Food Choices And Meal Patterns In India Media Essay

Food Choices And Meal Patterns In India Media Essay The chapter will present the findings, in the form of themes and categories, which was seen from the analysis of the interviews with the participants. The themes are recurring instances of responses occurring across all the interviews and which are important and relevant to the research. The themes were carefully organized into over-arching relevant categories. The themes have also been separately discussed as sub-themes, which were based on the responses of the participants and listed in their own voice, so as to enable a better understanding of their thoughts, knowledge and responsiveness. Category I: Changes in Food choices and Meal patterns The themes and sub-themes talk about the changes in food choices and meal patterns that took place amongst the Indian students in Leeds Metropolitan University and understanding what it meant to them. Theme 1: Food choices and Meal patterns in India Sub-theme A: I had more different a type of Indian food earlier at home than it is here. Yes, there is quite a bit of difference in the type of food that I have here and that I am used to having in India. I donot get the traditional foods that I liked a lot but once in a while I do get Indian food here as well, which is as close to home that I can get. The consumption of food showed a great degree of variation from different regions of the country. They were also dependent on the types of sides that were eaten with the meals. Also, the fact that most of the students reported that, irrespective of where they came from in India, the choices available for them regarding traditional food, were more than they get here. I had rice for all the meals. Thats what people do there. Bread is not that common, may be occasionally, however the most common was rice, which we could have with any side. It was seen that rice was considered as not only the staple ingredient but also something that they could have with most of the side dishes. Due to certain religious beliefs that they grew up in, there was apparent absence of meat and meat products in the responses of some participants. My family had always eaten wheat for atleast one meal of the day. I guess it may be because of the fact that we lived in the North of the country and also that it was cheaper and easily available. The consumption of wheat by these participants was because it was less costly and also that it was easily available in the region. Also, wheat formed the dietary resemblance to the cultural associations of that region. Also, amongst the meat and meat products, chicken was seen as the acceptable option, even during the religious and cultural gatherings. The Indian diet consisted of heavily spiced dishes ranging from vegetables, meat or fish. Sub-theme B: We ate more regular meals and had a balanced diet All the participants said that they had a more regular meal pattern with 2-3 meals in a day and most of it was home cooked. They also brought up the idea of a proper meal, wherein they had food that was specific with that meal of the day. Before I came here, I used to have proper three meals in a day, but here I may only end up having two meals in a day. Also, here the meals are not balanced and quite irregular. The participants felt that the meals they have here were not similar to the ones they were used to having back home. The participants said they were used to having lavish and complete meals, which consisted of variety of dishes. I had a very good eating habit at home. I had a set meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with occasional snacks in between them. Eating regularly, as I used to before is the key to keeping healthy. All the participants talked about the importance of having traditional meals atleast twice or thrice a day. They felt that the breakfast was one of the important meals of the day and that it results in healthy eating habit. It was also seen that they found proper afternoon snack and a filling dinner was healthy, with long term health benefits. Sub-theme C: When we were back home, we never used to eat out often, even though it was fun to eat out. I used to eat at home for most of the times in a week. May be once or twice, I would go out with my friends for dinner bit then that was also not that frequent. The participants talked about the fact that most of the times they preferred to eat at home and did not want to spend money or get worried about the quality and hygiene related with the food. Also, they felt that eating away from would mean going against the normal home cooked food. Also, they perceived junk food as something that was not a part of the meal and not to be healthy, even though it presents itself as an important aspect if the Indian culture and religious festivities. Theme 2: Food choices and Meal patterns in United Kingdom Sub-theme A: Foods that I eat here are very different from what I am used to. The participants showed signs of change in their eating habits after moving to Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. The participants said that they found it difficult to have breakfast, as they were used to back home and even if they did, it was more of ready to eat foods like cereals. There were less consumption of traditional Indian food items and more consumption of canned food items, fruit juice, cheese, snacks like sweets and chips. The meals usually consisted of food from other ethnic origins as well like Mexican, Continental, Italian, which were eaten at local restaurants in Leeds. The participants said that they had to plan towards their meals here and they felt that it was difficult to retain their traditional food habits because of the time constraints faced by the students. I have to plan my own meals here. But at home, it was my mom. My meals here are not consistent. I donot have time to cook the things that I am used to eat back home, as most of the traditional dishes require planning, energy and time, which is difficult here. So I eat whatever is easy to cook and less time consuming. The participants also said that, though most of the time they have non-traditional food, however during the weekend or holidays, they try to stick to traditional Indian food. They felt that for them Indian food enabled them to maintain their cultural associations. Sub-theme B: My eating habit is very irregular here. Most of the participants said that their eating patterns were irregular after they came to the United Kingdom. Most of them said that they never or rarely had time to have breakfast. They could only have a proper meal for dinner, wherein they could cook traditional Indian food for themselves. My food habits have changed after coming here. I skip meals as I donot get the time and energy to cook for me. Most of the times I am at the university and I eat whatever I get at that point of time. However, for dinner, I try to cook some traditional Indian food. It makes a difference to have dinner as a complete meal. The analysis of the responses shows that the participants had an irregular food pattern, which was mainly due to the pressures of the new life here and the lack of time to plan and prepare a complete meal. Also, it was reported that they found the local food not to their liking all the time and hence it resulted in skipping entire meals. Sub-theme C: I eat out a lot here, more than I used to in India. Here, I tend to eat out with my friends most of the times. Even when I am in the university, I would go to the vending machine and pick up something to eat. I also eat many snacks here like sweets, chips. It is even more than I used to at home. The participants talked about their habit of snacking of food items like sweets, chips etc as it was easily available to them and also that they cost-low. The inability by them to invest time towards cooking for themselves and at times resulting in them completely skipping or replacing their meals with snacks or fast-food options. The participants also perceived that the snacks they had in India were low in fat content and hence better than the ones here. I donot have time to go home and cook an Indian meal for myself. I usually gout to eat or do some takeaway. It is all about convenience for me and usually I donot have an alternative. The participants said that for them eating out or at restaurants in India were considered a luxury, however here they feel it as imperative because of its convenience and easy availability as compared to the traditional meals. They felt that a healthy Indian meal is one that would have less cream, oil and cooked at home. However, even though the participants were not extremely interested in eating non-traditional food, but also felt that there were wide range of options available here, something that they did not find easily in India. Category II: Factors affecting Food habits Theme 3: Food habits and perceptions regarding Food habits Sub-theme A: I wish I cooked at home so that I knew how to cook. There were interesting perceptions that were reported by the participants towards knowledge and cooking skills. Most of the women participants said that they did most of the cooking at home however; they found the same difficult here as they had busy schedules with lectures, university. Whereas, the men were unanimous in their response; they found cooking a meal difficult without any previous knowledge. I never took interest in cooking. I did not have to worry about how much to make and if it is healthy or not. After coming here, I tried to cook but it was not easy. Most of the times I would make something that is easy like ready to eat or frozen food. The differences in responses could be due to the traditional beliefs that are related to the role that a man and a women play in the Indian society. In most cases, the Indian meals were mostly enjoyed in the local Indian restaurant. The male participants talk about their lack of skills to prepare Indian meals that makes it difficult for them to have a traditional diet. Also, the female participants, even though most of them said that they had the required skills to cook, showed preference to non-traditional food habits, due to the lack of time needed to cook Indian meals as well as the limited availability of ingredients required to make a traditional meal. My eating habits have changed a lot here. I donot eat traditional Indian food anymore and at times I donot even cook. However, I feel if I knew how to cook, it would have helped. Sub-theme B: I find the food here very different from what I am used to. All the participants said that they found the food here as convenient food due to its easy availability and ease to prepare. However, they thought that these food were not important to be considered as a complete meal, as most of them were artificially prepared with preservatives in them. Some of the participants said, contrary to the general opinion, that they found the non-traditional food healthier than the ones they used to have at home in India. Even though I have eaten Indian food throughout my life, I find the options here like the sandwiches, soups, salads as healthier than the Indian counterparts. I find them to be light and fresh. I cook Indian food at times, but they are time consuming and tend to be oily and greasy, especially if I am going to a restaurant. But the non-traditional foods tend to be more nutritious because they are prepared in ways to preserve their nutritive value, with less oil and cream. The participants also described the opportunity staying away from home as a way to be more experimental in their food habits, breaking away from the traditional diet to try something new. I have always had Indian food. The fact that now I can actually try new things and to be adventurous with my food habits is a nice feeling. At times, I will make pasta, sandwich or Mexican and they taste good too. Sub-theme C: I find it difficult to always have a traditional diet here. Many students talked about factors that affected their traditional way of eating. One such was that of financial considerations, which greatly influenced food and eating habits during their stay in the United Kingdom. They found that the local food to be more reasonable as compared to the traditional Indian food. I donot spend much on food, tend to eat whatever is cheaper. I never ate beef in India, would never think about it, however after coming here, I got to know that it is difficult to always live by traditions. I decided to accept the change rather making it a problem. The participants described their accepting the change in their food habits as a way to be accustomed and accepted by the new culture here. Also, some of the participants talked about their exposure to the Western diet in India, which had played an important role towards them accepting the change in food habits that happened here. Sub-theme D: My diet has changed considerably with time that I am here. Certain participants said that the duration that they have been in the United Kingdom have resulted in changes to their dietary habits. For them, they felt that a reason to come here was the freedom of making choices regarding their eating habits, wherein they ate out often, which they felt as an enjoyable experience. I think my diet is more or less the same here but then it is not definitely the way it was in India. I live alone and hence to eat what is easier and faster to cook.

Cola Wars: Profitability of the soft-drink industry Essay

Historically, the soft drink industry has been extremely profitable. Long time industry leaders Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola largely drive the profits in the industry, relying on Porter’s five forces model to explain the attractiveness of the soft drink market. These forces allowed Coke and Pepsi to maintain large growth until 1999, and also explain the challenges that each company is currently facing. The relative duopoly that Coke and Pepsi share in the industry allows for higher profits, while also maintaining enough competition to promote firm improvement. The first of Porter’s forces is the threat of new entrants. Coke and Pepsi have been largely successful because of many barriers to entry that limits the risk of entry by potential competitors. Coke and Pepsi both have strong brand loyalty, made possible by their long history and adherence to tradition. When Coke strayed from its Coca-Cola Classic formula, its customers demanded a return to the original recipe. Pepsi and Coke also share an absolute cost advantage over others in the industry. They developed superior production operations by buying up bottling companies and performing the service in-house. These companies also have large economies of scale, as they both operate internationally and together control 84% of the market worldwide. Additionally, government regulations have prevented competitors from mimicking Coke’s secret formula, as evidenced by their relentless defense of their brand in court. All of these factors have made it difficult for competitors to enter the soft drink industry. The second of Porter’s forces is rivalry amongst established companies. The competitive structure of the industry has allowed Coke and Pepsi to sustain high profits. The industry is essentially an oligopoly, with Coke and Pepsi dominating the market. The firms are hurt by having similar products that are relatively undifferentiated. However, diversification of product lines into carbonated and non-carbonated beverages has created some product differences. High industry growth from 1975 to 1995 also provided a reprieve from the competitor pressure. Franchising and long-term contracts created higher switching costs, historically limiting the effects of rivalry on the two firms. Porter’s third force is the bargaining power of buyers. This has always been low in the industry, and continues to diminish over time. The low number of suppliers does not afford buyers much room to negotiate. Furthermore, the abundance of distributor options prevented the bottling plants from applying pressure on Coke and Pepsi. Exhibit 8 also shows that both Coke and Pepsi were among the top five consumer brands most important to retailers, suggesting that they were on the losing end of the transaction relationship. Porter’s fourth force is the bargaining power of suppliers. Coke and Pepsi have always set their price. Bottlers were forced to buy concentrate at set prices, usually negotiated in the favor of Coke and Pepsi. The small number of suppliers limited alternatives that could provide the necessary concentrate to bottling groups. Coke and Pepsi have continuously renegotiated contract terms to decrease their costs and enhance profitability. These contracts eventually eliminated marketing cost obligations for concentrate producers as well. Suppliers became so powerful that they eventually bought their own bottling plants. Porter’s fifth force is the threat of substitutes. Initially, other products that could fulfill the same objective of soft drinks (quench thirst) were very weak. According to exhibit 1, carbonated soft drinks were the most-consumed beverage in America through the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, bottled water has become increasingly powerful, cutting into U.S. consumption. A growing health awareness has led to higher demand for non-carbonated soft drinks. Coke and Pepsi have largely met this threat by diversifying into other product lines such as water, juice, tea, and sports drinks. A significant factor that has also allowed the soft drink industry to prosper is the success of the fast-food industry. By partnering with restaurants such as Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut, soft drinks have become a complement to this other profitable sector. Pepsi has taken advantage of this trend in its merger with Frito-Lay. While these five factors all contributed to making the soft drink industry very profitable, the industry is more recently facing challenges that could lead to declining profitability. Industry demand is steadily decreasing, as the United States – the largest consumer of soft drinks in the world – becomes more health conscious. Furthermore, buyers are now threatening to produce soft drinks themselves, such as in-store brands at Walmart. This has increased the bargaining power of the buyer. Though the future profitability of the soft drink industry may be declining in America, Coke and Pepsi have taken substantial actions to spread their brands worldwide. Each has a long-term growth strategy to saturate new markets, whether domestically or abroad. Coke has already taken control of many international markets, while Pepsi claims that its progression to the snack industry provides synergy in its business. It is undeniable that the competition between Coke and Pepsi has resulted in a multitude of strategies employed by both sides.

Leadership Appoach – Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mankind Chanting† (Mankind Vision, 2005), a document that reflected his villous was welcomed by thousands of fellow citizens In 2005. This Is an example of his valorously leadership style. â€Å"My dream Is that of a free nation, a land In harmony with nature, a prosperous tomorrow, and a virtuous man†; these words of his was able to maintain high popularity and public approval as his villous appealed to the core values of the Sir Lankan public. Being a charismatic leader, Rajahs paid close attention to his image in the public.He portrayed an optimistic outlook and charismatic personality to draw the attention of the public. Moral leadership accompanied with high emotional intelligence was another dimension of Arkansas leadership. He placed strong trust in his team and prioritize morally correct decisions over presidential popularity. This biography about Mankind Rajahs will highlight the practical use of relevant leadership concepts and theories. Rajahs is a visionary l eader. Awakening Sir Lankan from the challenges of 27 year civil war, he set out his vision for Sir Lankan in his very first presidential election speech.Harper (1991 characterizes visionary thinking as a process whereby executives are encouraged to extend their time horizons beyond the typical planning cycle. Rashness's speech appealed to the masses and presented an idealized view of what the future of Sir Lankan beholds. His patriotism to the country is always reflected in his speeches. â€Å"This earth and its vegetation are yours. But they should be protected not only for your benefit but also for the benefit of future generations. A ruler is only a temporary trustee not an owner of your children's heritage† (Rajahs, 2005).These words set a wave of national pride and belonging in the country and developed a Sino in every Sir Lankan mind. Thousands of individuals Joined Sir Lankan forces to save the country from terrorists. Through his vision, Rajahs was able to connect wi th the core values of the Sir Lankan public such as defending freedom and hope. As he promised, early in the fourth year of his first six-year term, Rajahs etched his name In the records of Sir Lankan history as the national leader who ended a thirty year long war against the forces of separatist terrorism that threatened the sovereignty and territorial Integrity of the country.He united the country under the ingle national flag by withstanding International pressure for a ceasefire with terrorists. He gave leadership to defeat the most ruthless terrorist organization In the world, bringing a new political vision that seeks both development and reconciliation to build a â€Å"New Sir Lankan† nation. Since, Rajahs fulfilled the dream January 2010. Souses & Poster (2009) stated that to be a successful leader it is necessary to create a shared vision. Rajahs further extended his vision of developing the country with â€Å"Thru Washstands† (Northern Spring) project.It is a special initiative after the war to expedite development in the North. This program allowed northern Tamil partners to Join in the country's progress. Rashness's vision gave Sir Lankan a direction into the future. The multiple dimensions of his vision statement set a benchmark for a good vision. Rashness's vision statement reflects that a good vision must be simple and direct, must be flexible, inclusive and optimistic and consistent with the intended audience's values. Rashness's visionary leadership is a defining characteristic of his success in politics as president of the Sir Lankan.To emerge as a popular leader of the country, Rajahs further exhibited harmonistic leadership to instill belief of the people in his abilities. Sandburg and Norman (2011) describe charismatic leaders as people who possess an unusual power of attraction. Rajahs is a charismatic leader. Throughout his parliament career, until appointed as minister, he continued his law practice in southern province of Sir Lankan. This kept him in the public eye and managed to gain a reputation amongst the community as a lawyer. He was a strong believer in the art of public relations.John, Marina, & Sue (2011) suggest that charisma can be taught and that it has an effect on leader outcomes. Rajahs used various techniques to build his charisma. Rajahs projected himself with an optimistic outlook to draw fondness from the Sir Lankan public. Rajahs appeared in public as a son to all mothers and as a friend to all citizens. He always has an optimistic smile, enthusiasm and almost casual yet serious demeanor. Other factors that contributed to his charisma are his dressing style and his personification in the media. He is usually dressed in Sir Lankan traditional dress even when attending international meetings.This is to show his patriotism towards the nation and portray Sir Lankan culture to international community. Sandburg and Norman (2011) as well as the lessons learnt from Rashness's careers refl ect that charisma can be learnt and plays an important role in the success of a leader. They suggest that all charismatic leaders emerge in times of crisis and present their followers with a mission and a path to achieve it. Being charismatic is a leadership trait that allows leaders to attract people and create a following with an almost supernatural authority (Sandburg & Norman, 2011).Apart from being charismatic, Rajahs also exhibited moral leadership. Moral leadership accompanied by his high emotional intelligence made Rajahs a popular leader. He was able to achieve intense devotion from his subordinates by ‘being a friend, but not a pal'. He placed a lot of trust in his team and believed that the team you put together to surround and advice you said a lot about your leadership. Following his election, Rajahs personally interviewed some of his staff to ensure he had the best people for the Job.As mentioned in Economist (2010), he put blinded trust in his brothers and belie ved that to maintain power he always need people whom he can unconditionally trust. His brother lieutenant Colonel Gotcha Rajahs greatly supported him to win the civil war and now manage many development projects throughout the country as the Defense Secretary of Sir Lankan. Rajahs constantly uses his emotional intelligence and moral leadership to make understanding your own and other people's emotional makeup, what motivates them and how to work cooperatively with them.Strong following and support from his team and the Sir Lankan public is a clear example of Rashness's high Emotional I. Q. Standing up to the rights of Sir Lankan Tamil amidst the civil rights movement is an example of Rajahs practicing moral leadership at risk of his presidential popularity. In addition, while defining Sir Land's vision to unite under one flag, Rajahs practiced moral leadership by refraining from high power weapons such as air strikes in last stage of Civil war against the terrorists. This decision of his saved thousands of civilian lives and also lives of terrorists.These key incidents are a clear reflection on Rashness's high emotional intelligence and moral leadership traits. His leadership sends a message that moral and intelligent leadership can create strong following and guide the leader in difficult situations. Rashness's leadership traits made him a successful leader with the highest presidential approval from the public in his tenure. His visionary leadership style is in alignment with my personal leadership traits. I regularly use techniques such as visualization to personally motivate myself and achieve my personal goals.Vision provides inspiration and in the case of Rajahs provided him the ability to connect with the public that was in need of a new peaceful future. Rashness's charismatic leadership is noteworthy. Followers seek someone they can idealize Road, Brown, Terrine, & Finniest, 2013) ND through the techniques used by Rajahs this can be achieved. Emotiona l Intelligence is really important in the success of a leader. From the stories of Rashness's regime, practicing moral leadership with high emotional intelligence can be beneficiary in guiding the leader in difficult situations.Rashness's emphasis on the power of words is an important aspect of leadership that I had not previously considered. It has become evident through his biography how important words of a leader can be. Although mostly agreeing and learning from the biography of Rashness's, his approach to challenge the international pressure seems a bit Hellenizing for my personal beliefs. Uprising against the existing system can be harmful to the reputation of the leader and must be managed carefully. Overall, I have discovered many leadership techniques and traits, which I can emulate from Rashness's biography and grow myself as a strong leader.In conclusion, Mankind Rajahs was a revolutionary leader. He was a true visionary guiding Sir Lankan during and after civil war whil e being able to assure Sir Lankan populations need through his vision. Rashness's speeches appealed to the masses and presented an idealized view of what the future of Sir Lankan beholds. Mankind Rajahs possessed an unusual power of attraction. His charismatic leadership with a closely monitored public image was an important factor in his approval as the president.

User Adoption Momentum Of E Banking In Malaysia - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 12 Words: 3519 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? In the era of globalization and with the increasing competition in all the fields around the world many companies have modified their strategies so they can reach their customers around the world easier and cheaper. However the rapid growth of systems that rely on electronic technology especially those relating to the Internet and personal computer- led to a significant change in the exchanging of products and services. Many  Service organizations have adopted modern technology to reduce costs and enhance customer service quality, delivery, and standardize core service offerings. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "User Adoption Momentum Of E Banking In Malaysia" essay for you Create order In addition a lot of non-banking companies entered the banking industry by offering products and financial services, giving the customers a lot of options and alternatives to carry out their banking transactions, this difficulty of the business process in the financial sector forces the banks to develop an alternative technological channel to attract customers and improve their perception. The rapid technological diffusion makes the internet the best way to provide customers with banking services regardless of the limits of time and geography. And thats what makes banks  consider the  internet as an important part of their strategic plans. Internet technology has changed the design and the way of delivering the financial services and as a result the banking industry has made continuous innovations especially in the field of communications and information technology that ultimately led to the emergence of the idea of what is known as the online banking. Bankin g services through the internet is a way to keep the existing customers and attract others to the bank, In this paper we define online banking as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“an internet portal, through which customers can use different kinds of banking services ranging from bill payment to making investmentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Pikkarainen et al., 2004). Compared to the traditional approach, online banking is an inexpensive straightforward way to conduct banking business, exchange of personalized information and buying and selling goods and services from any place at any time. Despite the many benefits provided by this service to the bank and its customers, it remains a double-edged sword and not used by every customer, because the increasing distance between the bank and customers may lead to lack of confidence and an increasing in security concerns. As a result, the quality of electronic banking services become an important area of attention among the researchers and banks managers due to its strong influence on the business performance, lower costs, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and profitability (Seth et al., 2004). The main objective of this study is to focus on the importance of understanding the customers perception about internet banking by investigating and measuring the impact of selected factors such as perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), security and privacy (PC) and how they can influence the customer acceptance to conduct banking transactions via the internet, Based on the empirical data collected from individual customers in Bahrain. In the next section we will give some background information about the internet banking sector and review the relevant literature in this area, the following section describes the research methodology, which is then followed by the data analysis and the results from the survey, The paper concludes with a discussion, outlining the implications of the findings and the limitations of the study. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) External variables Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Behavioral intention Actual system use Figure 1: The original Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a perfect model which show how users accept and use a technology. In (TAM) the main determinants of userà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s acceptance of new technology are perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) (Davis, 1989). Although (Chen and Barnes 2007; T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. 2006) found that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and security and privacy affect customer adaptation intentions, Qureshi et al., (2008) claimed that Perceived usefulness, security and privacy are the main perusing factors to accept online banking system. Celik (2008) stated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are direct determinants of customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ attitudes towards using internet Banking. Traditional service quality and website features (PU, PEOU and PC) that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking (Yap, K et al. 2010). Aderonke and Charles. (2010) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Banksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ customers who are active users of e-Banking system use it because it is convenient, easy to use, time saving and appropriate for their transaction needs. Also the network security and the security of the system in terms of privacy are the major concerns of the users and constitute hindrance to intending users.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Yap, K et al. (2010) claimed that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Traditional service quality and website features that give customers confidence build trust in e-banking.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Sadeghi and Hanzaee. (2010) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“According to the model of seven factors on the following dimensions: convenience, accessibility, accuracy, security, usefulness, bank image, and web site design. Some of these factors illustrate a significant statistical difference between males and femal es.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Safeena et al. (2009) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, consumer awareness and perceived risk are the important determinants of online banking adoption. These factors have a strong and positive effect on customers to accept online banking system.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“TAM beliefs and perceived risks (security, privacy, performance and social) have a direct influence on e-banking adoption. Trust appears as a key variable that reduces perceived risk. Involvement plays an important role in increasing perceived ease of use.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Riyadh et al. (2009) stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Seven variables affecting e-banking adoption by SMEs are identified. They are: organizational capabilities, perceived benefits, perceived credibility, perceived regulatory support, ICT industries readiness, lack of financial institutions readiness and institutional influence.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? A l-Somali et al. (2009) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ the quality of the Internet connection, the awareness of online banking and its benefits, the social influence and computer self-efficacy have significant effects on the perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of online banking acceptance. Education, trust and resistance to change also have significant impact on the attitude towards the likelihood of adopting online banking.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008) noted that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived usefulness, ease of use, security and privacy, and customer attitude are significantly and positively related to customer adaptation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Hanudin Amin. (2007) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived credibility had a significant relationship with behavioral intention. Further, these measures are good determinant for undergraduate acceptance for internet banking. Results also suggest that PU and PEOU had a significant relationship with computer self-efficacy.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived usefulness, ease of use, security, responsiveness and convenience significantly influence customer interactions with Internet e-banking. In particular, individuals would place a great emphasis on the security of Internet-based financial transactions. As a conventional practice, commercial banks and financial institutions must continuously review security policy and strengthen the security control of Internet e-bankingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“all elements for ten identified factors are significant with respect to the usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ adoption of e-banking services. Privacy and security are the major sources of dissatisfaction, which have momentously impacted usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ satisfaction. Meanwhile, accessibility, convenience, design and content are sources of satisfaction. Besides, the speed, produ ct features availability, and reasonable service fees and charges, as well as the bankà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s operations management factor are critical to the success of the e-banks. WAP, GPRS and 3G features from mobile devices are of no significance or influence in the adoption of e-banking services in this study. Results also reveal that privacy; security and convenience factors play an important role in determining the usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ acceptance of e-banking services with respect to different segmentation of age group, education level and income level.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Padachi et al. (2007) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the most significant factor is ease of use and that other important elements featured reluctance to change, trust and relationship in banker, cost of computers, internet accessibility, convenience of use, and security concerns.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Chen, Y. H. and Barnes, S. (2007) pointed out that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived priv acy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize are the important antecedents to online initial trust. It is also discovered that different levels of trust propensity moderate perceptions toward the web site and online with respect to online initial trust, including perceived usefulness, perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived good reputation, and willingness to customize. Both online initial trust and familiarity with online purchasing have a positive impact on purchase intention.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? T.C. Edwin Cheng et al. (2006) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ intention of adoption of IB. This study contributes to the literature by formulating and validating TAM to predict IB adoption, and its findings provide useful information for bank management in formulating IB marketing strategies.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? We analyzed the data using Structured Equatio n Modeling (SEM) to evaluate the strength of the hypothesized relationships, if any, among the constructs, which include Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Web Security as independent variables, Perceived Usefulness and Attitude as intervening variables, and Intention to Use as the dependent variable. The results provide support of the extended TAM model and confirm its robustness in predicting customers intention of adoption of IB Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) found that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“there was a correlation between respondentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ attitudes towards e-banking and their comfort level and feeling of security with regard to their age, level of education, and annual salary.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? 2.1 Perceived ease of use (PEOU) Safeena et al. (2009), Jahangir N. and Begum N. (2008), Z Liao and WK Wong. (2008) and Amin. (2007) stated that perceived ease of use have a strong and positive influence on customers intention to adopt and use internet banking. 2.2 Perceived usefulness (PU) Several studies showed that perceived usefulness influence customer interactions with internet banking, which effect the adoption of e-banking services (Sadeghi and Hanzaee. 2010; Safeena et al. 2009; Al-Somali et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N. 2008; Hanudin Amin. 2007, Z Liao and WK Wong.2008 ). 2.3 Perceived credibility (PC) Previous research has shown that security and privacy are the most concern for consumer, which have a direct or indirect influence on e-banking adoption (Aderonke and Charles, 2010; Sadeghi and Hanzaee, 2010; Alda ´s-Manzano et al., 2009; Riyadh et al. 2009; Jahangir N. and Begum N., 2008; Z Liao and WK Wong., 2008). Privacy put barriers on using online services (Hernandez and Mazzon, 2007). Moreover, Wai-Ching Poon. (2008) and Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005) noted that privacy and security factors play an important role in determining the usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ acceptance of e-banking services with regard to age, education level and income level. 3.CHALLENGES 4.1 RESEARCH MODEL AND HYPOTHESES The model of the study is presented below: Perceived usefulness Perceived ease of use Perceived credibility Intention to use Electronic Banking The representation of the proposed framework depicted the pattern and structure of relationships between the set of the measured variables. The purpose of the study is to measure correlations among variables and then use it to identify whether any relationships exists between these measured variables or not. We will extended TAM and add PC into the framework to test the effect of these three factors on e-banking adaption. In the extended model of TAM study, like (Safeena et al. 2009; Alda ´s-Manzano et al. (2009); Hanudin Amin, 2007), the attitudes factor has been neglected to simplify the model. The present study investigated the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived credibility and customer intention to use electronic banking in Bahrain. Here perceived usefulness, per ceived ease of use and perceived credibility, were being considered as independent variables and customer intention to use electronic banking was being considered as a dependent variable. Perceived usefulness According to the Davis (1989) and Davis et al. (1989), perceived usefulness is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. Perceived usefulness is defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the individualà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s perception that using the new technology will enhance or improve her/his performanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Davis,1993). In Addition, Laforet and Li, (2005) and Eriksson et al., (2005) defined the term perceived usefulness as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the subjective probability that using the technology would improve the way a user could completeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. We hypothesize that People tend to use an application to the extent they believe it will aid their performance. H1: Perceived us efulness (PU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived ease of use According to Davis (1989) perceived ease of use refers to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort. The most significant factor on adoption Internet Banking is ease of use. (Padachi et al., 2007). Hence an application perceived to be easier to use than another is more likely to be accepted by users. And By applying these to electronic banking context we can hypothesize that: H2: Perceived ease of use (PEOU) has a positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. Perceived Credibility Perceived credibility is defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the degree to which a user feels the certainty and pleasant consequences of using an electronic application service, when there is no financial risk, physical risk, functional risk, social risk, time-loss risk, opportunity cost risk, and informatio n riskà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? Jacoby and Kaplan (1972). However, (Ganesan,1994) present another definition of PC stating it as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the extent to which one partner believes that the other partner has the required expertise to perform the job effectively and reliably.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? PC is usually impersonal and relies on reputation, information and economic reasoning (Ba and Pavlou,2002). Wang et al. (2003) stated that perceived credibility is consists of two important elements namely privacy and security, which affect directly consumer adaptation of electronic banking systems. Security refers to the protection of information or systems from unauthorized intrusions (Egwali, 2008). For the purpose of this research, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“perceived credibilityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (PC) is defined as usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ perception of protection of their transaction details and personal data against unauthorized access. Therefore, for studying the effect of perceived credibility on userà ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s acceptance in Bahrain electronic banking services, we pose the following hypothesis to determine it effect on userà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s intention H3: perceived credibility has positive effect on customer Intention to use Electronic banking. 4. Methodology To assess the factors influencing the intention to use internet banking in Bahrain, a survey was conducted during the last quarter of year 2010. A Questionnaire were designed and distributed to retail users of banking services of different age group and of different educational level attained across the island. Survey Instrument The questionnaire we prepared for this exercise was divided into 2 sections. The first section concentrates on the general profile of the respondent including his/her age group, education level and profession and income group. In the second section we were interested in finding the factors affecting the customer intention to use internet banking in Bahrain. The respondents were provided with a list of 10 questions; 4 questions on perceived usefulness, 2 questions on perceived ease of use, 3 questions on perceived credibility and finally 1 question on intention to use. The participants were asked to indicate their perception on a likert scales (1 - 5) with response ranging from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“strongly disagreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“strongly agreeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. The collected data were analyzed based on correlation and regression analyses using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 17computer program. Data collection The questionnaires were distributed directly among the customers through the researchersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ friends and relatives, a sample of 400 people was randomly chosen from the Bahraini community, all participants were bank customers selected randomly from universities, malls, Internet cafÃÆ' ©s and businessmen from private and public sectors. Also A digital online form was created using Google Documents in the same questionnaire style, Then the link was shared and publicized to Bahrainià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s through email as well as posting it on discussion forums. Once a subject would answer the questionnaire, the raw data will automatically be logged in a spreadsheet which can be only accessed and downloaded by the researcher. Since the questionnaire form was to be submitted online it guaranteed two things: First, it targeted people who really access the internet. Second, because all questions are need to be answered before submitting. The collection of data will be done automatically, efficiently and there wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be any loss of data The questionnaire we prepared and used had been pre-tested initially with a few number of people (5 users) working in different sectors to ensure consistency, clarity and relevance to the Bahraini case, Minor changes (related to the questions content, wording, sequence) were requested by those people, which we implemented before carrying out the final copy. A total of 200 useable responses were obtained yielding a response rate of 50% (200/400). Demographic profile of respondents: variable category Frequency Valid Percentage Age 18 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 25 25 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 35 35 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 45 45 yrs and above Gender Male Female Education Secondary and below Diploma Bachelor High studies Occupation Government sector Private Sector Self-employment Others Monthly Income in BD Less than 500 500-1000 1000 and above Assumptions or Limitations For this research, the following limitation existed in the collection of data, the survey assumed that the respondents have some familiarity with banks and banking transactions and have been exposed to or have knowledge of the existence of e-banking alternatives. For these responses in particular, it was difficult to ensure the true validity of the responses or the identity of the respondent. 5. RESULTS OF THE STUDY 6. DISCUSSION 7. CONCLUSION REFERENCES Aderonke and Charles. (2010). An Empirical Investigation of the Level of Usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ Acceptance of E-Banking in Nigeria. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 15 (1). Al-Somali, S.A., Gholami, R. and Clegg, B.(2009). An investigation into the acceptance of online banking in Saudi Arabia. Technovation, vol. 29, pp.130-141. Al Nahian Riyadh, Md. Shahriar Akter , Nayeema Islam. (2009). The adoption of e-banking in developing countries: A theoretical model for SMEs. International Review of Business Research Papers, vol. 5 (6), pp.212-230. Ba, S. and Pavlou, P.A (2002). Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic market: price premiums and buyer behavior.MIS Quarterly, vol. 26 (3), pp. 243-68. Celik, H. (2008). What Determines Turkish customers acceptance of internet banking? International Journal of Bank Marketing. Vol. 26 (5): 353-370. Chen, Y. H. and Barnes, S. (2007), Initial Trust and Online Buyer Behaviour, Industrial Ma nagement Data Systems, 107(1): 21-36. Davis, F. D. (1989), Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology, MIS Quarterly,13 (3): 319-339. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P. and Warshaw, P. R. (1989), User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models, Management Science, 35(8): 982-1003. Davis, F. D. (1993). User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioral impacts. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies,38, 475-487. Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., Warshaw, P. R. (1992). Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to use computers in the workplace. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22(14), 1109-1130. Egwali A. O., Customer Perception of Security Indicators in Online Banking Sites in Nigeria, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, December 2008, vol. 13, no.3. Eriksson K, Kerem K, Nilsson D (2005). Customer acceptance of internet banking in Estonia, International Journal of Bank Market, vol. 23 (2), pp. 200-216. Ganesan, S.(1994), Determinants of long-term orientation in buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, Vol.58 (2), pp.1-19 Hanudin Amin (2007). Internet Banking Adoption Among Young Intellectuals. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, December 2007, vol. 12 (3) Jacoby, J., Kaplan, L. B. (1972). The components of perceived risk. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Conference of the Association for Consumer Research, College Park, MD. Joaquin Alda ´s-Manzano, Carlos Lassala-Navarre, Carla Ruiz-Mafe and Silvia Sanz-Blas. (2009). Key drivers of internet banking services use , Online Information Review, Vol. 33 (4), pp. 672-695. Laforet S, Li X (2005). Consumersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ attitudes towards online and mobile banking in China. International Journal Bank Market vol. 23 (5), pp. 362-380. Moutaz Abou-Robieh. (2005). A Study of E-Banking Security Perceptions and Custom er Satisfaction Issues. Nadim Jahangir and Noorjahan Begum. (2008). The role of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, security and privacy, and customer attitude to engender customer adaptation in the context of electronic banking. African Journal of Business Management, vol.2 (1), pp. 032-040. Padachi, Rojid, Seetanah.(2007). Analyzing the Factors that Influence the Adoption of Internet Banking in Mauritius. Patrick, T. (2002). Corporate Privacy Credibility Crumbles. Computer world, March, 4(10). Pikkarainen, T., Pikkarainen, K., Karijaluoto, H. and Pahnila, S. (2004), Customer acceptance of on-line banking: an extension of the technology acceptance model, Internet Research, vol. 14(3), pp. 224-235 Qureshi, T.M., Zafar, M.K and Khan, M.B. (2008). Customer Acceptance of Online Banking in Developing Economies. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, Vol. 13 (1). Safeena, Abdullah and Hema. ( 2010). Customer Perspectives on E-business Value: Case Stud y on Internet Banking. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 15 (1). Seth, N., S.G. Deshmukh and P. Vrat, 2004. Service quality models: A review, International Journal Quality and Reliability Management, vol. 22(9), pp. 36-51. T.C. Edwin Cheng, David Y.C. Lam and Andy C.L. Yeung. (2006) Adoption of internet banking: An empirical study in Hong Kong. Decision Support Systems, vol. 42 (3), pp 1558-1572 Tooraj Sadeghi and Kambiz Heidarzadeh Hanzaee. (2010). Customer satisfaction factors (CSFs) with online banking services in an Islamic country I.R. Iran. Journal of Islamic Marketing, vol. 1 (3), pp. 249-267 Wai-Ching Poon . (2008). Usersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ adoption of e-banking services. Journal of Business Industrial Marketing, vol. 23 (1), pp. 59-69 Wang, Y., Lin, H., Tang, T. (2003). Determinants of user acceptance of internet banking: an empirical study. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 14(5), 501-519 Yap, K., D. Wong, C. Loh, and R. Bak (2010). Offline and online banking where to draw the line when building trust in e-banking. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 28(1), p.27-46 Z Liao and WK Wong. ( 2008). The determinants of customer interactions with internet-enabled e-banking services. Journal of the Operational Research Society, vol. 59 (9).