This thesis employs economic experiments and empirical methods to understand the role of comparison income in the demand of individuals' debt. It then investigates the determinants of UK individuals' attitude towards debt, focusing on the role played by comparison income. It uses data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the New Earnings Survey (NES). The central contributions of this thesis include: (i) the implementation of a life-cycle experiment testing for the differences in consumption levels between Individual and Group treatments; (ii) the computation of a proxy for comparison income using both the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the New Earnings Survey (NES); and (iii) the extension of individual demand for debt models with comparison income as main factor. This is achieved by designing and conducting human-subject experiments, wherein individuals execute life-cycle tasks. Results show evidence of larger consumption levels in the Group treatment as compared to the Individual treatment; supporting the notion of comparison consumption. In addition, the empirical methods consist in a tobit and fixed effect models, where individuals' demand for debt is function of several financial and demographic factors, including comparison income. Results show that comparison income plays a significant part in the individuals' demand for mortgage debt and non-mortgage debt. Besides, findings suggest that debtors are more likely to hold favourable attitude towards debt; and this is exacerbated by household relative income. Overall, results support the hypothesis of aspiration paradox (Olsen, 2008); which affirms individuals' aspirations may lead them to incur debt beyond their financial means.

The contemporary experience of race in America demands that blacks become astute observers of their surroundings, required to read subtle social, interactional and environmental cues to determine how to appropriately engage others in order to gain respect and social acceptance. Consumption objects, whether physical or material goods or services and experiences, are symbolic tools that blacks mobilize in order to define and assert themselves wherever they may be. Market research reveals that divergent patterns of consumption exist along racial lines. Blacks outspend whites in three central categories: apparel, personal care, and electronics and technology. Sociological research on consumption, however, has inadequately addressed how race influences blacks' consumption. Claims that blacks are conspicuous consumers are pervasive in both popular and academic works, and research indicates that blacks' consumption is, at least partially explained by status considerations, yet no comprehensive, empirically grounded theory exists to account for the contextually determined, symbolic and strategic use of goods by middle and working-class blacks. In my dissertation entitled “Race, Social Context, and Consumption: How Race Structures the Consumption Preferences and Practices of Middle and Working-class Blacks,” I offer an account of blacks' consumption that addresses this gap in the literature. I analyze qualitative interview data collected from 55 blacks residing in the New York City area, focusing on blacks' consumption preferences and practices in three social arenas: where they live, where they work, and where they play. Through examining middle and working-class blacks' consumption I show the ways that race remains salient in blacks' everyday lives; affecting their routine practices and marketplace interactions. Blacks differ as consumers as a consequence of a history of racial alienation, segregation, and discrimination in public settings, which has resulted in their use of goods to mitigate racial stigma, but distinct patterns of consumption emerge as blacks mobilize consumption objects to express and affirm their racial identities. This dissertation demonstrates that whether consumption goods are used to contest racial stigma or to express feelings of racial affinity, in both instances blacks' consumption preferences and practices reflect their reactions to the settings in which their consumption is enacted.

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

The concept of sustainable consumption is today an important area, due to the fact that humans of the world consume goods and services on a regular basis which contributes towards environmental change and deprivation of both renewable as well as nonrenewable resources. One of the areas that this concept can be applied within is the retail apparel industry. The consumption of clothing is an influential cause of the ongoing environmental alteration and the unsustainable consumption of textile and apparel is becoming an increasingly important phenomena. This study investigates how the retail apparel industry in Shanghai perceive consumers behavior towards sustainable consumption. The Chinese middle class is anticipated to increase a certain percentage the upcoming years. As a result it will lead to a heave in the consumption of all resources which will leave a considerable environmental impact. Sweden is considered to be one of the leading countries when it comes to sustainable living. In order to follow Sweden path of success in sustainable consumption a review has been conducted regarding important drivers which Sweden has adapted in order to improve attitudes towards sustainable consumption. These drivers are then later on compared to Shanghai’s current situation to see if they can be used to achieve the same result in Shanghai as they did in Sweden.The primary data consists of semi-structured interviews which have been conducted in Shanghai with established recycling retailers and Nordic retail vendors with a strong base in Sweden that have managed to establish their brand in China. The research findings that were concluded in the theoretical framework and the organizational review positioned three important drivers that can be used when analyzing the concept of sustainable consumption - consumers, businesses and the government. It has also been empirically proven that in comparison to Sweden where consumer’s behavior and attitudes towards sustainability are increasing and socially accepted, Shanghai demonstrates that the concept of sustainable consumer behavior and consumption is not as equally developed and accepted.

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Creative behaviors are part of an average consumer's everyday life. For example, amateur people buy various art and craft supplies from stores like Michael's, purchase studio time to make pottery, and collect camera accessories to help demonstrate their originality in photography. Usually the final creative product can be preserved for a long period of time. These creative activities are avidly pursued primarily because they provide consumers with enjoyment and a sense of fulfillment. I am coining the term "creation-oriented consumption" to refer to this phenomenon, which is one specific type of creative consumption.Terror management theory is used to examine why people engage in creation-oriented consumption. I hypothesize that mortality salience boosts the intention to engage in creation-oriented consumption; and under mortality salience, weakened afterlife belief increases the intention for this type of consumption.Three experimental studies are conducted, each adopting a somewhat different perspective. Study 1 gauges intention to engage in creation-oriented consumption against inaction. It finds that mortality salience increases interest in creation-oriented consumption; and that under mortality salience, weakened afterlife belief increases interest in creation-oriented consumption. Study 2 examines durable creation-oriented consumption's appeal relative to other activities, namely, non-creative activities and creative consumption that does not leave durable traces. The proposed effect of mortality salience is observed only when individuals possess a low level of chronic afterlife belief. Unexpectedly, interest in creative consumption is reduced under mortality salience. Consistent with study 1, study 2 finds that under mortality salience, weakened afterlife belief raises interest in creation-oriented consumption. Study 3 replicates the finding of study 2 that mortality salience dampens general interest in creativity. Taken together, these studies suggest that although creation-oriented consumption ameliorates existential anxiety, it is not the most effective one in the short term.Apart from the major hypotheses, this dissertation also investigates some boundary conditions. Two of the three studies find that the question of whether creative consumption leaves a durable trace is of significance.

Nineteen bovine muscles were removed from beef carcasses (n = 9). Muscles were trimmed free of fat, cut into 2.54 cm thick steaks, and were packaged in Styrofoam trays with polyvinylchloride overwrap. Steaks were assigned randomly to a day of retail display (0-, 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, or 5-d). Steaks were evaluated over the course of retail display for objective measures of discoloration (metmyoglobin, oxymyoglobin, L*-, a*-, and b*-values), reducing ability (metmyoglobin reductase activity, resistance to induced metmyoglobin formation, and nitric oxide metmyoglobin reducing ability), oxygen consumption rate, oxygen penetration depth, myoglobin content, oxidative rancidity, and pH. Muscles were grouped according to objective color measures of discoloration. M. longissimus lumborum, M. longissimus thoracis, M. semitendinosus, and M. tensor fasciae latae were grouped as "high" color stability muscles, M. semimembranosus, M. rectus femoris, and M. vastus lateralis were grouped as "moderate" color stability muscles, M. trapezius, M. gluteus medius, and M. latissimus dorsi were grouped as "intermediate" color stability muscles, M. triceps brachi - long head, M. biceps femoris, M. pectoralis profundus, M. adductor, M. triceps brachi - lateral head, and M. serratus ventralis were grouped as "low" color stability muscles, and M. supraspinatus, M. infraspinatus, and M. psoas major were grouped as "very low" color stability muscles. Generally, muscles of high color stability had high resistance to induced metmyoglobin formation, nitric oxide reducing ability, and oxygen penetration depth and possessed low oxygen consumption rates, myoglobin content, and oxidative rancidity. In contrast, muscles of low color stability had high metmyoglobin reductase activity, oxygen consumption rates, myoglobin content, and oxidative rancidity and low resistance to induced metmyoglobin formation, nitric oxide metmyoglobin reducing ability, and oxygen penetration depth. Data indicate that discoloration differences between muscles are related to the amount of reducing activity relative to the oxygen consumption rate.