Dissertations / Theses: 'Understanding the consumer loyalty's'

1

Neale, Larry. "Toward a better understanding of uncommon loyalty." Thesis, University of Western Australia, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/17007/1/c17007.pdf.

Full text

Abstract:

Some brands seem to garner uncommon levels of loyalty from their customers. These brands can weather economic downturns, long-term competitive disadvantage and continual performance failures to emerge with a core of dedicated, committed, and loyal consumers. Good examples of this phenomenon come from sports. Some sports teams have fans who proudly proclaim their loyalty as well as financially support their team through attendance, yet live their entire life without witnessing their team win a championship. Why would they do this, when switching brands is possible? This study used the sports industry to explore the minds and analyse the behaviours of sports fans in order to learn more about their uncommon loyalty towards their favourite team. A comprehensive review of loyalty and sports literature revealed researchers were better defining and measuring the dimensions of loyalty, while sports marketers were able to explain more of the variability in attendance. There was still a gap, however, that needed filling to explain this uncommon loyalty. One of the features of the sporting industry is the ritualised way in which it is consumed across the world. Fans of every sport have rituals and superstitions to help them enjoy the spectacle, socialise with other like-minded fans, and reduce some of the anxiety of watching their team play. Although some sports researchers have touched on the topic of ritual, none has defined, measured or applied it to desirable outcomes such as commitment and attendance. This study uses a sample of 651 attendees at an Australian Football League game to explore ritual behaviour, define the game-day rituals observed, and design a scale to measure sports fan ritual in order to investigate the link between ritual, and attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Fan ritual was found to be two-dimensional with personal and social rituals. The associations between social ritual and commitment, and social ritual and attendance are positive and significant, while personal ritual does not significantly influence commitment or attendance. The findings support previous research that found a significant and positive relationship between identification and attendance, and extend previous research by finding a significant and positive relationship between social rituals and attendance. For academic researchers, the findings are important to establish the role of ritual in consumption and loyalty, while opening future research opportunities in other product categories. For sports marketers, the results indicate the importance of developing and facilitating consumption rituals tied to game day attendance, with a view to generating uncommon loyalty.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Bbenkele, Edwin C. K. C. "Understanding consumer behaviour in the less developed countries : an empirical investigation of brand loyalty in Zambia." Thesis, University of Stirling, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2151.

Full text

Abstract:

The objectives of this study are to contribute to the understanding of consumer behaviour, and to investigate the existence of brand loyalty in the less developed countries. The study attempts to fill the gap in literature on consumer behaviour and consumer characteristics in the less developed countries. The significance of the study is that while the existing studies focus on Latin American markets, it investigates consumer behaviour in Africa: Zambia. A further contribution lies in its attempts to understand consumer behaviour in markets where there is a common notion that marketing is not important because the existence of shortages creates demand. This study regards such attitudes as myopic because marketing should be understood as more than a demand creating tool. It should be viewed as a discpline that can enable a manager to match organizational capabilities and resources to the needs of a society. Moreover, at the micro level, companies are in competition for the occupation of the largest segment in the consumers mind. The need for marketing during shortages is in conformity with Kotlers argument that: 'Marketing is as critical a strategic concept and an operating philosophy during shortages as it is during surpluses. The seller (Marketer) who abandons the marketing mode of thinking during shortages is playing Russian roulette with his market franchise. He is risking long-term marriage to a set of customers for the temporary charms of a seductress.' (Quoted in Nekvasil, 1975, p.57). Hence, studying brand loyalty and the factors related to it has particular relevance in the less developed countries. The results of a consumer survey conducted among 1289 respondents in Zambia reveals that women, who were mostly involved in the purchase of the products, were very aware of brands on the market, used informal (personal sources) of information, identified brands by name and as expected, the frequency of purchases were low and quantities bought quite large, reflecting the product shortage situation. The cross-tabulations and log-linear analysis further indicated that brand loyal consumers tended to be mostly men, educated, from middle and high income classes, store loyal, heavy users, not price sensitive, influenced by family and friends, who lived in urban areas where distribution is extensive and many brands available. However, some interbrand differences were evident. These results suggest a profile of brand loyal consumers, and this can be used to segment the market for frequently purchased products. More significantly, the possibility of market segmentation would indicate appropriate marketing and advertising strategies for companies selling these products in the less developed countries.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Salmela, Markus, and Sakari Ylönen. "The New Music Industry : - Understanding the Dynamics of the New Consumer of Music." Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, EMM (Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Management), 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-11902.

Full text

Abstract:

The music industry today is undergoing a revolution with digital distribution of music taking over the traditional sales of physical CDs (Mewton, 2008). The peer-to-peer networking and illegal music piracy is a problem that lately has been widely discussed in forums of ethics, legal issues and economical aspects, followed by a music industry trying to solve the situation with new business models enhancing digital sales, e.g. the tip jar model (Hiatt & Serpick, 2007). The tip jar model embodies the problem the industry is facing since it allows the consumer to choose whether to pay or not. Therefore the question of what leads the consumer to pay instead of download or pirate music has been researched in many aspects. However it has been made to a lesser extent in theory of loyalty and liking and their implications on the new business models’ success and the new consumer of music.

Previous research within music piracy has mainly explored demographics, macro- and micro economical perspectives such as artist and record company loss of welfare and consumer surplus (Coyle et al., 2008). We find it of interest to instead further explore the impacts of theories about consumer liking, loyalty and attitudes (Wells & Prensky, 1996; Shiffman & Kanuk, 1987; Solomon et al., 2002) as an addition to this existing knowledge to enhance the understanding about the new consumer of music. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze artist liking, artist loyalty and attitudinal factors’ impact on consumers’ music piracy intentions. The study is an explanatory study based on quantitative data collected in the region of Jönköping where the collection of data has been conducted by using two questionnaires; one among students at the School of Education and Communication (Jönköping University) and one at the A6 shopping-center. This data has been summarized to create independent variables used in a multiple regression analysis to calculate their impacts on piracy to confirm or reject the from theory deduced hypotheses.

The results from the multiple regression analysis show that the attitudinal factors do not have a direct impact on piracy intentions; however the other two independent variables, measuring the artist loyalty and artist liking have a larger impact. Surprisingly, a higher level of loyalty increases the intentions to pirate music while, as anticipated from theory (Solomon et al., 2002; Shiffman & Kanuk, 1987), higher liking decreases intentions. The conclusion is that the artist liking variable and artist loyalty variable are resulting in a bridge over piracy where the pillars are built of liking and the bridge itself is built of loyalty, stressing the importance of maintaining high levels of liking to maintain purchasing behavior online.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

Wilson-Jeanselme, Muriel Annie. "Towards understanding Internet loyalty through customer preference structures." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2010. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:a6ead1e8-3743-48a1-9df8-4a536e4f83e7.

Full text

Abstract:

This research is an exploration of how the capabilities of the Internet may have influenced customer preference structures and how these influences may, in turn, have affected loyalty behaviours. These relationships are explored from both customers’ and companies’ perspectives. A theoretical model is developed which comprises four main components. These are (1) pre-purchase preference structures; (2) post-purchase preference structures (3) the Internet channel and (4) loyalty behaviours. The Internet channel is shown as having a modifying effect on pre- and post-purchase preference structures, which in turn relate to influences in loyalty behaviours. From the customer’s perspective the theoretical model was quantitatively tested by developing pre- and post-purchase preference structures from a choice-based conjoint experiment on a sample of online and offline grocery shoppers. The results showed that these preference structures differed significantly on a number of attributes. The theoretical model was further tested by linking the utility values from the choice-based conjoint experiment to loyalty variables in a structural equation model. The results showed that the theoretical model needed adjustment to fit the underlying data. The offline shoppers’ group model had a better fit to the data than did the online group. The company perspective was developed through a longitudinal study of four U.K. companies in different industries. The qualitative data collected in these studies was compared and contrasted with the theoretical model. The emergent pattern within this analysis showed that companies with a strong understanding of customer preference structures in a traditional marketing channel, was no guarantee that the capabilities of the Internet would be used to strengthen performance on those preferences. One common theme that emerged from interviews with companies was that those who rapidly developed new levels of performance on customer preferences using the capabilities of the Internet had made the Internet a major component of their business model. The qualitative data showed companies as either adopting a transactional or an informational approach to their Internet channel strategy with radically different implications for their business models.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Kwan, Man Ching. "A self-based perspective for consumer-brand relationship : understanding the role of brand attachment in brand equity creation." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2011. http://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1261.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Ramachandran, S. (Sunder). "Understanding brand loyalty and disloyalty formation among consumers’ of short life-cycle products." Doctoral thesis, Oulun yliopisto, 2015. http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789526209760.

Full text

Abstract:

Abstract This study examines the formation of brand loyalty and disloyalty behaviours among consumers of short life-cycle technology products. Today, the life cycle of technology products have become shortened due to rapid pace of innovation leading to introduction of new and innovative products at shortened intervals. Such technological changes create a dynamic market, induce uncertainties among the consumers in the usage leading to stress and anxiety and development of coping strategies to deal with such situations. This study attempts at an understanding of the formation of brand loyalty and brand disloyalty behaviours from the consumer’s lived consumption experiences. The importance of loyalty and disloyalty have long been recognized in marketing, by academic and practitioners alike and assumes even more salience in today’s highly dynamic and competitive market environment. This study adopts the qualitative approach based on a constructivist and interpretive perspective using narrative strategy of inquiry through semi-structured and open-ended interviews to bring forth the experiences and meanings emanating from the consumption narratives. A theoretical framework was developed and employed to aid in the analysis of the empirical data. Based on the lines of the theoretical framework, three different phases of consumption, pre-adoption, adoption and post-adoption were examined which brought forth rich details of consumption experiences and outcomes during each consumption phase. This study interestingly finds consumers to be more brand loyal than disloyal. This supports a school of thought which endorses the existence of brand loyalty and contradicts another school of thought which profess the decline of brand loyalty. The study also reveals the factors which cause brand loyalty, brand disloyalty, divided brand loyalty and no brand loyalty tendencies in the context of short life-cycle technology products providing insights to both practitioners and academics. And more interestingly, this study finds short life-cycle products influencing the brand disloyalty and divided brand loyalty tendencies significantly, if not most significantly. This is important in view of today’s highly changed, dynamic and competitive marketplace and in the context of short life-cycle technology products
Tiivistelmä Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan brändilojaaliuden ja -epälojaaliuden kehittymistä teknologiaintensiivisten kuluttajatuotteiden käyttäjien keskuudessa. Sellaisten tuotteiden käyttöikä on lyhentynyt uusien tuoteinnovaatioiden ja -ratkaisujen tullessa markkinoille yhä nopeammalla tahdilla. Teknologiamuutokset johtavat dynaamisiin markkinoihin ja samalla kuluttajien huoli ja pyrkimykset hoitaa tuotteiden valinta- ja käyttötilanteita kasvavat. Tutkimuksessa pyritään ymmärtämään ja tulkitsemaan brändilojaaliuden ja -epälojaaliuden muodostumiseen liittyviä tekijöitä. Se on yhä tärkeämpää paitsi tutkijoille, myös liiketoiminnan harjoittajille. Tutkimukseen otetaan konstruktiivinen mutta tulkitseva ote, perustuen kuluttajien kertomiin kokemuksiin, joita kerättiin sekä avoimilla että puoliavoimilla haastatteluilla. Hankittu narratiivinen tutkimusaineisto analysoitiin aiempien tutkimusten perusteella muodostetun teoreettisen viitekehyksen avulla niin, että tuotteen valinta, hankinta ja käyttö jaettiin kolmeen periaatteelliseen vaiheeseen. Ne ovat käyttöön omaksumista edeltävä, käytön omaksumisen ja käyttöön omaksumisen jälkeinen vaihe. Tutkimusaineistosta saatiin kehikon avulla analysoituna esille rikas tuotteen valintaan ja käyttöön liittyvä kulutuskokemusten joukko koskien brändilojaaliutta ja -epälojaaliutta. Tutkimuksen mielenkiintoinen tulos on, että kuluttajien brändilojaalius on suurempi kuin epälojaalius. Se vahvistaa näkemyksen, että brändilojaaliuden merkitys ei ole vähentynyt eikä etenkään loppunut. Tutkimuksesta tulee silti esiin myös tekijöitä, jotka vaikuttavat lojaaliuden ohella jakaantuneeseen lojaaliuteen tai lojaaliuden puuttumiseen lyhytikäisten kuluttajatuotteiden tapauksessa. Kaiken kaikkiaan tekijöiden jäsentäminen, näkyväksi tekeminen ja analysointi tarjoavat kiinnostavia näkemyksiä tutkijoille, liiketoiminnan harjoittajille ja muille tahoille. Erityisesti jakaantuneeseen lojaaliuteen ja epälojaaliuteen vaikuttavat tekijät ovat tärkeitä lyhytikäisille teknologiaintensiivisille kuluttajatuotteille, joiden markkinat ovat erittäin dynaamiset ja kilpaillut

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Freestone, Oliver M. "Understanding the ethically aware consumer." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.632544.

Full text

Abstract:

There exists evidence of increased consumer awareness and concern for environmental and other ethical issues, leading many business organizations and political entities to reappraise and communicate more effectively their ethical credentials. However, in both the media and academic research there is considerable debate concerning whether consumers actively consider ethical issues when making purchasing decisions; alternatively, is ethically aware consumerism merely a passing fad, at risk of being exploited by the commercial and political world as simply another marketable point of difference? This research has identified gaps in the body of understanding relating to ethical consumer research regarding the following issues: • What are consumers' 'conscience principles' or areas of ethical concern? • Which segments of the population are concerned with which ethical Issues? • What drives and motivates ethically aware consumers? • Whether consumers are prepared to pay a premium for certain products? Following a qualitative investigation using in-depth discussions with consumers and industry experts, along with a related ZMET study (Doherty and McGoldrick, 2003), a questionnaire was developed and administered to a representative UK sample of 1,000 consumers. This included a measure of awareness, concern and action (ACA) on 16 ethical issues, the scale developed from the Stages of Change concept within the Transtheoretical model. In addition the literature review reconciled and critiqued a variety of theoretical perspectives on the topiC. PrinCipal Components Analysis (PCA) was then used to explore which segments of the population are aware, concerned and take some form of action regarding ethical issues. The ethical issues identified were grouped Into five conceptually justifiable and statistically reUable dimensions. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) supported the findings of the original model. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed as parametric tests to explore the segmentation Issue. Exploratory PCA then found support for the hypothesis that positive and negative motivations could be grouped into Decisional Balance dimensions. Further ANOVA tests revealing that as an Individual moves through the Stages of Change along the ACA scale, the Decisional Balance dimensions shift until a "Critical Ethical Point" is reached whereby positive motIvations outweigh negative. Finally the study 12 investigated whether consumers are prepared to pay a price premium for ethical goods, finding that the majority of respondents indicated a willingness to pay at least a small premium for products labelled as ethically "safe". It is hoped that the proposed investigation will shed considerable light on the ethically aware consumer debate, and act as a springboard for further research, particularly in the areas of purification of the motivations scale, using more advanced consumer segmentation tools such as MOSAIC, and exploring ethical price premiums (EPPs). 13

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Mahomed, Nadim. "Understanding consumer adoption of cryptocurrencies." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/64874.

Full text

Abstract:

Cryptocurrency, most notably Bitcoin, has continued to attract attention and consequently substantial investment from businesses, consumers, and the media. Understanding what drives consumer adoption of the technology, however, is not understood. This study uses the UTAUT2 technology adoption theory in order to fill this research gap. A conceptual model is built through a review of the technical aspects of cryptocurrency, an analysis of the technology as currency, and finally a review of technology adoption theory to date. UTAUT2 is found to be the most appropriate adoption theory directly dealing with consumer context. The model conceptualised is tested using multiple linear regression analyses on primary survey data. The findings indicate that facilitating conditions have the highest explanatory effect on actual usage ahead of behavioural intention to use cryptocurrency. Behavioural intention was predicted most strongly by hedonic motivation, followed by perceived trust, and social influence. Interestingly, effort expectancy and performance expectancy were found to be non-significant, contrary to much of the studies in related fields. The study also aimed to identify the primary use-case finding that investment was the primary consumer use. Due to characteristics of the sample collected, the studyÕs findings are limited to the South African context.
Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
nk2018
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Sloot, Laurentius Martinus. "Understanding consumer reactions to assortment unavailability." [Rotterdam] : Rotterdam : Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), Erasmus University Rotterdam ; Erasmus University Rotterdam [Host], 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1765/7438.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Clonan, Angie. "Understanding consumer attitudes to sustainable food." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.588069.

Full text

Abstract:

Sustainability has become fundamental to many global policy agendas in areas relating to human impact on the earth's resources, such as food production and consumption. In the UK, the former labour government devised 'Food 2030', a strategy document stipulating sustainable production and consumption as priority issues for food policy; however this has not been incorporated into guidance for consumers. Additionally, current dietary guidelines concerning meat and fish are in direct conflict with environmental interests. Amidst this ambiguity, Sustain: 'the alliance for better food and farming' provides advice to citizens seeking to consume food more sustainably. This study seeks to assess consumer attitudes towards some of the issues associated with sustainable food, particularly in the context of current dietary intake and purchasing behaviour. Method(s) Adopting a qualitative approach with 11 adults, based on a consumer focussed framework for understanding sustainable food, a structured self-completion postal questionnaire was developed. This explored regular shopping habits, attitudes towards sustainable food across a variety of sustainability related issues, for example animal welfare, local food, organic food, fish, packaging, seasonal food, Fair trade, bottled water and food transport. Dietary intake was assessed, and respondents reported 'sustainable food' purchasing behaviour. Finally some information was noted on participants' socio-demographic characteristics. A final sample size of 842 was achieved. Results Findings suggest that consumers are largely positive in their attitudes towards 'sustainable food'; however some issues such as local food assume a higher priority for respondents than others, for example organic food. Some notable socio-demographic characteristics are observed, such as the trend for older consumers (>60 years of age) to hold more positive attitudes towards sustainable food. There is also an association between respondents reporting healthier dietary intakes and holding more positive attitudes towards sustainable food. Further relationships are observed between attitudes towards meat, consumption and purchasing data. Respondents largely agreed (88.5%) that animal welfare was important when buying meat, however when consuming meat, women were significantly more likely (P<0.0l) than men to report consuming less but also to be concerned over the source of meat (P<0.00l) and animal welfare (P<0.05). In the key area of fish consumption, over half of participants (57%) were aware of the health benefits of fish consumption and reported health as a primary motivator for purchasing fish; however, only 26% actively sought to purchase fish from a sustainable source (i.e. Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fish). Only 30% of participants met current dietary recommendations for fish intake. Older respondents (>60 years of age) were more likely to report purchasing fish for health reasons and to buy MSC fish. Participants were significantly less likely to report MSC purchases if they were confused about which type of fish I should be eating to protect fish stocks (P < 0•001). Purchasing data reveals participants stated priorities when buying food, and in particular the reported preference for 'local' food over other 'sustainable' options. Conclusions This research contributes to the field by providing an enhanced understanding of how consumers view different components of 'sustainable food'. Additionally, relationships were observed which were previously unreported, for example, positive attitudes to 'sustainable food consumption' and a healthier dietary intake. Furthermore, results show links between attitude, consumption and reported purchases in key areas of 'sustainable food' consumption such as fish and meat, which provide an insight into tackling the issues from a consumer perspective. These findings are helpful in considering how to develop guidance to enable consumers to make more sustainable food choices, but also from a food policy perspective, in terms of considering which policy options may require further support, e.g. local food systems. Recommendations for Future Research Future research could replicate all or part of this study in another UK or European locality, or indeed further afield, to explore the role that geography and culture have on 'sustainable food' perceptions and behaviour. Further qualitative work could explore the link uncovered between healthier dietary intakes and holding more positive attitudes towards 'sustainable food', and additionally investigate some of the socio-demographic associations observed such as age, for example to explore the influence that different life stages have on 'sustainable food' perceptions and behaviour.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Nelson, Kim Allen. "Consumer decision-making and image theory: Understanding the socially responsible consumer." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186868.

Full text

Abstract:

Many consumers are now considering the effects of general corporate behavior (e.g., political views, charitable contributions, environmental disasters) and of the product's manufacture, consumption or disposal (e.g., animal testing, ecological harm) on society's overall well-being. These situations involve the issue of individual social responsibility and are good examples of complex decisions that are not readily explained by traditional decision theories. Abstract attributes (e.g., product "greenness" or lack of harm to the environment) and the active role of the decision maker's values, principles, and ethics are problematic. The primary purpose of this research is to develop a conceptual framework for consumer decision making in the presence of a social responsibility issue. The secondary purpose of the study is to assess the value of image theory for explaining the decision process. Image theory (Beach and Mitchell 1987; Beach 1990), a relatively recent development in decision making, provides a compatible decision framework for these types of decisions due to its emphasis on an individual's values and on the screening of alternatives using value-laden attributes. Survey methodology and consumer preference tasks are utilized, and the hypothesized models are tested by structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that image theory provides a credible explanation of socially responsible consumer choice. In terms of this study's context, a consumer who has a strongly held social responsibility principle, values a clean environment, has a high level of environmental concern, and believes that his/her actions make a difference, is more likely to be committed to a pro-environmental plan of action and to use certain decision processes. These specific processes are screening alternatives to eliminate those that are not environmentally friendly and weighting the greenness attribute heavily in evaluating options. Using image theory's terminology and structure, social responsibility and environmental value form the value image. Environmental concern and perceived consumer effectiveness form the trajectory image. The strategic image is reflected in the plan (commitment to pro-environmental behaviors) and tactics (using the social responsibility attribute in the decision process). This research demonstrates that enduring values and principles guide consumer behavior involving social responsibility issues.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Eweida, Adam, and Simon Sverkel. "Understanding consumer preference in the flower industry." Thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Business Studies, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-108254.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

Patel, Shreena. "Understanding consumer demand in customised pricing environments." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2016. http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/83132/.

Full text

Abstract:

Estimation of price sensitivity from real world data is typically complicated by a dependence between price and demand, or endogeneity of price, since prices are regularly varied in anticipation of changes to demand. This problem is particularly severe in customised pricing environments, where sellers have some freedom to quote different prices for different orders, based on information about each customer and their order. When endogeneity is left untreated and price is modelled as an independent predictor, this leads to underestimation of price sensitivity and sub-optimal pricing strategies. Endogeneity bias is corrected by the inclusion of instrumental variables in the model; these are variables which are correlated with price and independent of demand, and allow us to separate the direct and indirect effects of price on demand. Whilst instrumental variable estimation has been well documented for retail pricing problems, their use in customised pricing is relatively under-represented in marketing literature. Here we present a probit model of purchasing behaviour for these environments, whereby the price offered to a customer and their corresponding price threshold are represented by a bivariate Gaussian random variable. Recorded or known sources of dependence between the two are introduced via covariate effects on the mean and unrecorded sources of dependence are captured by a residual correlation parameter. The parameters are identified by the inclusion of instrumental variables in the model. Using a two-stage estimation procedure, the model is fitted to telesales data for heating oil, and price sensitivity estimates are compared to those of a naive model, which does not correct for endogeneity bias. Bayesian estimation of the model is then performed via MCMC, and the resulting sample of parameters are used to examine the impacts of various price changes on profit.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Hamilton, Robert. "[Credit] scoring : predicting, understanding and explaining consumer behaviour." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2005. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/13053.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis stems from my research into the broad area of (credit) scoring and the predicting, understanding and explaining of consumer behaviour. This research started at the Univers1ty of Edinburgh on an ESRC funded project in 1988. This work, which is being submitted as the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough Unvers1ty, consists of an introductory chapter and a selection of papers published 1991 - 2001 (inclusive). The papers address some of the key issues and areas of interest and concern arising from the rapidly evolving and expanding credit (card) market and the highly competitive nature of the credit industry. These features were particularly evident during the late 1980's and throughout the 90's Chapter One provides a general background to the research and outlines some of the key (practical) issues involved in building a (credit) scorecard Additionally, it provides a brief summary of each of the research papers appearing in full in Chapters 2- 9 (inclusive) and ends with some general limitations and conclusions. The research papers appearing in Chapters 2-9 inclusive) are all concerned with predicting, understanding and explaining different types of consumer behaviour in relation to the use of credit cards. For example discriminating between 'GOOD' and 'BAD' repayers of credit card debt on the basis of different definitions of good and bad, the identification of 'slow payers' using different statistical methods; examining the characteristics of credit card users and non-users, and identifying the characteristics of credit card holders most likely to return their credit card.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Schembri, Sharon T. "Consumer understanding of professional service quality : a phenomenographic approach /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2005. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe18920.pdf.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Blanco-Velo, Joanna. "Modelling mainstream consumer understanding of the ethical fashion message." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2017. http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/621183/.

Full text

Abstract:

The academic literature that explores consumer behaviour in relation to ethical fashion has, to date, emphasised the behaviour of the highly motivated ethical consumer. A number of ethical fashion studies have examined the behaviour of the mainstream consumer but of these, very few were conducted in the UK or emphasised mainstream consumer interpretation of the ethical fashion message. In the drive towards mainstreaming sustainable product consumption, global information programmes imply that consumer education leads to consumer action. The research presented in this thesis questions the value of mediated consumer information in the development of product literacy and ethical fashion involvement in mainstream fashion markets. The underlying argument that frames the study is that the complex nature of both the sustainability discourse and the contemporary fashion system is a barrier to the mainstreaming of ethical fashion consumption. A grounded theory approach was adopted to guide the research that was conducted in two stages. In stage one, the qualitative content analysis of mainstream print media exposed the complexities inherent within the communication of ethical fashion to mainstream consumers during 2006 to 2008; the peak of ethical fashion promotion in the UK. Emergent theory was tested with mainstream consumers. The analysis of focus group discussion exposed mainstream consumer interpretation of both the lexicon of ethical fashion and the prevailing media frames. Consumer interpretations were compared to the results of the analysis of mainstream retailer texts. Through the constant comparative method, stage one of the research led to the development of a preliminary theoretical model. In stage two of the research, the content analysis of print media and retailer texts from 2012 considered temporal change in ethical fashion communication and informed the refinement of the emergent grounded theory. The findings of this research provide evidence that the vocabulary and framing of ethical fashion functions as a barrier to ethical product literacy and results in low mainstream consumer involvement. Findings exposed the lack of consistency in stakeholder use and interpretation of the ethical fashion message. The resulting theory models the implications of incidentally encountered knowledge for the successful communication, interpretation of and involvement with ethical fashion by mainstream fashion consumers. The resulting theoretical model presents mainstream consumer understanding of ethical fashion as a complex and dynamic phenomenon. This thesis contributes to the emerging body of literature that analyses the complexity of the language of ethical fashion for mainstream consumers. A contribution is also made to the understanding of product literacy and its role in supporting mainstream consumer involvement with ethical fashion products.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Soares, Pereira Maria Teresa. "Understanding self-gift consumer behaviour : nature, contexts and emotions." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.437099.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Crommentuijn-Marsh, Philippa Jane. "Understanding consumer behaviour regarding the sustainable consumption of clothing." Thesis, Open University, 2018. http://oro.open.ac.uk/56317/.

Full text

Abstract:

In response to the rapidly growing consumption of clothing, environmental sustainability concerns have increasingly been expressed. While designers and industry have worked on responses, little is known about how ordinary consumers understand sustainability with regarding to clothing. A study by Defra in 2008 revealed a low awareness of sustainability and proposed sustainable fashion goals for consumers. Research on consumer clothing purchase tends to be from a marketing perspective with the ultimate aim of increasing consumer sales. Much of the literature on clothing sustainability has focused on the buying of ethical/environmentally-friendly clothing and on younger consumers. By contrast, this thesis has focused on an in-depth study of ten mothers aged between 25 and 60 in and around Leicester. The women’s clothing consumption was investigated through shopping trips, wardrobe sampling and a semi-structured interview about their shopping and ownership behaviour. Only at the end of the data gathering were the participants asked about sustainability in general before exploring their understanding of sustainability in clothing. The research revealed that while the participants were concerned about environmental issues, their awareness of sustainability in clothing was low, even though their clothes buying and use behaviour was relatively sustainable. They bought a limited number of garments and wore them for many years, bought second hand clothes and passed their own unwanted clothes to charity shops. However, their clothes buying and use behaviours were shaped by their life circumstances and their personality. The participants had a strong sense of their own personal styles and selected clothes they know would suit them from a limited number of brands and locations. They showed little interest in fast changing fashion trends, but they were influenced by their peer group. Any environmentally-beneficial behaviours were mainly a by-product of these core determining factors. A key contribution of this research is to show how more sustainable behaviour emerges when there is a good match to factors already embedded in people’s daily consumption practices. Building on these core factors, and on how knowledge develops around them, might be an important part of promoting clothing sustainability.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Park, Jae-Jin. "Understanding consumer intention to shop online : a model comparison /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3091952.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Tetley, Sarah. "Why the Big 5? : understanding UK seafood consumer behaviour." Thesis, University of Kent, 2016. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/54790/.

Full text

Abstract:

UK consumers bought just under 500 thousand tonnes of seafood in 2010, at a cost of £3.8bn. Despite rising prices, consumption is on a general upwards path, with the average UK adult now eating 2% more seafood than they would have eaten a generation ago, and demand predicted to grow by a further 17% by 2030. However, this demand is increasingly restricted to a narrow range of imported and wild-caught species (Cod, Haddock, Tuna) and farmed products (Salmon and Prawns) over locally-available species with the consequence that between 60% and 80% of UK domestic landings are currently exported and 80% of all the seafood eaten in the UK is one of either Cod, Haddock, Salmon, Tuna or Prawns – the so-called Big 5. The shortage of local markets for native fish species is arguably reducing the relative viability of small scale, over large-scale, fisheries in the UK. It also increases pressure upon wild stocks of commercially valuable species and is driving the rapid expansion of fish-farming operations which can have negative environmental and social implications. Considering the above, it is suggested that UK consumers could make a positive contribution to the UK economy and marine environment if they chose to buy native, locally-caught species, over farmed and exotic imports. In order to achieve this, however, significant behavioural change would need to take place; and for behavioural change initiatives to be successful, it is argued that it is first necessary to understand why these consumption patterns have developed, i.e. Why the Big 5? Accepting that no single theory has been found that can fully explain behaviours from intentions, this research used mixed methods to develop a consumer-centric view of the full range of factors that might be driving these unsustainable consumption patterns. Regular consumers of seafood from four contrasting localities in England were recruited to complete surveys, maintain shopping diaries and to take part in group and one-to-one interviews to understand their reasons for eating seafood in general and the Big 5 in particular. Drawing on the Literature on seafood consumption, demographic and geographic-induced differences in consumption were explored; and consumer understanding of, and concern for, the sustainability of their seafood was assessed. Retail behaviour was also examined by undertaking an on-line review of the seafood offered for sale by the UK’s five largest retailers. Consumers were generally ill informed and confused about the sustainability of their seafood and had little to no awareness of labelling. In their confusion/apathy, they tended to revert to habitual behaviours and safe choices tending towards the Big 5. They felt strongly that retailers should be making it easier for them to make sustainable choices. The evidence from this study is that Retail is failing in this respect. Interest in and demand for local seafood was very high, with consumers equating local with sustainable, even though the evidence to support this assertion is currently lacking. Consumer definitions of “local” and “sustainable” were found to vary from accepted policy and academic understanding, presenting the possibility of adding to consumer confusion when communicating about sustainable seafood; further, “sustainable” possessed negative connotations for these consumers who, in stark contrast to the average UK consumer, were found to score highly for Hedonism. In total, twenty eight distinct variables were identified as influencing unsustainable UK seafood consumer behaviour. Key amongst these were consumer ignorance/apathy regarding sustainability; retail behaviour; and habit – factors that are presented in the Trifold Model of Unsustainable Consumer Behaviour. This model brings much needed clarity to a complex and poorly understood area of consumer behaviour and marks a significant contribution to three areas of academic study: Sustainable Consumption; Consumer Behaviour; and Business Ethics. The Trifold Model is presented for further testing. Recommendations for policy and industry are highlighted as are areas for further research.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Jones, Brenda Ivory. "Understanding Ecommerce Consumer Privacy From the Behavioral Marketers' Viewpoint." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7878.

Full text

Abstract:

Ecommerce sales were expected to increase to $4.8 trillion dollars in 2021 for online retailers in the United States. Behavioral marketers increase sales and revenue by targeting potential customers based on the use of ecommerce consumers' personal information. This correlational research study was framed with the theory of planned behavior. The participants were behavioral marketers based in the United States who completed an online survey. The data were analyzed using multiple regressions and analysis of variance analyses to answer the research question. The results of the analysis answered the research question regarding the correlation between behavioral marketer's attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC), especially concerning the collection of ecommerce consumers' personal information. The results of the analyses indicated attitude is a strong predictor for behavior intention, as indicated by a positive correlation. The ρ value was greater than .05; therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. The social norms and PBC variables were not significant. Social norms resulted in F (14,18) = 2.298, ρ = .026. The p value is less than .05; therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted. PBC results were F (78,5) = 4.263, ρ = .048. The p value was less than .05; therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted. The findings showed that behavioral marketers have a strong correlation between their attitude and intention to protect ecommerce privacy. Behavioral managers might benefit from this study and contribute to social change by taking the lead in their organizations to change data collection methods to reduce the number of security breaches.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Dietrich, Olaf. "Understanding the ageing consumer : exploring strategies for overcoming innovation resistance." Thesis, University of Gloucestershire, 2016. http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/3838/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis deals with the trend of an ageing population in Germany and the opportunities and challenges that it presents for the consumer goods industry. The goal of the research is to provide a more nuanced understanding of ageing consumers and to suggest strategies to overcome innovation resistance. It departs from the traditional product-oriented research perspective and explores domestic practices of everyday life. Using this approach, it investigates the role of household appliances in facilitating the wish of older adults to age-in-place. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research, a synthetic framework was created that melds and extends distinct conceptual elements from separate theories. While previous studies have largely failed to provide a detailed description of user segments, this research applies a novel market segmentation approach that assists in developing more effective innovation strategies. It has extended the Use Diffusion model (Shih & Venkatesh, 2004) by creating a number of novel sub-determinants which direct household technology use in different directions. It posits that different user segments exhibit different levels of interest in future technology acquisition. Based on an advanced understanding of use patterns, the research intends to clarify a possible application of disruptive innovations, which suggest simpler, more familiar and affordable products and services. The research followed a sequential approach to data generation. It begins with interviews conducted during home visits using the task of ‘doing the laundry’ as a focal practice, interviews with care workers, and medical practitioners. It is supplemented with focus groups comprised of the intended product users in order to generate innovation ideas. A final focus group of industry experts followed and centred on the operationalization of those ideas within an established company. Finally, the thesis developed a synthetic model to support innovation management that is not present in current conceptions.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Newholm, Terry. "Understanding the ethical consumer : employing a frame of bounded rationality." Thesis, Open University, 2000. http://oro.open.ac.uk/58071/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis is about ethical consumers. In some business circles ethical consumers are treated simply as one kind of consumer in a market society where a niche can be created to satisfy every preference. Conversely some advocates of more radical change propose consumer activism as part of a movement which will force ethical considerations into the decision-making of capitalist businesses and governments alike. Questions about ethics are central to consumer society. Unlike most recent research into the 'green' or 'socially conscious' consumer that has been based on either extensive quantitative surveys or focus groups, the research presented here analyses consumer decisions in a social context. Sixteen case studies of ethical consumers in differing circumstances are developed in considerable detail. Starting from the theoretical observation that being an ethical consumer presents apparently daunting difficulties, especially with respect to decision making, the research uses bounded rationality theory to explain how these cases maintain their self-image as ethical. From these data I suggest thinking of ethical consumers as adopting coping strategies. Those contributing to the study were seen to be 'distancing' themselves from practices they consider unethical, 'integrating' their lives around addressing the issues current in ethical consumer discourse and/or 'rationalising' their ethical consumption against their acceptance of consumer capitalism. Each strategy can be shown to reduce the scope and/or difficulty of decision making. Finally, consideration is given to the nature of ethical consumption as a political project. Individual consumers respond in diverse ways to a social discourse on any given ethical issue even where strong and clear consumption advice is given. I argue that ethical consumerism is limited by the capacity of individuals to give attention to more than a few actions. Its political significance is nevertheless enhanced by the unpredictability of consumer response.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Abraham, Villy. "Towards a fuller understanding of consumer animosity and purchase involvement." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2012. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/towards-a-fuller-understanding-of-consumer-animosity-and-purchase-involvement(2164f2a9-4998-49e8-9f43-1fdc2de5b111).html.

Full text

Abstract:

The effects of consumer involvement on product choice have been studied extensively. However, to the knowledge of the researcher of this work, no study has examined whether consumers become more involved with a product choice when it is associated with a country towards which they harbour feelings of animosity. Hence, this work examines whether feelings of animosity increase consumers' level of purchase involvement. This is a cross-cultural investigation conducted in the context of the Holocaust. 340 Israeli and British Jews took part in this experimental research. Structural equation modeling was employed to examine this relationship in a model adapted from Klein et al.(1998). A positive and statistically significant relationship was observed between consumer animosity and purchase involvement. This work suggests that subcultural differences are possible moderators of consumer animosity. Thus, marketing practitioners should segment markets by looking into subcultural differences among consumers in their target market.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Newholm, Terry. "Understanding the ethical consumer : employing a frame of bounded rationality." n.p, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Che, Rose Kamarul Hasni. "Understanding of Consumer Behavioural Intention towards Choice of Ethnic Restaurant." Thesis, Griffith University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/368009.

Full text

Abstract:

A person’s choice of restaurant is influenced by the quality of food (Cullen, 2005; Jang, Ha & Park, 2012), price (Hyun, 2009; Law, To & Goh, 2008), service quality (Arora & Singer, 2006; Chen & Hu, 2010; Law et al., 2008), value for money (Hyun, 2009), atmosphere or ambience (Arora & Singer, 2006; Law et al., 2008; Ryu & Han, 2010; Namkung & Jang, 2008) and location (Hyun, 2009: Johns & Howard, 1998). While a number of studies have been conducted on a range of restaurant types, such as fast food restaurants, chain restaurants, fine dining restaurants and casual dining restaurants (Arora & Singer, 2006; Hyun, 2009; Njite, Dunn & Kim, 2008; Ryu, Han & Jang, 2010), no study has examined the attributes of the beliefs of individuals in the context of ethnic restaurants. Despite the increasing interest in ethnic restaurants, very little research has been conducted in this restaurant segment (Sriwongrat, 2008). The main aim of this study was to investigate the role of beliefs in the relationship between the attitudes and intentions of consumer behaviour in choosing an ethnic restaurant.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Business School
Griffith Business School
Full Text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Sagara, Namika. "Consumer understanding and use of numeric information in product claims." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10588.

Full text

Abstract:

xiii, 109 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.
Numeric information is often presented to consumers in order to communicate important and precise information that is not well communicated through non-numeric information. The assumption of marketers, then, seems to be that numeric information is useful for consumers in evaluating products. Do consumers understand and use such numerical information in product claims? Recent research suggests that many people are "innumerate" and about half of Americans lack the minimal mathematical skills needed to use numbers embedded in printed materials. This suggests that many Americans lack the minimal mathematical skills needed to use numbers embedded in product claims and other marketing communications. In a series of five experiments, I investigated if and how consumers understand and use numeric information presented in product claims in their evaluation of consumer goods. The results demonstrated that participants, and especially less numerate individuals, were susceptible to an Illusion-of-Numeric-Truth effect: they judged false claim as true when numeric meaning was inaccurately translated (e.g., "30% of consumers" inaccurately translated to " most consumers"). Mediation analysis suggested that highly numerate participants were better at developing affective reactions toward numeric information in product claims and using these affective reactions as information when they were faced with truth judgments. Highly numerate individuals were also more sensitive to different levels of numeric information in their product evaluations. This sensitivity also seemed to depend on their drawing affective meaning from numbers and number comparisons and using this information in product evaluations. Although less numerate individuals reported that numeric information is important, they were less sensitive to numeric information unless they were encouraged to process numeric information more systematically. The results from this dissertation indicate that not all numeric information will be used and be useful to all consumers. Therefore, simply presenting numeric information may not be sufficient for numeric information to be useful for all consumers.
Committee in charge: Peter Wright, Chairperson, Marketing; Lynn Kahle, Member, Marketing; Ellen Peters, Member, Not from U of O; Robert Madrigal, Member, Marketing; Paul Slovic, Outside Member, Psychology

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Le, Truc H. "Understanding and Conceptualising Authenticity in Dining Experiences Using Online Reviews." Thesis, Griffith University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/400563.

Full text

Abstract:

The quest for authentic experiences has been evidenced in modern society, either as a pursuit for product purchases, leisure experiences, or true self. Many studies have investigated authenticity and attempted to operationalise this complex concept in several ways. While being well examined since the 1970s by tourism researchers such as MacCannell (1973, 1976) and Cohen (1979), scholarly interest in authenticity remains prevalent in current hospitality and tourism research. In the dining context, the extant literature has only studied authenticity from the dimensions of the cultural/ethnic theme displayed, the food, and the servicescape, lacking a multi-dimensional approach for understanding authenticity in dining experiences. Nevertheless, a small number of studies have started considering dining experiences as a product, which directs research attention to the backstage role of the producer-organisation in constructing authenticity cues. Delivering authentic experiences in restaurants has moved beyond the core product itself (the food), and increasingly demands the producerorganisation to project its own true qualities to co-construct these dining experiences. This thesis attempts to offer a comprehensive understanding of consumers’ perceptions of authenticity in dining experiences. In doing so, it also conceptualises authenticity as a multidimensional notion by incorporating conceptualisations of authenticity from various disciplines. Following this line of argument, the overarching proposition of the thesis is that authenticity is a multi-dimensional concept, encompassing Authenticity of the Other, Authenticity of the Producer, and Authenticity of the Self. The thesis was guided by three interrelated research objectives to address the proposition. A three-phase mixed-methods design was adopted to fulfil the research objectives and a dataset of over a million online reviews was scraped from a popular restaurant review platform, which was subsequently sampled and analysed using an integrated learning approach. This thesis is structured as a series of papers. The research began with a systematic review (Paper 1) to investigate the gaps in the existing literature and three research directions were subsequently explored in the papers which followed. Informed by the gaps identified in the review regarding advanced analytical approaches of online reviews, Paper 2 served as the methodology employed in the thesis, proposing a systematic approach that integrates traditional research methods and machine learning to conceptualise multi-dimensional concepts using online reviews. Reflecting the utility of the methodological approach proposed in Paper 2, Paper 3 used traditional data collection and analysis method (quota sampling and thematic analysis) in the examination of online reviews to understand how consumers form authenticity perceptions in dining experiences. In addition, Paper 4 applied integrated learning which used the outcomes from proportionate random sampling and manual classification to direct machine learning in classification modeling, in order to determine the multi-dimensionality of authenticity in dining experiences. Overall, the findings suggest that authenticity is a multi-dimensional concept, encompassing Authenticity of the Other, Authenticity of the Producer, and Authenticity of the Self, thus supporting the overarching proposition. Additionally, beside historical and categorical authenticity which have been previously explored in the literature, a new type of authenticity - Deviated Authenticity – emerged as a sub-dimension of Authenticity of the Other. Through the close-up examination of online reviews, a demonstration of consumers’ judgements about authenticity in dining experiences is also provided, which depicts several authenticity cues in the dining context. This thesis offers theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions. Theoretically, it advances the current conceptualisations of authenticity not only in dining experiences, but also in tourism, management and organisational studies contexts. Methodologically, the thesis calls for greater attention to well-documented and systematic integrated learning approaches in text analytics to conceptualise multi-dimensional concepts in consumer research. It does this, while heightening the important complementary role of traditional research methods in the era of more prevalent machine learning and big data analytics. Practically, this thesis informs restaurants and other service-based businesses how to identify and segment their consumers based on their assessments and expectations of authenticity, as well as what constitutes authenticity in dining experiences, and the interaction of restaurant attributes in constructing authentic dining experiences.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Tourism, Sport & Hot Mgmt
Griffith Business School
Full Text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Yang, Baojiang. "Essays on Telecommunications Management: Understanding Consumer Switch, Search and Purchase Behaviors." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2018. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/1149.

Full text

Abstract:

Digitization has been pervasively reshaping the landscape of home-based telecommunication industries. The massive disruptive challenges call for telecom companies to react with efficient strategic managerial policies. Meanwhile, how consumer decision makings and welfare are impacted by such policies often remains complicated and non-transparent to policy makers. My thesis aims at leveraging large-scale empirical data to investigate the impacts of several prevalent firm initiated strategies on both sides of the market, i.e. consumers and firms. The thesis is comprised of three studies focusing on consumer switch, search and purchase behaviors. The first study, centering at consumer switching behaviors, investigates the impact of lock in shortening policies on both firm profits and consumer welfare in home-based telecommunication service market. Using household level data from a large telecommunications service provider, we show that a market level policy that shortens the lock-in period from the status quo can decrease the profits on the firms side more than it increases consumer surplus. This is majorly caused by the substantial acquisition costs associated with user switching and service initiation. As a result if regulators shorten lock-in periods but then firms respond by collaboratively increasing prices to recover their rate of return, the consumers, as the analyses indicate, may be worse off compared to the world in which lock-in periods do not change. Therefore lock-in reduction policy need to be paired with a policy precluding operators from increasing prices too much. The later two studies jointly examine consumer’s search and purchase behaviors in social environment. With a wide scope of services, telecommunication service providers can often leverage their knowledge on consumer’s social environment to reshape consumer choices. We aim to understand how consumers combine different sources of social information, one from friends versus one from the crowd, as a function of how close they are to the point of conversion. We developed a dynamic structural econometric model that jointly describes consumer information search and product purchase while taking into account sequential arrival of information and non-negligible search costs. The model is then instantiated on two connected yet distinct empirical contexts, where consumers shop for movies to watch on home screens. The first empirical context (discussed in the second study in this thesis) lies in an observational setting, where we studied individual level clickstream and transactional data from a Video-on- Demand service platform operated by a large telecommunication service provider. Later in the third study, we created an artificial movie market and leveraged a randomized web experiment to further study the research questions with more solid identification support. We find that, in both contexts, consumers seem to start by browsing products they heard about from friends. The popularity signals become more relevant when consumers getting closer to the point of purchase. The results have important managerial implications to online vendors by suggesting a reasonable strategy of providing the most valuable social information at the right time to enhance consumer shopping experiences.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Khoo-Lattimore, Cathryn Suan chin, and n/a. "Home truths : understanding the key motives that underlie consumer home choice." University of Otago. Department of Marketing, 2009. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20090807.144732.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis aims to identify the motivating factors driving consumers home purchase decisions from the consumer's point of view. Although there is an abundance of past real estate research, dating back as far as the 1920's, the factors shaping consumers home choice have not been fully explored. Past research has tended to assume that homebuyers arrive at a decision following a logical and rational decision making process. These studies have also tended to focus on utilitarian or economic factors shaping home choice. Although past research has unquestionably added to the understanding of home purchase behaviour, the focus on utilitarian and economic factors does not explain decisions that are underpinned by deep-seated motives. The present thesis extends past research by exploring the less tangible, non-economic aspects of home choice in order to provide a fuller story of why and how people consume homes. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the unsolicited motives underlying consumers' home choices, therefore, a qualitative technique known as ZMET was employed. Based on the notion of unconscious thoughts, ZMET uses visual images gathered and/or generated by consumers to elicit and probe the metaphors that represent their thoughts and feelings. For the present study, 14 consumers who had recently placed an offer on a home took part in the ZMET interview. The present methodology extends past property research which has predominantly taken a quantitative approach. The findings of the study provide a rich insight into the motivations behind consumer home choice. Firstly, it reveals that the pre-purchase checklists used by many homebuyers and real estate agents are inaccurate representation of consumer home choice, and explains why this is so. Secondly, it demonstrates the influence of twenty four motives, including three central constructs (space, nature and views) on consumer home choice and highlights the fact that autobiographical memories underpins many of the motives to impact on choice. Thirdly, it provides a model mapping out the interaction between utilitarian and hedonic motives, which evokes a network of feelings, sensations and emotions that shape consumer home choice. In doing so, the research provides theoretical insight into the link between the rational information-processing model and the experiential view of hedonic consumption in home purchases. This study has shown that a specific set of utilitarian and deep-seated hedonic factors interrelate to culminate upon one's home choice. The findings in this study maintain that while utilitarian factors are significant determinants of home choice, in themselves, they do not always tell the whole story. This new knowledge of how and why homebuyers chose what they did is valuable to practitioners in predicting accurate property demands and value. Real estate agents can-sell more effectively by matching a property to a homebuyer's hedonic needs. The information in this study also helps homebuyers understand that their home choice is guided by internal images and deep-seated motives derived from many years of past experience but more importantly, they can decide if these motives justify the price they pay for the property. Finally, the model gives future researchers a new framework to access meanings necessary for understanding homebuyer choice and allows a closer examination of the mechanics of these influences on the housing market and its demands.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Atorough, Peter. "Consumer behaviour in online shopping : understanding the role of regulatory focus." Thesis, Robert Gordon University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10059/916.

Full text

Abstract:

The behaviour of consumers on the Internet is increasingly a focus of marketing research. In particular, consumers’ behaviour in online shopping, from adoption motivation to post-usage behaviour, has become a major focus of research in the field of marketing, especially within consumer behaviour. Yet it has been acknowledged that while aspects such as adoption and usage motivation are now better understood, there are many questions that remain unanswered, and this warrants continued research effort. In line with the above, this research addresses an issue in online consumer behaviour that is currently under researched and which relates to the role that the consumer’s regulatory focus trait plays in their manifested behaviour in online shopping. The research argues that it is important to understand the role of regulatory focus in online shopping because this psychological trait has been shown to affect other aspects of human behaviour such as in response to advertising, dieting and sports. Drawing upon research from consumer behaviour and the wider fields of marketing and psychology, this research proposes a number of hypotheses relating the consumer’s regulatory focus to her perception of online shopping, motivation for online shopping, and actual usage behaviour in a structural manner. The resulting structural equation model is then tested using empirical data obtained from 306 Internet shoppers in the United Kingdom. The results of the research confirm that regulatory focus has an influence on consumer behaviour in online shopping by affecting their perception, motivation and usage of online shopping. The research makes a unique contribution by demonstrating that regulatory focus is a valid and robust predictor of online shopping behaviour and behavioural outcomes, a conclusion which is relevant to both marketing research and marketing practice. Finally, the research identifies and recommends areas for future studies.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Cornish, Amelia Rose. "Understanding consumer purchasing behaviour: a pathway to healthier, kinder food choices." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/22333.

Full text

Abstract:

A core challenge facing the world today is how to sustain the more than 2 billion people who are expected to join the world population by 2050, giving rise to a population reaching approximately 9.7 billion. Such intense population growth, combined with rising affluence and current increases in per capita consumption of animal-based products, are forcing the world to face the intersecting challenges of how to feed such a large population whilst controlling the impact of food production on the planet, people and animals. In response to the growing demand for foods of animal origin, much animal agriculture in Western countries, such as Australia, has moved away from the predominantly small scale and extensive operations that existed before the second agricultural revolution towards intensive systems characterised by confinement. Such intensification has led to many animal welfare concerns as well as environmental, social, and human health consequences. Public values and attitudes towards animals are changing and we are seeing an increase in concern for animal welfare in the food production process. A recent report commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources into Australia’s changing sentiments for farm animal welfare found that 95% of respondents viewed farm animal welfare as a concern and 91% wanted at least some regulatory reform. Despite these trends, there remains a well-documented gap between consumers’ attitudes and actions at the supermarket, known as the attitude-behaviour gap. Some of the reasons highlighted within the literature for this gap include inconvenience, lack of knowledge and information, and the abundance of confusing claims and labels on food packaging. The aim of this thesis is to investigate Australian consumers’ attitudes towards farm animal welfare, reasons for any gap between their sentiment for animal welfare and food choices at the supermarket, and, finally, approaches to encourage more welfare-friendly food choices. This thesis comprises eight discrete chapters. The first chapter is an introduction to the broader thesis field of food production, animal welfare, and consumer choice. Chapter Two is an in-depth review examining public attitudes towards animal welfare in food production. Chapter Three reviews the attitude-behaviour gap for farm animal welfare and uses the behaviour change wheel to explore how we can encourage consumers to make food choices that are better for animal welfare. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters report three empirical studies. First is a study of Australian consumers’ attitudes towards animal welfare in food production, and the motivations and barriers that affects their purchasing of welfare-friendly products (Chapter Four). The second is an investigation into the attitudes towards animal welfare and empathy for animals shown by a unique population of people who attended an animal welfare event at the University of Sydney (Chapter Five). These findings were then more broadly compared to the attitudes of the general public. The third study is a discrete-choice experiment that examined consumers’ preferences for animal-based products (pork, poultry and eggs) with animal welfare accreditations and whether providing consumers with details about the animal welfare standards of these on-package accreditations had a positive effect on high welfare purchase intentions (Chapter Six). The seventh chapter is devoted to documenting the creation of an animal welfare rating system that provides consumers with information and ratings (of avoid, good, best) for chicken, pig, and egg products based on on-package animal welfare accreditations. Potential future applications of the ratings are discussed. The final chapter (Chapter Eight) is a discussion of the thesis findings overall, with concluding remarks.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Lopez, Ramos Jorge Andres. "Consumer Behavior: An economical and marketing overview between the actual American and Czech consumer." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2010. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-75476.

Full text

Abstract:

The main purpose of this Diploma Thesis is to provide an overview of the Czech Consumer behavior and the American Consumer behavior based on the marketing parameters, economic elements and sociocultural dimensions that affect their purchase decisions. This thesis portraits the different purchase directions and preferences of the modern societies in USA and Czech Republic and the reasoning behind them therefore it will allow future investors and entrepreneurs to understand their business surroundings and make informed decisions towards specific objectives and targets in the both countries.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Pleasant, Jamie Tyrone. "A model of consumer behavior for understanding purchase intent of subcultures : the Ethnic Consumer Purchase Intent Model (ECPIM)." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29519.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Gates, Jessica. "Understanding motivation and consumer behavior based on stages of change in exercise." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2009. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0025088.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Zamora, Jorge. "Understanding market demand for agricultural products through consumer research : the coffee example." Thesis, University of Greenwich, 1985. http://gala.gre.ac.uk/8711/.

Full text

Abstract:

A theoretical model of coffee consumption in the U.K. is proposed, which is estimated and used to examine the influence of habit formation and advertising in the period 1957-80. This work challenges both the assumption of symmetrical consumer response and the statistical source for measuring coffee consumption. The model allows for asymmetrical consumer reactions. Explanatory variables are: price of coffee and of tea, income, advertising and the strength of the coffee drinking habit. This work is original in terms of interpreting and quantifying product field advertising and habit formation; and for allowing a minimal threshold level of predictors. Mistakes, repeated printing errors and unpublished changes in definitions were found in the statistics of domestic coffee supplies 0 Household coffee purchases estimated by the National Food Survey (N.F.S.) are consistently over-reported. Causes investigated provide grounds for correcting estimates by pooling N.F.S. with Family Expenditure Survey; the result is consistent with adjusted supplies. Advertising effect on demand is separated into two aspects. The first action increases sales by attracting new buyers, while protecting consumers from competitors' propaganda. The second action increases sales to habitual customers, while manufacturers are competing through advertising for a larger brand share. The transmission medium is a factor in both effects. The strength of the habit shifts market demand function. A routine way of thinking prevails under stationary conditions; yet shifts in the function occur in a non-stationary situation which initiates the problem-solving way of thinking. In the model, addiction can be either absolute or relative to changes in other factors. All the evidence supports the general model proposed, which shows that a non-symmetrical functional effect prevails and demonstrates the existence of an adjustment period. Irrefutably, coffee consumption depends on former consumption levels, coffee price, price-ratio tea to coffee, income and advertising.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Drosou, Ekaterini. "Meanings, views and opinions of fashion brands : understanding the female Greek consumer." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2016. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/19580/.

Full text

Abstract:

This thesis is an examination of the meanings, viewpoints and opinions of foreign fashion brands held by Greek women living in Athens. Years of personal interaction with this social group sparked an interest for the research study; as the researcher being a Greek female. Through interaction, the research observed fashion brands, particularly foreign luxury ones, were used beyond utilitarian purposes, as a form of projection. The study aims to contribute to academic and practitioner knowledge on the effectiveness of print images of fashion brand advertising and communication. Using a symbolic interactionist framework the study offers greater understanding of the ways in which the female Greek consumer 'reads' the fashion brand through print images placed in fashion magazine advertisements. Insights are offered into the meanings attached to foreign fashion brands and how these are formed through the print advertisement images contained in magazines. A two-phase data collection process was conducted including, semi-structured and open-ended interviews with a small sample of Greek women (n=XX, in total). A thematic analysis of data was conducted. The findings support the existence of a 'shared reality' through the identification of eight key emergent themes. These themes were found to be relevant to three principles of social interactionism: self; meaning; and interaction. They are identified as 'pillars' under which the eight emergent key themes 'sit'.The implications for academic knowledge and practice are highlighted based on a more informed understanding of the communication process between consumer and fashion brands through print images and the interpretation of the images placed in fashion magazines. Greater knowledge is gained with regard to Greek women and how they attach labels and categorise fashion brands. Overall, the study contributes to an understanding of the overall mentality of Greek women towards fashion brands and associated meanings. It is argued that fashion brand advertisers need to communicate in a more relevant and meaningful way to target intended audiences by taking into account wider social values and norms that exist within specific target markets. Effectiveness in international fashion brand advertising is argued to require appreciation of how fashion brands are employed as 'social tools' for projecting self-identity in response to socially defined markers of status and 'success'.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Jiang, Ling. "Understanding non-deceptive counterfeit consumption in China : consumer demand for “branded” products." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013AIXM1113.

Full text

Abstract:

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’explorer la consommation de contrefaçon non trompeuse qui se présente lorsque les consommateurs reconnaissent que le produit n'est pas authentique dans le cadre des marques de luxe. Les objectifs et les problématiques de la recherche sont exposés : Les valeurs de la marque prédisent-Elles la consommation de contrefaçon de celle-Ci ? La possession de la marque contrefaite influence-T-Elle l’achat de la marque authentique ? Quelle influence la connaissance de la marque peut avoir dans la consommation de produits contrefaits ? A l’issu d’une revue de littérature et une approche qualitative auprès de 25 consommateurs chinois qui permet de comprendre en profondeur les motivations de la consommation de produits contrefaits, le modèle conceptuel construit autour de neuf hypothèses est proposé. Les résultats des hypothèses montrent que l’ostentation, le plaisir auto-Géré, la sensibilité à la mode et l’envie aux autres affectent positivement la possession de marques de produits de contrefaçon. La possession de la contrefaçon des produits de marque modère la relation entre l’image de la marque et l’intention d’achat de la marque. La connaissance de la marque comme variable modératrice, possèdent des effets interaction significatifs pour les variables l’ostentation, le plaisir autogéré, et l’envie aux autres. Cette thèse a contribué à une meilleure explication de la consommation des marques de produits de contrefaçon. Elle a apporté également des implications théoriques et pratiques, du point de vue académique et apporte des connaissances qui proposent des méthodes à lutter contre les consommations des marques de produis de contrefaçon
The current thesis focuses on the non-Deceptive counterfeits, which means that the consumers intentionally purchase fake products. The thesis aims to answer three important questions: Can different brand value predict the consumers’ counterfeit consumption? Dose counterfeit branded product ownership alters consumers’ authentic branded product purchase behavior? Will brand knowledge interact with consumer values in consuming counterfeit branded product?We introduce and review the literature relating to counterfeiting, and an exploratory qualitative approach to explore counterfeit consumption. The conceptual model is formed on the basis of the literature review and the results of exploratory qualitative analysis, which constituted by nine research hypotheses.The results find a positive relationship between conspicuousness and consumers’ counterfeit branded product ownership. The influence of self-Directed pleasure, the fashion consciousness, and envying others on counterfeit branded product ownership is also supported. The moderator effect of counterfeit branded product ownership on the relationship between brand image and brand purchase intention is supported.The interaction term of brand knowledge is significant on the relationship of related value factors (conspicuousness, self-Directed pleasure, envying others) and consumers’ counterfeit ownership.The present thesis contributes a comprehensive understanding of the consumer demand for counterfeits. The findings offer brand managers a foundation from which they can start to deliberate effective methods to fight against counterfeit in the luxury brand sector

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Shifren, Rena. "Sharing the Caring: Understanding Determinants and Consequences of Shared Social Responsibility." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/293405.

Full text

Abstract:

Shared social responsibility (SSR) has been increasingly promoted in sustainability research. While conceptual development has been expanded, empirical developments are still in their infancy. Extant SSR literature acknowledges that entities like industry, governments, consumers, and others must accept responsibility for achieving a common goal. However, a basic understanding of how consumers view this responsibility in the shared setting is lacking. Since collaborative efforts towards sustainability may be strategically more effective than individual efforts, this research investigates SSR from the consumers' perspective in order to determine how responsibility is assigned to the various entities involved in a specific form of sustainability, "green" product consumption. Perceptions of responsibility may influence future sustainability-minded consumer behavior; hence, this research offers relevant contributions for understanding the shared social dynamic. Utilizing elements of attribution theory, equity theory, and diffusion of responsibility, this research examined how ability, perceived consumer effectiveness, perceptions of equity, and group size influence consumer attribution of responsibility for future "green" product consumption. Three experiments were conducted; the first two used an online scenario-based approach while the third was administered primarily at the University of Arizona. Data was analyzed using various statistical techniques, including multivariate analysis of variance to address the study hypotheses. Results established that consumers share responsibility for future "green" product consumption with corporations, government, and other consumers - but this responsibility is not shared evenly. Under most of the conditions evaluated, corporations, and government to a lesser degree, were attributed significantly more responsibility than consumers assigned themselves. The amount of effort required to use a "green" product, ability to positively change the environment, and equity of an interaction between a consumer and a manufacturer did not affect consumer attribution of responsibility. Group size had some impact, such that consumers who were not made explicitly aware of being in a group and those interacting with one other entity evenly shared responsibility for future "green" product consumption with the others involved. Consumers in larger groups assigned more responsibility to corporations than to themselves. Social loafing was determined not to be a factor in how consumers assigned responsibility in groups of various sizes.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Hoenig, Jennifer. "Sexual Identity Milestone Attainment: Understanding Differences among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young People." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/613143.

Full text

Abstract:

Those examining lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) sexual identity development have largely shifted away from testing stage models of the past (Cass, 1979; Coleman, 1982; Troiden, 1989) to understanding differences in the age and order of milestone occurrence and issues of timing. Examination of milestone attainment was more prevalent at the turn of the 21st century and thus less is known about milestone attainment among current cohorts of LGB identified young people. The goals of this dissertation were to 1) describe milestone attainment among a recent cohort of LGB identified young people, examining group differences, 2) examine the connection between age of milestone attainment and indicators of mental health and substance use, focusing on bias-based victimization as a potential moderator, 3) explore racism as a mediator to explain differences in age of milestone attainment among LGB young people of color. Three papers were produced using data from a three-site longitudinal panel study of risk and protective factors for suicide among LGB, transgender, and queer/questioning youth. Results indicated that age of milestone attainment for first label as LGB, first disclosure to another person, and first same-sex sexual experience were younger in this contemporary cohort of young people compared to results found in previous studies. However, few group differences were found. Additionally, associations were found between younger age of milestone attainment and more reports of substance use. Implications for health promotion and prevention programs as well as future research directions are discussed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

GUSTAVSSON, RIKARD, and KJELLGREN CHRISTOPHER GUSTAFSSON. "The Strategic Retail Model : Understanding the Challenges of the Future of Retailing." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Textilhögskolan, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-17382.

Full text

Abstract:

Purpose The purpose of the thesis is to present, analyse and verify a self-constructed strategic retail model, consisting of four constituents: product, service, positioning and technology. Each constituent represents a focal area, which forms a basis for discussing and interpreting factors and challenges connected to the future of retailing. Additionally, the thesis aims to examine the significance of the strategic retail model in regards to the future of retailing in a fashion context. Method The study is characterised by a qualitative nature, conducted with an abductive approach. The background has been rooted in reality, taking in account the digital revolution, the assumption that traditional marketing is dead and current retail trends. The problem discussion has been based in an academic approach where the concept of business models has been elaborated, along with a presentation of the traditional marketing mix and criticism of its changing nature. The empirical data collection has been conducted through nine interviews, seven face-to-face interviews and two online interviews. The strategic retail model has been verified through an empirical study and a second stage of literature review. Conclusion In a market where the consumer empowerment has fundamentally affected the retail environment, and traditional marketing has lost its former importance, the issue regarding the future of retailing remains. It could therefore be assumed that the significance of the strategic retail model is high. By managing each constituent and consistently strive to achieve an integration of the consumer focus in the strategic retail model, the four constituents and translated underlying consumer understanding is unified.
Program: Master Programme in Fashion Management

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Chung, Sol. "Essays on Understanding Consumer Decision Making: Mortgage Choice and Consumption and Investment Behaviour." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/29390.

Full text

Abstract:

Consumer decision making impacts short-term and long-term financial welfare. We study two important aspects of consumer financial behaviour by using both revealed and stated preference data. The first is mortgage decision making which is inherently complex. The second is consumption and investment behaviour in response to a large shock in the form of a natural disaster. Many people find mortgage choice decisions daunting and confusing because mortgage products have many attributes that can be hard to understand and difficult to compare. We provide an overview of the conditions in the Australian mortgage market and present preliminary evidence on complexity and sources of consumer confusion in mortgage choice. We then conduct focus groups followed by a two-part choice experiment. We collect stated preference data via a best-worst task and a discrete choice experiment based on our preliminary focus group study. We find that Australian consumers express highly variable relative confusion about common mortgage attributes and that they tend to place less importance on attributes that they find most confusing. Borrowers generally prefer mortgages from major banks, shorter loan terms, variable and fixed interest rates over hybrid rates, lower establishment fees, principal and interest repayment schedules over interest-only repayments, and the flexibility of early repayments, and these preferences transmit into willingness-to-pay for preferred attributes. However, compared with non-advised consumers, mortgage-broker-advised consumers express preferences that align with broker incentives to tilt consumers to high-volume and longer-term home loans. We next use individual revealed preference data from a FinTech app (Raiz) to investigate the effects of increasingly common major Australian natural disasters on consumer spending, saving and investment. We measure responses to disasters in 2017-19 in terms of immediate and subsequent spending and in terms of usage of automated saving and investment features. Our findings are consistent with life-cycle theory that an increase in anticipated risks encourages many consumers to increase precautionary savings as a buffer stock against future disasters and that consumers tend to return to normal spending patterns after a transitory shock.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Schwartz, Joseph Michael. "Understanding the coupon prone purchaser : the importance of economic and psychological elements of sales promotions in motivating purchase." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/31030.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Peter, Paula Caterina. "Emotional Reasoning and Decision Making: understanding and regulating emotions that serve people's goals." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27062.

Full text

Abstract:

Increasing physical activity and adopting a healthy diet have the goal to enhance consumer welfare. The goal of this set of studies is to contribute to a research agenda that tries to support and enhance the life of consumers, through the exploration of emotional intelligence as a new possible avenue of research related to consumer behavior and health. Four studies are proposed that look at the possibility to introduce emotional intelligence in decision making and performance related to health (i.e. adoption and maintenance of a healthy diet/weight). The findings suggest the salient role of emotional reasoning (i.e. understanding and regulation of emotions) on decision making and performance related to health. Training on emotional intelligence and health seems to activate mechanisms that help people to use their knowledge in the right direction in order to make better decisions and improve performance related to health (i.e. adoption/maintenance of healthy diet/weight).
Ph. D.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

Nilsson, Elin. "Where to shop? : understanding consumers' choices of grocery stores." Doctoral thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-120166.

Full text

Abstract:

For the last couple of decades consumer decision-making has been of increasing interest for retail as well as for consumer behaviour research. Food shopping constitutes a unique type of shopping behaviour. In comparison to other types of shopping, food is essential to life, and not often are there as many choices to be made in a short period of time as when shopping groceries. The purpose of this dissertation was to advance the knowledge of what influences consumers’ choices of grocery stores. More specifically, the main focus has been on how different situations (e.g., type of shopping) influence choices of grocery stores. Five papers, which build on three surveys on how consumers choose grocery stores in Sweden, are included in this dissertation. In the first paper a comprehensive set of ten aggregated attributes that determine store choices were developed. The second paper brought forward five consumer segments (Planning Suburbans, Social Shoppers, Pedestrians, City Dwellers, and Flexibles) based on where and how they shop. In the third paper it was shown that accessibility attributes (e.g., accessibility by car, availability) and attractiveness attributes (e.g., price, service) have different impacts on satisfaction, depending on consumer characteristics and shopping behaviour in supermarkets compared to convenience stores. In the fourth paper the result showed that satisfaction is affected by type of grocery shopping (major versus fill-in shopping) in conjunction with time pressure and which store attributes that are important for satisfaction. It was also shown that the effect of time pressure and type of shopping on satisfaction varied in different consumer segments. In the final paper it was shown that a store has to be more attractive in terms of attributes for a consumer to switch from the grocery store they usually patronage, even if the new store is situated right beside or closer than the consumer’s regular grocery store. The view of a “good location” is further developed in this dissertation, arguing that consumers’ mental distance to a store – their cognitive proximity – is much more important than the physical place of the store. In sum, this dissertation revealed that the situation is more important than previous research has shown. Depending on the situation, consumers will face different outcomes (different stores) and value different store attributes. Hence, stores need to manage different store attributes depending on which consumer groups the stores want to attract and what situation the consumers are facing. Therefore, consumers’ choices of grocery stores are situation-based choices.
I ett par decennier har intresset för konsumenters beslutsfattande ökat för både detaljhandeln och forskningen kring konsumentbeteende. Matinköp utgör en unik typ av köp-beteende då det i jämförelse med andra typer av handlande är livsnödvändiga samt att det sällan finns så många val som ska göras under kort tid som vid matinköp. Syftet med denna avhandling är att främja kunskap om vad som påverkar konsumenternas val av livsmedelsbutik. Mer specifikt har fokus varit på hur olika situationer (t.ex. typ av handlande) påverkar valet av butik. Fem artiklar, som bygger på tre olika undersökningar om hur konsumenter väljer livsmedelsbutiker i Sverige ingår i denna avhandling. I den första artikeln utvecklades en omfattande uppsättning av tio aggregerade attribut (baserade på 34 attribut) som bestämmer konsumenters val av livsmedelsbutiker. I den andra artikeln presenterades fem konsumentsegment (Planerande förortsbor, Sociala shoppare, Fotgängare, Stadsbor och Flexibla) som baserades på var och hur de handlar. Den tredje artikeln visade att tillgänglighetsattribut (t.ex. tillgängligheten med bil och öppettider) och attraktivitetsattribut (t.ex. pris och service) har olika effekter på konsumenters nöjdhet. Denna nöjdhet varierade även beroende på konsumentens bakgrundsfaktorer samt huruvida konsumenten handlade i stormarknader eller i närbutiker. I den fjärde artikeln visade resultaten att nöjdhet påverkas av typ av matinköp (storhandlande kontra kompletteringshandlande) i samband med tidspress och de attribut som är viktiga för konsumenternas nöjdhet med butiken. Det visade sig även att effekterna av tidspress och typ av handlande på konsumenternas nöjdhet med butiker varierade i olika konsumentgrupper. Det femte konferenspapperet visade att en butik måste vara mer attraktiv när det gäller attribut för att konsumenter skall byta från den livsmedelsbutik som de brukar handla i, även om den nya butiken skulle öppna precis bredvid eller närmre än den vanliga livsmedelsbutiken. Synen på vad som är ett ”bra läge” utvecklas därför ytterligare i denna avhandling, med argumentet att konsumenternas mentala avstånd till en butik - deras kognitiva närhet - är mycket viktigare än den fysiska platsen för butiken. Sammanfattningsvis visade denna avhandling att effekten av olika situationer är viktigare än vad tidigare forskning har visat. Beroende på situation kommer konsumenter att möta olika utfall (välja olika butiker) och de kommer även att värdera olika butikers attribut olika. Således behöver butiken hantera olika butiksattribut beroende på vilken konsumentgrupp butiken vill attrahera och vilken situation de konsumenterna står inför. Därför kan val av livsmedelsbutiker ses som situationsbaserade val.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Francis, Mark. "Understanding lower innovation product development processes in the UK fast moving consumer goods sector." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.539630.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Zhang, H. C. "Towards a greater understanding of consumer cynicism in the context of cause-related marketing." Thesis, University of Salford, 2017. http://usir.salford.ac.uk/43828/.

Full text

Abstract:

Many studies have acknowledged the importance of cause-related marketing (CRM) (e.g. Steckstor, 2011; Guerreiro et al., 2016) and increasing consumer cynicism about it (e.g. Johansen, 2016). Although the topic of consumer cynicism has attracted increasing attention in contemporary research (Andersen and Johansen, 2016), an extensive review of the literature conducted for this study revealed that such studies remain on conceptual grounds (e.g. Odou and Pechpeyrou, 2011) or focus on general consumer cynicism in the marketplace (e.g. Chylinski and Chu, 2010; Helm et al., 2015; Ketron, 2016). Despite consumer cynicism being a major challenge to CRM practices (Andersen and Johansen, 2016), previous research calls for additional studies specifically relating to cynicism within a CRM context (e.g. Paek and Nelson, 2009; Chang, 2011; Hawkins, 2012). Therefore, this research aims to fill this gap in the literature. To fulfil the research aim, this study takes the philosophical position of post-positivism by applying a 2 × 2 factorial (sudden disaster versus ongoing cause and high versus low brand-cause fit) quasi-experimental design. Two focus groups were conducted to obtain relevant information to design a self-administrated questionnaire. Students were used to satisfy the requirements of an experimental design for a homogeneous sample. Out of the 420 questionnaires collected, 408 were considered to be usable for the final analysis. Attribution Theory and the TPB were used as theoretical frameworks on which to base this research. The findings add two new dimensions to theoretical knowledge in understanding consumer cynicism in a CRM context, namely, consumers’ perceptions of company motive and protest behaviour. Protest behaviour was found to be positively related to consumer cynicism in the ongoing cause groups. This finding is consistent with Attribution Theory’s suggestion that individuals are more supportive to victims affected by sudden disaster (Ellen et al., 2000; Chochinov, 2005). Attribution Theory was applied to identify the link between consumers’ perceptions of company motives, consumer cynicism and protest behaviour. Following Fiske and Taylor (1991) quasi-experimental stimuli/scenarios (high versus low brand-cause fit and ongoing cause versus sudden disaster cause) the same technique was used for this study in order to explore how individuals make causal attributions about firms’ CRM practices. Consumer cynicism was also investigated in TPB model by using indirect questioning technique. The findings of this application indicated that consumers make different causal attributions about companies’ involvement in CRM practices when they are exposed to different information sources. Consumer cynicism was investigated in TPB model by using indirect questioning technique. In addition, the findings indicated that cynical consumers have some volitional control of intention to purchase CRM products. Despite having cynicism, the increasing self-efficacy and subjective norm play an influencing role in predicting intention. This is an important contribution to knowledge both theoretically and in terms of possible intervention strategies aiming to reduce cynicism level. This research not only demonstrates the feasibility of applying Attribution Theory and TPB to understand consumer cynicism in the context of CRM, but also identifies an interesting connection between these two theories. Future studies can incorporate consumers’ perception of company motives from Attribution Theory into TPB to explore the possibility of gaining a stronger understanding of consumer cynicism in the context of CRM. A new theoretical model was suggested for a possible application in future studies.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Nacheva, Nadezhda, and Gijs Heldens. "The next generation of commercial supersonic flight : understanding the industry and the consumer perspectives." Thesis, Internationella Handelshögskolan, Högskolan i Jönköping, IHH, Företagsekonomi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-39682.

Full text

Abstract:

For decades, the speed of commercial aviation was constrained by the sound barrier. However, recent noticeable growth in air traffic and the recognition of the “time” as a valuable asset for passengers, call for more efficient, faster commercial transport. The commercial supersonic flight, able to fly above the speed of the sound has not been around ever since Concorde made its last trip in 2003, but it is promised to be on its way back. Currently, several existing and emerging companies are competing to revive the concept by developing and launching efficient supersonic plane between 2020-2025. The aircraft could operate on long-haul intercontinental flights about 2.6 times faster than current subsonic airplanes, targeting primarily business travelers. However, such a technological leapfrogging innovation embodies several engineering, economic, environmental and other factors, vital for its commercial success. The overall purpose of this master thesis is to investigate which factors could ensure the success of the upcoming supersonic commercial flight. The research will examine whether the new generation of supersonic planes can achieve maintainable commercial success by introducing industry expert opinions and exploring the perceptions of potential passengers towards supersonic flight as a possible future transportation mode. The limited literature on the subject created the need for descriptive research to expand the understanding. The chosen deductive approach relies on adopting the theoretical conceptions on the Theory of Disruptive Innovation and the Extended GAP Model of Service Quality. Pragmatic research philosophy is used due to the fact that it was deemed necessary to pursue multiple views to enable best answering the research questions. Qualitative interviews with ten industry experts have been conducted, capturing both the market specifications and the technical functions of the planes. Furthermore, 28 potential consumers who have flown in a business class on a long-haul flight gave valuable insights on the service quality perceptions. The results show that demand for supersonic flight exists and people are willing to use it as long as the plane satisfies their expectations of service quality. Based on the predictions of industry experts and the high level of curiosity of the potential customers interviewed, and their positive perceptions towards using it, the commercial supersonic flight has the scale possibility to be highly successful. However, the upcoming supersonic aircraft should find a balance between the main service quality attributes, such as speed, comfort, convenience, and safety, in relation to the economic, environmental, and engineering challenges.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Han, Tae-Im. "Understanding the Effects of Social Norms and Knowledge on Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior (SRCB)." The Ohio State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1417516750.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

La, Ferle Carrie Ann. "Consumer role transitions : understanding advertising's place in self-concept change, information seeking, and consumption /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Understanding the consumer loyalty's'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles