JBRMR 2056-6271 https://doi.org/10.24052/JBRMR/ 3 Volume 05 Issue 2 2011-04-01

4 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=4 2012-02-24 Abstract This paper explores the environmental efforts of retailers in the United States to reduce their impact on the planet. A sample of thirty five annual reports and corporate social responsibility reports from eight retailers were analyzed. Findings suggest that at a strategic level all sample retailers commit to integrating waste minimization goals into their operations. Target, Wal-Mart, Albertson and Safeway were the most successful. This study also suggests that specialty stores and department stores environmental commitments are more aspirational than operational.     Anderson, R. (2010, October 11). BBC News - Nature's sting: The real cost of       damaging Planet Earth. BBC News. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from       http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11495812       An Overview of Carryout Bags in Los Angeles County. (2007). Retrieved May 23,       2009, from http://ladpw.org/epd/pdf/PlasticBagReport.pdf       ANN Care. Retrieved December 13, 2009, from       http://www.anncares.com/aboutThePlanet/index.asp       Assembly Bill No. 2449. (February 2006). Retrieved June 17, 2009, from       http://www.ecopod.org/resources/plasticbags.pdf       Brown, D. T. (1993). Landfills and legislation-overview of regulations affecting in-ground       disposal of nonhazardous solid waste in Canada and the United States. Chapter 2 (pp 37       58) in Mustafa. 1993. Plastic Waste Management: Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse. New       York: Marcel Dekker.       Clapp, J., & Swanston, L. (2009). Doing Away with plastic shopping bags:       international patterns of nom emergence and policy implementation.       Environmental Politics, 18(No3), 315-332.      Chappell, J. (April 2009). Reusable Grocery Bag Usage Triple in Past Year at Whole      Foods Market. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from      http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2009/04/09/reusable-grocery-bag-usage-triples-in      past-year-at-whole-foods-market/      Department of Energy, Strategies to cut energy use by 50% (2010). Retrieved      November 26th 2010, from http://www.buildings.energy.gov      David Court, D. & Narasimhan, L. (2010). Capturing the world’s emerging middle class      in McKinsey Quarterly accessed (November 26, 2010 from      https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/PDFDownload.aspx?ar=2639     Diamond, J. (2009). Will big business save the earth? The New York times,     December 6th New York, NY.      Dunlap, R. E., & Jones R.E. (2002). Environmental concern: Conceptual and     measurement issues. In Handbook of environmental Sociology. (pp. 482-524).     Dunlap and Michelson (Eds).      Environmental Protection Agency ( 2007). Municipal Solid Waste in the United     States-2007 Facts and Figures (Publication. Retrieved 21 September, 2009, from     Environmental Protection Agency:     http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw07-rpt.pdf    Euromonitor (2010). Euromonitor 2010 Retailing Key Trends retrieved November    26th fromhttp://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2292/Portal/Magazines/Welcome.aspx    Florida Department of Environmental Protection. (2009). Retrieved October 12,2009,                                           from http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/retailbags/pages/map_USA.htm    Figure 6: “I Am Not A Plastic Bag”. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from    http://designobserver.com/images/features/hindmarch.jpg    Gazette, R. (October 2009). Target to give customer discounts for reusable bags.      Retrieved October 30, 2009, from    http://www.rgj.com/article/20091020/NEWS/910200334/Target-to-give    customer-discounts-for-reusable-bags    Garcia, L. (April 2008). Seattle Mayor Nickels Proposes Green Fee on Shopping    Bags to Curb Environmental Impact [Electronic Version]. U.S. Mayor, 11.Retrieved    October 21, 2009, from    http://www.usmayors.org/climteprotection/documents/COM_040708_00_00_0.pd      GAP 2007-2008 Social Responsibility Report. (2008). Retrieved December 13, 2009,    from http://www.gapinc.com/socialresponsibility/    Gibson, G. (1997). Plastic Shopping Bags: Light, long-lasting convenient, non-degrading,    versatile, cheap, enduring disposal: Australian Association of Adult and Community    Education Inco. Document Number)    Global Development Research Center (2010). Sustainable business concepts In          Global procurement guidelines. Retrieved November 28th 2010 from                http://www.gdrc.org/sustbiz/green/doc-proc_guidelines.html   Horovitz, B. (October 2009). Target, CVS Put Plastic Bags in the Bull's-eye, Pay for   Reusables.  Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://www.newstin.com/rel/us/en-   010-019263960    Imhoff, (2005) Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World. In   Advantages and Disadvantages of Plastic Shopping Bags and Alternative Bags.   London: Sierra Club Books.   Jones, P., Hillier, D., Comfort, D., & Eastwood, I. (2005). Sustainable Retailing and   Consumerism Management Research News, 28, 35-44.and Comfort, D. (2007). What’s                        in a store? Retail marketing and corporate social responsibility. Marketing Planning    and     Intelligence, 25(1), 17-30.    Liss, M. A. (October 2008). The Results Are In...Over 92% of IKEA Customers            Bagged, The Plastic Bag! Retrieved October 30, 2009, from http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/press_room/press_release/nationa/blue_bag_thank_you.html      Litter Monitoring Body: System Results 2007.  Retrieved June 14, 2009, from                          http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/Environment/Waste/LitterPollution/File    DownLoad,18616,en.pdf    Malhotra, N. K. (2003). Marketing Research: An applied orientation. Upper Saddle      River,NJ: Pearson Education.    Mayville-Cox, P. (January 2008). Whole Foods to End Use of Plastic Bags by Earth   Day.   Retrieved October 18, 2009, from   http://www.greendaily.com/2008/01/22/whole-foods-to-end-plastic-bags-by   earth-day/   Mustafa, N. (1993). Plastics Waste Management: Disposal, Recycling, and Reuse. New   York: Marcel Dekker.   Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2001 Facts and Figures. (2001).   Retrieved October 24, 2009, from   http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm   Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States:   Facts and Figures for 2007. (2007). Retrieved October 30, 2009, from   http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw07-rpt.pdf   National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Retrieved January 20, 2009 from   http://www.epa.gov/Compliance/nepa/   National Retail Federation (NRF, 2009).  Share of the retail industry to the US                           economy retrieved November 26th, 2010 from      http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=1215  Phillips, S. (June 2009). Plastic Ban Bagged. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from  http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2009/06/19/plastic-ban  bagged/10648  Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance 81-07-106883. (2009). Retrieved May 12, 2009, from  http://www.sfgov.org/site/sf311csc_index.asp?id=71355  Ramirez, M. (2009). Seattle Voters Don't Buy Shopping-Bag Charge. Retrieved October   21, 2009, from  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009686467_elexseabagfee19m.html#  Reuters, T. (2005). Plastic Bags Banned, Blamed for West India Floods. Retrieved  October 23, 2009, from  http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32217/story.htm  Retail Energy Association (2010). Building Technologies Program. Retrieved  November 26th, 2010 from http://www.eere.energy.gov  Rossiter, G. (September 2008). Wal-Mart Sets Goal to Reduce Its Global Plastic  Shopping Bag Waste by One-Third. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from  http://www.csrwire.com/press/press_release/24221-Wal-Mart-Sets-Goal-to  Reduce-Its-Global-Plastic-Shopping-Bag-Waste-by-One-Third    Safeway 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Report. (2007). Retrieved December  14,2009, from  http://www.safeway.com/CMS/includes/docs/2008%20CSR%20Report.pdf  Slevin, C. (February 2009). Colorado Lawmakers Bag Statewide Plastic Bag Ban.    Retrieved October 30, 2009, from   http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6953717  Spokas, K. (2008). Plastic-Still Young, But Having a Mature Impact. Waste  Management, 473-474.    Stern, N. Z., & Ander, W. N. (2008). Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail: Hot  Ideas That Are Grabbing Customers' Attention and Raising Profits.  New Jersey: John   Wiley & Sons, Inc.  SUPERVALUE 2009 Corporate Responsibility. Retrieved January 10, 2010, from  http://www.supervalu.com/svwebapp/downloads/supervalu_corporate_social_re    sponsibilty_09.pdf  The LOHAS Consumer Trends Database. Retrieved October 30, 2009, from  http://www.nmisolutions.com/lohasd_custom.html  Target 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report. (2007). Retrieved December 14, 2009,   from http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04  031084  Wal-Mart Global Sustainable Report 2009. (2009). Retrieved December 13, 2009,   from http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/7951.aspx  West, L. (n.d.). Reusable Bags – Paper, plastic or something better? About.com    Environmental Issues. Retrieved February 26th 2009, from http://environment.About.com/od/recycling/a/reusablebags.htm.  World Watch Institute (2010). Eye on earth. Retrieved November 7th, 2010 from    www.worldwatch.org.   https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-4.pdf Chida Meriem He, Ling Environment reduce waste plastic sustainability. 613714 15 0

5 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=5 2012-02-24 The number of older adults remaining or returning to the labor force is growing due to the financial and social benefits associated with work. Although businesses recognize that older workers will be vital to the global economy in the future, few studies have examined the job designs that optimize generational needs for older workers. This study explored the perceptions of job characteristics (opportunities for decision-making, skill variety, coworker support, supervisor support) as related to healthy aging (social network, emotional support, personal sense of control, generativity) in 109 older sales associates in the retail homebuilding industry. Older workers completed four standardized surveys measuring job characteristics and qualities associated with healthy aging. The job of a sales associate enabled them opportunities to make decisions, use a variety of skills, and experience social support in their jobs. These job design characteristics contributed to healthy aging outcomes of generativity and personal control. The most important job design characteristics for healthy aging were skill variety and coworker support. Recommendations are provided for supervising older workers based on these findings. American Association of Retired Persons (2003). Staying ahead of the curve:  The             AARP working in retirement study. AARP Knowledge Management: Washington, DC     Retrieved at:  http://research.aarp.org/econ/multiwork_2003_1.pdf   Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. (1990). Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral          sciences. New York: Cambridge University Press.   Brooke, L. (2003). Human resource costs and benefits of maintaining a mature-age          workforce.  International Journal of Manpower, 24 (3), 260-283.  Bureau of Labor Statistics (2001). 1995 survey of employer provided training-   employee results. Retrieved at http://www.bls.gov/ept/eptover.htm   Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009). Employment projections. Civilian labor force by    age, sex, race, and ethnicity. Retrieved   at:http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_304.htm  Cahill, K.E., Giandrea, M.D., & Quinn, J.F. (2006). Retirement patterns from career     employment. The Gerontologist, 46 (4), 514-523.  Cheng, S.-T. (2009). Generativity in later life: Perceived respect from younger   generations as a determinant of goal disengagement and psychological well-being.   Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 64B (1), 45-54.  DeLong, D. W. (2004). Lost knowledge: Confronting the threat of an aging workforce. New   York: Oxford University Press.   Erikson, E. (1997). The life cycle completed: Extended version. New York: W.W. Norton &                Company.   Gendall, M. (2008).  Older workers: Increasing their labor force participation and                     hours     of work. Monthly Labor Review, 130, 41-54.    General Accounting Office (2001). Older workers: Demographic trends pose challenges   employers and workers (GAO No. 02-85). Washington, DC: United States General    Accounting Office.  Gulati, R., & Kletter, D. (2005). Shrinking core: Expanding periphery: The relational    architecture of high-performing organizations. California Management Review, 47     (3), 77-103.  Hedge, J.W., Borman, W.C., & Lammlein, S.E. (2006). The aging workforce:   Realities,  myths, and implications for organizations. Washington, DC: American  Psychological Association.   Ilmarinen, J. (2006). Towards a longer and better working life: A challenge of work      force    ageing. Medicina del Lavoro, 97 (2), 143-147.   Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2008) Employment status    survey. http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/shugyou/index.htm   Karasek, R. A. (1986). Job Content Questionnaire and user’s guide. New York: Job- Heart Project at Columbia University.   Karasek, R., & Theorell, T. (1990). Healthy work: Stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. New York: Basic Books.   Karasek, R., Brisson, C., Kawakami, N., Houtman, I., Bongers, P., & Amick, B.  (1998). The JCQ: An instrument for internationally comparative assessments of psychosocial job characteristics. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3 (4),  322-355.   Karazman, R., Kloimuller, I., Geissler, H., & Karazman-Morawetz, I. (2000). Effects  of ergonomic and health training on work interest, work ability and health in elderly public urban transport drivers. International Journal of Industrial     Ergonomics, 25, 503-511.   McAdams, D. P., & de St. Aubin, E. (1992).  A theory of generativity and its        assessment through self-report, behavioral acts, and narrative themes in autobiography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(6), 1003 - 1015.   McNaught, W., &  Barth, M. C. (1992). Are older workers “Good Buys”?- A case study   of Days Inns of America. Sloan Management Review, 33(3), 53-63.    McCann, R.M., & Giles, H. (2007). Age-differentiated communication in organizations:   Perspectives from Thailand and the United States. Communication Research Reports, 24(1),   1-12.   Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (1991). Eliminating defense bias and agreement bias   from   measures of the sense of  control: A 2 X 2 index. Social Psychology Quarterly, 54 (2), 127- 145.   Noonan, A. E. (2005). “At this point now”: Older workers’ reflections on their    current employment experiences. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 61(3), 211-214.   Ross, C. E., & Wright, M. P. (1998). Women’s work, men’s work, and the sense of  control. Work and Occupations, 25 (3), 333-356.  Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1998). Successful aging. New York: Dell Publishing,  Random House.  Seeman, T., Lusignolo, T. M., Albert, M., & Berkman, L. (2001). Social relationships,   social     support, and patterns of cognitive aging in healthy, high-functioning         older adults: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Health Psychology, 2 (4), 243-255.   Smola, K. W., & Sutton, C. D. (2002). Generational differences: Revisiting generational       work values for the new millennium. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), 363-    384.  U.S. Department of Labor (2010). Occupational employment statistics. Retrieved at: http://stats.bls.gov/oes/  Wahlstedt, K. G. I., Nygard, C. H., Kemmlert, K., Torgen, M., & Bjorksten, M. G. (2000).The effects of a change in     work organization upon the work environment and musculoskeletal symptoms among letter carriers.   Wenger, J.B. & Reynolds, J. (2009). Older married workers and nonstandard jobs:  The     effects of health and health insurance. Industrial Relations, 48 (3), 411-43 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-5.pdf Martha J. Sanders Jack McCready Older Worker Management Homebuilding Industry Healthy Aging 549712 13 0

6 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=6 2012-02-24 Every retail web site is actively seeking out new innovations and approaches that create competitive advantage and increase the profitability. In general, retailers constantly monitor the behaviour of the real shoppers on the website and any changes in the market requirements. This paper presents a chat invitation web funnel structure, profiling web visitors and selection of hot leads for retail business processes through scoring method using geographic region, product page and other factors. Choosing the right hot prospects through rule base real time chat invitation method based on product type, time on page, cart load, search behavior, cookie information etc. and providing chat to those hot prospects is a special merit to this work. Active rules selection process is done using rule effectiveness indicator and chat load contribution which ensures sales revenue, chat volume and profit margin. An indirect increase in customer delight for interacting with representatives is also expected. Agresti, A. (2002), Categorical Data Analysis, 2nd edition, John Wiley, New York.    Breslow, N. (1982), Covariance adjustment of relative-risk estimates in matched studies,   Biometrics, Vol. 38, pp. 661-672.   Constantinides E. (2004), ‘Influencing the online consumer’s behaviour: the web experience’,  Internet Research, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 111-126.  Dellmann, F., Kfm, D., Wulff, H., Betriebsw, D. Schmitz, S. and  Wirtschaft, F. (2003),    ‘Statistical analysis of web log files of a German Automobile Producer findings from  practical   project concerning web usage mining’, in: Xindong Wu, Alex Tuzhilin, Jude  Shavlik (Eds.): Third IEEE International Conference on Data Mining, Melbourne, Florida,   IEEE Press, pp. 715-718.   E-Metrics - Business Metrics for the New Economy, available at:    http://www.netgen.com/emetrics/ (accessed July 2009).   Goldfarb, A. and Qiang, L. (2006), ‘Household-Specific Regression Using Clickstream Data’,   Statistical Science, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 217-255.    Griffin, N. L. and Lewis F. D. (2010), ‘A Rule-Based Inference Engine which is optimal and   VLSI implementable’, available at: http://www.cs.uky.edu/~lewis/papers/inf   engine.pdf(accessed July 16, 2010)   Hastie, T., Tibshrani, R. and Friedman, J. (2001), Elements of Statistical Learning, Springer-   Verlag, New York.Jarvenppa, S. L. and Todd, P. A. (1996), ‘Consumer reactions to electronic    shopping on the World Wide Web’, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 1 No. 2,   pp. 59-88.   King, B. Andrew. (2008), Website Optimization, O’Reilly Media Inc.   Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2001), Principles of Marketing, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs,         NJ.  Kucukyilmaz, T., Cambazoglu B. B., Aykanat, C. And Can, F. (2008), ‘Chat mining:      Predicting user and message attributes in computer-mediated communication’, Information  Processing and Management, Vol. 44, pp. 1448-1466.  Merrilees, Bill and Fry, Marie-Louise (2003), ‘E-trust: the influence of perceived interactivity  on e-retailing users’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 21 No 2, pp. 123-128.  Montgomery, A., Shibo, L., Kannan, S. and John, C. L. (2004), ‘Modelling online browsing  and path analysis using Clickstream data’, working paper, Graduate school of industrial  administration, Carnegie Mellon University, (accessed July 2009).  O’Cass, A. and Fenech, T. (2003), ‘Web retailing adoption: exploring the nature of internet  users Web retailing behaviour’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 81-94.  Pallis, G., Angelis, L. and Vakali, A. (2007), ‘Validation and interpretation of Web users’     sessions  clusters’,Information Processing and Management, Vol. 43, pp. 1348–1367.  Ranganathan, C. and Ganapathy, S. (2002), ‘Key dimensions of business-to-consumer web   sites’, Information and Management, Vol. 39, pp. 457-465. https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-6.pdf Sasadhar Bera Prasun Das E-Commerce Chat Conversion Funnel Hot Lead AOV Cart Load Agent 536864 11 0

7 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=7 2012-02-24 Recent advances in data collection technology and computing power yield opportunities to apply robust analytical methods to retail. Additional profitability can be obtained by leveraging data-mining techniques and optimization models to decisions that have heretofore been based heavily on experiential understanding. Scientific methods can be applied to the revenue-driving areas of merchandise such as assortment, pricing, placement, and promotion to obtain further insight and make more precise decisions. Bijmolt, T.H.A., van Heerde, H.J., Pieters, R.G.M., 2005. New empirical                                             generalizations on the determinants of price elasticity. Journal of Marketing   Research 42 (2), 141-156. Bitran, G., Caldentey, R., 2003. An overview of pricing models for revenue    management. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 5 (3), 203-229. Borle, S., Boatwright, P., Kadane, J.B., Nunes, J.C., Shmueli, G., 2005. The effect of   product assortment changes on customer retention. Marketing Science 24 (4), 616-622. Boyd, E.A., Bilegan, I.C., 2003. Revenue management and e-commerce.    Management Science 49 (10), 1363-1386. Chebat, J.C., Michon, R., 2003. Impact of ambient odors on mall shoppers’ emotions,    cognition, and spending: A test of competitive causal theories. Journal of Business   Research 56 (7), 529-539. Chong, J.K., Ho, T.H., Tang, C.S., 2001. A modeling framework for category     assortment planning. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 3 (3), 191- 210. Curhan, R.C., 1973. Shelf space allocation and profit maximization in mass retailing.   Journal of Marketing  37 (3),  54-60. Desmet, P., Renaudin, V., 1998. Estimation of product category sales   responsiveness  to allocated shelf space. International Journal of Research in Marketing 15 (5),  443-457. Dreze, X., Hoch, S.J., Purk, M.E., 1994. Shelf management and space elasticity.   Journal  of Retailing 70 (4), 301-326. Fisher, M.L., Vaidyanathan, R., 2010. An algorithm and demand estimation     procedure for retail assortment optimization. Working paper, Operations and Information Management Department, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Hardesty, D.M., Bearden, W.O., Carlson, J.P., 2007. Persuasion knowledge and   consumer reactions to pricing tactics. Journal of Retailing 83 (2), 199-210.    Harrell, G.D., Hutt, M.D., Anderson, J.C., 1980. Path analysis of buyer behavior   under  conditions of crowding. Journal of Marketing Research 17 (1), 45-51. Hoch, S.J., Bradlow, E.T., Wansink, B., 1999. The variety of an assortment.  Marketing  Science 18 (4), 527-546. Kim, B.D., Blattberg, R.C., Rossi, P.E., 1995. Modeling the distribution of price    sensitivity and implications for optimal retail pricing. Journal of Business and   Economic Statistics 13 (3), 291-303. Kimes, S.E., 1989. The basics of yield management. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant  Administration Quarterly 30 (3), 14-19. Kök, A.G., Fisher, M.L., 2007. Demand estimation and assortment optimization   under  substitution: Methodology and application. Operations Research 55 (6), 1001-1021. Krishnamurthi, L., Raj, S.P., 1991. An empirical analysis of the relationship            between brand loyalty and consumer price elasticity. Marketing Science 10 (2), 172-183.   Lattin, J.M., McAlister, L., 1985. Using a variety-seeking model to identify   substitute and complementary relationships among competing products. Journal of    Marketing Research 22 (3), 330-339.   Li, H.L., Chang, C.T., Tsai, J.F., 2002. Approximately global optimization for     assortment problems using piecewise linearization techniques. European Journal of    Operational Research 140 (3), 584-589.   Littlewood, K., 1972. Forecasting and control of passenger bookings. 12th AGIFORS   Symposium Proceedings 12: 95-117, Nathanya, Israel.   McCarthy, E.J., 1981. Basic Marketing: A Managerial Approach. Irwin Professional    Publishing, Homewood, IL.   Morrison, D.G., 1979. Purchase intentions and purchase behavior. Journal of  Marketing 43 (2), 65-74.   Moyer, M.S., 1972. Management science in retailing. Journal of Marketing 36 (1), 3-9.   Noone, B.M., Kimes, S.E., Renaghan, L.M., 2003. Integrating customer relationship   management and revenue management: A hotel perspective. Journal of Revenue and  Pricing Management 2 (1), 7-22.    Parker, P.M., 1992. Price elasticity dynamics over the adoption life cycle. Journal of  Marketing Research 29 (3), 358-367.  Parsons, A.G., 2003. Assessing the effectiveness of shopping mall promotions:  Customer analysis. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 31 (2), 74-79.  Pierce, A., 2009. The power of digital signage. Dealerscope,  http://www.dealerscope.com/article/how-new-merchandising-solutions-can-help-drive-sales-profits-402688_1.html, accessed 2 February 2010.  Sayman, S., Hoch, S.J., Raju, J.S., 2002. Positioning of store brands. Marketing Science 21  (4), 378-397.  Schindler, R.M., 2006. The 99 price ending as a signal of a low-price appeal. Journal of  Retailing 82 (1), 71-77.  Sorensen, H., 2003. The science of shopping. Market Researching 15 (3), 30-35.  Stassen, R.E., Waller, M.A., 2002. Logistics and assortment depth in the retail supply  chain: Evidence from grocery categories. Journal of Business Logistics 23 (1), 125-143.  Upshaw, L.B., 1995. Building Brand Identity: A Strategy for Success in a Hostile  Marketplace. John Wiley, New York, NY.   Urban, T.L., 1998. An inventory-theoretic approach to product assortment and shelf- space allocation. Journal of Retailing 74 (1), 15-35.  van Nierop, E., Fok, D., Franses, P.H., 2008. Interaction between shelf layout and  marketing effectiveness and its impact on optimizing shelf arrangements. Marketing  Science  27 (6),  1065-1082.  van Ryzin, G., Mahajan, S., 1999. On the relationship between inventory costs and   variety benefits in retail assortments. Management Science 45 (11), 1496-1509.  Yang, Y.H., Dudoit, S., Luu, P., Lin, D.M., Peng, V., Ngai, J., Speed, T.P., 2002.   Normalization for cDNA microarray data: A robust composite method addressing  single and multiple slide systematic variation. Nucleic Acids Research 30 (4), e15:1- e15:11.  Yücel, E., Karaesmen, F., Salman, F.S., Türkay, M., 2009. Optimizing product  assortment under customer-driven demand substitution. European Journal of  Operational Research 199 (3), 759-768.   https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-7.pdf Seth A. Bata Jonathan Beard Erica Egri David Morris Retail Revenue Management Merchandise Elasticity 529463 11 0

8 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=8 2012-02-24 The main purpose of this paper is to determine whether brand awareness, brand association, brand service quality and brand loyalty factors can be taken as the elements of mall equity elements in a second order context. The analyses revealed that all mall equity elements can be loaded to mall equity dimension. These four dimensions have a total of 15 items. In this study, we empirically demonstrate that mall equity structure parallels that of brand equity as a second order model Aaker, D. (1991), Managing brand equity, The Free Press, NY.    Abaza, M. (2001), ‘Shopping malls, consumer culture and the reshaping of publicspace in Egypt’, Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 18, No. 5, pp. 97-122.    Arnett, D.B., Laverie, D.A. and Meiers, A. (2003), ‘Developing parsimonious    retailer equity indexes using partial least squares analysis: a method and pplications’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 79, No. 3, pp. 161-170.    Arslan, T.V., Isigicok, E. and Sezer, F.S. (2010), ‘Turkey has witnessed a shopping mall boom in 2000s: local dynamics behind the attractiveness of this new urban form’, Urban Dynmaics & Housing Change - Crossing into the 2nd Decade of the     3rd Millennium, ENHR 2010, 4-7 July, ISTANBUL 22nd International Housing Research Conference.   Arslan, T.V., Sezer, F.S, and Isigicok, E. (2010a), ‘Magnetism of shopping malls onyoung Turkish consumers’, Young Consumers, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 178-188.   Atilgan, E., Aksoy, S. and Akinci, S. (2005), ‘Determinants of the brand equity: A   verification approach in the beverage industry in Turkey’, Marketing Intelligence &Planning, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 237-248.   Bagozzi, R. P. and Yi, Y. (1988), ‘On the Evaluation of Structural Equation Models’,               Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 74-94.   Berry, L.L. (2000), ‘Cultivating service brand equity’, Journal of the Academy ofMarketing Science, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 128-137.   Bloch, P.H., Ridgway, N.W. and Dawson, S.A. (1994), ‘The shopping mall asa consumer Habitat’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 70, No. 1, pp. 23-42.    Bone, P., Sharma, S., and Shimp, T. (1989), ‘A bootstrap procedure for evaluating goodness-of-fit indices of structural equation and confirmatory factor models’,     Journal of Marketing Research,   Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 105–111.    Chaudhuri, A. (1995), ‘Brand equity or double jeopardy?’, Journal of Product  Brand Management, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 26-32.    Chaudhuri, A. and Holbrook, M.B. 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(1996), ‘A measure of service qualityfor retail stores: Scale development and validation’, Journal of the Academy ofMarketing Science, Vol. 24, No.1, pp. 3–16.   De Juan, M.D. (2004), ‘Why do people choose the shopping malls? the attraction theory revisited’, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 71-96.   Dennis, C., Murphy, J., Marsland, D., Cockett, T. and Patel, T. (2002), ‘Measuring   image: Shopping centre case studies’, International Review of Retail, Distributionand Consumer Research, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 355-373.   El-Adly, M. I. (2007), ‘Shopping malls attractiveness: A segmentation approach’,   International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 35, No. 11, pp.936-950.   El-Hedhli, K.., Chebat, J.C. (2009), ‘Developing and validating a psychometric   shopper based mall equity measure’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 62, No. 6, pp.581–587.   Erkip, F. (2005), ‘The rise of the shopping mall in Turkey: the use and appeal of a mall in Ankara’,  Cities, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 89–108.   Fernie, J. (1995), ‘The coming of the fourth wave: New forms of retail out-of-town   development’, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol.23,No. 1/2, pp. 4-11.    Fernie, J. and Hallsworth, A. (1998), ‘England’s potteries: past and present pioneers    of factory shopping’, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management,Vol. 26, No. 10/11, pp. 439–444.    Finn, A. and Rigby, J. (1992), ‘West Edmonton mall: consumer combined-purpose    trips and the mega-multi-mall?’, RCSA I CJAS, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 134-145.    Gilboa, S. (2009), ‘A segmentation study of Israeli mall Customers’, Journal of    Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 135-144.    Hair, J.F. Jr. , Anderson, R.E., Tatham, R.L., and Black, W.C. (1998), Multivariate    Data Analysis, (5th Edition), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.   Hartman, K. and Spiro, R. (2005), ‘Recapturing Store Image in Customer-Based Store    equity: a Construct Conceptualization’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 58, No. 3, pp. 1112-1120.   Jones, P. (1995), ‘Factory outlet shopping centers and planning issues’, International    Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 12-17.   Joreskog, K. G. and Sorbom, D. (1996), LISREL 8: User's reference guide. Chicago: Scientific Software International.   Keller, K.L. (1993), ‘Conceptualizing, measuring, managing customer-based brand   equity’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 1-22.   Keller, K.L. (1998), Strategic brand management: building, measuring, and managing   brand equity, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.   Kim, W.G. and Kim, H.B. (2004), ‘Measuring customer-based restaurant brand    equity’, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 115-131.   Krishnan, H.S. (1996), ‘Characteristics of memory associations: A consumer-based    brand equity perspective’, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 389-405.   Kuruvilla, S.J. and Joshi, N. (2010), ‘Influence of demographics, psycholographics,   Shopping orientation, mall shopping attitude and purchase patterns on mall   patronage in India’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp.259-269.   Lala, V., Allred, A.T. and Chakraborty, G. (2009), ‘A multidimensional scale for   measuring country image’, Journalof International Consumer Marketing, Vol. 21,No. 1,pp.  51–66.   Laroche, M., Teng, L., Michon, R. and Chebat, J.C. (2005), ‘Incorporating service   quality into consumer mall shopping decision making: a comparison between    English and French Canadian consumers’, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 19,No. 3, pp. 157-163.   Lassar, W., Mittal, B. and Sharma, A. (1995), ‘Measuring customer-based brand   equity’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 11-19.   LeHew, M.L., Adkins, B.B. and Wesley, S. (2002), ‘Expanding the loyalty concept to   include preference for a shopping mall’, International Review of Retail, Distribution   and Consumer Research, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 225–236.   Leszczyc, P.P.T.L., Sinha, A. and Timmermans, H.J.P. (2000), ‘Consumer store choice   dynamics: An analysis of the competitive market structure for grocery stores’,Journal of Retailing, Vol. 76, No. 3, pp. 323–345.   Low, G.S. and Lamb, C.W. (2000), ‘The measurement and dimensionality of brand  associations’, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 350-370.   Lowry, J.R. (1997), ‘The life cycle of shopping centers’, Business Horizons, Vol. 40,No. 1, pp. 77-86.   Machleit, K.A. and Mantel, S.P. (2001), ‘Emotional response and shopping   satisfaction: Moderating effects of shopper attributions’, Journal of BusinessResearch, Vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 97–106.   Martin, C.A. (2009), ‘Consumption motivation and perceptions of malls: a   comparison of mothers and daughters’, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice,Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 49–61.   McGoldrick, P. (2002), Retail marketing. The McGrawhill, London.   Merz, M.A. and He, Y. and Alden, D.L. (2008), ‘A categorization approach to   analyzing the global consumer culture debate’, International Marketing Review, Vol.25, No. 2, pp. 166-182.   Ng, C.F. (2003), ‘Satisfying shoppers’ psychological needs: From public market to   cybermall’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 439-455.   Nusair, K and Hua, N. (2009), ‘Comparative assessment of structural equation   modeling and multiple regression: e-commerce context’, Tourism Management, Vol.31, No. 3, pp. 314–324.   Oakenfull, G.K, McCarthy, M.S. (2010), ‘Examining the relationship between brand   usage and brand knowledge structures’, The Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 17,No. 4, pp. 279-288.   Pappu, R. and Quester, P. (2006), ‘A consumer-based method for retailer equity   measurement: Results of an empirical study’, Journal of Retailing and Consumer    Services, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 317-329.   Pappu, R. and Quester, P.G. (2008). ‘Does brand equity vary between department   stores and clothing stores? Results of an empirical investigation’, Journal of Product   and Brand Management, Vol. 17, No.  7, pp. 425-435.   Parker, R., Pettijohn, C., Pettijohn, L. and Kent, J. (2003), ‘An analysis of customer   perceptions: factory outlet malls versus traditional department stores’, Marketing   Management Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 29-44.   Pitta, D.A. and Katsanis, L.P. (1995), ‘Understanding brand equity for successful   brand extension’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 51-64.   Pride, W. and Ferrell, M. (1983), Marketing basics concepts and decisions, HoughtonMifflin Company, Boston.   Punj, G. and Moon, J. (2002), ‘Positioning options for achieving brand association: A    psychological categorization framework’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 275– 283.   Quester, P.  and Farrelly, F. (1998), ‘Brand association and memory decay effects of    sponsorship: The case of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix’, Journal of Product    & Brand Management, Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 539-556.   Reynolds, K., Ganesh, J. and Luckett, M. (2002), ‘Traditional malls vs. factory outlets:    Comparing shopper typologies and implications for retail strategy’, Journal of    Business Research, Vol. 55, No. 9, pp. 687-696.   Ruiz, F.J.M. (1999), ‘Image of suburban shopping malls and two stage versus uni-   equational modeling of the retail trade attraction: An empirical application’,    European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 33, No. 5/6, pp. 512-530.   Ruiz, J.P., Chebat, J.C. and Hansen, P. (2004), ‘Another trip to the mall: A    segmentation study of customers based on their activities’, Journal of Retailing and    Consumer Services, Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 333-350.   Salcedo, R. (2003), ‘When the global meets the local at the mall’, American    Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 46, No. 8, pp. 1084–1103.   Schoenbachler, D.D. and Gordon, G.L. (2002), ‘Multi-channel shopping:    Understanding what drives channel choice’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 42-53.   Schumacher, R. and Lomax, R. (2004), A beginner’s guide to structural equation    modeling. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.   Shim, S. and Eastlick, M.A. (1998), ‘The hierarchical influence of personal values on    mall shopping attitudes and behavior’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 74, No. 1, pp. 139-160.   Shimp, T. (1997), Advertising, Promotion and Supplemental Aspects of Integrated    Marketing Communications. The Dryden Press, Philadelphia.   Stoel, L., Wickliffe, V. and Lee, K.H. (2004), ‘Attribute beliefs and spending as      antecedents to shopping value’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 57, No. 10, pp. 1067–   1073.   Sudman, S. (1980), ‘Improving the quality of shopping center sampling’, Journal of    Marketing Research, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp. 423-431.   Terblanche, N.S. (1999), ‘The perceived benefits derived from visits to a super    regional shopping centre: An exploratory study’, South African Journal of Business    Management, Vol. 30, No. 4, pp. 13-20.   Tuncer, D., Alkibay, S. and Hosgor, S. (2007), Alısveris merkezleri ve yönetimi,    Siyasal kitabevi, Ankara (in Turkish).   Uggla, H. (2004), ‘The brand association base: A conceptual model for strategically    leveraging partner brand equity’, Brand Management, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 105–123.   Uggla, H. (2006), ‘The corporate brand association base: A conceptual model for the    creation of inclusive brand architecture’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 40, No. 7/8, 785-802.   Vazquez, R., Rio, A.B. and Iglesias, V. (2002), ‘Consumer-based brand equity:    Development and validation of a measurement instrument’, Journal of Marketing    Management, Vol. 18, No. 1 & 2, pp. 27-48.   Voyce, M. (2006), ‘Shopping malls in Australia: The end of public space and the rise    of ‘consumerist citizenship?’, Journal of Sociology, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 269–286.   Wood, L. (2000), ‘Brands and brand equity: Definition and management’,    Management Decision, Vol. 38, No. 9, pp. 662-669.   Ye, G. and Raaij, W.F.V. (2004), ‘Brand equity: extending brand awareness and liking   with signal detection theory’, Journal of Marketing Communications, Vol. 10, No. 2,pp. 95-114.   Yoo, B. and Donthu, N. (2001), ‘Developing a scale to measure the perceived quality    of an internet shopping site’, Quarterly Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 31-47.   Yoo, B., Donthu, N. and Lee, S. (2000), ‘An examination of selected marketing mix    elements and brand equity’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 195–211. https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-8.pdf M. Hakan Altintas F. Bahar Isin Serkan Kilic Hans Ruediger Kaufmann Brand awareness brand association brand service quality brand loyalty mall equity. 556565 14 0

9 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=9 2012-02-24 Brand extensions have become a famous strategy for many of companies since many years ago. It’s success depends on acceptance and evaluations of consumers about brand extension. Thus,our purpose is to identify the effective factors on consumers primary attitudes formation towards brand extension of Pegah company of Kerman .We understood that external information, knowledge about parent brand/extension category, affect toward parent brand/extension category and fit perception influence attitudes toward brand extensions .Also, increasing consumer expertise, increases the rate of effect of fit perception, consumer knowledge about parent brand/extension category, affect toward parent brand/ extension category and external information on attitudes towards brand extension. Increasing consumer self-monitoring increases the rate of effect of external information on attitudes towards brand extension .Increasing consumer age decreases the rate of effect of external information on attitudes towards brand extension.    Aaker, D. A., & Keller, K. L. (1990). Consumer evaluations of brand extensions.     Journal of Marketing, 54(1), 27– 41. Alba, J. W., & Hutchinson, W. J. (1987).    Dimensions of consumer expertise. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(4), 411 –454.        Bhat, S., & Reddy, S. K. (1997). Investigating the dimensions of fit between a brand     and its extension. In D. T. Leclerc, & M.Bhat, S., & Reddy, S. K. (2001).   The impact of parent brand attribute associations and affect on brand extension     evaluation. Journal of Business Research, 53, 111 – 112.   Boush, D. M., & Loken, B. (1991). A process-tracing study of brand extension   evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research,28(1), 16– 28.   Boush, D. M. (1993). How advertising slogans can prime evaluations of brand   extensions. Psychology and Marketing, 10(1),67– 78.   Braun, O. L., & Wicklund, R. A. (1989). Psychological antecedents of conspicuous   consumption. Journal of Economic Psychology,10, 161–187.   Czellar ,s. Intern. J. of Research in Marketing 20 (2003) 97–115 113.Winter Educators’   Conference ( pp. 186– 194). Chicago: American.Marketing Association.   Chasseigne, G., Mullet, E., & Stewart, T. R. (1997). Aging and multiple cue probability   learning: the case of inverse relationships.Acta Psychologica, 97(3), 235– 252.   Dillon, W. R., Madden, T. J., Kirmani, A., & Mukherjee, S. (2001).Understanding what’s   in a brand rating: a model for assessing brand and attribute effects and their   relationship to brand equity. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(4), 415– 429.   Gangestad, S. W., & Snyder, M. (2000). Self-monitoring: appraisal and reappraisal.   Psychological Bulletin, 126, 530– 555.   Herr,P.M,Farquhar,O.H,&Fazio,R.H(1996).Impact of dominance and relatedness on     brand extensions. Journal of consumer psychology,5(2),135.   Keller, K. L., & Aaker, D. A. (1992). The effects of sequential introduction of   brand extensions. Journal of Marketing Research,29(2), 35– 50.   Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer based brand         equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1),1 –22.   Keller, K. L. (1998). Strategic brand management: building, measuring, and managing    brand equity. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice-Hall. Lane, V. R. (2000).     The impact of ad repetition and ad content on consumer perceptions of incongruent    extensions. Journal of Marketing, 64(2), 80–91.    Park, C. W., Milberg, S., & Lawson, R. (1991). Evaluation of brand extensions: the role    of product-level similarity and brand concept consistency. Journal of Consumer   Research,18(2),185–193.    Pryor, K., & Brodie, R. J. (1998). How advertising slogans can prime evaluations of    brand extensions: further empirical results.Journal of Product and Brand Management,  7(6), 497– 508.   Romeo, J. B. (1991). The effect of negative information on the evaluations of brand   extensions and the family brand. Advances in Consumer Research, 18, 399–406.   Sheinin, D. A. (1998). Positioning brand extensions: implications for beliefs and       attitudes. Journal of Product and Brand Management,7(2), 137– 149.Hartline(Eds.),    Proceedings of the American Marketing Association.   Snyder, M. (1974). Self-monitoring of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality andSocial Psychology, 30(4), 526– 537. https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-9.pdf Ali Mollahosseini Zhaleh Zohreh Kermani Abass Abassi Brand extension Brand associations Fit perception External information Consumer characteristics. 543387 11 0

10 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=10 2012-02-24 Food purchase behavior of consumers in the state of Punjab has significantly changed due to an increase in the per capita disposable income, higher penetration of media, urbanisation, education and health awareness, movement of households towards higher income groups, changes in lifestyle and family structure. Consumer buying behavior for food and grocery products has always been influenced by socio demographic factors like age, gender, income etc The present study attempts the influence of consumer demographic characteristics on attitudes and preference of food and grocery shopping. Jabir Ali, Sanjeev Kapoor, Janakiraman Moorthy (2009), "Buying behaviour of         consumers for food products in an emerging economy", British Food Journal, Vol. 112 Iss: 2, pp.109 - 124 M. Hemalatha, V.J. Sivakumar, G.S. David Sam Jayakumar, (2009) “Segmentation of Indian shoppers based on store attributes”, International Journal of Business Innovation and Research,  Iss:  Volume 3, number 6 / 2009,  pp:  651 – 669 Orhan Erdem, A. Ben Oumlil, Secil Tuncalp, (1999) "Consumer values and the importance of store attributes", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 27 Iss: 4, pp.137 – 144 Professor Ogenyi Omar and Kareem O. Abisoye, (2008).The Role of Price as a Determining Factor in Grocery Retail Store Patronage Journal of Business & Retail Management Research Vol.2, Issue.2, April 2008. ISSN 1751-8202 Dr Amit Mittal, (2009). Store Attribute Salience - A comparison of Grocery & Apparel shopping scenario. Article No: 178, ISSN 0974 – 9497.Volume 3, Issue 4/4. November 2009 Abdulla M. Alhemoud,(2008), “Shopping Behavior Of Supermarket Consumers In Kuwait” Journal of Business & Economics Research Volume 6, Number 3, March 2008 Paromita Goswami, Mridula S. Mishra, (2009) "Would Indian consumers move from kirana stores to organized retailers when shopping for groceries?” Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 21 Iss: 1, pp.127 – 143  Jason M. Carpenter, Marguerite Moore, (2006) "Consumer demographics, store attributes, and retail format choice in the US grocery market", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 34 Iss: 6, pp.434 – 452 Food Retailing in India(2009)-Technopak adviser McKinsey & Co in Food Forum 2009   The Great Indian Retail Story- Ernst & Young(2009) https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-10.pdf K.C. Mittal Anupama Prashar Ella Mittal Food & Grocery Organised. Retail Demographics Preferences 546012 10 0

11 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=11 2012-02-24 The retail market in India is facing slowdown with the ongoing financial crisis happening across the world markets. Since the markets always have internally linked with each other, the impact of the crisis is generally shared among all. The inflation or the economic slowdown is adversely affecting the retail industry. With the suddenly disturbed economical status, consumers are gradually losing interest on buying. And for the interested, the unbalanced income, followed by the economic slowdown, is not meeting their buying requirements. Recessions do offer a myriad of opportunities for those marketers who understand marketplace dynamics and who are willing to plan thoughtfully for recession survival, learn from the problems and then move on to prosperity. Bazinet, J., Saxty, S. and Belle, F. (2008), ‘‘Brand strategies for an economic downturn’’,           Admap, Vol. 43 497, September, pp. 18-21, ISSN 0001-8295.    Bonoma,Thomas(1991),”Heed Five Commandments of weather a Recession,”      Marketing News(18 March, 2010)    Brooke Masters, ‘‘Exuberance yields to a new austerity,’’ Financial Times, November  18, 2008.    Elizabeth A. Sullivan, ‘‘Austerity marketing,’’ Marketing News, October 15, 2008, pp.      13-14.    Goerne, Carrier(1991),”  Marketers using more coupons to fight Recession,” Marketing news (18 March , 6.      Guy Trebay, ‘‘Luxury prices are falling; the sky, too,’’ New York Times, December 3, 2008.    Helm, B. (2008), ‘‘Best global brands’’, Business Week, September 29, pp. 52-9, ISSN 0007-7135.  ‘‘High-end brands find credit crisis is hard to wear,’’ Financial Times, November 28, 2008, p. 16.    Ming-Hui Huang and Roland T. Rust, ‘‘Two paths to luxury,’’ Marketing  Management, November-December, 2008, pp. 31-5.     Phil Izzo, ‘‘US recovery is forecast,’’ The Wall Street Journal, November 14-16, 2008,    p.10.‘‘Japanese consumer survey shows slide in confidence,’’ The Wall Street Journal,   November 13,2008, p. 10.    Goodell, Phillips W; Martin, Charles L ,Marketing strategies for recession survival, The   Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing; Fall 1992; 7, 4; ABI/INFORM Global    Philip kotler, Marketing Management analysis planning and control,4th edition,  Prentice Hall, 1980. P 129. Srini.R.Srinivasan, “Keep it moving, Retail Biz, Feb 2010.    Ylan Q. Mui, ‘‘Tapping into shoppers’ psyches: battered retailers turn to sentimental  sales pitches,’’ Washington Post.com, November 18, 2008.    Yang, J.L. (2008), ‘‘How to sell in a lousy economy’’, Fortune, Vol. 158 No. 5, September 29, pp. 72-5,ISSN 0738-5587.   https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-11.pdf Srini. R. Srinivasan S.N.V. Sivakumar Recession Strategies Retail Competition 546412 13 0

12 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=12 2012-02-24 Entrepreneurship and innovation are considered among the main characteristics of strategic thinking in business organizations today because of their complicated effects on designing and executing the different activities of such organizations, especially the marketing activities which constitute the core of all other activities. In this context, many researchers confirm that the two vital tasks that should be undertaken by top management is marketing and innovation, both are interdependent and interrelated. Innovation is a vital key to the organization survival at the top competitive level and in helping create marketing leaders. The compatibility between entrepreneurship and innovation create marketing strategies that are characterized by entrepreneurship and innovation, such strategies involve innovative methods that transform existing products and services into new ones with high quality that adds value to existing businesses. Entrepreneurship is the process of seeking and utilizing opportunities available in the business environment or those opportunities realized through innovation to create value to business organizations. The economics war at the present is "the war waged to create talents", innovation. This means that the organization must be entrepreneurial in strategic planning for its marketing activities through making use of all innovative ideas and methods that secure its competitive position in different markets. The objective of this study is to clarif Allen, K., (2003). Launching New Ventures, An Entrepreneurial Approach, 3rd ed.,  Boston: Houghton Mifflin.    Gartner, W.B., What are we Talking about When we Talk about Entrepreneurship, Journal of Business Venturing, Bol. 5, 1990, p.p. 15-28.   Al Ani, Mizher, Jawad, Shawqi, Irshed Hussein, Hijazi, Haitham, Management of small Businesses: A Technological Entreprenurial approach, Al-Safa Publishing Co., Amman, 2010, p. 49.   Hamel. G., Parhald, C., (1994), Competing for the Future, Boston: Harvard Business School Press.   Barringer, B., Ireland, D., (2005), Entrepreneurship: Successfully Launching New Ventures, NJ: Pearson Education, p.5.   Brown, T.E., Viljin, J.M., (2004), Innovation, Interaction Between Technology, Progress and Economic Growth, Cheltenham, UK, Northampton, Mass., USA: Elgar Pub, p.5.  Cornwall, J.R., Perlman, B., (1990), Organizational Entrepreneurship, Homewood, I11:  Irwin, p.p. 27-28.  Kuratko, D.F. (2006). Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, Practice,  7th ed., Mason, Ohio:  Thomson South-Western.  Cornwall. J.R, Perlman, B., (1990). Organizational Entrepreneurship, Home-Wood, I11,  Irwin, p.29.   Rowley, J., (2000). From Learning Organization to Knowledge Entrepreneur, Journal of Knowledge Management, p.p. 7-15.   Coulter, M. (2003). Entrepreneurship in Action, 2nd ed., NJ: Prentice Hall, p.p. 42 – 49.   Doyle, P., (1998), Marketing Management and Strategy, 2nd ed., Prentice Hall, p.p.            225.   Drucker, P.F., (1994). Innovation and Entrepreneurship Practice and Principles,  London: Heinmann. Al-Ani, et.al, p.39.   Yorklovich Partner, Entrepreneur, March, (2000). P.p. 14 – 16.Debra Amidon, the Ken of Awakening, USA.   Roffe, I., (1999). Innovation and Creativity in Organizations: A Review of the      Implications for Training and Development, Journal of European Industrial Training, 23 (4), p.p. 224-237. https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-12.pdf Dr. Ahmed Shakir Al-Askari . 534219 13 0

13 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=13 2012-02-24 The term strategic cost management has a broad focus, it is not confined to the continuous reduction of costs and controlling of costs and it is far more concerned with management's use of cost information for decision-making. Strategic cost management is important to organizations because it is more than focusing on costs; in the successful companies of the 21st century costs will not be the only most important factor, but also value and revenue consider critical factors in the success of companies. At this point the researcher advocates that strategic cost management is a philosophy, an attitude, and a set of techniques to contribute in shaping the future of the company. Authors suggested a framework which has far more impacts on any organization compare to traditional cost management. Anderson, S. (1995): A Framework for Assessing Cost Management System Changes:       The Case of Activity Based Costing Implementation at General Motors, 1986-1993. Journal of Management Accounting Research, Vol.7, pp.1-51 Anderson, S. and Young, S. (1999): The Impact of Contextual and Process Factors on the Evaluation of Activity-Based Costing Systems. Accounting, Organizations & Society, Vol.24, Issue 7, pp.525-559 Ansari, S., Bell, J., Cypher, J., Dears, P., Dutton, J., Ferguson, M., Hallin, K., Marx, C., Ross, C. and Zampino P. (1997b): Target costing: The Next Frontier in Strategic Cost Management. McGraw-Hill, New York Bailey, J. (1991): Implementation of ABC Systems by UK Companies. Management Accounting (UK), February 1991, pp.30-32  Baker, W. (1989): Why Traditional Standard Cost Systems Are Not Effective In Today's  Manufacturing Environment. Industrial Management, July/August 1989, pp.22-24. Banker, R. and Johnston, H. (1993): An Empirical Study of Cost Drivers in the U.S Airline Industry. The Accounting Review, Vol.68, No.3, pp.576-601  Banker, R., Datar, S., Kekre, S. and Mukhopadhyay, T. (1990): Costs of Product and Process Complexity. In: Kaplan, R. (ed.): Measures for Manufacturing Excellence.Vol.2, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA, Chapter 9, pp.269-290  Caesar, C. (1991): Kostenorientierte Gestaltungsmethodik fuer variantenreiche Serienprodukte -Variant Mode and Effects Analysis (VMEA), VDI-Verlag, Duesseldorf   Camp, R. (1989): Benchmarking: The Search for Industry Best Practices that Lead to Superior Performance, Quality Press, Milwaukee  Cannon, J. and Homburg, C. (2001): Buyer-Supplier Relationships and Customer Firm  Costs. Journal of Marketing, Vol.65, Issue 1, pp.29-43   Clinton, B. and Graves, A. (1999): Product Value Analysis: Strategic Analysis Over the       Entire Product Life Cycle. Journal of Cost Management, Vol.13, No.3, pp.22-29   Cobb, I., Innes, J., Mitchell, F. (1992): Activity Based Costing – Problems in Practice.   The CIMA Chartered Institute of Management Accounting, London.   David, F. (1993): Strategic Management. 4th ed., Macmillan Publishing Co., New York    Davies, P. (1990): Perspectives: Benchmarking. Total Quality Management, December   1990, pp.309-310   Day, G. (1990): Market Driven Strategy: Processes for Creation Value. The Free Press,   New York    Day, G. and Montgomery, D. (1983): Diagnosing the Experience Curve. Journal of    Marketing, Vol.47, Issue 2, pp.44-58.  Edosomwan, J. (1994): Managing for Continuous Improving in Quality and   Productivity, in: Organization and Management of Advanced Manufacturing, edited   by Karwowski, W. and Salvendy, G., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1994, pp.223- 233  Edwards, C. and Peppard, J. (1994a): Business Process Redesign: Hype, Hope or   Hypocrisy? Journal of Information Technology, Vol.9, Issue 4, pp.251-266    Hertenstein, J. and Platt, M. (1999): A Cost/Time Trade-off Framework for New  Product Development, International Journal of Strategic Cost Management, Vol.2,  No.2, Autumn 1999, pp.31-47  Urban, G. and Hauser, J. (1993): Design and Marketing of New Products. 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey  Urban, T., Chiang, W. and Russell, R. (2000): The Integrated Machine Allocation and  Layout Problem. International Journal of Production Research, 2000, Vol.38, Issue 13, p  p.2911-2930   Vágási, M. (2001): Integration of Customers and Other Stakeholders in the Product  Innovation Process. Conference Proceedings: International Summer Academy on      Technological Studies: User Involvement in Technological Innovation, Deutschlandsberg, Austria, July 8 - 13, 2001, pp.321-334  Valverde, M., Tregaskis, O. and Brewster, C. (2000): Labor Flexibility and Firm    Performance. International Advances in Economic Research, Vol.6, Issue 4, pp.649-661. https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-13.pdf Ashvine Kumar Shafali Nagpal Strategic Cost Management Traditional Cost Management Cost drivers 539941 26 0

14 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=14 2012-02-24 The mind-set of voters, taking part in general elections of Pakistan has matured over the years. Politically, they have become more aware and at the same time demanding as well. Therefore, it is argued that the political parties, in the near future, shall have to plan their political marketing in a more responsive, accountable and in a professional manner. That could be the major possible reason that research interest in application of brand management principles to political parties is continuously increasing in developed countries. Managing a political party on the basis of brand management is very challenging task. But, by applying traditional branding theories to political marketing, it is possible to develop an increased knowledge of brand behavior in politics. In addition to brand attributes, trust plays a significant role in developing long-term relationship with voters. Voters make electoral choices analogous to commercial brand typology to choose among the available choices based on trust. Election results are evident of the fact that voters are continuously switching parties due to lack of trust in politics of the Pakistan. Purpose of this paper is to identify the possible reasons of decline in trust and the role of trust in making electoral choices. Specifically, this paper investigates three core questions. First, what are the reasons for candidates’ decline in trust? Secondly, what are the key factors, according to the political experts, that will h Aaker, D. (1991). Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand, Free Press,                    New York, NY.   Barber, B. (1983). The Logic and Limits of Trust, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, NJ.    Craig, S., Niemi, R. and Silver, G. (1990). Political efficacy and trust: a report on the   NES pilot study items.  Journal of Political Behavior, Vol. 12, pp. 289-314.    Dalton, R. (2006). Citizen politics: public opinion and political parties in advanced industrial democracies. (4th Ed.). Washington DC: CQ Press.    Easton, D. (1975). A reassessment of the concept of political support. British Journal of Political Science, 5, 435–457.   Fieschi, C. and Heywood, P. (2004). Trust, cynicism and populist anti-politics. Journal of Political Ideologies, pp. 289-309.   Govier, T. (1994). Is it a jungle out there? Trust, distrust and the construction of social reality. Dialogue, Vol. 33, pp. 237-52.   Gundlach, G.T. and Murphy, P.E. (1993). Ethical and legal foundations of relational marketing exchanges. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57, pp. 35-46.   He J. (2006). Brand relationship quality: The establishment and validation of an   indigenous model in China. Journal of East China Normal University. 38(3): 100–106.    Hetherington, M. (1999). The Effect of Political Trust on the Presidential Vote,  1968- 96, American Political Science Review. 93(2), 311-326.   Hiscock, J. (2001). Most trusted brands. Journal of Marketing, pp. 32-3.    Keller, K. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand  equity. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57 No. 1, pp. 1-23.    Kotler P. and Armstrong G. (2009). Principles of Marketing, 13 edition, Pearson  Education Inc.   Lantieri, T. and Chiagouris, L. (2009). Brand trust in an age without trust: expert  opinions. Journal of Consumer Marketing. 26/2.  pp78–86   Levi, M. and Stoker, L. (2000). Political trust and trustworthiness. Annual Review of  Political Science, Vol. 3, p. 476.   Miller, A. H. (1974). Political issues and trust in government: 1964–1970. The American  Political Science Review, 68, pp951–972    Miller, W. E., Miller, A. H., & Schneider, E. J. (1980). American national election studies data sourcebook 1852–1978. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.   Needham, C. (2005). Brand Leaders: Clinton, Blair and the Limitations of the  Permanent Campaign, Journal of Political Studies. 53, pp343–361.   Pauwels, T (2010).  Explaining the Success of Neoliberal Populist Parties: The Case of Lijst Dedecker in Belgium. Political Studies, 58.   Phipps, M., Brace-Govan , J. and Jevons,  C. (2008). The duality of political brand equity. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 44 No. 3/4,  pp. 496-514   Reeves, P.de Chernatony, L. and Carrigan, M. (2006). Building a political brand: ideology or voter-driven strategy. Journal of Brand Management. 13(6), pp418–428   Rydgren, J. (2007). The Sociology of the Radical Right. Annual Review of Sociology, 33,  pp241-262.   Saunders, M., Lewis, P., and Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for business students. Pearson Education Limited.   Schiffman  L., Thelen  S.T., and Sherman E. (2008). Interpersonal and political trust:    modeling levels of citizens’ trust. European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 44 No. 3/4, pp. 369-381    Shaffer, S. (1981). A Multivariate Explanation of Decreasing Turnout in Presidential    Elections, 1960-1976. American Journal of Political Science, 25(1), 68-95.   Sherman, E. and Schiffman, L. (2002), Political marketing research in the 2000 US   election. Journal of Political Marketing, Vol. 1, pp. 53-68.    18th Amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan. Retrieved on August 24, 2010, at   12:45PM, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/30269950/18th-Amendment-in-the-Constitution-of-Pakistan-Complete-Text   https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-14.pdf Mirza Ashfaq Ahmed Suleman Aziz Lodhi Mirza Naveed Shahzad Political Brand Brand Trust Voter Trust Political Cynicism Political Parties Pakistan. 555744 16 0

15 https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/details&cid=15 2012-02-24 Corporate governance has shifted from its focus on agency conflicts to address issues of ethics, accountability, transparency, and disclosure. Moreover, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increasingly focused on corporate governance as a vehicle for incorporating social and environmental concerns into the business decision-making process, benefiting not only financial investors but also employees, consumers, and communities. Currently, corporate governance is being linked more and more with business practices and public policies that are stakeholder-friendly. This study concurs with research findings from the extant literature that good practice in corporate governance, social responsibility and business ethics. This article examines these developments and their impact on the formulation of a hybridized body of business legal norms by proceeding in three stages: First, the article explores the recent transformations in the regulation of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and ethics. Second, it reads these transformations as a convergence that encompasses both corporate self-regulation and the efforts by various social groups to make it more effective. Third, the article discusses the prospects and challenges of this convergence by outlining a series of conceptual and methodological inquiries as well as policy ramifications to be pursued by scholars and practitioners in the field of law and corporate conduct. Aktiespararna’s Corporate Governance Policy, Guidelines for Better Control and   Transparency for Stockholders in Stock Market Companies, Sveriges Aktiespararna’s Ruksforbund, March 1993, Borokhovich, K. A., R. Parrino, and T. Trapani, 1996, “Outside Directors and CEO Selection,” Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 31, 337-355. Brazilian Institute of Corporate Directors, Brazilian Code of Best Practices, preliminary proposal, April 1999, Brickley, J. A., J. L. Coles, and R. L. Terry, 1987, “The Takeover Market, Corporate Board Composition, and Ownership Structure: The Case of Banking,” Journal of Law and Economics, 30, 161-180. Cardon Report of the Belgium Commission on Corporate Governance, Brussels Stock Exchange, June 1998, http://www.calpers governance.org/principles/international/other.asp.Código de mejores práticas, June 1999,  Core, J. E., R. W. Holthausen, and D. F. Larcker, 1999, “Corporate Governance, CEO Compensation, and Firm Performance,” Journal of Financial Economics, 51, 371-406. Draft Report of the Kumar Mangalam Committee on Corporate Governance, Confederation of Indian Industry Report on Desirable Corporate Governance – A Code, April 1998, http://www.ecgn.org/ecgn/docs/codes/india-corpgovern.html. Gilson, S., 1989, “Management Turnover and Financial Distress,” Journal of Financial Economics, 25, 241-262. Hermalin, B., and M. Weisbach, 1998, “Endogenously Chosen Boards of Directors and Their Monitoring of the CEO,” American Economic Review, 88, 96-118. High Level Finance Committee on Corporate Governance, Report on Malaysian Corporate Governance, March 1999,. Handbook for Issuers on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, Corporate Governance inDenmark, December 2001. Huson, M., R. Parrino, and L. T. Starks, 1998, “Internal Monitoring Mechanisms and CEO Turnover: A Long Term Perspective,” working paper, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB. Kang, J., and A. Shivdasani, 1995, “Firm Performance, Corporate Governance, and Top Executive Turnover in Japan,” Journal of Financial Economics, 38, 29-58. Lee, C. I., S. Rosenstein, N. Rangan, and W. N. Davidson III, 1992, “Board Composition and Shareholder Wealth: The Case of Management Buyouts,” Financial Management, 21, 58-72. Martin, K., and J. J. McConnell, 1991, “Corporate Performance, Corporate Takeovers, and Top Management Turnover,” Journal of Finance, 46, 671-687. Murphy, K. J., and J. L. Zimmerman, 1993, “Financial Performance Surrounding CEO Turnover,” Journal of Accounting and Economics, 16, 273-315. Parrino, R., 1997, “CEO Turnover and Outside Succession: A Cross-Sectional Analysis,” Journal of Financial Economics, 46, 165-197. Shivdasani, A., 1993 “Board Composition, Ownership Structure, and Hostile Takeovers,” Journal of Accounting and Economics, 16, 167-198. Vienot II report on the boards of directors of listed companies in France, Mouvement des Enterprises de France (MEDEF) and Association Francaise des Enterprises Privees (AFEF), July 1999, Wahal, S., K. W. Wiles, and M. Zenner, 1995, “Who Opts Out of Antitakeover Protection? The Case of Pennsylvanian’s SB 1310,” Financial Management, 24, 22 39 Warner, J. B., R. L. Watts, and K. H. Wruck, 1988, “Stock Prices and Top Management Changes,” Journal of Financial Economics, 20, 461-492.   https://mail.ijmcs.co.uk/cdn/article_file/i-3_c-15.pdf S. S. Aggarwal Corporate governance transparency responsibility convergence transformations 549137 14 0