Importance of Biodiversity

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A STUDY TO INDICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMER BASED-BRAND EQUITY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF BRAND (A CASE STUDY OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS)Master Thesis in Business AdministrationPriscillia Ukpebor & Bibiana Ipogahpriscilliaukpebor@yahoo.com bipogah@yahoo.comSUPERVISORSBritt Aronsson&Martin SvenssonRONNEBY 20081 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We give thanks to God almighty for giving us the understanding, knowledge and wisdom during the course of our study. Special thanks go to our supervisors, Britt Aronsson and Martin Svensson for their support and guidance during our thesis work. We will also want to thank our program manager Anders Nilsson and our course adviser Melissa Engelke for their invaluable help and support during the course of our study. And lastly, we will want to thank our family members and friends who have been of help to us.2 ABSTRACTStrong brand equity has become a very important factor that influences consumer’s perceptions of a brand. Success in brand management arises from understanding and managing brand equity correctly to produce strong attributes that will influence consumers when making their choices.This thesis focuses on the importance of these dimensions (brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand image and perceived quality) of customer-based brand equity on consumer’s perceptions of a brand. This is based on the assumption that all these dimensions of customer based-brand equity will have influence on consumer’s perceptions of brand. However, this thesis aims to find out which among these three dimensions (brand image, brand loyalty and perceived quality) appear to have the least brand equity in both restaurants and to find out if customer based-brand equity differ between the two restaurants with respect to each attribute of brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Brand awareness was treated separately from other dimensions because of the difference in scale.A structured questionnaire was constructed to provide answers to our research question. In this study, one hundred questionnaires were distributed, but only sixty four useable questionnaires were realized. The study surveyed four dimensions of consumer’s based-brand equity namely brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Among the three dimensions, brand loyalty appears to have the least brand equity rating by consumers than the other dimensions. Although, the four dimension appear to have influence on consumer perceptions of brand.3 TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2 ABSTRACT . 3 TABLE OF CONTENT . 4 Importance of Biodiversity Importance of Biodiversity Bởi: OpenStaxCollege This tropical lowland rainforest in Madagascar is an example of a high biodiversity habitat This particular location is protected within a national forest, yet only 10 percent of the original coastal lowland forest remains, and research suggests half the original biodiversity has been lost (credit: Frank Vassen) Biodiversity is a broad term for biological variety, and it can be measured at a number of organizational levels Traditionally, ecologists have measured biodiversity by taking into account both the number of species and the number of individuals in each of those species However, biologists are using measures of biodiversity at several levels of biological organization (including genes, populations, and ecosystems) to help focus efforts to preserve the biologically and technologically important elements of biodiversity When biodiversity loss through extinction is thought of as the loss of the passenger pigeon, the dodo, or, even, the woolly mammoth there seems to be no reason to care about it because these events happened long ago How is the loss practically important for the welfare of the human species? Would these species have made our lives any better? From the perspective of evolution and ecology, the loss of a particular individual species, with some exceptions, may seem unimportant, but the current accelerated extinction rate means the loss of tens of thousands of species within our lifetimes Much of this loss is occurring in tropical rainforests like the one pictured in [link], which are especially high-diversity ecosystems that are being cleared for timber and agriculture 1/14 Importance of Biodiversity This is likely to have dramatic effects on human welfare through the collapse of ecosystems and in added costs to maintain food production, clean air and water, and improve human health Biologists recognize that human populations are embedded in ecosystems and are dependent on them, just as is every other species on the planet Agriculture began after early hunter-gatherer societies first settled in one place and heavily modified their immediate environment: the ecosystem in which they existed This cultural transition has made it difficult for humans to recognize their dependence on living things other than crops and domesticated animals on the planet Today our technology smoothes out the extremes of existence and allows many of us to live longer, more comfortable lives, but ultimately the human species cannot exist without its surrounding ecosystems Our ecosystems provide our food This includes living plants that grow in soil ecosystems and the animals that eat these plants (or other animals) as well as photosynthetic organisms in the oceans and the other organisms that eat them Our ecosystems have provided and will provide many of the medications that maintain our health, which are commonly made from compounds found in living organisms Ecosystems provide our clean water, which is held in lake and river ecosystems or passes through terrestrial ecosystems on its way into groundwater Types of Biodiversity A common meaning of biodiversity is simply the number of species in a location or on Earth; for example, the American Ornithologists’ Union lists 2078 species of birds in North and Central America This is one measure of the bird biodiversity on the continent More sophisticated measures of diversity take into account the relative abundances of species For example, a forest with 10 equally common species of trees is more diverse than a forest that has 10 species of trees wherein just one of those species makes up 95 percent of the trees rather than them being equally distributed Biologists have also identified alternate measures of biodiversity, some of which are important in planning how to preserve biodiversity Genetic and Chemical Biodiversity Genetic diversity is one alternate concept of biodiversity Genetic diversity (or variation) is the raw material for adaptation in a species A species’ future potential for adaptation depends on the genetic diversity held in the genomes of the individuals in populations that make up the species The same is true for higher taxonomic categories A genus with very different types of species will have more genetic diversity than a genus with species that look alike and have similar ecologies The genus with the greatest potential for subsequent evolution is the most genetically diverse one 2/14 Importance of Biodiversity Most genes code for proteins, which in turn carry out the metabolic processes that keep organisms alive and reproducing Genetic diversity can also be conceived of as chemical diversity in that species with different genetic makeups produce different assortments of chemicals in their cells (proteins as well as the products and byproducts of metabolism) This chemical diversity is important for humans because of the potential uses for these chemicals, such as medications ...Available online http://ccforum.com/content/13/5/313Page 1 of 5(page number not for citation purposes)AbstractUp to 17% of hospital admissions are complicated by seriousadverse events unrelated to the patients presenting medicalcondition. Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) review patients duringearly phase of deterioration to reduce patient morbidity and mortality.However, reports of the efficacy of these teams are varied. The aimsof this article were to explore the concept of RRT dose, to assesswhether RRT dose improves patient outcomes, and to assesswhether there is evidence that inclusion of a physician in the teamimpacts on the effectiveness of the team. A review of availableliterature suggested that the method of reporting RRT utilization rate,(RRT dose) is calls per 1,000 admissions. Hospitals with matureRRTs that report improved patient outcome following RRTintroduction have a RRT dose between 25.8 and 56.4 calls per1,000 admissions. Four studies report an association betweenincreasing RRT dose and reduced in-hospital cardiac arrest rates.Another reported that increasing RRT dose reduced in-hospitalmortality for surgical but not medical patients. The MERIT studyinvestigators reported a negative relationship between MET-likeactivity and the incidence of serious adverse events. Fourteenstudies reported improved patient outcome in association with theintroduction of a RRT, and 13/14 involved a Physician-led MET.These findings suggest that if the RRT is the major method forreviewing serious adverse events, the dose of RRT activation mustbe sufficient for the frequency and severity of the problem it isintended to treat. If the RRT dose is too low then it is unlikely toimprove patient outcomes. Increasing RRT dose appears to beassociated with reduction in cardiac arrests. The majority of studiesreporting improved patient outcome in association with theintroduction of an RRT involve a MET, suggesting that inclusion of aphysician in the team is an important determinant of its effectiveness. IntroductionThere are many conditions in medicine for which there is arelationship between the dose of therapy given and theresponse to such therapy. This dose-response is seen inevery day practice in relation to diuretics for the treatment offluid overload, fluid therapy for volume depletion, catechol-amines for shock, and oxygen supplementation for hypoxemia.Amounts of delivered therapy are also likely to be importantdeterminants of outcome for systems of care. Thus, nursestaffing levels have been shown to impact on rates ofcomplications in hospitalized patients [1,2], and outcomes ofcancer surgery are better in high volume institutions [3].In this article, we briefly review the background to the role ofthe Rapid Response Team (RRT) in preventing seriousadverse events (SAEs) in hospitalized patients. We alsointroduce the concept of ‘RRT dose’, the number of RRTactivations per 1,000 admissions or discharges. In addition,we highlight possible differences in RRT composition thatmight indirectly affect ‘dose’, and stress the importance ofphysician inclusion in relation to the types of therapy the RRTcan deliver. Finally, we emphasize the importance of RRTdose in preventing SAEs in hospitalized patients.The background to the Rapid Response TeamconceptMultiple studies around the world have demonstrated thatpatients admitted to hospitals suffer SAEs at a rate ofbetween 2.9% [4] and 17% [5] of cases. Such events maynot be directly related to the patient’s original diagnosis orunderlying medical condition. Of BioMed CentralPage 1 of 5(page number not for citation purposes)Chiropractic & OsteopathyOpen AccessCase reportAn unusual case of gout in the wrist: the importance of monitoring medication dosage and interaction. A case reportCraig L Jacobs*† and Paula J Stern†Address: Graduate Education and Research Programs, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, 6100 Leslie St., Toronto, ON M2H 3J1, CanadaEmail: Craig L Jacobs* - cjacobs@cmcc.ca; Paula J Stern - pstern@cmcc.ca* Corresponding author †Equal contributorsAbstractBackground: Gouty arthritis of the wrist is uncommon although gout itself is the most commoninflammatory arthritis in older patients. Some known risk factors for the development of goutinclude trauma, alcohol use, obesity, hyperuricaemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. As well,certain medications have been shown to promote the development of gout. These include thiazidediuretics, low dose salicylates and cyclosporine. We present a case of gouty wrist pain possiblyprecipitated by a medication dosage increase as well as medication interactions.Case presentation: A 77 year old male presented with right wrist pain. Redness and swelling waspresent at the dorsal aspect of his wrist and range of motion was full with pain at end range uponexamination. One week prior, his anti-hypertensive medication dosage had been increased. Thepatient's situation continued to worsen. Radiographic examination revealed changes consistentwith gouty arthritis.Conclusion: It is important for clinicians treating joint conditions to be aware of patients'comorbidities, medication usage and changes in dosages. Education of patients with gout is of primeimportance. Clinicians should educate patients that gout may occur at any joint in the body not onlythe lower limb. Patients should be aware of the signs and symptoms of an acute gouty attack andbe made aware that changes in certain medication dosages may precipitate an attack. Awarenessof radiographic changes associated with gout is still of importance although these changes are notseen as frequently as they have been in the past due to better control of the disease.BackgroundJoint pain accompanied with swelling is a common com-plaint seen in clinical practice. The challenge is to deter-mine the underlying etiology and to provide theappropriate treatment. Many joint diseases present asacute monoarthritis with the most common causes due togout or calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposi-tion disease (CPPD) [1]. The peak incidence of gout isbetween the ages of 30–50 with the prevalence increasingwith age [2]. Both the incidence and prevalence of gouthas been on the rise in recent years [3]. The increased prev-alence is believed to be related to several factors whichinclude increased age and obesity in the population andwidespread diuretic use for hypertension treatment [3,4].Gout is five times more common in men. Most acutegouty attacks occur in a single joint in the lower limb withthe first metatarsal joint most commonly affected [2,5].On clinical presentation, the joint often appears red, swol-len and very tender. Some differentials to keep in mindPublished: 9 October 2007Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2007, 15:16 doi:10.1186/1746-1340-15-16Received: 8 May 2007Accepted: 9 October 2007This article is THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS IN THE STUDY OF BIODIVERSITY Edited by Jordi López-Pujol The Importance of Biological Interactions in the Study of Biodiversity Edited by Jordi López-Pujol Published by InTech Janeza Trdine 9, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Copyright © 2011 InTech All chapters are Open Access articles distributed under the Creative Commons Non Commercial Share Alike Attribution 3.0 license, which permits to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work in any medium, so long as the original work is properly cited. After this work has been published by InTech, authors have the right to republish it, in whole or part, in any publication of which they are the author, and to make other personal use of the work. Any republication, referencing or personal use of the work must explicitly identify the original source. Statements and opinions expressed in the chapters are these of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of information contained in the published articles. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any damage or injury to persons or property arising out of the use of any materials, instructions, methods or ideas contained in the book. Publishing Process Manager Dragana Manestar Technical Editor Teodora Smiljanic Cover Designer Jan Hyrat Image Copyright sextoacto, 2011. Used under license from Shutterstock.com First published September, 2011 Printed in Croatia A free online edition of this book is available at www.intechopen.com Additional hard copies can be obtained from orders@intechweb.org The Importance of Biological Interactions in the Study of Biodiversity, Edited by Jordi López-Pujol p. cm. ISBN 978-953-307-751-2 free online editions of InTech Books and Journals can be found at www.intechopen.com Contents Preface IX Part 1 Interactions Between Living Organisms 1 Chapter 1 Bacterial Biodiversity in Natural Environments 3 Ricardo C. Guerrero-Ferreira and Michele K. Nishiguchi Chapter 2 Host-Plant Specialisation and Diurnal Dynamics of the Arthropod Community Within Muhlenbergia robusta (Poaceae) 15 Víctor López-Gómez and Zenón Cano-Santana Chapter 3 Global Impact of Mosquito Biodiversity, Human Vector-Borne Diseases and Environmental Change 27 Sylvie Manguin and Christophe Boëte Chapter 4 Exotic Insects in Italy: An Overview on Their Environmental Impact 51 Costanza Jucker and Daniela Lupi Chapter 5 Invasion, Evenness, and Species Diversity in Human-Dominated Ecosystems 75 Eyal Shochat and Ofer Ovadia Part 2 Interactions Between Living Organisms and Humans 89 Chapter 6 Change in Bacterial Diversity After Oil Spill in Argentina 91 Graciela Pucci, María Cecilia Tiedemann, Adrián Acuña and Oscar Pucci Chapter 7 Human Impacts on Marine Biodiversity: Macrobenthos in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf 109 Humood Naser VI Contents Chapter 8 People, Plants, and Pollinators: The Conservation of Beargrass Ecosystem Diversity in the Western United States 127 Susan Charnley and Susan Hummel Chapter 9 Sown Wildflower Strips – A Strategy to Enhance Biodiversity and Amenity in Intensively Used Agricultural Areas 155 Christine Haaland and Mats Gyllin Chapter 10 Combining Historical and Ecological Knowledge to Optimise Biodiversity Conservation A STUDY TO INDICATE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMER BASED-BRAND EQUITY ON CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF BRAND (A CASE STUDY OF FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS)Master Thesis in Business AdministrationPriscillia Ukpebor & Bibiana Ipogahpriscilliaukpebor@yahoo.com bipogah@yahoo.comSUPERVISORSBritt Aronsson&Martin SvenssonRONNEBY 20081 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We give thanks to God almighty for giving us the understanding, knowledge and wisdom during the course of our study. Special thanks go to our supervisors, Britt Aronsson and Martin Svensson for their support and guidance during our thesis work. We will also want to thank our program manager Anders Nilsson and our course adviser Melissa Engelke for their invaluable help and support during the course of our study. And lastly, we will want to thank our family members and friends who have been of help to us.2 ABSTRACTStrong brand equity has become a very important factor that influences consumer’s perceptions of a brand. Success in brand management arises from understanding and managing brand equity correctly to produce strong attributes that will influence consumers when making their choices.This thesis focuses on the importance of these dimensions (brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand image and perceived quality) of customer-based brand equity on consumer’s perceptions of a brand. This is based on the assumption that all these dimensions of customer based-brand equity will have influence on consumer’s perceptions of brand. However, this thesis aims to find out which among these three dimensions (brand image, brand loyalty and perceived quality) appear to have the least brand equity in both restaurants and to find out if customer based-brand equity differ between the two restaurants with respect to each attribute of brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Brand awareness was treated separately from other dimensions because of the difference in scale.A structured questionnaire was constructed to provide answers to our research question. In this study, one hundred questionnaires were distributed, but only sixty four useable questionnaires were realized. The study surveyed four dimensions of consumer’s based-brand equity namely brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Among the three dimensions, brand loyalty appears to have the least brand equity rating by consumers than the other dimensions. Although, the four dimension appear to have influence on consumer perceptions of brand.3 TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2 ABSTRACT . 3 TABLE OF CONTENT . 4 The Importance of Biodiversity to Human Life The Importance of Biodiversity to Human Life Bởi: OpenStaxCollege It may not be clear why biologists are concerned about biodiversity loss When biodiversity loss is thought of as the extinction of the passenger pigeon, the dodo bird, and even the woolly mammoth, the loss may appear to be an emotional one But is the loss practically important for the welfare of the human species? From the perspective of evolution and ecology, the loss of a particular individual species is unimportant (however, the loss of a keystone species can lead to ecological disaster) Extinction is a normal part of macroevolution But the accelerated extinction rate means the loss of tens of ... is lowest and because of recent, heavy human activity the potential for biodiversity loss is greatest 7/14 Importance of Biodiversity Importance of Biodiversity Loss of biodiversity eventually... scientists 5/14 Importance of Biodiversity Patterns of Biodiversity Biodiversity is not evenly distributed on the planet Lake Victoria contained almost 500 species of cichlids (only one family of fishes... groundwater Types of Biodiversity A common meaning of biodiversity is simply the number of species in a location or on Earth; for example, the American Ornithologists’ Union lists 2078 species of birds