Question

Room to Grow More Local Veggies at Panasonic's Farm

Consumers here can look forward to more home-grown leafy greens from Panasonic, which plans to expand its high-tech indoor vegetable farm and more than double its production by next year. The Japanese electronics giant is also looking into cultivating seasonal fruit usually grown in temperate climates. It runs a 1,154 sq m indoor farm, about the size of 11/2 soccer fields, at Panasonic Factory Solutions Asia-Pacific's premises in Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim.The farm produces up to 40 crop varieties, amounting to 81 tonnes of vegetables annually. Plans are under way to increase farm size to 1,710 sq m, which will allow it to produce up to 180 tonnes at optimum capacity. The cultivated varieties include mizuna, oba, leafy lettuce, mini red radish, Swiss chard and baby spinach. Mr Paul Wong, managing director of Panasonic Singapore, said the company embarked on vertical farming as a viable and efficient means of producing vegetables in a limited space. Mr Wong said: "We started with eight types of crops. Through constant research and development, we now produce 40 varieties of leafy greens and we want to expand that list with seasonal fruits. "Increasing our overall crop production is also in line with our goal to contribute to Singapore's food security through a stable local supply of leafy greens." Latest figures from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) show that last year, 11,300 tonnes of vegetables were locally produced, which accounts for 12 per cent of the total vegetable supply. Singapore imports over 90 per cent of its food supply. Mr Melvin Chow, group director of AVA's Food Supply Resilience Group, said local food production provides a crucial buffer in the event of disruptions in overseas food supply. The AVA encourages the use of technology that can help local farms optimise land use, boost capability and raise production. Mr Chow said: "The most important step is for our industry to adopt a progressive mindset and improve productivity." Panasonic's indoor vegetable farm was the first of its kind to be licensed by the AVA in 2013. It utilises both soil cultivation and hydroponics. No pesticides are used. Seeding and potting are automated, which doubles productivity compared with traditional farming methods. An intelligent lighting system using LED lights helps to accelerate plant growth. Through a system of automated irrigation, controlled temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide, the farm is able to increase crop growth and achieve a high yield rate of 95 per cent. The farm is also licensed by the AVA to process salads. Panasonic produces three ready-to-eat salad mixes, which are sold at major supermarkets. It also supplies vegetables to hotels, restaurants and catering companies. Japanese restaurant chain Ootoya placed its first order of vegetables with Panasonic in 2014. Mr Yusuke Shimizu, 39, managing director of Ootoya Asia-Pacific, said: "Our customers... complimented us on the freshness and some even asked us where to buy the vegetables." Ootoya orders an average of 150kg of vegetables from Panasonic every month for its three outlets. Mr Shimizu said: "Freshness is a priority at our restaurants and Panasonic supplies us with vegetables that are harvested on the same day."

Question : Discuss how Cultural, Social and Personal Factors can influence a consumer’s decision to purchase high-tech food products from Panasonic. (~875 words)

Answer 1

The buyer, The KING of the market is the one that commands the market and the market patterns. A purchaser is somebody who pays a total to expend the products and ventures sold by an association. The purchaser assumes a critical part in the request and inventory network of each monetary arrangement of each country. The makers of the merchandise and ventures would do not have the thought process of creating as there would be no interest for their items.

Customer conduct is a physiological procedure it is altogether identified with the feelings of the buyer. In this procedure the shopper begins with perceiving the need of the item, and after that finds a way or a medium of tackling these necessities, settles on buy choices like arranging whether he should purchase or not purchase a specific item, and afterward he affirms the data, scribbles down an arrangement and afterward actualizes the arrangement of making the buy. Purchaser conduct is physiological it is human conduct it can change with the smallest change in the market, the climate and the pattern. Contemplating shopper conduct is a test take a gander at a couple of difficulties that is how might you think about buyer conduct.

1.            Consumer Behavior – Cultural variables

Culture assumes an extremely essential part in the deciding customer conduct it is sub isolated in

•             Culture

Culture is an exceptionally complex conviction of human conduct it incorporates the human culture, the parts that the general public plays, the conduct of the general public, its esteems traditions and customs. Culture should be inspected as it is an imperative factor that impacts purchaser conduct.

•             Sub-Culture

Sub-culture is the gathering of individuals who share similar esteems, traditions and conventions. You can characterize them as the country, the religion, racial gatherings and furthermore gatherings of individuals having the same geographic area

•             Social Class

Society has social class; in actuality each general public has one. It is imperative to realize what social class is being focused as regularly the purchasing conduct of a social class is very comparative. Keep in mind not only the pay but rather even different components portray social class of a gathering of buyers.

2.            Consumer Behavior – Social Factors

Social variables are likewise subdivided into the accompanying

•             Reference gatherings

Under social variables reference bunches have an incredible capability of impacting shopper conduct. Obviously its effect differs crosswise over items and brands. This gathering regularly incorporates a sentiment pioneer.

•             Family

The conduct of a customer isn't just affected by their inspirations and identities yet in addition their families and relatives who would two be able to or more individuals living respectively either in view of blood relationship or marriage.

•             Role and status

Individuals who have a place with various associations, gatherings or club individuals, families assume parts and have a status to keep up. These parts and status that they need to keep up likewise impacts customer conduct as they choose to spend as needs be.

3.            Consumer Behavior – Personal components

Various individual factors additionally impact the customer conduct. Truth be told this is one main consideration that impacts buyer conduct. The sub factors under individual factor are recorded beneath.

•             Age and life cycle organize

Age of a buyer and his life cycle are two most vital sub factors under individual components. With the age and the life cycle the customers buy choices and the thought process of procurement changes, with his choices of purchasing items change. Subsequently this stage affects buyer conduct.

•             Occupation

Control of a purchaser is influences the merchandise and enterprises a customer purchases. The occupations gather has better than expected enthusiasm for purchasing diverse items and administrations offered by associations. Truth be told associations deliver isolate items for various word related gatherings.

•             Financial or monetary circumstances

Everything can be purchased and sold with the assistance of cash. On the off chance that the financial circumstance of a purchaser isn't great or stable it will influence his buy control, truth be told if the buyers or the economy of a country is enduring a misfortune it insubordinately influences the buyers buy or spending choices.

•             Life style

Individuals beginning from various societies, sub societies, occupations and even social class have distinctive styles of living. Way of life can affirm the intrigue, conclusions and exercises of individuals. Diverse ways of life influence the buy example of shoppers.

•             Self idea and identity

Each individual is extraordinary and have unique and unmistakable identities. Their unmistakable identities and particular physiology impacts their purchasing choices. Thus buy of items and administrations concedes from individual to individual.

4.            Consumer Behavior – Psychological variables

Mental elements influence customer conduct firmly. We should take a gander at them in detail.

•             Motivation

Inspiration is initiating the interior needs and prerequisites of the customer. It can likewise be portrayed as objectives and necessities of the purchasers. Inspiration stimulates and coordinates the customers towards specific objectives. These necessities can be mental requirements, needs of security, social needs, regard needs and furthermore self realizing needs.

•             Perception

Observation is detecting the world and the circumstances around and after that taking a choice appropriately. Each individual look as the world and the circumstances in an unexpected way. The judging capacity and limit of each individual is unique and subsequently the take a gander at the world in an unexpected way. This is the thing that isolates the choice taking capacities.

•             Learning and experience

Learning is the exploration of items and administrations before the purchaser takes the choice of purchasing an item. Learning and self instructing nowadays is done on the web and furthermore in gatherings. Experience is taking a lesson from the past encounters of an item and administration. Learning and experience both again assume a critical part in impacting the purchaser's conduct as it impacts their buy choice.

•             Attitude and convictions

Demeanor is a purchaser's positive and troublesome passionate condition or enthusiastic feeling, likewise its propensity of response to specific activities and practices. Convictions of individuals that are the conviction that individuals accept the items to be as make the particulars of the items. Consequently mentality and convictions are likewise vital and should be thought about while examining human conduct.