In the war to win the consumer’s attention traditional media is steadily losing ground to new media platforms; which are distributed and consumed digitally, are ubiquitous with the explosive uptake of smart internet connected devices and provide interconnections amongst platforms, devices and even consumers. New media is changing the balance of power in the media landscape from media businesses to media consumers, who now have unlimited choices available to them from which they can decide on what, when, where and how to consume content. So from the traditional outlook of ―mass media‖ there is a transition happening towards ―my media‖ which provide personalised experiences to consumers. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the discussion on how consumer control is changing the media landscape by applying the dichotomy of push vs. pull in media consumption. The study sought to explore if with increasing consumer empowerment, the consumer instead of passively relying on content push from media businesses is now actively pulling content to fulfil his/her individual needs. The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature and utilised in depth and semi structured interviews of media consumers and experts to understand in how the role of the consumer is changing in the media landscape, the factors influencing the change, how the empowered consumer is effecting changes in the way he/she consumes content and media business response to the empowered consumer The study empirically established that consumer control is definitely on the rise in media consumption with consumers preferring to pull content as per their liking. Furthermore it was empirically validated that consumers from lower income levels were as much in control and pulling content as consumers from higher income levels which is a significant departure from the literature. The study also found that even though media businesses acknowledge consumer control in media consumption their response to it is applying certain tactics without any accompanying change in strategies and business models. The study recommended that for media businesses to stay relevant in the age of consumer control and the accompanying content pull; they need to be more customer centric in their approach where they design their strategies and business models by being consumer focussed and trying to fulfil their needs. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

There is a paucity of information about the various factors that influence the selection of primary care physicians. Also, the relative significance of these factors is not known, making it difficult to properly address ways to improve the information flow to patients when they select a primary care physician.

Size information is vital in many consumer contexts, but currently, no central framework or conceptual model exists for a thorough understanding of the underlying process of how consumers interpret size information and form size judgments. Thus, the purpose of this three-paper dissertation is to introduce such a framework, discuss future research directions based on that framework, and pursue a few of these directions in the second and third papers, both of which focus on a vanity sizing context. The resulting work and findings illustrate the process through which consumers go in forming size judgments and collectively present both scholars and practitioners with a common basis for future study and implementation of findings in contexts in which size information is salient.

The present study investigated the potential of personal values to segment business traveler markets in the hospitality industry. The study was conducted both in the U.S. and Korea. Mail surveys were sent to a random sample of one-thousand business travelers in each country. Two hypotheses were tested to examine the relationship between personal values and hotel choice criteria, and two other hypotheses were tested regarding cultural differences of personal value structures and hotel choice criteria. In the U.S. sample, two major value groups were identified with distinct hotel choice criteria whereas three value groups were found in the Korean sample. In the both samples, respondents' value structures appeared to be related to the importance of hotel choice criteria. Consumer groups with homogeneous value structures seemed to have similar needs and wants regarding hotel services. The influence of personal values on hotel choice criteria was identified across cultures. However, the specific value-to-choice criteria relationship appeared to be culture dependent, preventing generalization of value-choice criteria relationships across cultures. Results revealed considerable cross-cultural differences relative to consumers' value structures and hotel choice criteria. Findings of the present study suggested that personal values hold potential for market segmentation in the hotel industry both in the domestic and international market. Several implications regarding existing consumer behavior theory and application to marketing management practices in the hospitality industry were investigated. / Ph. D.

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama Šiaulių miesto rankų darbo aksesuarų vartotojų elgsenos tema. Tiriamą problemą apibūdina klausimas: kokie pagrindiniai vidiniai ir išoriniai vartotojų elgsenos veiksniai skatina įsigyti rankų darbo aksesuarus? Teorinėje darbo dalyje pateikiama vartotojų elgsenos samprata, vidiniai ir išoriniai veiksniai, vartotojų sprendimo pirkti priėmimo procesas, alternatyvų identifikavimas bei marketingo komplekso elementų įtaka vartotojų elgsenai. Empirinėje darbo dalyje apklausus 100 Šiaulių miesto gyventojų – moterų, identifikuotos esminės priežastys, įtakojančios rankų darbo aksesuarų vartotojų elgseną; išsiaiškinti pagrindiniai tokio tipo aksesuarų pasirinkimo motyvai ir kriterijai, vartotojų nuomonės; giluminio interviu metu pagrįsta kokybinio tyrimo metu gauta informacija. Remiantis gautais kiekybinio ir kokybinio tyrimo rezultatais, sudarytas rankų darbo aksesuarų vartotojų elgsenos modelis. / Undergraduate thesis examined Šiauliai handmade accessories, consumer behavior topic. The problem under study describes the issue: what are the key internal and external factors are driving consumer behavior to purchase handmade accessories? The theoretical part of the consumer behavior on the concept of internal and external factors, consumer purchase decision process, the identification of alternatives, and marketing mix elements influence consumer behavior. Empirical survey of 100 working in Šiauliai city's population - women, identified the root causes that influence handmade accessories, consumer behavior, to clarify the main reasons for the choice of the type of accessories and the criteria for consumer satisfaction, depth interviews during the qualitative analysis based on the information received. Based on quantitative and qualitative results of the study, consisting of handmade accessories, consumer behavior model.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-103). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Whether utilising online or offline communication media, the consumer progresses through specific response phases when being exposed to communication messages that have the intent of moving the consumer to buy a product, use a service or proceed to specific action. The focus of this study is on the online consumer response process. The study firstly commenced with a discussion on the concept of web-based commercial communication (WBCC). The unique characteristics and needs of the online consumer were secondly discussed. Thirdly, the theoretical discussion focussed on, analysed and critically examined advertising response models. Fourthly followed a theoretical discussion on the general theory of consumer response. Theoretical criteria for web-based commercial communication and the consumer response process were fifthly developed. Lastly, the primary research objective of this study was addressed by developing a theoretical framework for the online consumer response process. / Communication / MA (Communication)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / Industrial buying stands for more than half the whole economic activity in industrialised countries. Therefore, it is important to understand how customers of Afrox perform buying activities. The fabrication industry is a fast growing industry and is, therefore, interesting to study. The understanding of the buying behaviour of industrial organisations is of paramount importance to the industrial marketer. The study is a quantitative, cross sectional and descriptive investigation into buyer behaviour in the fabrication industry of Afrox. It highlights that industrial buyer behaviour has an extensive area, both for the practical marketer as well as from an academic perspective. As the fabrication industry is once again expanding, it is of essence to understand the buying behaviour in this industry. This report has the intention of highlighting how industrial buyer behaviour can be described in the fabrication industry. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the characteristics of industrial buying behaviour of fabrication customers at Afrox. The purpose has been further developed in forms of research questions dealing with the buying process, buyer behaviour, buying centre and buyer choice criteria. The sample studied is from a current company data base. With regard to the buying process, the most significant factors are price, quality, and technical capability.

Title: Enhancing Swedish Large MNEs’ Strategies in Chinese Market -By Analyzing the Perspectives of Consumers in Sweden and China Authors: Cheng Han and Xiaojing Gu Supervisor: Svante Andersson Level: Master Dissertation in International Marketing, 15 credits Keywords: Consumer behavior, Multinational enterprise, Marketing strategy, Swedish and Chinese market Background: With the trend of globalization, multinational enterprises noticed the potential market in China. Base on previous research, researchers indicated consumer behaviors have a sort of relationship and influence on MNEs’ strategies. Purpose: Investigate the distinctions between Swedish and Chinese consumer behaviors, due to the distinction, explore the way to enhance MNEs’ strategies in Chinese market. Research Questions: Q1: What are the differences between Chinese consumers and Swedish consumers evaluating same enterprises? Q2: How Swedish large MNEs develop their strategies for adapting the distinctions of Chinese consumers? Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework includes theories regarding what factors of consumer behaviors are considered as influencing on enterprises’ strategies and the theories of general enterprise strategies. Methodology: This dissertation is a quantitative study accompany with case study. Empirical Framework: The empirical framework presents case descriptions and statistics. Analysis: The five hypotheses are analyzed and critical examined. Conclusion: Since consumers from different countries have different consumer behaviors, enterprises need to alter their strategies by adapting the distinctions of consumers.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a global era of growing consumer economies, retailers rely extensively on the exploitation of consumers’ personal and behavioural information, in order to successfully execute and sustain their business models and strategic objectives. The gathering and mining of consumers’ personal and behavioural information represent tremendous potential in the application of relationship marketing tactics, towards consumer intimacy, and ultimately towards competitive advantage. However, in their quest to understand consumers better, retailers need to be acutely aware of consumers’ views regarding the gathering and use of their personal and behavioural information, in order to derive the associated benefits whilst mitigating the risk of alienating consumers. To this end, the main objective of this research assignment was to understand the thoughts and feelings of a selected sample of retail consumers, regarding the use of their personal and behavioural information in relationship marketing tactics. The research aim was achieved through a qualitative exploration of the thoughts and feelings of thirty millennial retail consumers who shared their individual views in written format and small group interviews. Cognitive mapping was used as the central technique for the coding and interpretation of written and interview data, depicting the central themes of consumer rationale, as well as the causal relationships of the concepts, which influenced their sentiment and decisions. The insights produced by the cognitive mappings were triangulated using additional techniques of sentiment analysis and word frequency analysis. The combination of research techniques produced robust overarching insights of universal value, coupled with insights of specific subtleties alluding to consumer groups with differentiated engagement needs. Universal insights included strong negative sentiment whenever consumer participants considered the possibility that retailers with whom they engage on the basis of their personal information could potentially share such personal information with third-party entities outside of their explicit or implicit relationship with a particular trusted retailer. Similarly, the personally intrusive nature of telemarketing as an engagement and communication channel was met with universal disdain at every mention thereof, clearly eliminating it as a viable channel for any retailer who would seek to build and sustain trusted consumer relationships. The sample of participants revealed four broad groups of millennial consumers, each with different preferences of engagement with retailers. The majority of the participants across two groups recognised a conditional and transactional basis for exchanging varying degrees of personal information for a variety of derived benefits. A small group of participants indicated a clear preference towards avoiding engagement on a personal basis and sharing of personal information with retailers. A similarly small group of participants exhibited general openness and willingness to engage retailers and share personal and behavioural information with little restraint or concern. The insights derived from this research assignment provide a solid foundational exploration for future research on the specific and related topics, whilst the application of the cognitive mapping technique provided profound multi-dimensional insights. Businesses stand to gain potential material benefit through the careful consideration of the terms of engagement with their consumers, as provided through the universal and specific insights of this research assignment.