Network strategy in the New Zealand wine industry: how firms in an industry understand and use their business relationshipsThis theory-building study offers new theoretical explanations for how and why companies within a case industry use relationships in their strategies. Using qualitative data from multiple case studies within the New Zealand wine industry, the thesis captures and explains the strategic heterogeneity of diverse patterns of relationships and network interactions and how these are used strategically. Drawing on strategic management and business network theory, it emphasises how firms value their relationships in strategy, that is, how they contribute to strategy formation process and realisation outcomes. The study builds new interpretations and extends theory through in-depth exploration, providing two extensive typologies of relationships, one categorised according to the range of relationships, their functions, content and contribution to strategy, and another according to strategies and how relationships are used in their realisation. A model of relationship drivers in strategy is then developed, tested, and refined to show the purposes and outcomes of relationships and clarify the processes and conditions under which they arise and are used within an industry. The data support converging assumptions in strategic management and business network theory on the connectedness of firms in business relationships and the embeddedness of economic action in ongoing ties within social structures. Concepts of intentionality and emergence are used to show that emergence primarily arises out of intentionality.Understanding of relationships was based on the historically collective nature of the industry, on personal values, experience or approaches to relationships, on firm level strategy, especially decisions around grow, buy or connect options, and whether the firm aimed to control resources and activities internally or used relationships to achieve strategic goals. Firms focused on (in order of priority): resource-based input requirements, activity-based capability related strategies and actor-based values and these inputs operated at three levels which, singly or in combination, drove the diverse use of relationships: firm level strategy influences, relationship level influences and industry environment level influences. Two frameworks emerge which have strong explanatory power. One models how firms understanding and value placed on relationships is integrated into strategy processes. Another integrates concepts in a new way to show the main pathways through ways of understanding relationship development and use in strategy.

This study explores liability-of-foreignness (LOF) and how multinational corporations (MNCs) can develop competitive strategies in order to adapt to consumers’ perceptions of tangible and intangible sources of LOF as a result of negative stigmatization of marketing mix elements used in the foreign market.

Network strategy in the New Zealand wine industry: how firms in an industry understand and use their business relationshipsThis theory-building study offers new theoretical explanations for how and why companies within a case industry use relationships in their strategies. Using qualitative data from multiple case studies within the New Zealand wine industry, the thesis captures and explains the strategic heterogeneity of diverse patterns of relationships and network interactions and how these are used strategically. Drawing on strategic management and business network theory, it emphasises how firms value their relationships in strategy, that is, how they contribute to strategy formation process and realisation outcomes. The study builds new interpretations and extends theory through in-depth exploration, providing two extensive typologies of relationships, one categorised according to the range of relationships, their functions, content and contribution to strategy, and another according to strategies and how relationships are used in their realisation. A model of relationship drivers in strategy is then developed, tested, and refined to show the purposes and outcomes of relationships and clarify the processes and conditions under which they arise and are used within an industry. The data support converging assumptions in strategic management and business network theory on the connectedness of firms in business relationships and the embeddedness of economic action in ongoing ties within social structures. Concepts of intentionality and emergence are used to show that emergence primarily arises out of intentionality.Understanding of relationships was based on the historically collective nature of the industry, on personal values, experience or approaches to relationships, on firm level strategy, especially decisions around grow, buy or connect options, and whether the firm aimed to control resources and activities internally or used relationships to achieve strategic goals. Firms focused on (in order of priority): resource-based input requirements, activity-based capability related strategies and actor-based values and these inputs operated at three levels which, singly or in combination, drove the diverse use of relationships: firm level strategy influences, relationship level influences and industry environment level influences. Two frameworks emerge which have strong explanatory power. One models how firms understanding and value placed on relationships is integrated into strategy processes. Another integrates concepts in a new way to show the main pathways through ways of understanding relationship development and use in strategy.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / This thesis focuses on the rapid growth of new generation contracts used by grain producers. Specifically, the research studies a potential customer base of producers not using Cargill’s new generation contracts. A survey was conducted to uncover possible customer demand for Cargill’s marketing solutions. Those surveyed do not have the opportunity to use these solutions because their operations typically lay outside the footprint of existing Cargill grain facilities. With Cargill’s Flex Delivery Program, sales professionals have the ability to sell grain marketing solutions, like new generation contracts, to farming operations outside of existing asset footprints. From the experiences of current sales professionals offering new generation contracts via Cargill’s Flex Delivery Program, the author hypothesized that there are three primary variables influencing the likelihood of a customer finding value in the Flex Delivery Program. The size of farming operation, the number of facilities they deliver grain to and the importance they place on forward marketing are critical components to determining if a farming operation may market grain through Cargill’s Flex Delivery Program using a new generation contract. The survey results revealed the percentage of the sample population fit the criteria of a Flex Delivery candidate. The survey questions were also designed to uncover farmer demographics, current marketing styles, competition, and, in general, provide good background information useful for making follow-up sales calls on those selected to survey. The results show roughly a third of those surveyed are Flex Delivery candidates.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent Amanor-Boadu / Beans and cowpeas are considered nutritionally dense and good sources of protein. In this sense, they are considered excellent food in poor households, especially in those that exhibit high levels of malnutrition or under-nutrition. To address food security and nutrition security in poor countries, there has been an increasing interest in encouraging farmers to grow beans and cowpeas. This has spurred research in value chains for these crops in many countries, especially those that do not traditionally grow them as primary staples. Most of these research efforts have focused on the producer and consumer issues, with little or no attention paid to traders who operated between these two players in the value chain. The objective of this study, therefore, is to contribute to the literature on the bean and cowpea value chain research by identifying the factors influencing the participation decisions of traders in this segment of the agricultural economy in Zambia. Using data collected by the Pulse Value Chain Initiative – Zambia in 2011, a probit model was used to analyze data. The dependent variable trader participation in wholesale marketing of beans and cowpeas in Lusaka and its principal food markets. The explanatory variables encompass trader demographic characteristics and available assets or resources. The research explored the effect of the assets or resources on the choice to trade cowpeas or beans at the wholesale level in Lusaka with and without controlling for traders’ demographic characteristics. Three procurement sources are identified in the study: the local market within which the traders operate; producers/suppliers within Lusaka District; and producers/suppliers outside Lusaka District. The results indicate that the procurement source for beans and cowpeas influenced trader decision to operate at the wholesale level. For example, traders who purchased their produce from locations outside Lusaka District were about 37% more likely to participate in wholesale trade compared to those sourcing their produce within the market in which they operate when demographic characteristics of traders are not controlled for in the model. When the demographic factors are controlled, the likelihood of those procuring from outside Lusaka District participating in the wholesale trade declines slightly to about 34%. These coefficients were both statistically significant at the 1 percent level. The results also showed that traders using credit from friends and family were nearly 18% less likely to participate in wholesale trade than those borrowing from other traders, significant at the 5% level. Controlling for demographic characteristics led to a reduction of this likelihood to about 16.7%, significant only at the 10% level. There were no statistical differences between traders for all education levels and those without any education except for respondents with lower primary and lower secondary education. Traders with lower primary and lower secondary education had a 31% higher likelihood of operating at the wholesale level compared to those without any formal education while those with upper secondary education had about 26.7% higher likelihood of operating at the wholesale level compared to those without any formal education. Marital status was not a discriminant in the decision to operate at the wholesale level. However, males had about a 9% higher probability than females in operating at the wholesale level. Wholesalers tend to move larger volumes of produce and, hence, create wealth much quickly than retailers. Wholesalers are also more likely to be engaging processors when these exist in the supply chain. Given that traders sourcing their produce from outside Lusaka District are more likely to engage in wholesale trading, it recommended that further research into the intricate characteristics of these traders are explored. This future research will do well to explore the factors that specifically differentiate these traders from the others. Understanding these and their potential effects could allow policymakers to provide support and services to this class of traders to engage in structured relationships with larger organizations such as processors and exporters.

Master of Science / Food Science Institute / Koushik Adhikari / The market of nail polish has been booming in recent years. Research on nail polish is scarce. A sensory lexicon for nail polish has been developed at Kansas State University, but how sensory factors affect female consumers’ acceptability of nail polish has not been examined. Also, other factors, such as price and usage characteristics that could affect consumers’ acceptability, are yet to be determined. A nail polish consumer study was conducted at Kansas State University to explore several sensory and non-sensory factors that could affect female consumers’ acceptability of nail polish. Eight nail polish samples, belonging to four categories, namely, regular (REG), gel (GEL), flake (FLK) and water-based (WAT), were evaluated by each of the 98 female consumers. The questionnaire consisted of three sections – application, observation and general usage questions. Results showed that consumers rated the samples similarly in both the application and observation sections. In general, consumers preferred the REG and the GEL samples more than the FLK and the WAT samples. Among all the sensory attributes, appearance attributes were the major attributes that affected consumers’ overall acceptability, while aroma had negligible impact on acceptability. Some sensory attributes like runny, shininess, opacity, spreadability, smoothness, coverage and wet-appearance were found to drive the consumer’s overall acceptability positively, while others such as pinhole, fatty-edges, blister, brushlines, pearl-like, flake-protrusion, glittery and initial-drag impacted their liking negatively. Four clusters of consumers were identified based on the consumers’ overall liking scores for both the application and observation sections. Considering all the factors that could affect consumers’ acceptability, sensory appeal, price, and conveniences of usage were the top factors picked by consumers. Age was also a factor that affected consumers’ acceptability for some of the samples. Consumers’ overall acceptability for these studied samples could guide a beauty store or a nail salon on building their selection on nail polishes. Consumers’ acceptability on different sensory attributes could help a nail polish company modify or improve their nail polish formula. The consumer cluster information could benefit a nail polish company on marketing a specific category of product and advertising to a specific group of consumers.

Master of Science / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Joy Kozar / The thin female body-type perpetuated in the media has historically caused decreased body satisfaction in adolescent and young adult females (Dittmar, 2009). Previous studies have examined the impact of these images in traditional media, but few studies have examined images seen in social media. Therefore, this study examined how social media impacts the body satisfaction of adolescent and young adult females through the variables of age, time spent on social media, social comparison behaviors, and appearance-related attitudes. The study utilized a sample of females between the ages of 14 to 25. As a component of this study, age was broken into two groups, creating a younger (14-18) and older (19-25) group. This allowed the researcher to make comparisons between the two age groups in relation to the variables being studied. An online questionnaire was utilized as part of this study and distributed to college professors, high school instructors, high school and college-age students, and via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. A total of 357 female respondents between the ages of 14 and 25 years old participated in the study. Of the 357 participants, 140 (39.2%) were in the age category of 14-18 and 217 (60.8%) were in the age category of 19-25. Results indicated that participants who accessed their social media accounts more times per day were more likely to engage in social comparison behavior to fashion models and celebrities and peers. In addition, the more participants compared themselves with fashion models and celebrities and peers, the higher their appearance-related attitudes, which lowered their body satisfaction. Age was not a significant factor in predicting time spent on social media, participation in social comparison behavior, or appearance-related attitudes. However, among the sample, younger participants were overall more satisfied with their body than older participants. It was determined that on average, participants checked their social media accounts between 5 and 15 times a day and spent three or less hours daily on social media. These findings have important implications for the fashion and cosmetics industries and AT educators. The results indicate that social media has an impact on young women’s body satisfaction.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Kim Hiller Connell / With apparel production finding itself a leading cause of harm to the environment, the call to action to influence purchase intention for environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA) is pertinent for the current and future well-being of both the environment and humankind. Supplying a base of knowledge to consumers is crucial to enable them to understand the consequences the AT industry has on the environment. This knowledge can potentially lead to a change of attitude and change in purchase intention. However, reaching the populous and changing consumer knowledge of and attitudes towards environmentally sustainable apparel is challenging. This study considers social networking sites (SNS) a feasible strategy regarding this issue because they not only rapidly communicate to consumers but SNS also convey the attitudes and opinions of users’ online referent groups. This study better understands the variances among consumer characteristics and their knowledge of environmental issues in the apparel and textile industry. The purpose of this exploratory study is to initiate the investigation as to whether or not SNS may be a potential mechanism for increasing purchase intention for environmentally sustainable apparel. This exploration focuses on identifying consumer characteristics of social networking site users and investigating whether differences in consumer knowledge about environmental issues in apparel production leads to differences in attitudes about and ultimately purchase intentions of ESA. This study also examines whether or not the presence of social influence on SNS may serve as a mechanism to overcome the barriers (knowledge and attitudes) limiting purchase intention for ESA. An online national survey of 783 participants was conducted utilizing six scales. Simple bivariate correlations, ANOVA, and a hierarchial regression was conducted to understand if adding social influence of SNS as an additional component to Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) provides greater predictive power for ESA behavior intentions. Findings from the study indicate that SNS influence and subjective norm are not stronger predictors of ESA purchase intention above knowledge and attitudes but they do contribute to the TRA and increasing the probability of purchase intention.

Master of Science / Department of Psychology / James C. Shanteau / This project included two studies that looked at how the brand name and price of consumer products can affect intended purchasing decisions. In Study 1, 30 undergraduate students tested products from three different product categories (crayons, tissues, and tortilla chips). Each product category consisted of three different brands; one with high brand value, one with medium, and one with low brand value (generic). The brands for each product were as follows: Crayons (Crayola, Roseart, and Dollartree); Tissues (Puffs, Kleenex, and Wal-Mart); Chips (Tostitos, Mission, and Kroger). The design for this study was a 3x3+3+3 matrix. For each brand, there were five conditions: 1) the product in the correct brand name; 2) the product in a switched brand name; 3) the product in the other switched brand name; 4) the product alone, no brand name; and 5) the brand name alone, no product. The product alone and brand name alone conditions acted as controls. Participants were unaware that the products had been switched. After trying each product, participants rated their likelihood to purchase that product on a 9-point Likert scale; 1 being “definitely would not buy” and 9 being “definitely would buy.” In Study 2, 47 participants completed an online survey assessing their likelihood to purchase three different products (a bicycle, a watch, and a T.V.) based on the price alone. The brand names were removed so as to not create an interactive effect. This study had the same design as Study 1. After a within-subjects Repeated Measures ANOVA, it was found in Study 1, that the two brands with higher brand value were rated as higher quality than the generic. Study 2 found that when just looking at price, subjects were more likely to purchase the cheapest product. In conclusion, it seems that the brand name associated with a product can cause people to rate the quality of that product as either higher or lower depending on the strength of the brand, even if the product itself is lower quality. Also, when looking at the prices of products without the brand names, people want to purchase the lowest priced product.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Dhuyvetter / The size of our dairy operation increased from 300 milk cows to 1,700 milk cows in 2003. Once the dairy operation increased, the dependency on milk price to support the entire operation also increased. This was due to the fact that the cropping side of the operation became more devoted to growing feed for the livestock as opposed to producing cash crops. Thus, the increase in the number of milk cows led to decreased diversity in our income potentially increasing the financial risk of the operation. The purpose of this thesis is to study different risk management tools and strategies to aid in the formulation of a risk management plan for milk sales in our operation. Risk management strategies using forward contracts, futures, put options, and cash were analyzed at different time periods and various minimum price levels. The strategies were analyzed over the last ten years (2001-2010) of available price data. Twenty-five risk management strategies were analyzed both with and without set minimum milk prices. Minimum price levels ranged from $14/cwt to $17/cwt in $1 increments. The time frame for the transaction ranged from zero to twelve months prior to production in three-month increments. Based on historical data, risk management strategies can be used to decrease the price risk faced by an operation. The risk management strategies did not affect the average price received at statistically significant levels typically considered. Different risk management opportunities are highlighted that need to be analyzed before fully implementing a risk management plan for dairy operations.