The adoption process is an information seeking and information-processing activity (Rogers, 1983,p. 21). Fashion information which consumers receive from various sources directly affects their decision to adopt or reject a style (Sproles, 1979, p. 173). Research has shown that consumers vary in their use of fashion information sources during the adoption process based upon their level of fashion leadership and demographic characteristics such as age and sex. However, little is known about the influence of cultural values on the fashion adoption process. As apparel manufacturing and retailing companies increase global marketing efforts, further understanding of cross-cultural differences in consumer behavior during the fashion adoption process is needed. The present study explored the influence of cultural values on fashion information seeking during the adoption process. The purpose of the present study was to compare Korean and U.S. college women's fashion information seeking. Comparisons were made on two levels: (1) between fashion leaders and followers within each culture and (2) between Korean fashion leaders and U.S. leaders. The type of information sources (categorized as marketer dominated, consumer dominated and neutral sources) used at the selected stages of the adoption process model as depicted in Sproles model (1979, p. 197) (awareness of object, interest and evaluation) was investigated. Frequency of use and variety of fashion information sources used by consumers were also examined. The subjects of the present study were a purposive sample of 95 Korean and 82 U.S. college women, recruited from clothing and merchandising courses at Chungnam National University and Seoul National University in Korea and at Oregon State University during 1993 Spring term. Data were collected through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: (1) fashion innovativeness and fashion opinion leadership scales, (2) questions asking fashion information sources used at the selected stages of the adoption process, (3) a scale to measure frequency and variety of fashion information sources used, and (4) questions asking demographic characteristics of the subjects. The questionnaire was first developed in English and translated into Korean. To confirm the equivalency of the two versions, the Korean questionnaire was back-translated into English. The questionnaire was also pre-tested for clarity with subjects from the same population as the sample. The data were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-square analysis. Fashion leaders were those who were self-identified as fashion opinion leaders or fashion innovators. 31.6% of the Korean sample (n=30) and 47.6% of the U.S. sample (n=39) were classified as fashion leaders. Korean fashion leaders were found to use marketer dominated sources at the awareness of object stage more than did U.S. leaders. No differences were found in the type of information sources at the interest and evaluation stages between Korean fashion leaders and U.S. leaders. Through all the stages of the adoption process, the Korean leaders used foreign fashion magazines and non-fashion magazines (advertisements and fashion columns) as fashion information sources more than did U.S. fashion leaders. U.S. fashion leaders showed a greater frequency of use of consumer dominated sources than Korean leaders. No difference was found in variety of fashion information sources used by Korean fashion leaders and U.S. leaders. For both Korean and U.S. consumers, fashion leaders had a greater frequency of use and a greater variety of fashion information sources used than followers. Similar to what had been found with U.S. consumers, Korean fashion leaders may prove to be an effective target for fashion marketing efforts. / Graduation date: 1994

According to Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1993), evaluative criteria refer to "the standards and specifications used by consumers to compare different products and brands" (p. 51). Many studies have examined the importance of clothing evaluative criteria used by consumers in their decision making. However, few studies have compared the clothing evaluative criteria used by consumers in different countries. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to compare the influence of culture on the importance placed on clothing evaluative criteria between Taiwanese and United States college women. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection. Seven-point scales were used to measure the importance of 12 clothing criteria: fabric, comfortable to wear, size/fit, quality, country of origin, color, pleasing to others, suitability, price, style, and coordination. The questionnaire also measured respondent's demographic characteristics. The questionnaire was first developed in English, translated into Chinese, and then back-translated into English. Questionnaires were handed out in classes at Oregon State University in the United States and at Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. A convenience sample of 233 female students received questionnaires (102 U.S. and 131 Taiwanese). Overall, 119 Taiwanese and 84 U.S. college women, who were qualified and completed the questionnaires, served as subjects. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using t-tests. The findings indicated that the importance placed on clothing evaluative criteria was partially influenced by the nationality of the respondents. No significant differences were found between the two groups in the importance of style, coordination, color, fabric, price, pleasing to others, and brand name (p>.05). However, significant differences were found between the two groups in the importance of comfortable to wear, size/fit, quality, country of origin, and suitability (p<.05). Despite the significant differences found for these evaluative criteria, the mean importance scores were very similar between the two groups. Based upon mean importance scores, the evaluative criterion, size/fit (mean: U.S.=6.69, Taiwan=6.29) was the most important criterion for both groups. Based on the results from this study, consumer decision making of U.S. and Taiwanese college females may be very similar for purchasing apparel. International marketers and retailers may use cross-national comparison studies related to Taiwan market that deal with the consumer decision process such as the present study for their international marketing strategies. / Graduation date: 1995

Very little empirical research has been conducted on Asian Americans as a whole in relation to their consumer behavior, specifically their clothing behavior. A review of literature demonstrated that Asian Americans have been studied from different psychographic and sociological aspects. However, the apparel shopping behavior of this market has received only slight research attention. The purpose of this study was to compare Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans with regards to apparel shopping orientations. This study also examined the relationship between apparel shopping orientations and intensity of ethnic identification among Asian Americans. The multimediation model of consumer behavior (EKB model) proposed by Engel, Kollat and Blackwell (1973) was used as a theoretical framework for the present study. Based on the EKB model, it was expected that people of different cultural backgrounds were different in terms of their consumer behavior. Another conceptual framework used in the present study was the concept of shopping orientations, introduced by Stone (1954). Apparel shopping orientations refer to motivations, interests and attitudes toward apparel shopping. Seven shopping orientations were selected for the present study. They were: economic shopping, personalizing shopping, recreational shopping, social shopping (including friend social shopping and family social shopping), brand loyal shopping, impulse shopping and fashion orientations. The fashion orientation included four factors: fashion leadership, fashion interest, fashion importance and antifashion attitude. The nature of the study was observational, in which no variables were manipulated. The data collection method involved a mailed questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions measuring seven shopping orientations, Asian Americans' intensity of ethnic identification and questions on demographic characteristics. A purposive sample of 300 Asian American and 300 Caucasian American students were drawn from the students enrolled at Oregon State University for 1990 Fall term. A pretest was conducted before the data were collected. Dillman's "Total Design Method" (1978) was used as a guideline when implementing the data collection procedures. The response rates were 75.9% for the total sample, with 72.6% for the Asian group and 79.0% for the Caucasian group. The collected data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), t-test and Pearson correlation. Significant differences were found between Asian and Caucasian American respondents on social shopping, including both friend social and family social shopping, brand loyal shopping, and fashion leadership orientations. The Asian respondents were found to be significantly more brand loyal and liked to shop with friends or family members than were the Caucasian respondents. The Asian American students were also found to be more likely to regard themselves as fashion leaders than were the Caucasian students in this study. Also a negative correlation was found between intensity of ethnic identification and fashion importance among Asian American respondents. This finding indicated that the more an Asian respondent identified with Asian ethnicity, the less (s)he considered being well-dressed to be important. / Graduation date: 1991

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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.

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.

Blacks have been noted as being one of the largest consumer groups in the United States. In general, Black consumers have been portrayed in the literature as a single, undifferentiated "Black Market" which consists of economically deprived consumers who have a uniform set of consumer needs; however, little is known about influences and behavior of segments of the Black market in reference to the external factors which influence their clothing buying behavior patterns. The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between selected social factors (i.e., reference group, social participation, fashion involvement, clothing benefits sought, social environment) and clothing buying behavior patterns (i.e., type of store patronage, time/frequency clothing is purchased) of Black college students attending a predominantly Black university and attending a predominantly White university. Data were obtained from a convenience sample 333 Black undergraduates (200 attending the predominantly Black university, 133 attending the predominantly White university). The questionnaire regarding reference group, social participation, fashion involvement, clothing benefits sought, social environment, clothing buying behavior patters and demographics was administered in pre-selected core courses at the universities. / Master of Science

The purposes of this study were to study the consumers' perceptions and expectations of family finances, business, and buying conditions. / Master of Science

Although growth in the Hispanic population and its buying power has outpaced by far non-Hispanic U.S. growth in the last decade, only a limited amount of attention has been given to study consumer acculturation among Hispanic subcultures. That lack of research represents one of the biggest gaps in the ethnic marketing literature. Previous research has shown that leveln of acculturation is one of the best ways to segment markets, yet key concepts in the acculturation literature have been used interchangeably (Wallendorf & Reilly, 1983 ; Metha & Belk, 1991 ; Hui, Laroche and Kim, 1998 ; Webster, 1994 ; Penaloza, 1994 ; Laroche, Kim, Hui, and Tomiuk, 1998 ; Ogden, Ogden & Schau, 2004). This research clarifies such concepts and studies the effects of level of acculturation on attitudes toward money among Mexican Americans. Findings suggest that one of the sub-processes of acculturation, integration, can be effectively used to predict Mexican American attitudes toward money. Results address the need of a better understanding of consumption among Hispanic Americans. The importance of research in this area is underlined for public administrators, marketing managers and scholars alike. / by Luis Eduardo Torres. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

This study was approached with a desire to move forward the body of knowledge concerning environmental research as it pertains to the hospitality industry. The endeavor was undertaken with the belief that concern and awareness about the environment is not a passing fad but a fundamental shift in society. In order for any business to survive it must keep up with changes and meet the demands of consumers. The research efforts in this study were aimed at establishing the validity and reliability of a consumer behavior model specifically related to environmental behavior. The purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate a consumer's intention to stay in a hotel based on the environmental strategies used by that hotel. Hines (1984) developed a conceptual environmental consumer behavior model based on a meta-analysis of literature on environmentally responsible behavior. Hines' conceptual Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior utilized knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personal responsibility and locus of control to predict environmental behavior. The goal of this study was to empirically test an adapted version of Hines' Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior. This adapted version utilized knowledge, attitudes and perceived self-efficacy to predict consumers' intentions to purchase a night's stay in a hotel. Canonical correlation analysis was used to test the relationship between intention and each of the variables (knowledge, attitudes and perceived self-efficacy) in Hines' model. The multivariate test of significance revealed that each variable had a positive relationship to intention to purchase. The Hines' Model of Responsible Environmental Behavior was more useful in predicting consumers' intention to purchase a night's stay in a particular hotel than each variable individually. The model tested in this study has laid the foundation for developing a sound environmentally responsible consumer behavior model. The research findings suggest that a hotel implementing environmental strategies can increase business for that hotel. / Ph. D.