in four steps.   Multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the affect of the moderating and mediating variables.   The dependent variable is dichotomous; therefore, logit analysis will be conducted, followed by model fit and significance testing. Due to the existence of several independent variables, mediators and moderators influencing the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the relationships (Hair, 2003, p579).   The steps that will be taken to accomplish this, as recommended by Hair (2003, p579) are: assess the statistical significance of the overall regression model using the F statistic with a level of significance