A study to assess the role role of sensory marketing marketing in luxury restaurants in influencing customer preferences
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Chapter 1 – Introduction
This chapter presents the background of the research, the statement of the research problem and its aims and objectives. Also presented is a brief summary of the research methodology methodology adopted. The chapter concludes concludes with an explanation explanation of the organization organization of the thesis. 1.1. Background of the Study
According to argo and !usch "#$$%&, the human senses have long been ignored in marketing, despite awareness of their great significance. The five human senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are of crucial crucial importance for an individual's individual's experience experience of differ different ent purchase purchase and consum consumpti ption on processe processes. s. (t is through through the senses senses that that every every individual becomes conscious of and perceives firms, products, and brands. (t is because of this that )chmitt and )imonson "#$$*& said that further knowledge about the human senses might make a firm's marketing more successful and an individual's sensory experience more personalized. +f the five human senses, the sight sense has so far dominated marketing practice "ashler, #$11&. There is no doubt that the other human senses - smell, sound, taste, and touch - have been neglected for a long time, despite their importance when an individual considers and decides about a product or a brand. rowing interest in sensory marketing among practitioners, consultants, and researchers means that all five human senses are today receiving increased attention "/atz, #$$*&. 0ore often than not, the interest is in making customers aware of a product or a brand in order to reach tactical, shortterm sales targets. (n contrast to this, sensory marketing is to be viewed strategically as a way to clarify a an organizations identity and values with the longterm goal of creating brand awarenes awarenesss and establ establish ishing ing a sustain sustainabl ablee brand brand image image "2arlow "2arlow,, #$11&. #$11&. The present present development of sensory marketing illustrates the emergence of a new epoch in marketing, one in which the five senses will be at the center of a firm's marketing strategy and tactics. 3or that reason, according to odson "#$$*&, it becomes more important for firms #
- whether they are selling traditional consumer goods or a service - to affect and influence customers in new, provocative, imaginative ways in order to seize grab hold of the human senses. Atwal and 4illiams "#$$*& believe that marketing is entering an era when tested ideas and and conc concep epts ts are are bein beingg reco recons nsid ider ered ed.. The The trad tradit itio iona nall mass ass mark market etss are are slow slowly ly disappearing and are being replaced by fragmented markets with numerous segments, where where indivi individual dualiza izatio tionn and tailor tailorma made de product productss are key. key. +ne conse5u conse5uenc encee is that that tradi traditi tiona onall mass mass marke marketi ting, ng, whic whichh once once domi domina nate tedd the the marke marketi ting ng arena arena,, is bein beingg 5uestioned more than ever before as a profitable and successful way to reach customers "6elk, #$$7&. The main argument is that the cost advantages related to mass marketing, especially through advertising and the wellknown 8cost per thousand9 criterion, are no longer enough to send a message to everybody. :uring the past decade, the development toward more and more relationship and micro marketing has been expressed through the use of customer relationship management ";<0& and customerspecific marketing ";)0& ":ahl, #$1$&. These techni5ues have been used by many firms to strengthen customer relationships. +ften these techni5ues have been used in ways that are technically advanced rather than personal, which has been criticized by many observers. As a result, marketing has become even more depersonalized, even though the firm's intention has often been the opposite. 3ield "#$1$& claims that the transition from mass marketing to relationship and micro marketing can be seen as paradigm shift. rewal et al., "#$$*&, think that a customercent customercentric ric view based on relationshi relationshipp handling handling and relationship orientation should be the focus of a firm's marketing strategy and tactics. This research holds the view that a sensory marketing framework will solve future marketing marketing challenges. )ensory marketing is not e5uivalent to either either mass or relationshi relationshipp marketing, because it has its point of departure in the brain of the individual. The transition to sensory marketing managerial practice from mass marketing and relationship
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marke marketi ting ng manag manageri erial al pract practic icee is illu illust strat rated ed in 3igu 3igure re 1.1. 1.1. )enso )ensory ry marke marketi ting ng is distinguished from mass and relationship marketing by having its origin in the five huma humann sens senses es.. (t is in the the huma humann bran brandd that that the the ment mental al flow flows, s, proc proces esse sess and and psychological reactions take place that results in an individual's sensory experience "eck " eck and )hu, #$$*&. A sensory marketing framework is based on the assumption that a firm should reach the five human senses at a level, deeper than what is currently reached by mass and relationship marketing.
3igure 1.1. )ensory 0arketing vis>vis other marketing models "
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1.2. Purpose of the Study
)tatistics reveal that the restaurant sector in (ndia is all set to boom. There are several key drivers for this. The growth in the (ndian economy, rise in :, growth in personal disposable incomes, shrinking household sizes, urbanization and the emergence of a high spending middle class of around ?%$ mn persons are some of the key drivers ")harma and illai, #$1=&. A lifestyle change is another driver. @ating out has evolved into a popular trend among (ndian househo households, lds, particularly particularly amongst those whose monthly incomes are greater than
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1.3. Research Question
The main research 5uestions may be formulatedB why may be CCC The research 5uestions are DDD. 4hat are the sensory marketing activities that are used by luxury restaurantsC
2ow can the sensory marketing activities affect choice of restaurantC 2ow sensory marketing activities help in building distinctive brand of a luxury restaurantC
1.4. i!s and "#$ecti%es &our o#$ecti%es cannot #e 'uestions ((( it shou)d #e state!ents ((( *o e+a!ine,..*o e+p)ore ,. *o ana)yse ,,..
The main aims and objectives of the research are given belowB
4hat are the sensory marketing activities that are used by luxury restaurantsC
2ow can the sensory marketing activities affect the guests choice of restaurantC
2ow sensory marketing activities help in building distinctive brand of a luxury restaurantC
1.-. i!itations of this research
This research is limited by the lack of details on sensory marketing in (ndia, particularly in the luxury restaurant sector. This might affect the objectivity of the results. 0oreover the collation of data and interpretation of results thereof is dependent on the skill of the author. This again might have affected the objectivity of the results. To that extent, the author's aim of extending the findings of this research to the entire restaurant sector in (ndia appears to be presumptuous. 1./.
Research 0ethod sed
This research is 5uantitative, using both deductive and inductive techni5ues. The deductive method is descriptive, studying secondary data to identify the dynamics of E
sensory marketing, the methods of sensory marketing as they are practiced in the restaurant sector and those elements most important in a restaurant setting. The inductive method consists of a 5uestionnaire as the main data collection tool. The 5uestionnaire was administered to #$$ customers of )hiro's restaurant, The black peal, The fisherman's whar and 6akasur located in 6angalore city . The data collected through his empirical survey will be analyzed using the descriptive statistics tool of excel and the results of this analysis used to validate the findings of the literature review. 1..
Structure of the issertation
The research flow of the dissertation us as followsB Chapter 1 – Introduction and Background
This chapter will introduce the main
This chapter is structured in three parts. The first part consists of the conceptual review which examines the theories of sensory marketing. The second part consists of the empirical review which examines examples of sensory marketing practiced by various restaurants across the world. The third part is the contextual review which examines the luxury hotel segment in (ndia and the various elements that constitute sensory marketing. Chapter 3 – 0ethodo)ogy
This chapter will introduce the Fuantitative 0ethods used in this research. This will include both :eductive G (nductive approaches. The :eductive study will lead to the formulation of hypotheses which will either be corroborated or rejected by the @mpirical )tudies. Chapter 4 – 5indings
This chapter will present the findings of the empirical study conducted with respect to the )hiros
This chapter will critically examine the findings of the empirical study and relate them with the literature review. Chapter / – Conc)usion6 5uture Scope 7 reco!!endations.
This chapter will summarize the entire research. !imitations and aps in the study will be identified for future study. 6ased on the findings recommendations as to what could be the best practices for visual merchandising practices in (ndia.
araphrase this it appears to be straight from the articles plagiarism CCC Chapter 2 – iterature Re%ie
This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section is the conceptual review where theories of sensory marketing are discussed to understand the influence of the senses on consumer purchase behaviour. The second section is the empirical review which studies how sensory marketing is being practiced in the luxury restaurant sector and the third sector is the contextual review which analyzes the importance of sensory marketing in the context of the luxury hotel sector in (ndia. 2.1. Conceptua) Re%ie
)ensory marketing has become an important part of the marketing function. According to
"#$1$& said that sensory marketing is a group of key levers which are controlled by the producer / distributor / marketer to create a specific multi sensory atmosphere around the product / service through a focus on sale outlet environment and through the communication process as well as the characteristics of the product itself .
3rom the above definitions, the key characteristics of sensory marketing may be derived. This is a new paradigm of marketing which uses the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, 7
taste and touch to formulate marketing strategy and tactics. (t uses sensory impressions to create optimal emotional responses that translate into a positive intent to purchase amongst consumers. (t is the outcome of a shift in consumer buying patterns where individualization, personalization and experience all coalesce to create shopping experiences. (t is the utilization of mental flows, processes and psychological reactions to create a multisensory shopping experience that affects customer's emotions, perceptions, memories, preferences, choices and most importantly - their consumption patterns. According to 0c/enna "#$$*&, marketing strategy begins and ends with understanding customer need and how to fulfill it. This concept - that firms exist to satisfy customer needs - is one that is central to marketing strategy. (t may be inferred therefore since sensory marketing reflects a change in customer buying behaviour and uses the human senses to influence customer behaviour it is imperative for marketers to understand how consumers process information and stimuli in a retail environment. 2.1.1. Sensory 0arketing 7 Consu!er Beha%iour
The study of consumer behaviour is linked to factors that operate prior to and during the whole shopping process. According to /eller "#$1#&, consumer behavior relates to all those activities people undertake when obtaining, consuming and disposing of products and services. (n terms of sensory marketing, the assumptions made on consumer
behaviour is that the senses of sound, sight, smell, taste and touch exert a power effect on human beings and therefore the more power the sensory impact of a marketing campaign, the more effective it will be in. The potential of senses to calm, soothe, destress, stimulate, excite and titillate are used to influence decision making and the propensity to make a purchase. The goal of consumer behaviour therefore is to understand the physical, cognitive, social and emotional effects of the senses and how they may be manipulated to influence shopping environment, improve shopping experiences and customer engagement and translate behaviour into a positive affect to purchase.
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(nsofar as customer behaviour depends on perception, processing and evaluation of information and emotions it is linked with human psychology "2oegg and Alba, #$$7&. (t is therefore important to understand how customer's process information received from the surrounding environment and how this process may be influenced to change customer behaviour into a positive intent to purchase.
2.1.1.1. Perception 7 the Senses
According to eck and ;hambers "#$$7&, perception is the process of ac5uiring sensory information, interpreting it, filtering it and then organizing it. rohol "#$$%& said that perception is important as it is the prime factor influencing how human beings create a model of the world around them according to a set of percepts formulated out of past experience and memory. As people move about a particular environment, such as a restaurant or a retail store, they interpret sensory information according to prior knowledge, consider it relative to the percepts already formulated and then based on this process formulate judgments and make purchase decisions. A key distinction needs to be made between sensation and perception here. The former refers to the process of detecting and encoding the environment surrounding the human being. The latter refers to the process by which human beings assign meanings to the environment through their sensations. )ensation is the precursor to perception. (t is the fundamental raw material received through sensory organs that then gets processed psychologically using context, relationship, memory and experience through which the environment is then subjectively assigned meaning "@dwards et al., #$1$&. )ensation refers to the process by which physical energy including electromagnetic I light I sound waves, chemical particles, tactile pressures etc are first detected by human sensory organs and then converted into electrochemical energy through which the brain "or the human organism& becomes aware of the objects, the environment and events in the outside environment. 1$
According to ;itrin et al., "#$$7&, sensation by itself cannot create anything meaningful. (t exists in a raw, untreated and ambiguous form called stimuli which then impacts human sensory receptors or specialized sense organs. These include the eye which is used for detecting appearance and colour, the nose for the sense of smell, the tongue for taste, skin for touch and ears for auditory sensation. The process by which the senses handle raw information is called the perceptual process. (t is during this process that sensations are selected, sorted and interpreted in order that sense and meaning may be obtained from them "3ournier and !ee, #$$*&. The perceptual process is explained in 3igure #.1.
5igure 2.1. *he Perceptua) Process 89odson6 2::;<
The first step is where the nervous system receives information from the sensory organs. reenland and 0coldrick "#$$7& calls this as the sensory impression stage and refers to the stage where the senses detect stimuli. The second step is called attention and explains to which level consumers focus stimuli within the range of exposure to the stimuli. According to 2arlow "#$11&, human beings cannot focus only on one single stimuli however strong it might be. Thus while there can be one predominant stimulus, humans actually focus on a range of stimuli in a particular environment. Therefore the ability to stimuli to impinge on customer's consciousness is therefore very important in affecting a customer's consumption patterns. :uring the final stage, the customers assign meaning to the sensory stimuli based on individual bias, needs, memory and experiences and a response is elicited. (n a retail setting, a positive response would be the intent to purchase. 11
2.1.1.2. ttention 7 the Senses
/atz "#$$*& said that humans only have the ability to react to stimuli that stimulate their senses and reject to those that do not interest them. 3rom this perspective, perception may be considered to be a process of selection that determines what customer pay attention to. 0artin "#$$7& define attention as the 8 focused mental engagement on a particular piece of information”. ashler "#$11#& defined attention as a mental concentration on something specific that excludes everything else. Attention has to do with people's
perception and their ability to be selective in what they experience and what it is that affects their behaviour. According to Jilsson "#$$E& human senses are flooded with sensory information. 2owever, only a small fraction of this information affects their behaviour. ashler "#$$7& extended this argument to explain why people see what they want to see and hear only what they want to hear. The process of attention has been indicated in 3igure #.#.
5igure 2.2. *he ttention Process 8=ot)er6 2::;<
According to /innear and Taylor "#$$7&, the process of attention begins when human beings are subject to multiple sensory inputs from their environment. This results in awareness. :epending on what interests them, they will pay select what to pay attention to. This is the attention phase or the narrowing phase. 3rom this phase comes the decision phase where humans decide whether and how to act on the information received in the attention stage or not, leading on to action. 2.1.1.3. >!otions 7 the Senses
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/latzky "#$1$& said that the ability to solicit an emotional connect with a brand, a product or a services is an important challenge in modern marketing. 2umour, joy, beauty, sex, elements or surprise are all used to elicit an emotional response. The reason for this is that an emotional response has been found to be one of the effective ways to stimulate customer purchase behaviour and customer loyalty. @motions play an important role in the customers shopping experience. According to 0alhotra and 6irks "#$$&, emotions in fact are stimulated by the human senses that activate the amygdala portion of the brain. The amygdala in turn sends out signals that determine how the human body should react "+rbach, #$$*&. These emotions in turn help determine and interpret whether a situation or surrounding is positive or negative "/innear and Taylor, #$$7&, That is, emotions affect judgements, opinions and decisions. According to 0artin "#$$7& emotions determine what is worth noticing and remembering. (t may be inferred that if emotions play such an important role in customer behaviour and senses are the trigger for emotions, it is sensory information or stimuli that in fact determine customer behaviour and their actions in a shopping I retail environment. 2.1.1.4. 0e!ory
The memory may be defined as the repository of all of a human beings information and experiences. 0emory affects human emotions, functioning and behaviour. (t enables the person to handle future situations by comparing them with information stored in the memory. This includes shopping behaviour as well. According to eck and ;hilders "#$$7& in a retail environment, it is the human memory that decides whether a product is worth buying not based on the experience. According to
added another form of memory - sensory memory and said that both short term and long term memories are in fact based on sensory memories. )ensory memory becomes activated when our sensory organs are exposed to the stimuli. These stimuli then leave traces on the brain which forms long and short term memories depending on their intensity. )ensory memory also triggers short and long term memories. 6y comparing new impressions with previous experiences, the sensory memory determines which sensory stimuli to react to. Thus at the base of human memory is sensory stimuli. 2.1.1.-. *he Senses and ?u!an Beha%iour
5igure 2.3. ?u!an Beha%iour and Sensory Sti!u)i 80artin6 2::@<
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These findings have important implications for marketers. The human senses have long been ignored in marketing in favour of other aspects such as product, price, promotions, technology and customer service. 2owever, it may be inferred that the five human senses are of crucial importance for an individual's experience of different consumption and purchase processes. (t is through the senses that every individual becomes conscious of and perceives firms, products and brands. The senses can be used to not only to create awareness of a product or brand but also to clarify brand values
or communicate an
experience and so drive sales and profitability. iewed from this perspective, the five senses have to be at the center and not at the periphery of a firms marketing strategy and tactics. 2.1.2. *he Senses and the Shopping >+perience.
This study of consumer behaviour has assumed more significance due to shifts in consumption patterns where according to
consumed.
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three aspects of value consider 8shopping I consumption as work9 and 8shopping I consumption as fun9 experiences as summarized in 3igure #.?.
5ig.2.4. Shopping A Consu!ption >+perience 8Rapai))e6 2::/<
The task therefore for marketers is to create memorable and meaningful experiences for customers as opposed to traditional marketing models where researched focused mostly on the process and the buying decisions of a product. @xperiences may be directly felt when customers buy and consume products and services or them be felt unintentionally when people are exposed to advertising and other marketing campaigns. (n this sense, the product or the marketing campaign are just starting points in a holistic experience that result in higher sales turnover and customer loyalty. /apferer "#$$7& explored the link between the experience and sensory cues in offering memorable experiences. Their model as shown in 3igure #.% places the customer experience as the end goal of all marketing efforts and key to marketing efforts in securing that goal are the five human senses.
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5igure 2.-. *he Custo!er >+perience 8=apferer6 2::@<
3rom figure #.% it can be seen that a meaningful experience is at the centre and surrounding this core are the sensory organs providing inputs to the brand where the experiences are created. The goal then of all marketers is to influence the sensory organs in such a way so as to trigger perception, attention, emotion and memory all of which go to create an experience. This can be done through various marketing frameworks. These include ersonal
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/apferer "#$$7&'s model was corroborated by 2ulten "#$$*& who said that key to all marketing activities was the creation of a multisensory brand experience. 2is model is indicated in figure #.E.
5igure 2./. *he 0u)ti(Sensory Brand >+perience 8?u)ten6 2::;<
According to the 2ulten "#$$*& model, the challenge for marketers is to create Lsensorial strategies' that stimulate the senses by creating various sensations. These sensations revolve around the atmospheric, auditory, visual, gastronomic and tactile spheres. All of them coalesce to create a multisensory brand experience which is crucial to creating customer e5uity. The term L)ervicescape' was introduced by Arnheim "#$$*& to characterize gastronomic experiences in restaurants. )ervicescape refers to the physical environment and surroundings in a restaurant in which customers find themselves. According to 6ennett "#$$*& escape includes different environmental dimensions which are defined as ambient conditions, spaceIfunction and signs, symbols G artefacts. These dimensions consist of 17
both exterior and interior design, including surrounding environment as well as layout, e5uipment and sound, music, scent, lighting all which have been identified as factors influencing customer's behaviour "6ennett, #$$*&. Keithmal et al., "#$$*& extended this argument by stating the customers in the restaurant evaluate their restaurant experience from more than the food. The place where they dine exerts a powerful influence on their perception of the total dining experience. . This means that customers rely on tangible cues or the physical evidence of the service environment when evaluating the service process. According to 2arris and @zeh "#$$7&, servicescapes can trigger emotional responses which will have an effect on the customers' decision to either continue or discontinue their patronage of a restaurant or even of the use of a brand or product. The servicescape model is shown in 3igure #.E.
3igure #.E. The )ervicescape ;onceptual 0odel "6itner, #$$7& 3rom )ection #.1 and #.#, it was seen that the people perceive their surroundings through their senses. )enses play an important role in influencing their behaviour and in their 1*
evaluation of an experience. (t can be therefore inferred that in a restaurant setting, the senses play a most important role in customer's perception of their dining experience. To the extent restaurateurs can stimulate the senses so as to create a dining experience that is perceived to be positive and meaningfulM to that extent can they create loyal customers who regularly patronize their restaurant resulting in increased sales, profitability and market share.
2.2. >!pirica) Re%ie
:ue to the growing importance of sensory marketing in providing a memorable gastronomic experience, some research has been conducted on what elements stimulate customer senses in a restaurant setting. Hu "#$$*& conducted a study of sensory design for restaurants in the Nnited )tates. According to her research, of all the five senses, it is sight that receives the most attention in restaurant interior design. 2er postulate however is that the other senses are e5ually, in not, more important than sight. )he believes that taste is impossible to deliver through interior design and so her research focused on how the interior designs of restaurant influence smell, hearing and touch along with sight and thereby create memorable experience for the diners in the restaurant. 2er framework for restaurant design includes the sight sensory design framework, smell and hearing sensory design framework and the touch sensory design framework each of which correspond to the senses of sight, smell, hearing and touch respectively. #$
A case study approach was followed in this research. This included theoretical studies and the practical applications of the findings of the theoretical studies to the redesign of a ;hinese restaurant in Ames, (owa. Fuestionnaires administered through a process of interviewing formed the principal data collection process while the descriptive statistics tool of excel formed the principal data analysis tool. The 5uestionnaire was administered to a sample set consisting of the owners of the restaurant and its employees including marketing managers as well. This comprised a group of #$ persons. The 5uestionnaire was also administered to a sample set of 1$$ customers of the restaurant. The main purpose of this 5uestionnaire was to identify the problems faced by staff and customers in the restaurant and how a Lsensory' approach to redesign might eliminate these problems. According to Hu "#$$*&'s sight sensory design framework, the main elements influencing the sense of sight in restaurants include ornaments or decoration, light, complexity, mystery and sitting style. +rnaments are indicators of status of the restaurant and luxury. The more the aesthetic appeal of the ornaments, the more they entice the guests and the more do they stimulate consumption. !arge scale ornaments indicate status while smaller scale ornaments allow for free flow and movements within the restaurant. !ight not only has function of illumination, but affect people physiologically and psychologically. 4here lighting approximates the spectral 5uality of natural sunlight, there is less perceptual fatigue and improved acuity. !ight may also be used to improve focus on dining plates or on the decoration. ;omplexity refers to the intricacy of elements in a space. Hu "#$$*& found that a high positive correlation exists between complexity and preferenceM therefore, it is desirable to design a restaurant with high complexity. 2igher complexities might be achieved through use of large and irregular shape spaces, which are subdivided by varied architectural elements, furnishings, and plants. )he inferred that interiors of restaurants should avoid simple boxlike geometric shape because irregular spaces are perceived to be far more attractive.
(n addition to spatial geometry,
complexity also refers to the composition or pattern of elements in the scene. Thereby, the floor plan should be complex, which means an intricate pattern of elements is preferable. #1
0ystery is the degree to which people are attracted to pursue more information by proceeding further into the scene. A moderately high positive correlation is observed between mystery and restaurant preference and the sense of sight is key to creating this element of mystery. Hu "#$$*& recommends several methods whereby sight may be used to create mystery. The first point of interests must be offered shorter distances of view. That is the entrance area should have points of interest to attract customers to go further. !arger environments must be made accessible through aisles that are shorter, wider, and turn out of view. To create a sense of mystery, interiors should be neither small and enclosed nor large and wide open. Hu "#$$*& recommends inclusion of architectural features, furnishings, or plants that produce multiple visual focuses, but screen the space, not allowing views of the whole space at first glance. !astly she recommends showing dramatic brightness contrast between the foreground and areas deeper in the scene. !ight contrast not only stress visual emphasis, but enhances the sense of mystery. (n terms of sitting styles, Hu "#$$*& recommends use of varied dining spaces, including exposed sitting, loges, and booths. :ifferent sitting styles providing customers with multiple choices for seating. (n terms of the smell, Hu "#$$*& found that an overwhelming smell of food is an undesirable. (nstead she recommends use of a light fragrance in restaurants. )o that the fragrance is just perceived, she recommends its release intermittently into the interior spaces which will make it appear to be more favourable. That being said, she also recommends, for the purpose of attracting more customers, a food smell may be transmitted to the entrance through the ventilation system or directly moving the cooking facility to entrance area. Hu "#$$*& also said that every restaurant should be acoustically designed so as to eliminate noise a much as possible. This is because customers go to restaurants to relax and too much noise can result in fatigue and nervousness. Therefore, it is critical to produce a desirable sound environment, which may be achieved by effectively using soundabsorbing materials, such as draperies, carpets, and acoustical ceiling tiles, all of ##
which can go a long way toward eliminating unwanted sound effects. )he recommends the use of background music to makes a space more favourable and create a relaxing atmosphere. According to Hu "#$$*&, sound enhances other sensory perceptions, placing the kitchen in the dining area provides customers with sound produced from the cooking process, which may stimulate appetite as well as reinforce taste and smell sensations. )urface textures, warmth or temperature, staircases, the floor and spatial dimensions all contribute to the sense of touch. 4hilst in a restaurant, people touch the surface of tables, chairs, dishware, flatware, menus, and other accessories on tables. They also feel the floor texture by foot. ;onse5uently, the texture of materials in the dining area should make guests feel comfortable and pleasant. Temperature is critical to creating feelings of coziness, intimacy and comfort similar to a living room and hence use of temperature control e5uipment within restaurants is important. )taircase tread heights must be just enough for customers to perceive the interiors more dynamically. Hu "#$$*& also recommends creation of floors with uneven textures which she believes enhances customers' awareness of surface texture while heightening their touch perception. )he also recommends use of 8personal distance9 "17?7 inches& to be applied whilst arranging tables and chairs. Too close a distance invades privacy or causes discomfort while distances that are too large may lead to difficulty in communication, and inconvenience in reaching for dishes. These theoretical findings were then applied to redesigning the restaurant. The responses of customers and staff and turnover generated post the alteration was tracked for a period of six months and compared with the previous six months. (t was found that sales turnover had increased by as much as %=O with almost all customers reporting very high levels of customer satisfaction. !oyalty rates increased by almost ?$O. @mployee satisfaction levels were also higher post the alterations. This study indicates how interior design may be subtly redesigned to create sensory experiences. To that extent, interior design of a restaurant performs a marketing function.
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(n #$11, Jarat Amorntatkul conducted an analysis of sensory marketing in the hotel restaurant industry in Thailand. Amorntatkul's research postulates that the five senses may be influenced through suitable marketing techni5ues so that guests perceive their dining experiences positively. )timulation of the five senses is seen to be critical to creating memorable guest experiences. The main purpose of the research was to understand how various stimuli affect senses of the guests in restaurants in Thailand and how they interpret, understand and respond to those stimuli. The 5uantitative approach was used in this research and used both primary and secondary data. )econdary data was used to screen research done by other researchers on the subject of sensory marketing in restaurants. rimary data was collected through administration of a 5uestionnaire to =7? customers of 1% restaurants across 6angkok, Thailand. The 5uestionnaire was administered through a process of semi structured interviews. The results indicated that only ? of the 1% hotels examined, had a formal sensory marketing program in place. 2owever, even here, it was the store atmospherics that were used to stimulate the senses and market the restaurants. They all of them used scents. This was done through the use of aroma oils which were found to generate positive, pleasing and relaxing emotions. These scents were also found to attract customers into the restaurant itself. Nse of aroma oils is uni5ue to Thailand and much loved by Thais. 2ence its use in these restaurants to create a familiar atmosphere, set them apart from the other restaurants. The two techni5ues used to stimulate the vision of sight included decorations and the use of colours. The decorations followed the concept of the hotel while the use of colour was to elicit a positive emotion amongst the guests. (t was found that white was the most preferred colour in accordance with the culture of Thailand where white is perceived to be Lrelaxing' and Lcalm'. The use of sound was another element that was used to market the restaurants. This was done through live bands whose music theme depended on the concept of the hotel. 4hile the music itself was different, a slower tempo was preferred in order to encourage guests to spend more time within the restaurant and to feel more relaxed. Thus the senses focused on in this research were those of sight, smell and hearing. An examination of the influence of these marketing techni5ues on guest behaviour indicated that those four hotels which used their store #?
atmospherics to stimulate sensory responses showed far better performance levels in terms of guest patronage levels, repeat guests, higher sales turnover, profitability, loyalty levels and goodwill. (t is important to note that all the restaurants considered were luxury restaurants and catered to the same customer segment. All things being the same, that is, customer service, taste of food and cleanliness, it was the sensory marketing techni5ues that made the difference. According to 2olbrook and 2irschman "#$11&, one of the main reasons for the phenomenal success of )tarbucks is that its stores offer a consistent and appealing sensory experience. Also known as Lemotional marketing' a whole host of elements are used to increase the sensory appeal. The menu cards are prominently displayed and with its wide variety and colourful signage engage the senses to stimulate the appetite. (n addition, the internal design, lights and smells want to create a comfortable atmosphere where the guests can find a Lhome away from home' even in public locations. The lighting is dim and subtle, the music is soft and the dominant colours are dull, subtle colours like green and brown. These elements are important to the )tarbucks experience which seeks to offer its customers, a 5uite haven, in the midst of their frenetic work lives. 2owever, while the music, colours and lighting are all important it is the strong aroma of coffee that dominates guest's senses on entering a )tarbucks outlet and it is this that is key to attracting customers into the restaurant "2oyer and 0ac(nnis, #$1$&. ;reation of this aroma of coffee is also important since this is what people the world over most associate )tarbucks with. 4hen )tarbucks was under pressure to increase store revenues and profits, they turned to sensory branding for the solution. This was done through the process of grinding coffee in the stores for the sole purpose of creating a rich, strong aroma of coffee. This was done even though it was far cheaper and easier to ship and use coffee power. Another key and revolutionary step undertaken by )tarbucks was the dumping of its main selling products - breakfast eggs - simply because the aroma of cooking eggs was found to be offensive and counteractive to the smell of coffee. The )tarbucks management found that higher costs due to these actions were more than compensated by improved customer loyalty and higher sales driven by customers who came to the stores attracted by the aroma. #%
as it does hazelnuts and dark chocolate. The chocolate evokes emotions of lovers kissing, reinforcing the 6aci message of fantasy and romance. )o persuasive is the 6acio experience that is has become one of the preferred means of communicating and expressing affection to friends, family, partners and children "
2.3. Conte+tua) Re%ie
There exists very little literature on sensory marketing in luxury restaurants in (ndia. )ensory marketing itself is new to (ndia with the concept of luxury restaurants just gaining popularity in the country. Jevertheless, there are enough indicators to how that the luxury restaurant space is all set to grow and boom in (ndia in the years to come. 2.3.1. *he u+ury Restaurant Sector in India
According to research conducted by
restaurants. 3or example, the /obe mignon at :elhi's +rient @xpress costs
next decade and will outpace most other economies in the region. (n particular, 0errill !ynch estimates a growth in urban consumption at potentially #$O per annum in nominal terms "1EO in real terms& upto #$#$ "/rishna, #$1$&. (n addition, higher disposable incomes among consumers particularly in the top #% cities and the trend towards eating out are combining with growth in organized retailing to fuel growth in the food service sector.
According to !aforet "#$1$&, there are 1$ million households in (ndia with average household income of
According rahalad and
#*
a human being with emotions and feelings and five senses and puts these at the centre of marketing. 6y doing this, an experience is then created for the individual which translates into a positive intent to purchase or in the case of restaurants in the intent to patronize the restaurant fre5uently, recommend it to circle of ac5uaintance etc. The challenge is to understand how the senses function and how to simulate them to create an experience. 2.3.2.1. *he Sense of Sight
The sight sense is the most evident as it accounts for more than two thirds of the sensory cells. These are located in the eye and let a fraction of the wavelengths into the eye, which we perceive as shapes, contrasts, color and light. The brain does the processing of giving depth and meaning to things we see "2ultRn, #$$*&.
3igure #.. The )ense of )ight ;onceptual 0odel "eck and 4iggins, #$$E& This meaning can affect the type of cues, which is something )chmitt "#$1#& have through their research shown that through visional cues, the person can react differently to what type cue is presented. The individual not only react to what heIshe sees but in what context the thing is seen. According to hillippe et al., "#$$*&, the context also influence memory and recalls of the visual presentation. The sense of sight through visualization can be explained through design, packaging, style, color, light, theme, =$
graphics, exterior and interior esign as a visual cue have been important for a long time, displaying aesthetics and connecting it to culture, values and functional properties. The design can trigger emotional and sensual experiences. (t can also express a brand. Jobre et al., "#$1$&, does not completely agree and point out that design is more than a physical thing as aesthetics and cultural properties, but rather implementing deeper functions as the process of designing things. This will eventually express itself in visual cues, but until it does, there is a deeper role than just the aesthetics of products. 0ackinnis and ark "#$$*& are discussing these processes but also explain that it is hard to measure deign from a metric point of view but rather from the values that are created from the design. )tyle is often seen as a substitute to design in where )chmitt "#$1#& states that complexity, description, movement and strength can characterize style. 2ultRn, "#$$*& insinuates that color plays a big role in the sight experience. The colors can be connected to different emotions. !indstorm "#$$%&, agrees and through their research confirms this in where they tested red and blue color in combination to purchase making in retail shops. They found out that blue color stimulated the customers to buy more. The authors also imply that the colors could very well influence the purchasing decisions as well as wellbeing in different shops. The colors and the connections to emotions is something that /ellaris and /ent "#$11& have also studied. Their result showB S 0ost pleasant hues 6lue, bluegreen, green, redpurple, purple, and purpleblue S !east pleasant hues yellow and greenyellow S 0ost arousing reenyellow, bluegreen, and green S !east arousing purpleblue and yellowred 3igure #. highlights !ight, which is often used to attract or create attention. Nsing light with color can create brand attention and can affect the perception of the size of the illuminated service landscape. "hemes on the other hand are often used as a reference =1
point in landscapes or in different visual cues. This can also be used to present a company culture to the customers. 2ultRn, "#$$*& states that exterior and interior of a service landscape is the layout the organization chooses to implement into a locale. The formation of the landscape is also visual experiences the customer gets when present in the service landscape. The layout and positioning of items clearly affect the customer behavior and decisionmaking. 2.3.2.2. *he sense of s!e))
(n interior design practice, smell seldom receives attention. 2owever, smell has a strong association with feeling and influences people's activities. +dour is a key motivational factor in human behavior, playing a critical role in behavior patterns "2offman and Turley, #$1#&. )mell affects areas of the brain that deal with emotions, feelings, and motivation, which can lead to a specific behavioral response. (n terms of restaurant design, smell plays a significant role. )mell enhances taste perception. 8Taste and smell usually function in concert and can be regarded as alternatives ways to experience similar phenomenon9 "oulding, #$1=&. Therefore, smell sensory design is especially important to restaurant interior design. 3urther according to obe "#$1$&, +dours lend character to objects and places, making them distinctive, easier to identify and remember. leasant odour provides a space with a favorable identity. +dour has some other attributes. 3loor "#$$E& has studied odour sensitivity, and indicates that sensitivity varies over the course of a day and the sense of smell rapidly fatigues, and odour sensitivity weakens with age ":avenport and 6eck, #$1$&. 3ragrance is a kind of pleasant odour which has psychological functions in addition to bringing pleasure and relaxation. According to ;arver "#$$7&, the function of fragrances is to "i& (ncrease alertness and performance of vigilance and cognitive tasks, "ii& 3acilitate recall of pleasant memories and "iii&
have commercial implicationsM the second one may have an effect on human behavior generally. )pecific fragrances perform precise functions. 3or example, lemon and peppermint can reinforce alertness and energyM lavender and cedar can reduce tension "6rakus et al., #$$*&. This is why lavender fragrance is adopted in spas, and air fresheners mainly have a lemony smell. This theory has been put into use by interior designers as well. 3or example, several large companies introduce fragrance to heating and air condition systems to boost work efficiency and reduce stress. 3ragrance can also be a primary determinant of spatial judgment. 3or example, in a test to detect the function of fragrance, a room containing low levels of fragrance was considered by subjects as brighter, cleaner, and fresher, yet no subject noted the fragrance "6runer, #$$*&. 3ragrance makes a space more favourable, which may be applied in interior design practice.
3igure #.7. The )ense of )mell ;onceptual 0odel "eck and 4iggins, #$$E& #ongruency refers to how naturally a scent is associated with a product or service.
)tudies in articles by obe "#$$1&, have shown that congruency is significant despite the complexity in measuring it. The intensity however indicates if the scent is subtle or noticeable. +ther scents that can affect the experience are the sexual. $exual scents that represent femininity and masculinity are applied to different products to draw the demographic groups to the firm's products or services. ==
6aumgartner and ieters "#$$7& research points to the decisionmaking process the consumer does when purchasing products or service. These decisions are clearly affected by the scents that are designed for the companies. Their research illustrates the customer as a decision maker in where different choices are made and that scent clearly affects these decisions. %tmosphere in figure #.7 is presented as a sense expressed in a landscape, which means that the scent is trying to represent the actual selling point or to create an atmosphere in where the customer are present. 8)cents in the servicescape create wellbeing and feeling that stays with the individual9 "2ultRn et al., #$$*&. The authors also suggest that firms also sometimes apply scent to express a theme that improves tactical marketing activities. Themes can be used to create advertency, short term advertising. There are also scents that are associated as brands, so called, 8 scent brands9. 4hen talking about scent brands, there is usually a goal to make customers associate the chosen brand with the scent. This can be combined with other sensory organs to make a complete brand. 2.3.2.3. *he Sense of ?earing
4hen referring to the sense of sound, background music may be the first thing to come to mind. 2owever, hearing as related to sensory design, is more complicated than that. )ound has strong association with human emotion. 8)ound not only surrounds but can penetrate to the very core of the sentient. This primitive power, which bypasses the cerebral and directly addresses the heart, elicits an emotional response9 "6one and @llen, #$$*&. )ound also plays an important role perceiving a space and enhances sight sensory perceptions. 8)ound provides an important link to reality and has a protective and enriching function. 4ithout sound, visual perception is differentB less contrastful, less attention demanding, and less informative9 "6uchanan and Tranel, #$$7&.
=?
)ound may complement vision to perceive space in respect that it enlarges one's spatial awareness to include areas behinds the head that cannot be seen. Therefore, sound dramatizes spatial experience ";hristopher et al., #$$*&. 3inally, sound contributes a certain environment a space. )ound is significant for human to participate, experience, and remember places. 4ithout sound, an environment is lifeless and unreal, without flow or rhythm, and frightening ";ohen et al., #$$7&.
3igure #.*. The )ense of sense ;onceptual 0odel "eck and 4iggins, #$$E& )ense expressions and the sound experience are accomplished through jingle, voice and music. &ingles have been characterized by a short melodic voice, message or music applied to the message. The goal according to history has been to make the message or the brand memorable alongside the jingle. 'oice has also according to studies made by :onovan and
experience. Atmospheric sounds in combination to visual sensory expressions can create =%
comfort in where the customer can feel contented.
ronroos "#$11& continues on the subject and talks about
"echnology and acoustics that also affect the sensory experience. The authors mean that
digital technology can be balanced and controlled to enhance the pleasure in the service landscape. Jot all sounds are pleasant and the space needs good acoustics to eliminate the bad sounds that a customer can perceive. 2.3.2.4. *he Sense of *ouch
The sense of touch involves physical interactions with the organization. This is something that can affect the overall sensory experience. The importance or the sense touch has been studied in 2arlow "1*%7& article in where monkeys were been subject to different experiments. The monkey chose the importance of warmth and touch rather than food providing surrogates.
=E
3igure #.*. The )ense of Touch ;onceptual 0odel "eck and 4iggins, #$$E& 2ultRn "#$$*&, argue that tactile marketing using the touch sense isB 8...firm's tactile marketing, where 8tactile9 describes the transmission of information or feelings when products and brands are touched either physically or virtually, is entirely based on interaction.9. This interaction between the customer and the firm can establish a sense of form for the product and service the customer is experiencing. The customer can feel the products attributes and perceive 5uality. +ther important touch factors can be seen in figure #.* and are discussed. "exture can be used as an experience trigger in where material, surface, temperature,
weight, form and steadiness can alter and enhance the touch experience. This also applies to (aterials that affect a brands identity or perception of values. This can be applied both to service scape and products. According to 2ultRn "#$$*& a series of connection can be made when touching and seeing a material as the brain can associate the material with enjoyment, warmth, coldness and other associations. "emperature is one other factor that is effective when applying the correct temperature to
the correct business. (t is hard yet to tell scientifically where cold and warmth fits perfectly. 3or the moment common sense dictates the temperatures in different locales. )orm is also one factor that enhances the touch experience with customers. According to
rohmann "#$$& the form dictates the consumer response, which can affect the sales of a product. The author talk also about the ideal product or form and means that it is hard to establish the perfect form as it is controlled by subjective preferences as well influenced by culture. The texture of a brand can make people want to touch the product and 8@motion for a brand is deeper when touch is important for interaction with the customer9. "2arker and @gan, #$$E& This is applied to either cars or computer in where the consumer is enjoying the touch of the product. According to 2endersen et al., "#$1#&, This is often applied to premium brands. =
2.3.2.-. *he Sense of *aste
The sense of taste have been neglected in marketing for a long time, in where only food industries have implemented the brand strategies of taste. +ther industries have just opened up to the possibilities of the taste experience. (t is impossible to taste something from distance and is called the intimate sense. The individual taste sense is uni5ue and partly controlled by the saliva each individual produce. This is something that controls what kind of food the individual prefers "Areni and /im, #$1$&
3igure #.11 The )ense of taste ;onceptual 0odel "eck and 4iggins, #$$E& eople like to eat with each other and in many cultures the social gathering and eating are seen as a normB 8The taste sense is the most social sense and affect peoples mood9 . (n connection to taste Amber et al., "#$$*&. suggests that the interplay symbiosis and synergy is very important regarding the sensual expression. The taste sense is highly dependent on other senses to be fully complete. )mell is important for the taste to be fully used. Jame, presentation and setting are factors that can affect or alter the sensory experience of taste. Jame have shown to alter the sales in restaurants according to research made by Aaker "1**& in where the settings where the food is consumed have also showed to affect the perceived taste and can alter the behavior of customers. the perceived taste experience.
=7
stimulating the sense of taste in a retail store can make customers stay longer there, which in turn give the customers more time to purchase other products. 2ultRn "#$$*& recommends the companies to think beyond the kitchen and restaurant and to come up with more creative ways to combine the taste experience into the sensory marketing strategy. This can be hard to implement sometimes but if done correctly can enhance the overall holistic experience of the service or brand. #.?. )ensory 0arketing 0odel for
3igure #.1# )ensory 0odels for
=*
(n this model the five senses are critical to creating the atmosphere in the restaurant which in turn affects attention, memory, perception and emotion. These stimulants lead to an action which is to dine at the restaurant which is the e5uivalent of making a purchase. This in turn leads in to increase in sales, profitability, the intent to revisit and repurchase an in brand loyalty all of which results in better performance of the restaurant.
Chapter 3 – Research Strategy
This chapter will present the 5uantitative method used in the research. The data collection and data analysis tools will be presented. 3.1. Research 0ethodo)ogy – Qua)itati%e %ersus Quantitati%e
All research methodologies can be classified as Fualitative and Fuantitative. Fualitative
?$
According to 3isher "#$$&, 5uantitative research is based on numbers and statistics. (t is used to test hypotheses, look at cause and effect and make predictions. (t is used to identify statistical relationships between variables and yields objective results. The Fuantitative method has been employed in this research since it is based on precise measurements and statistical analysis which yield results that are objective and hence more credible. These results can hence be generalized to all luxury restaurants in (ndia.
3.2. educti%e 7 Inducti%e *echni'ues
The Fuantitative method used in this research uses both deductive and inductive techni5ues. :eductive techni5ues analyse secondary data and arrive at a general concept called a postulate or hypothesis. The movement here is from the particular to the general "3isher, #$$&. The validity of the hypotheses is then tested using the inductive method. (nductive 0ethodologies use experiments and empirical techni5ues to apply hypotheses to individual cases to test for validity "3isher, #$$&. 2ere there is a movement from the general to the particular. (f the results of the inductive study validate the hypotheses they can be accepted. @lse, they are rejected.
3.3. Pri!ary %ersus Secondary ata
rimary and )econdary data are used in this research. rimary data is the outcome of inductive research. (t is new, freshly discovered and uni5ue. (t is used to 8test9 postulates and hypothesis. )econdary data is data that already exists. (t is not fresh or uni5ue to the particular research at hand but is used to formulate hypothesis which is then to be validated using inductive methodologies.
3.4. educti%e *echni'ue
The deductive techni5ue uses secondary data to construct a theoretical framework. The sources of secondary data used in this dissertation are journals, books, periodicals, ?1
publications as well as the internet pertaining to sensory marketing, particularly in a restaurant, the dynamics of the new marketing environment and how the marketing paradigm ought to shift to cater to provide customers with a sensory experience. 4hile selecting the academic study great care was taken to ensure that only latest and relevant material was used.
3.-. *he Inducti%e *echni'ue
The main purpose of the inductive approach is to empirically validate the findings of the theoretical research. The main research tools were "i& data collection tools which were a 5uestionnaire and phone interview and the data collation G analysis tools which is 0icrosoft excel. 3.-.1. ata Co))ection *oo)s
The main purpose of these tools is to collect and gather a data set which can then later be analyzed.
Questionnaire
The essential form of inductive research is to 8ask *uestions9 and to 8measure the response obtained 9 "2air et al., #$11&. Thus the primary data collection tool was a
5uestionnaire. The 5uestionnaire consisted of #% close and open ended 5uestions. ;lose ended 5uestions yield objective answers that can be used for statistical analysis. +pen ended 5uestions yield more detailed answers. 2ence in the interest of obtaining objective results and reducing ambiguity both close and open ended 5uestions were been chosen. articipants could answer the 5uestionnaire based on a ? point !iker )cale. Their preferred choice of answer could be represented by a number 1 to ? which when collated together could be used for statistical analysis. The 5uestionnaire would analyze the constituents of sensory marketing and how these elements come together to create a memorable dining experience.
?#
According to 2air et al., "#$11&, a Fuestionnaire has several benefits. (t is the fastest, cheapest and most practical method of gathering information. The 5uestionnaire can be answered at the convenience of the respondents. 0oreover the respondents can answer it without disclosing their identities. This will encourage disclosure of information in a candid manner.
Phone Inter%ie
The telephone interview was used primarily to clarify doubts which arose during the analysis of data stage. etting information through telephone is 5uick, flexible, allows for making notes and recordings as also obtain more frank feedback from the respondents.
*he restaurant chosen for this research
The restaurant chosen for this research is )hiro's restaurant, The black peal, The fisherman's whar and 6akasur located in 6anglaore city. All this restaurants are of the most exclusive and expensive of restaurants in (ndia. (t provides an eclectic range of cuisine including south (ndian ,north (ndian ,Papanese, ;hinese, Thai, American and 6alinese food. (n addition the ambience is very uni5ue and evocative of the 3ar @ast. (t also hosts a bar with a variety of drinks, music and a luxury lounge with some uni5ue design, lighting and decoration features. The author believes best epitomizes the luxury restaurant experience and hence decided to focus on this restaurant for his research.
Purposi%e Sa!p)ing *echni'ue
urposive sampling techni5ue was used to identify respondents to whom the 5uestionnaire could be administered. This techni5ue was used to identify those respondents whose answers would be most suited to the research. The author first contacted the Administration of )hiros
explaining the purpose of the research and
seeking his permission to conduct the research in the restaurant. +nce permission was given, the author administered the 5uestionnaire to 1$$ guests at )hiros hotel over a period of two weeks. The details of each interview were collated in an interview summary form in excel and then analysed using data analysis tools. ?=
3./. ata na)ysis *oo)s
The data collected from each respondent was analyzed according to the following stepsB
Co))ation of ata in Inter%ie Su!!ary 5or!
The answers against each 5uestion from each respondent were entered into an (nterview )ummary 3orm in @xcel as shown in 3igure =.1.
5igure 3.1. Inter%ie Su!!ary 5or!
The advantage of using an (nterview )ummary form is that it provides a comprehensive tool for data collection. +nce collated this data was analysed using the :escriptive )tatistics Tool of @xcel.
escripti%e Statistics *oo) of >+ce)
Nnivariate analysis or 3re5uency ;ount is the simplest form of :escriptive )tatistics Analysis. (t summarizes individual variables in a given data set. "4egner, #$$7& iven that the 5uestionnaire method of data collection was employed, the univariate method of analysis was used. The :escriptive )tatistics Tool occurs in the :ata Analysis section of @xcel and is used to analyze univariate data and summarize it against various parameters. 2ence this tool was utilized to analyze the data collected in the summary form as shown in 3igure =.#.
??
5igure 3.2. escripti%e Statistics *oo)
The summarized data appears as shown in figure =.=.
0odeB 0ost 3re5uently +ccurring Jumber
3re5uency O
5igure 3.3. Resu)t of escripti%e Statistics *oo)
?%
4hile there are various parameters such as mean, median etc, for the purpose of this research the 3re5uency O and median were considered only. 3re5uency O is derived from the )um
3.. Risk 0itigation
The main risks identified during conducting the research and the mitigation mechanisms put in place are given belowB 3..1. Questionnaire - The main difficulties of using a 5uestionnaire areB
This method is time consuming as it involves preparing the 5uestionnaire, administering it to the respondents, getting answers, entering data into the database and then analyzing them.
3..2. *e)ephone Inter%ies - The main disadvantages of telephone interviews are the costs,
non - intensive answers, shortness of conversations, which prevents indepth probes. These risks were mitigated by using this method only for clarification of doubts and ambiguities.
3.@. >thica) Issues
4hilst doing this dissertation, the author followed the rules and regulations of the Nniversity. There was no attempt to manipulate any of the data. The author took care not to allow personal bias or prejudice to affect the objectivity of the research. +nly genuine and value data was used for the research. The 5uestionnaire was administered only post receiving permission from the respondents. There was no attempt to get in touch with respondents other than through official routes. The author also did not make any attempt to disclose the identities of the respondents.
?E
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