Example Of Research Paper On Cosmetic Surgery Service

Cosmetic surgery is done to an individual to improve her or his physical appearance. It is a costly procedure that is attracting interests in many countries. According to Chang and Thompson of American Broadcasting Company (June 20, 2014), about 20% of South Korean women have procured cosmetic surgery services. In United States of America, about 15.1 million people that accounts for 3% of the population underwent cosmetic surgery procedure (American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Report, 2013). The decision to purchase cosmetic surgery services is influenced by psychological, social, political, legal, cultural and technological factors.
Perception is a key factor influencing decisions regarding cosmetic surgery process. Cosmetic surgery industry thrives on body image. An individual's negative perception of his or her body image can be a great source of stress. Individual, who are not satisfied with their physical appearances, are more likely to experience low self-esteem problems. Consequently, they are more likely to consider buying cosmetic surgery services than their counterparts with good looks and appearances. The decision also depends on the individual's personality. People with strong personality traits tend to be more rigid (BI Norwegian Business School, 2013). Consequently, they may not consider buying cosmetic surgery services irrespective of their physical looks. On the other hand, individuals with weak personality traits manifest great flexibility. As a result, they are more likely to purchase cosmetic surgery services when faced with image issues.
Peer pressure is another factor that is driving up demand for cosmetic surgery procedures. Many individual undergo cosmetic surgery services because of the influence of the other people. The pressure is great among teenagers because of the focus they put on the appearance. Interestingly, the largest proportion of people procuring cosmetic surgery services are aged 55 and over (American Society of Plastic Surgeons' Report, 2013). This statistic is a clear indication that aging is a big social problem that is responsible for many cosmetic surgery procedures. Women account for over 90% of plastic surgeries done in US. Women are socialized to appreciate good look than women. As a result, a woman is nine times more likely to choose to undergo plastic surgery than a man.
Apart from social factors that emanate from human interactions, culture too can influence consumers' behavior towards cosmetic surgery services. Conservative societies often view cosmetic surgery as alien practice. Besides, societies that have deep religious inclinations do not accept plastic surgery because it goes against the doctrine of their faiths. In such societies, the procedure is considered ungodly. Consequently, individual from these cultures are more likely not to purchase cosmetic surgery services. On the contrary, individuals from societies with liberal cultures are more likely to undergo cosmetic surgery because the practice is accepted.
Politics plays an important role in shaping consumer characteristics and preferences. Countries with liberal systems of government are more open to innovations than the religious and conservative governments. Cosmetic surgery is prevalent in United States and Europe because these countries encourage citizens to pursue their interests and rights without state interference. On the contrary, the religious and dictatorial regimes impose moral standards on its people. As a result, individual from these countries may not have freewill to purchase cosmetic surgery services. For example, an individual from Iran is not allowed to procure cosmetic surgery because it is prohibited in Islam, and the country is a religious state. Again, the country's politicians may develop policies that make may restrict the provision of cosmetic surgery services. For instance, Parliament may adopt a policy that bars performance of plastic surgery on children under certain age. Again, the political administrators may impose high taxes on cosmetic surgery making the procedure very expensive to buy.
Cosmetic surgery requires advanced technology to undertake. For this reason, it is mostly undertaken in technologically advanced nations that include South Korea, India and United States of America. The available technology in a country influences the rate and the number of cosmetic surgeries procedures. Many people in US and South Korea turn to cosmetic surgery to correct their body defects because the technology is readily available in these countries. On the other hand, people from least developed nations have low number of surgical procedures partly because the technology is expensive to acquire and operate. In such circumstances, consumers from these countries may not consider the service because of lack of technology or the available technology may not have outstanding results.
The legal jurisdiction from which the consumer hails can influence his or her purchasing decisions. Some services are banned in some jurisdictions. Consequently, no resident of that country, state, municipality, county or community is expected to procure the service. Legislative bodies from these jurisdictions may also pass a law that does not bar trading in specific services, but makes it hard to procure the services. Hence, consumers from the jurisdiction may exhibit low preference for the service because of the lengthy process of buying the service. A law may require a teenager wishing to have cosmetic surgery done on him or her to seek consent from family doctors, parent or specific authority. Such legislation may discourage teenagers from seeking cosmetic surgery services.

References

BI Norwegian Business School. (2013, April 30). Strong personalities are weak when faced with change. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 7, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130430091637.htm
Chang, J., & Thompson, V. (2014, June 20). South Korea's Growing Obsession with Cosmetic Surgery. Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/south-koreas-growing-obsession-cosmetic-surgery/story?id=24123409
2013 Plastic Surgery Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/plastic-surgery-statistics/2013.html