Surveys in Measuring Flexible Employment in the UK Essay

Surveys in Measuring Flexible Employment in the UK - Essay Example A broad definition of 'atypical' employment is that adopted by Delsen (1991), who describes it as deviating 'from full time open ended work employment: part time work, seasonal work'. In the US the most common term which largely overlaps what is referred to in Europe as flexible working patterns is 'contingent work' (Freedman, 1986). ( H Harris, C Brewster and PSparrow,2003 pg 101) Although some consultants have tried to foster the term 'complementary working', Polivk and Nardone (1989) define contingent employment as 'any arrangement that differs from full time, permanent, wage and salary employment'. Morishima and Feuille (2000) noting that contingent employment can include a variety of workers The common themes that unite the individuals in these diverse categories are that they receive few or no fringe benefits, they have little or no expectation of long-term employment with the firm on whose premises they work at any given time, and they occupy a secondary position to the regular, full-time employees in the firm's status hierarchy. They conclude that although an accurate account of the situation in the USA and Japan, within the European contest such distinctions do not hold true. The complex aspects of flexible working practices render varying effects and implications. Part time work for example will apply to any work hours short of the normal working week for each country which vary across the globe. For instance in France and Belgium, part time work is defined as four-fifths or less of the collectively agreed working time; in the Netherlands and USA as less than 35 hours per week; in the UK as less than 30 hours, with lower thrash holds in relation to social security contributions. Elsewhere, the norm is concentrated around 25-30 hours per week (Bolle, 1997 and Brewster et al, 1996). THE FLEXIBLE FIRM Source: as cited in Keizer (2007). Various scholars have had their significant contributions to the entirety of the Flexibility discipline. Nonetheless John Atkinson stands out for his 'The Flexible Firm" model. Whilst at the institute of man power studies John Atkinson and his colleagues propounded the much quoted model depicting the divisions, between 'core and peripheral' work forces. In this model the core workers are full time permanent career employees who have won security by virtue of committing to functional flexibility in the short term and long term basis. The organisational value of such is encapsulated in the terms and conditions that bind them whilst their remuneration is largely influenced by their achievements including those of t the team and the organisation. (John Stredwick & Steve Ellis, Flexible Working Practices techniques and innovations, pg 11 & 12) The first peripheral group has less job security and access to career opportunity. And their jobs are plug in ones, not skill specific to the firm. Organization looks to the market place to fill the jobs, many of which are filled by the women, and numerical flexibility is achieved by the normal wastage which is fairly high. .(John Stredwick & Steve Ellis ,Flexible Working Practices techniques and innovations, pg 11 & 12) The second peripheral is an extension of the first, with much part time working, shift working, zero hour and short term contracts which maximize flexibility. Such terms and conditi

How ares of contract law, specifically pre-marital agreements are Essay

How ares of contract law, specifically pre-marital agreements are affected from a feminist perspective Discuss in light of Radm - Essay Example Some legal feminists push for the equal application of laws to both men and women. Others believe that the law and the courts must take extra steps to favour women over men considering that women are, by definition and in reality, placed at a lower stratum than men in society. This clash of perspectives may even be more pronounced in the days to come with the recent Supreme Court decision in Radmacher v Granatino,1 an English premarital agreement case. This case does not only reverse previous decisions of courts in prenuptial agreements by conferring a rebuttable presumption on such agreements but it breaks the stereotypical image of wealthy men enforcing premarital agreements against economically vulnerable women spouses. The implication of the sweeping application of the legal dictum of Radmacher in future cases is to deprive women spouses, generally perceived to be the less economically viable partner, of court intervention and assistance in prenuptial agreements where such agreem ents contain provisions disadvantageous to women. The Feminist Legal Theory The feminist legal theory emerged in the 1970s and, as with any other feminist movement, was driven by the perception that men dominate and shape society, which itself subordinates women to men. Feminists bewailed that legal systems render decisions with underlying assumptions about gender, therefore, justifying and further institutionalising gender inequality. Such gender assumptions, according to them, can be gleaned in decisions that take into account and were influenced by essentially gender-related factors. It had been argued by some feminist movements that it was not nature that subordinates women in a sphere of domesticity, but culture aided by the courts with the latter’s restrictive decisions against women such as prohibiting married women to own or dispose property.2 Feminist legal movements, however, approaches their battle from diverse perspectives, some of which are complementary, whilst others are plainly conflicting. Nonetheless, all feminist legal models blame the legal and judicial systems in perpetuating gender hierarchy. The liberal equality model insisted that men and women should be treated alike in all respects. This model insists on the â€Å"sameness† between men and women in arriving at rational choices and seeks to dispute the perception that women are inferior to men, and should therefore, be accorded the same legal treatment as men. This means that even favour accorded to women because of their sex violates equality because it results in the differentiation of women and men.3 This model was, however, eventually assailed as weak because of its failure to take into account real and actual differences between the sexes such as pregnancy in the employment area. On the other hand, the radical feminist model emphasises the differences between the sexes and rallies the legal system to give special treatment to women. Contrary to the liberal equality m odel, the radical feminist model compels the law to highlight such differences and accord relief to women to bridge the gap of inequality that separates them from men. Radical feminists believe that women are subjugated to the state and to men all of the time and are therefore, disempowered. Radical feminist legalists subscribe to the ideas of Catherine MacKinnon, Sylvia Law and Nan Hunter: MacKinnon regarded women’s sexual submission to men as false consciousness of individuals who are inherently oppressed, and; Law

Persuasive memo on Internet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Persuasive memo on Internet - Essay Example A modified and lenient regulation on Internet use can prove to be useful in more than one ways for our organization. First of all, it will provide the employees with the much needed incentive to persevere even more for the accomplishment of the company’s goals. Secondly, it is often observed that employees tend to retard during breaks and lunch periods; however, if such a regulation is passed, then it will act as a catalyst in energizing employees and boosting their motivation levels during breaks. The permission to interact with their friends and family members on social networking websites, surf news or watch highlights of a soccer game, can all prove to be key drivers in bringing out enhanced performance from the employees. Moreover, through internet use in breaks, employees can share information with each other, which would develop a knowledge-based culture in our organization. Consequently, a regulation to allow internet use during breaks and lunch periods would ultimately benefit both the employees and the

Use academic literture and to apply theory in examining a chosen Essay

Use academic literture and to apply theory in examining a chosen ethical or social marketing issue - Essay Example Therefore, marketing managers have the responsibility of ensuring that they reduce advertisements that encourage underage drinking (Mohan, 2009, pg 27). This can be done by creating public awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption. They should set out well-coordinated efforts aimed at reducing underage drinking by fostering mature and responsible drinking habits to adults Panda (2010) defines advertisement a mass communication medium; thus, require managers to exercise social responsibility. The marketing managers are required to provide correct information about the products and services that they promote (Andreasen, 2011, pg29). This is critical in giving consumer adequate information to make correct choices. Understanding the responsibility towards the public is critical since it has a positive and negative consequences. Imperatively, the consumers’ protection groups and government provide criticism on advertisements. In many cases, they base their arguments on companys manipulative and deceptive reasons (Panda, 2010,pg37). Many consumers focus their attention on the environmental and social effect of advertisements. Other concerned with the commercial clutter, offensiveness, stereotypes, and value system. For instances, labels designed for alcoholic beverages in retail places have pictures of an older person and not children to avoid allur ing the youth and children. Marketing managers have the responsibility of ensuring that their advertisements meet the ethical norms. In essence, they need to ensure that the messages do not harm the political, social, and morals standards in the society (Lamb, 2011, pg8). Ethical advertisements are those that have limits on decency, does not lie, and don’t make false claims. It can be observed that many advertisements are exaggerative. The sole reasons for marketing managers are to increase their sales. Many are forced to make a false representation by presenting colorful, decorated, and

Personal Statements Essay Example for Free

Personal Statements Essay Thinking about humanity nowadays and peoples preoccupations made me realize the huge impact that crimes and criminal justice have on their decisions and the way they receive and react at the details and information about a crime. Television news, newspapers and magazines, they all speak about crimes, unsolved criminal problems or strange disappearances. The worlds evolution, its issues have pushed societies nowadays to extreme gestures to escape from poverty problems. Why do people commit crimes? How much crime is there committed around us? Which would be the profile of a criminal and which would be his or her characteristics? Moreover, how could these crimes is stopped? I have been attracted to criminology since the early age of just 12. I was watching Discovery channel series like Deadly women†, â€Å"Life of a crime, Most evil and I was fascinated by the way those people were investigating and solving those crimes helped by only some fragile and minor details. As time passed by, I realized that this was my hobby and so I started thinking how I could develop my skills for a career in criminology. I thought that if I entered an exact sciences high school profile, I would constantly keep my mind focused, as subjects like mathematics or informatics enlarge your vision. As criminology implies psychology, I was and I am still interested in this fascinating subject. I will always be interested in discovering the characteristics of human nature. I had contact for the first time with Psychology in the second year of high school. I also read very interesting books about psychology and criminology such as Psychology and Crime Myths and reality, by Peter Ainsworth, Criminology, by John Conklin, etc, describing its characteristics and feeding my curiosity. I have discovered myself a lot of skills after reading those books and this was an extra reason for me to attend to a Criminology course. Besides criminology, I also like IT (information technology). As technology occupies a significant part of our lives, I thought it would be helpful to certificate my skills: I obtained my OCP certificate for ORACLE sql database course; I attended the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) courses from where I got a diploma as a complete operator of the Microsoft Office package. At present, I am attending the ORACLE pl_sql programming course which I am going to finalise in May 2009 and obtain my certificate. Even though I have been focusing on my ambitious plans and my future, I havent forgotten the ones that werent so lucky when speaking about familys kindness and warmth. So, I was involved myself in volunteer projects every Christmas and Easter. The volunteer action is called National Strategy The Community Action. In present, I intended a new strategy to help the mentally or physically affected children at the Orizont Center in my town, Constanta. In my opinion, abandoning you own child is a crime and if he or she has a handicap it is ten times worse. As I am a very active person, I also took part to a lot of extracurricular activities, like: general-knowledge quizzes, chemistry contests where I have participated with the project Water crystals. Crystal therapy and gained two prizes, I am part of the high school volleyball team with which I won a lot of regional and national competitions, I had a job as an IT operator for introducing and validating dates within the POL-RENAV company, etc. Considering the fact that criminology is my hobby (terrorism, youth crimes, homicide, violence in crimes), it would be the perfect course for me to study and improve at university. Studying the behavior of criminals or investigating their crimes will always create a challenging future and an interesting one, having always something new to learn. As a personal conviction, criminology is maybe the most complex job that one could want: it involves mental strength, devotion and 100% interest for this field. 2. For a number of years I have had more than a passing interest in Criminology, Psychology and Sociology; in particular Criminal Psychology, Neuropsychology, the nature versus nurture debate and the Criminal Justice System. Additionally, I hold equal interest in the research, both past and present, undertaken to develop theories and concepts in the Social Science fields. I would now like to pursue these interests at a higher academic level with the hope, upon completion of my study, to gain employment whereby I could effectively utilise the skills and knowledge I had obtained, possibly in the research field. The reasons behind my late entry into higher education are primarily due to immaturity and lack of direction. Throughout my teens and early twenties my life was unconventional; this is where I believe my interest in the working of the human mind and sociological influences stem from. I have reflected on the contributing factors that led me to make the choices I made during my adole scent years. For me this raises the question of whether the underlying causes were biological or socially influenced or even a mixture of the two. Over the years I have matured and gained a sense of direction regarding what I would like to do. In 1999, I decided I wanted to contribute to my local community by doing some form of voluntary work, in particular with those who suffer from mental health problems. I became a befriended through Hilling don Mind. A befrienderÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s role is to support a person who is feeling isolated from the community. Every week I would visit my friend and sit and chat and lend an ear, we would also enjoy trips out into the community. I enjoyed my 12 months working as a befriended; I found it a humbling, fulfilling and rewarding experience. Sadly I had to make the difficult decision to leave the Hilling don Mind Befriending Scheme in the later part of 2000 due to unforeseen increased family and work commitments. In early 2006, I made the decision to return to education. As I had not been in full time education for 21 years, I chose to ease myself back into the system by studying a Horticulture course part time over a period of 2 years. I completed this course in July 2008 passing with 6 straight Distinctions at level 2; completing this course was the catalyst to further my education it gave me the confidence required to progress further. In September 2008, I enrolled on an Access to Psychology and Social Studies course and an additional GCSE Moths course at level 2. I am finding my current course both exciting and thought provoking and am enjoying life as a student immensely. My hopes are that on completion of both these courses I will have acquired a solid foundation of Social Sciences and the skills required to study at University. Throughout my life I have experienced a variety of roles within the work force including care work, administrative roles, production line work and voluntary research work for several websites. I have raised my two daughters, 5 17, almost single handed for the last 8 years; the eldest of which is in her final year of a levels and is currently in the process of applying to universities. For a number of years I have successfully maintained 2 Allotments, although they require a great deal of physical work I find growing my own produce extremely satisfying. Additionally, I enjoy listening to a variety of music and reading, in particular non-fictional crime. I manage my ongoing commitments to my children, education and allotments extremely well, indicative of conviction, dedication and good time management skills. Law with Criminology Personal Statement Social development within the country is based around the well-structured judicial system; however, this fundamental principle is not true for all countries and therefore permits shocking injustices to be carried out on the most vulnerable members of a society. It is from this that I believe my interest in Law stems. I am a keen, ambitious, diligent student and always strive to reach the best I can in whatever I do. Studying A levels in Business Studies, English Language and Biology gives me broad knowledge of different topics from which I have acquired many valuable skills that I believe can assist my studies in Law. Business Studies has been particularly useful when developing my understanding of the financial world and ever-changing business laws. Applying and examining bureaucracy and red tape to set case studies, has encouraged me to research further into the world of consumer rights and explore what is acceptable and not. I have enjoyed studying Biology and having to work close ly as a team when completing practical experiments with precision. English Language has given me the opportunity to analyse written texts which will be an advantage when studying cases and having to pick out key information. Studying AS Psychology has encouraged me to examine how criminal minds work and whether particular events from earlier years of life can have an effect. Recently, I attended a Foundation Degree Law Course where the idea was to become a Lawyer for the week and develop the learning skills required for University. During the week I had hands on experience and undertook many legal practices such as taking witness statements and drafting statements of case. I found the course thoroughly enjoyable, particularly offering legal advice, and it helped me to realise how Law influences everyday decisions and activities. I have contributed too many different aspects of school life ranging from playing in successful musical concerts to becoming a senior student as a Year 8 mentor for which I had to attend two peer mediation courses. From this I learnt how to enhance my listening skills and empathise with those around me, offering reliable advice at the same time. I believe this would assist me when recommending legal advice to clientele. Along with a small group of other students, I am currently helping to set up a Committee to improve Sixth Form Life. Although this is to be carried out alongside my lessons, it helps me to plan my time well who benefits my studies when completing coursework and other various set tasks. The Young Enterprise Scheme, where it was our job to set up a company and assign ourselves roles within it, was a good insight into having to work as a team and understand business laws. I was chosen as the company secretary as I had the organizational skills which were necessary, this meant I had to work closely with the Managing Director to discuss issues and then make sure that every employee understood the tasks set. This developed my interpersonal skills as I had to liaise between staff, students and visitors from external companies. Personal well being is something I value and so participate regularly in exercise, giving me a sense of achievement when I overcome a certain obstacle or beat a personnel target. At school, this reflects my self discipline approach to studying. I have had to institute a system of time management alongside my education as I work part-time twice a week at South Deep Cafe. Working there for three years has, primarily, made me particularly approachable, as I have learnt many valuable customer relation skills, but has also reflected my trustworthiness and commitment especially when training other employees. As an enthusiastic, well-rounded, dedicated student, I feel I have the attributes and genuine passion needed to succeed on a Law Course, and look forward to the many challenges and aspects of life at University. Law and Criminology/Sociology Personal Statement From a young age, I have been fascinated by law and was thrilled at the possibility of studying it at A-Level. In August 2007, I was able to spend two weeks working at Naves Solicitors in Lupton. Most of my time was spent in the Conveyancing department, where Andrew Orriss, a partner in the firm, taught me how to draw up commercial leases and business contracts, and about buying, selling and renting residential properties. I most enjoyed meeting clients and discussing their cases. I found that moving house many times as a child enabled me to be sympathetic and relate to the clients. My time at Neves has made me more intent on pursuing a career in the law, as I liked the work and fitted in well with the staff. I believe my current studies of Law, English Language and History complement each other well and would give me an advantage at university, as they have furthered my strong reading and writing abilities, and taught me to be more logical and investigative. I also took Religious Studies at AS-level as I like learning about other peoples beliefs, and it helped me to become more open-minded. I enjoy getting involved with activities in my Sixth Form, such as planning the Summer Ball in Year 12. I was chosen by our Deputy Head Girl to take the minutes for the meetings and email them to the other committee members, and my minutes were commended by my Head of Year. I was also asked to assist with the Sixth Form Induction Evening. My duties involved welcoming prospective students and their parents, handing out prospectuses, and talking to them about my own experiences of Sixth Form. In Year 13, I was chosen as a History subject mentor to help struggling Year 12 students, and I also helped out on a trip to Germany with students in years 7 to 9. Outside of school, my hobbies include photography, bass guitar, and writing. In 2006, I came second in a BBC writing competition for young people in Northamptonshire. Having grown up in France, I am bilingual, and my next challenge is to write a short story in French. I also have a part-time job at McDonalds, which has taught me about working with others, as well as coping with pressure. One of the crucial parts of my job is ensuring that customers are satisfied, and occasionally dealing with complaints. I believe the people skills I have gained from McDonalds will help me in other aspects of my life. I regularly attend my local church and Christian youth group. In July 2007, I had the opportunity to go to Kosovo for a fortnight with other members of the youth group. Our aim was to help widows and orphans affected by the Yugoslav Civil War and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovans in 1999. We redecorated homes and schools, ran childrens clubs, distributed aid, and visited a Roma gypsy camp. It was a very profound and moving experience, and one I hope to repeat at some point in the future. This is the reason for my deferred entry to university. I plan to spend a few months fundraising, and then return to Kosovo for the remainder of the year to continue the work we started there. I believe that I am a confident and enthusiastic person who would benefit greatly from studying at university. I am passionate about the law and would like to have a career as a lawyer. I also have a keen sense of justice and an interest in Sociology and Criminology and would consider working with the Prison Service or the CPS. I think that studying Law at university would help me make the best possible use of my analytical and writing skills, and that a career in Law would satisfy my need to help.

Negative correlation Essay Example for Free

Negative correlation Essay However, the weakness of this negative correlation raises the notion that the results have no correlation at all. To investigate this possibility I will first try to find how just how weak this negative correlation is. As you can see from graph 2 the different result values for each temperature vary quite a lot from the average. This undermines the accuracy of the results, as the greater the range of the results from the average the less likely the results and therefore the average is accurate. The range of the different results for each temperatures and the standard deviation from the mean can indicate how accurate the results are. This is because, as I have explained earlier the range and the deviation of the results from the mean determines how accurate the results are. Graphs 3 and 4 show how the standard deviation and the range of the results change over the temperature range used in the experiment. In graph 3 the range was calculated by subtracting the lowest value from the highest, and in graph 4 the standard deviation was calculated using the formula; ? ((? (x -? x)/n) (where x = the values and n = the number of values). Graph 3 and 4 show that in general the accuracy of the result increases with an increase in the temperature, and that at low temperatures the results are not very accurate at all. I can conclude this as, the bigger the standard deviation or range the less accurate the results are. In both graphs 3 and 4 the general pattern shows high range and high standard deviation at low temperature (high inaccuracy) and low range and low standard deviation at high temperatures (low inaccuracy). This therefore contradicts my earlier theory that the inaccuracy would increase with an increase in the temperature, however it must be taken into account that the results are very inaccurate already. Because of this inaccuracy the results may have had a certain random element in them, evidence for this is in the fact that the results are very inaccurate (they have a large range and a large standard deviation), and that the inaccuracy varies a lot from its trend line (see graphs 3 and 4). So in conclusion, I think that the results of this experiment were not accurate at all and not accurate enough to draw any sound conclusions that are backed with scientific theory/knowledge. In fact I think there was a certain random element in the results that contributed to the inaccuracy of the results. Because of the inaccuracy of the results, I feel that it is not a good idea to use these results as a basis for any conclusions, especially as these conclusions cannot be backed up by any scientific knowledge. Therefore with only the results I have at this moment, I have to conclude that the resistance is directly proportional to the temperature. I can conclude this because I have decided to use scientific knowledge as a basis for the answer to this correlation. I have done this because the results I have are too inaccurate to use for making any judgements on this correlation. Evaluation: So far I do not think this investigation has gone very well because of the very inaccurate results, however with the large amount of scientific knowledge I have been able to come to a conclusion to this investigation that has a lot of backing. My prediction was of corse correct. The reason to this inaccuracy in the results is, in my opinion due to the large amount of contacts and wiring used in this method. Some components react to temperature by changing the resistance in different ways, most components react in a directly proportional linear way, but some components like a filament lamp or diode react in a directly proportional but logarithmic way and/or only at certain voltages. It is quite likely that in the multi-meters there were some of these components that react in a logarithmic way and at certain voltages. This means that the current flowing through the circuit would be affected out of proportion by these components, therefore affecting the resistance. Although the affect of these components would have been neutralised if one multi-meter were used, it might not be neutralised if two multi-meters were used as they were in this method. The large amount of wire used in this experiment has meant the current could have been easily affected by other variables that I did not take into account, like a change in the room temperature, or if I accidentally spilt some water onto the wires. Also like the different depths used in the water bath, or a magnetic flux from the high voltage used in the kettle. Due to the large amount of outside variables that can affect the large amounts of wire used, I have to conclude that the large amounts of wire used in this method was the main cause of the inaccuracy of its results. I cannot estimate how accurate my results are because I have no basis on what the true values are, only that the correlation is directly proportional. If I were to repeat this investigation, I would change the method so that less wire was used and only one multi-meter was used, I would also change the method so as to stop any of the variables mentioned in this evaluation affecting the results. If possible I would try and use a more accurate multi-meter in my experiment. A more accurate multi-meter will give me more accurate results; the reduced amount of wire to be used will reduce the effect of outside variables and make the results more reliable. I dont think I need to do any extra research, as I have more than enough scientific backing for any conclusions I will have to make if I repeat this investigation.

Online Shopping In India

Online Shopping In India Online shopping is the process of researching and purchasing products or services over the  Internet. The earliest online stores went into business in 1992, and online  retailing  took over a significant segment of the retail market during the first decade of the twenty-first century, as ownership of personal computers increased and established retailers began to offer their products over the Internet.   Consumers across the globe are increasingly swapping crowded stores for one-click convenience, as online shopping becomes a safe and popular option. Online shopping has some advantages over shopping in retail stores, including the ability to easily compare prices from a range of merchants, access to a wide selection of merchandise, being open 24*7 and the convenience of not having to drive to a physical store. But despite that the online shopping cannot replace the experience of shopping in a retail store or the entertainment value of going to a mall or market. A customer who knows exactly what he or she wants can look it up online, read and compare the information, and purchase from the site that offers the best price or service. But a shopper who is uncertain what to look for, or who just enjoys browsing through items on display, will prefer a retail store where the merchandise can be seen, handled and sample. The dà ©cor, music and arrangement of goods in a retail store creates a multi-dimensional shopping environment that cannot be duplicated online. For many people, going shopping at a mall, department store or market is a form of entertainment and a social experience. Many people who are currently unfamiliar with computers and do not feel comfortable using the Internet to shop are not likely to change their habits.   The Future growth will come through improvements to the shopping process on existing Web sites; the implementation of more online shopping sites by existing retailers; the coming of age of a younger, more technology-oriented generation; and the introduction of novel goods, services and online shopping experiences. The growth of online shopping in developing nations like India will occur as more people acquire personal computers and credit cards. Global Arena Online shopping, or the use of the Internet to gather information on products and services, has already shown significant growth globally. The Nielsen survey, the largest survey of its kind on the topic of  Internet shopping  habits, was conducted from October to November 2007 and polled 26,312 Internet users in 48 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East. When The Nielsen Company conducted its first survey into online shopping habits two years ago, only 10 percent of the worlds online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet. Within two years, this number has surged by approximately 40 percent to a staggering 875 million. The burgeoning popularity of online shopping is a truly global phenomenon. Online shoppers can be found scattered across the globe, but the worlds most avid Internet shoppers hail from South Korea 99 percent of Internet users in South Korea have shopped online. German, UK and Japanese consumers come in a close second. US consumers are slightly more recalcitrant, clocking in at number eight. Indian Scenario While the Internet and the World Wide Web are continuing to expand at a rapid pace, the development of electronic commerce has been slower. Surveys indicate many Indian Internet users employ the developing interactive medium to shop or browse for information on products and services, but a far smaller percentage has actually made purchases online. The number of people and hosts connected to the net has increased worldwide. In India too, Internet penetration has became more widespread. Online shopping though a small proportion of the Internet activity is believed to increase in the coming years. Some of the prominent factors leading the change are greater Internet penetration, fall in prices of hardware, fall in the price of Internet communication, development of better and more reliable technologies, and increased awareness among the users. Some of the various ways in which online marketing is done in India are company websites, shopping portals, online auction sites, etc. E-commerce may not have taken off in India the way it should have, yet prospects are bright. India is expected to be the third largest Internet market in the world in the next five years (Source Ac Nielson). The advantages are there for both buyers and sellers and this win-win situation is at the core of its phenomenal rise, as it is believed that e-commerce transactions will represent the largest revenue earner especially in the business to consumer (B2C) segment in India. Indian customers are increasingly getting comfortable with online shopping, and there is a higher acceptability for the concept. India has 25 million Internet users and more is now turning to online shopping. There has been an influx of online shopping sites in India with many companies hitching onto the Internet bandwagon. The revenues from online shopping are expected to increase tremendously. According to IAMAI, the average number of transactions per month in India has gone up from 2 lakh in 2003-04 to 4.4 lakh in 2004-05 and has doubled to 7.95 lakh transactions per month in the year 2005-06. The online sales during the festival season had increased rapidly especially during Diwali and Ramzan which recorded a sales of Rs115 crore, a 117 per cent increase from the Rs53 crore in the year 2004-05 (source IAMAI). These figures clearly show that online shopping has truly come of age and consumers are keen to shop on the net. Effective customer communication on products plus reduced shipping costs and timely delivery has helped online marketers to seize a slice of the Rs 115 crore sales. Though a miniscule amount in the global context, the Indian online shoppers population would make its presence felt quite remarkably. The potential of the Indian e-market can be gauged from the fact that 16 percent of Indian consumers want to buy online in the next six months, making it the th ird most online-potential country after Korea (28 percent) and Australia (26 percent) (Source:IMRB). This is an indication of a growing breed of Indian consumers who are not only better equipped but also more confident of the online transactions. LITERATURE REVIEW The consumers attitude towards online shopping is known as one of the main factors that affects e-shopping potential (Michieal, 1998). Though attitudinal issues are thought to play a significant role in e-commerce adoption, however social-demographic variables such as the gender, income, age, and nation also affect customers in purchasing. In a study of customer satisfaction and repurchase behavior, Mittal, Kamakura Wagner (2001) divided consumer characteristics into six social-demographic variables. They were gender, age, educational background, marital status, children, and living area. A review of empirical studies in this area shows several things. Many studies have found that typical online buyers have used the Web for several years, and because of their familiarity, they searched online for product information and purchase options (Bellmanet al., 1999). There was also evidence that the Internet shopper was convenience-oriented (Donthu Garcia, 1999; Korgaonkar Wolin, 1999), innovative and variety-seeking (Donthu Garcia, 1999). He or she did not appear to be brand-or price-sensitive (Donthu Garcia, 1999). From a consumers viewpoint, Yao (1998) who researched the purchase behavior of online shopping in demographic variables and behavior variables angle, found that different age groups affected customers product choice in price. Sheth (1983) considered that consumers purchase preference would affect their intention. Considering that Internet shopping, is still not at the mature stage of development, not too much is known about consumers attitudes towards adopting this new shopping channel and factors that influence their attitude toward (Haque et al., 2006). That means that, through motivation and perception, attitudes are formed and consumers make decisions. Thus, attitudes directly influence decision making (Haque et al.,2006). Attitudes serve as the bridge between consumers background characteristics and the consumption that satisfies their needs (Armstrong and Kotler, 2000; Shwu-Ing, 2003). Because attitudes are difficult to change, to understand consumers attitudes toward online shopping, can help marketing managers predict the online shopping intention and evaluate the future growth of online commerce. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research study is to investigate online Indian consumer behaviour, which in turn will provide E-marketers with a constructional framework for fine-tuning their online strategies. The objectives of this research are: To study the attitudes and behaviour of Indian consumer regarding online shopping. To evaluate the contribution of online shopping in India. To understand the issues and challenges of online shopping in India. To analyze if the Indian online buying behavior is affected by demographics, cultural and social characteristics. To identify factors which determine online shopping. To examine the satisfaction level of online purchases of Indian consumers. To investigate the future and growth of Online Shopping in India. HYPOTHESIS: Keeping in mind the above objectives and in order to address the problem in the most effective manner the following hypotheses have been formulated: There is no significant difference between the frequency of online buying among male females Indian consumers. There is no significant difference between the Indian consumers educational background and their online purchase intention. There is no significant difference between the income of regular online shopper and occasional online buyer. There is no significant difference between the convenience orientation of consumers who make frequent online purchases or those who purchase occasionally. There is no significant difference in the dominance of usage of shopping online between the Generation Y shoppers (those born after 1977) and other online buyers, that is, people over 45 years of age. RESEARCH METHODOLGY: The general purpose of the study is to conduct a descriptive research on the customer attitudes and behaviors for online shopping in Indian setting. To this end exploratory or qualitative research tool would be used, which can help better understand and gain data that, shows how consumers make online shopping. Sampling designs chosen for use in this research is non-probability judgment sampling. A non-probability sample group would be used and the surveys would be mailed and distributed among the Internet users chosen. As discuss by Cavana et al.(2001), when time or other factors become critical, non-probability sampling is generally used. By using this sampling design, no probabilities are attached to the elements in the population under research. However this research may able to collect preliminary information in a quick and inexpensive way. In judgment sampling, the researcher uses his/her judgment in selecting information rich units from the population for study based on the populations parameters to answer the research question. Five hundred surveys would be conducted because it is considered to be a large sample size to se rve the purpose of the research. A combination of primary and secondary research techniques would be used to collect the data to meet the objectives. The primary research would be conducted across Delhi through structured consumer survey questionnaires administered among all the people who use Internet through judgmental sampling. Any person who meets the criteria would be a potential sample unit for the survey. According to Sekaran (2003), surveys type is a useful and powerful method in finding answers to consumer behaviors research. To carry out the research, the questionnaire consists of a combination of several types of questions. Also the researcher will seek to review related literatures of consumer behavior on online shopping. After data collection the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) would be used for data analysis. Various tests would also be conducted like T Test, Z Test, Factor Analysis. These methods would help to reach an answer and come up with results to prove the findings. SCOPE: Today Internet is not only a networking media, but also as a means of transaction for consumers at global market. Internet usage has grown rapidly over the past years and it has become common means for delivering and trading information, services and goods (Albarq, 2006). Since online shopping is growing tremendously in the current business scenario it is imperative to study how consumers make purchase decisions on the Internet. With the advent of Internet shopping, consumers are faced with an overwhelming amount of product offerings, and consequently have a greater degree of freedom to choose among many different alternatives. Internet shopping carries a number of different characteristics than traditional shopping methods. In India the Internet has taken root and grown along many fronts in the past decade. The research assumes significance since marketers have endeavored to cater to this growing segment of consumers. Research undertaken within India on the profile of Internet shoppers is piecemeal and incomplete. This empirical research intends to explore into this issue, this study among the Internet users will help marketers to plan highly focused online campaigns in the future. PROPOSED CHAPTERIZATION: Keeping in mind the objective of the research, In this research proposal, the background, context and theme of the study would be presented first; then the objectives of the study and the research statements would be formulated. Here, vital concepts, questions and assumptions shall be stated. Finally, the scope and limitation of the study, methodology to be used and the significance of the research will be discussed in detail.    So, proposed table of contents for the research are as follows Acknowledgement Executive Summary Table Of Contents List Of Tables List Of Figures Chapter 1 Introduction In this chapter the background to the research area is presented. This presentation leads to a discussion of the issues within the research area which further leads to the formulation of a research question. This research question will be answered later in this thesis. The purpose of this thesis is also presented. Chapter 2 Literature Review This chapter includes a review of relevant and supporting theories for this research. They begin with broader theories of segmentation and online buying behaviour before two models relevant to the empirical study is presented. Chapter 3 Research Methodology The means that were used to conduct this research will be presented in this chapter. This includes the methodological approach, the research strategy, method of data collection, the sample and quality standards. The methodology is chosen to fulfil the purpose and aim of this thesis. Chapter 4 Analysis Findings The results of the empirical study will be presented in this chapter. The empirical findings will assist in the analysis of results presented in chapter five. The extent by which data analysis done would depend on the amount and quality of data collected through primary and secondary research. Principle objective in such a process of data analysis would be the use of statistical tools wherever required which could include the use of worksheets in excel. This would involve extensive discussion with industry representatives to get an accurate and valuable opinion. Based on the analysis suitable analysis and recommendations would be fixed. Chapter 5 Conclusion The conclusion answers the research question and presents implications for marketers. It answers whether the purpose of the research has been achieved. Chapter 6 Recommendations And Limitations In this chapter the limitations of this research is presented as well as recommendations for future research in online communities References This research has referenced the following reputable sources Literature, Journals, Articles, and Websites Appendices