No description available.

No description available.

The research reported in this thesis tested the hypothesis that low-income families purchase private brands of selected food products because they represent acceptable quality at lower prices. The six food products selected were coffee, flour, peanut butter, bread, pork and beans, and margarine. The data collected in field interviews and subsequent statistical analyses consistently refuted the hypothesis. This finding is true for the low-income consumer segment and its sub-categories, white and Negro. The low-income consumers do not purchase private brands heavily, but test data indicate that this market segment buys more private brands than does the C > $7000 consumer group. There is evidence of substantial differences in the buying habits of low-income Negro and white consumers. While neither market segment purchases more private brands than national labels, the N < $3000 consumer tends to buy more private brands than does the W < $3000 consumer. Contrary to the hypothesis the indication is that the C > $7000 consumer knows price better than does the low-income consumer. Also, greater importance is attached to price by the C > $7000 group than by the low-income segment. This is not true of the Negro consumer. As stated above, the N < $3000 consumer buys more private brands than does the W < $3000 consumer. This tendency exists for price knowledge and the importance attached to price. The Negro consumer tends to know prices better, and he attaches more importance to price than does any of the other income segments tested. Regarding private-brand awareness, none of the market segments tested was well informed about private-brand market offerings. However, low-income consumers were able to name more private brands than were the C > $7000 consumers. Negro consumers were able to name more private labels than the W < $3000 group. The field data and test results all indicate that the Negro consumer tends to spend his money on the selected products more knowledgeably than the lower income white consumer. The Negro is better informed as to price and the private-brand offering. / M.S.

This thesis examined how factors such as perceptions of globalization, individual and nationalistic values, and cultural products influenced consumer choice in French and American nationals.

According to Blackwell, Miniard, and Engel (2001), "[c]ulture has a profound effect on why and how people buy and consume products and services" (p. 320). In the present study, Hofstede's classifications of national culture are used as a framework to examine the relationships among long-term orientation national culture (Taiwan and United States), type of clothing (formal and casual clothing), and gender (female and male) on consumers' clothing values (aesthetic, economic, political, religious, social, and theoretic clothing values). The data collection method was a direct handout questionnaire in classes at Oregon State University in the United States and at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. A seven-point scale was used to measure the mean scores of six clothing values. The questionnaire also measured the validity of Hofstede's framework and the respondent's demographic characteristics. The questionnaire was first developed in English, translated into Chinese, and then translated back into English. Overall, 487 of the questionnaires from the United States and 903 from Taiwan (the total number was 1390) were eligible for analysis in this study. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance and paired-sample analysis t-test. The results revealed that six consumers' clothing values were affected by national culture and the type of clothing and partially influenced by gender. As hypothesized, the mean scores of consumers' economic and religious clothing values were significantly higher in high long-term orientation (Taiwan) than in low long-term orientation (United States), whereas the mean scores of aesthetic clothing value was significantly lower in high long-term orientation (Taiwan) than in low long-term orientation (United States). Significant differences were found for gender on consumers' aesthetic, political, social, and theoretic clothing values. As hypothesized, female consumers scored significantly higher on aesthetic and social clothing values than did male consumers. Based on the results from this study, the similarities and differences among consumers' clothing values in different national cultures, between genders, and type of clothing can be important basic information for international marketers when planning and implementing marketing plans across countries. / Graduation date: 2004

The purpose of this study was to determine Chinese and U.S. consumers' attitudes and perceptions toward hybrid cars and the likelihood of purchasing one in the future.