AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Garrett Adam Hoemmen, for the Masters of Science degree in Agribusiness Economics, presented on *April 3, 2013 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: REGIONAL WINE QUALITY REPUTATION: THE PERCEPTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF THE SHAWNEE HILLS AVA MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. C. Matthew Rendleman and Dr. Bradley Taylor There is a growing consumer preference for regional or “"terroir"” based products (Guy 2011). The designation of AVA status has the potential to increase the development of consumer identification with regional wine products. The presence of a distinguishing terroir is one of the prerequisites for the establishment of a federally recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) (TTB 2012). The TTB granted the Shawnee Hills, located in southern Illinois, this designation at their request in 2006 (MKF 2005). The goal of this project was to determine the economic impact of a regional reputation on a wine-producing region. The project examined two California wine-producing regions progressing in wine quality development and with an established AVA designation and a wine culture in place, the Lodi AVA and the Central Coast AVA. A regression model was used to measure the source of these regions' growth in grower return per ton (price). Our results show the importance of achieving an AVA designation, an increase of $173.73 –- –$179.60 in grower return per ton, as well as the formation of regional wine quality program for that AVA, an increase of $165.81–-– $372.88. A winery competiveness survey was administered to all owner/operators in the Shawnee Hills to determine whether the infrastructure was in place to sustain a regional wine quality program. The results found that Shawnee Hill's AVA winery owner/operators regard increases in regional tourism, growth in the U.S. wine market continuous innovation, unique services and processes, and flow of information from customers to have the most enhancing effects on their businesses, and that confidence/trust in Illinois state political systems, tax systems, and administrative/bureaucratic regulations were the most constraining factors. Further the Shawnee Hills AVA has growing competition, yet consists of innovative winery owners. It may currently lack external financial support, but with a community focus on product differentiation, the Shawnee Hills AVA has a chance to capture a portion of the growing market for regional products.

Research questions:How do consumers perceive native advertising compared to other online advertising? How does the media channel affect native advertisements?How do consumers receive native advertising? Purpose:The purpose of this study is to examine native advertising from a consumer perspective. A research will be done about how consumers perceive native advertising compared to other online advertising, how the media channel affects native advertisements and how consumers receive native advertising. Four different hypotheses are used to examine the research questions, which will entail new insights within the subject native advertising. Theoretical framework:The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of theories which are related to the research area native advertising. The main theories are about online advertising, native advertising, consumer perception, credibility and media source impact. Method:This study has a quantitative and deductive approach. An experiment was performed with a between-subject design where two surveys were used. The surveys were distributed by email and the primary data collection included responses from 106 respondents. The data analysis was performed through various diagrams, t-tests and Pearson's correlation test. Empirical findings:The empirical findings present the data from the experimental surveys through tables, diagrams and text. The results are based on 16 items with answer options which represented a Likert scale, one item with a two option answer and two open questions. Conclusion:In the conclusion, the research questions are responded. The results from the empirical findings show a more positive perception of native advertisements compared to banners from a consumer perspective. The media channel did not have any impact on the perceived credibility of a native advertisement. The results show that the respondents received native advertising as obvious advertising and therefore they did not feel persuaded by this kind of advertising.

Shoppings centers são empreendimentos planejados e gerenciados para atender às necessidades e aos anseios dos consumidores. Assim, quanto mais próximos das expectativas do público alvo estiverem os produtos, os serviços e as facilidades oferecidas no empreendimento, maior será o número de consumidores atraídos para comprar nas lojas do shopping center. No entanto, a escassez de pesquisas sobre os shoppings centers de mix temático confere ao setor um ambiente de grande incerteza, carente de informações de qualidade. Este trabalho pretende suprir parte dessa lacuna ao discutir a percepção dos consumidores quanto à importância de atributos da qualidade utilizados para estruturar o sistema de ancoragem dos shoppings centers de mix temático com ênfase em produtos de alta comparação. O método de pesquisa envolve estudos exploratórios e estudos de caso na região metropolitana de São Paulo. As análises dos dados primários, coletados nas entrevistas semi-estruturadas e nas enquetes, confirmam alguns aspectos identificados na revisão bibliográfica e permitem reconhecer a hierarquia dos consumidores entrevistados, para os atributos pesquisados. Espera-se que este trabalho oriente os envolvidos no planejamento e na administração dos empreendimentos e incentive a continuidade de pesquisas no setor de shopping center devido, entre outros fatores, à dinâmica do mercado e ao volume de recursos necessários para a implantação de empreendimentos dessa natureza. / Theme shopping centers are facilities conceived and managed to meet customer’s needs and expectations. Theoretically, the closer facilities, goods and services are to customer’s needs and expectations, the more appealing and profitable will be the theme shopping center. However, the scarcity of reliable data about theme shopping centers attributes has brought a great uncertainty to their planning and operation process. The current research addresses the above limitation as it analyses customer’s perception regarding theme shopping centers attributes. In this context, the research method comprises semi-structured interviews and exploratory case studies in theme shopping centers located at Sao Paulo metropolitan area. The primary data was collated through semi-structured interviews with facility managers and questionnaires applied to customers. The data analysis confirms some basic assumptions acknowledged in the technical literature, and allows identifying the attributes data hierarchy for theme shopping centers according to customers’ perception. As a result, it is expected that this study may provide guidance for investors, planners and decision-makers during theme shopping centers planning and operation stage. Moreover, it may encourage future developments in this particular research field due to fast-paced changes in the marketplace and to the large capital investments involved in the delivery of these schemes.

The rise in usage of the internet in general and social media in particular has spurred an increase in the amount of spending on digital marketing. This in turn has led to new and innovative ways of conducting marketing online, one of which is called in-feed advertising. Visually, in-feed ads share the same features as their surrounding content. In terms of function, these ads collect data from consumers’ online activities in order to offer personalized ad content. While this field of study has started to be explored in recent times, there are still major gaps in existing literature. In particular, little to no research has been conducted in the area of consumers’ perception of in-feed advertisement, with regards to privacy-invasiveness and consumers’ willingness to make personal information available online to marketers for in-feed ads. The purpose of this thesis is to research consumer perception of the privacy-invasive aspects of in-feed ads, and examine what happens when consumers’ knowledge of the privacy-invasive data collection methods increases. The research method used was a semi-controlled field experiment which gathered quantitative and qualitative data from the experiment participants through questionnaires and group-held discussions. Our main findings show that consumers accept -sometimes reluctantly- the privacy-invasive procedures deployed by marketers online due to the added benefits of receiving personalized content online. Consumers do express concerns over their internet privacy, but seem unwilling to take measures to prevent privacy-invasive procedures due to a perceived inevitability towards having online activities tracked.

Gamification is in its infancy yet is proving to be a useful tool for practitioners in many industries. Little research into the perceptions of consumers, in regards to the gamification of online shopping, has been conducted though. Along with a lack of research from the consumer perspective, there is also a lack of qualitative research in this field. The purpose of this paper is to explore the consumer perceptions toward the gamification of online shopping and describe this through a model. Therefore this paper aims to bridge the gap by providing insight on the consumers perception using eight semi-structured interviews. This was supported with established theories, including the mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics (MDA) framework. Through these interviews, the participants allowed for rich empirical information to be gathered. The main findings of this paper conclude consumer perceptions towards the gamification of online shopping to be perceived benefits, enjoyment and drawbacks. The perceptions of consumers also included suggestions for the gamification of online shopping; such as privacy and sustainability.

Research Question: How does the consumer perception of firm behavior towards environmental and social issues affect consumer purchase intention?   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the perception consumers have developed about issues companies in the fashion industry are facing, the CSR activities they are implementing, and the effect these have on the consumer's purchase intent.  Method: The method applied in this empirical study is the quantitative research method with the utilization of an online questionnaire.  Conclusion: CSR practices are introduced voluntarily by companies with the purpose to contribute to the well-being of the community by utilizing corporate resources to achieve that goal. The authors discovered that CSR activities of companies within the fashion industry and the increased visibility of firms´ response to misbehavior do not show a positive effect on the perception of the consumer. Furthermore, the consumers' purchase intention is neither positively influenced by firms´ CSR practices nor is the pricing of a fashion garment demonstrating a favorable impact.

Research Question: How do online reviews influence purchase decisions among potential consumers within the Hotel Industry?  Purpose: The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding about the impacts in which online reviews has on consumer behavior and their decisions to actively select and purchase service from different hotels. The authors are striving to find answers to whether online reviews obtaining information about positive customer experiences within the hotel industry has a noticeable impact on the decisions made by customers.  Method: In this study, a deductive comparative research approach will be used  Conclusion: The results concluded that both luxury and budget hotel bookers seem to have more usage for traditional word of mouth than electronic word of mouth. However, electronic word of mouth is still seen as an important tool which is widely used by both groups. It was evident that luxury consumers find customer reviews more valuable aligned with having more experience with online reviews, which may have an impact on their decision making when booking hotels online. Further on, it was also observed that the brand image of budget hotels is impacted more by online reviews among both segments, than luxury hotels' brand image.

Background and problem: The perception of luxury fashion has been shaped throughout history with well-known brands’ innovative strategies and designs. Along with its crafts and arts, exclusivity has been one of the main pillars of luxury fashion, creating the perception of luxury fashion products only being available to the ‘elite’; which has been feasible to maintain in an analog society. However, as luxury fashion brands have moved into the digital landscape; using digital channels such as e-commerce, social media, and disruptive technologies such as augmented reality, virtual clothing; distribution channels have opened up, contradicting traditional practises.  It has been found that it is the consumers’ perception that determines luxury brands separation from the ordinary. Raising the question of how consumers may perceive luxury fashion brands when operating in the digital landscape; since the use of digital channels and disruptive technologies contradicts with the characteristics defining luxury fashion, in particular exclusivity.   Purpose: In order to contribute to literature and create new understandings of the digitalisation of the luxury fashion industry; the purpose of this study is to explore how consumers perceive luxury fashion brands’ use of digital channels and disruptive technologies, specifically regarding the perception of exclusivity.                         Method: The study broadly followed an interpretivist research philosophy where qualitative data was collected by conducting eight semi-structured focus groups with Swedish luxury fashion consumers, born between the years of 1992-2000. The empirical findings were analysed through the general analytical approach, and thereafter discussed in relation to the frame of reference.  Conclusion: The findings suggest that consumers perceive that luxury fashion brands’ use of digital channels and disruptive technologies are diluting the perception of exclusivity, as luxury fashion becomes more accessible and visible with an increased attainability.

El surgimiento de las marcas propias aumenta la competencia dentro del canal minorista. Los esfuerzos de marketing empleados para las marcas propias las posicionan como una amenaza a las marcas de fabricante. El documento aborda el tema de las dimensiones de la percepción de la consumidora de marcas propias de la categoría vestimenta de tiendas por departamento. Las dimensiones: calidad percibida, precio percibido, imagen de la tienda, personalidad de marca y espacio de la góndola fueron tomados en cuenta para el análisis, todos en relación a la intención de compra. / The emergence of own brands increases competition within the retail channel. The marketing efforts used for own brands position them as a threat to manufacturer brands. The document addresses the issue of the consumer's perception of own brands in the department store clothing category. The dimensions: perceived quality, perceived price, image of the store, brand personality and shelf space were taken into account for the analysis, all in relation to the purchase intention. / Trabajo de investigación

Upon Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the outbreak of war in early 2022, brands around the world took a stand to mark their position against Russia and in support of Ukraine. Even brands that did not have any direct ties to Russia or any involvement in the conflict distanced themselves from being associated with Russia by ceasing operations, stopping sales, or changing brand names. Brands engaging in sociopolitical issues, i.e., brand activism, has become more prevalent in recent years and thus become a topic of research. Previous research on brand activism focuses heavily on the corporate perspective, and only recently have scholars studied the effects on consumers. Guided by the research question “How do consumers perceive brand activism and what role does brand authenticity play in their evaluation of genuine brand activism?”, this study aims to offer a deeper understanding of consumers’ views on brand activism and how they evaluate its genuineness using qualitative methods. With a starting point in a recent event that brands have engaged in, namely the war in Ukraine, the study reveals that consumers' views on brand activism vary greatly, and for the majority, brand activism is not a decisive factor in their choice of brand. However, consumers still have a positive attitude towards brands engaging in brand activism and some find it somewhat important that brands do it. Despite this, consumers do not find it necessary for brands to engage in sociopolitical issues. Further, the study found that, in evaluating the genuineness of brand activism, consumers tend to refer to the existing associations with a brand, how authentic they perceive the brand prior to the brand taking a stand, and how well the brand associations align with the sociopolitical issue the at hand.