Background:           Today’s fashion industry is one of the most wasteful and polluting industries, which contributes to a global concern. A transition from a linear to a circular approach is needed, in which consumers play a key role. Clothing rental subscription is among the sustainable business models that aim to reduce the production and disposal of clothes by increasing their utilization and extending their lifetime. Based on the attitude-intention relation from the Theory of Planned Behavior and on current literature, we develop a theoretical framework. Purpose:                  The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of perceived sustainability, perceived enjoyment, perceived financial risk, perceived performance risk, fashion leadership, psychological ownership and perceived convenience on consumers’ attitudes towards clothing rental subscription services and their intentions to engage in this circular fashion business model. Method:                  To fulfill the purpose, we conducted a quantitative study. Primary data was collected through online questionnaires, resulting in 282 responses from German females. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify the influences of the above-mentioned factors on attitude and on intention. Lastly, a linear regression analysis was used to test attitude’s influence on intention. Conclusion:               The results show that consumers’ attitudes towards clothing rental subscription are positively influenced by the perceived sustainability and perceived enjoyment of the business model, and negatively influenced by perceived financial risk and perceived performance risk. Their intentions to participate in clothing rental subscription were shown to be positively influenced by perceived enjoyment and attitude, while negatively influenced by perceived financial risk. Focusing on one clothing rental business model, we contribute to research in the field and provide valuable implications for practitioners.

Research is needed that examines the effects of kiosk technology on restaurant operational performance measures, such as total sales. The study employs a 2X2 between-subjects field experimental design to empirically test the hypothesized relationships proposed in the research model. The data collection site was Burger King located in the student union of a large Tier 1 research university in southwest USA. The independent variables included ordering method (kiosk vs. cashier) and operational volume (peak vs. off-peak). The dependent variables were cognitive and affective attitudes, behavioral intention, satisfaction, sales per person, and order time. Consumers at Burger King were approached before they started ordering their meal to ask for voluntary participation. If they agreed to participate, they were randomly assigned into two test groups. Participants in one test group used kiosk technology to order their meals, while those in the other test groups spoke with a cashier to order their meals. The same number of participants were recruited from peak and non-peak volumes. The seconds used to order was observed and recorded after consumer engagement with the ordering method. After participants ordered, they completed a paper survey that measured their behaviors while ordering with each method and asked participants to indicate total purchase amount. Results of 192 surveys indicated to different extents that consumer behaviors were more positive with kiosk technology. Affective attitude results, however, were insignificant. On average, kiosk technology was found to be a faster method of ordering in quick-service restaurants, but it yielded less sales than when the consumer ordered from a cashier.

Downstream fuel retailing among the major players in South Africa is highly competitive, and further compounded by the emergence of new players and changing customer orientation under the current price regulation environment. Marketing of fuel by way of expanding geographical coverage and the distribution network is no longer sustainable. Advertising benefits fuel companies by communicating their value proposition for brand differentiation, swaying consumer perception of fuel as a low involvement commodity with no difference in quality, and ultimately influencing their attitudes and behaviour. Fuel companies can take advantage of the advertising elements that have direct bearing – and are within their control – to make impactful advertisements to attract customers. Thus, this study investigates the influence of advertising controllable elements – namely, source and message – on attitude towards the advertisement, as well as attitude towards the brand and subsequently on purchase intention. A sample of 201 respondents was selected using convenience sampling method. The data was collected using an online self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. The relationship between the independent and the dependent variables was then examined using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 26.0. The study findings established that attitude towards the advertisement is positively and significantly influenced by source credibility, source likeability and emotional message. Rational message has a positive impact on attitude towards the advertisement, albeit insignificant. Meanwhile, only source credibility and rational message have positive significant effects on attitude towards the brand. The impact of source likeability on brand attitude although positive, is not significant. Contrariwise, emotional message has neither influence nor significant effect on attitude towards the brand. Moreover, the study findings showed that while attitude towards the advertisement positively influences brand attitude, it does not influence purchase intention. The purchase intention for fuel is nonetheless influenced by attitude towards the brand. This study offers useful insights that can be used to create an impactful fuel advertisement, leveraging on source attributes and message appeals to influence consumers' attitudinal as well as behavioural intention.

Title: The National Youth Sport Festival as a motivation for athletes' careers Objectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate the factors of athletes' motivation for participation at the National Youth Sport Festival and the perceived image of the event. The inclusion of athletes without participation and with participation at the event in the research allows a comparison of the perceived image between these two groups of respondents. Methods: Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this thesis. Electronic interviewing of the National Youth Sport Festival participants and members of sports association without participation was the main method of data collection. The questionnaires were compiled according to foreign studies. The electronic interviewing was supplemented with an in-depth interview with a marketing expert. Results: The results show, that the National Youth Sport Festival is fulfilling the main mission in the mind of participants. The sports event brings participants not only experiences, but also fun, enjoyment and new friendships. The event is a motivational event that motivates not only to recreational but also professional sport. The media pressure during the event is not significant to spoil the participants' attitude towards sports. Image of the event is positively...

Date: 2021/06/03 Level: Master Thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors: Shadi Botros, Yacoub Said (87/07/24) (95/01/01) Title: LUXURIOUS BRAND AND SOCIAL MEDIA Tutor: Edward Gillmore Keywords: Luxury brands, Social media marketing activities, Brand perceptions, Brand awareness, Purchase intention. Research questions: What are the outcomes of social media marketing used by luxury brands, brand awareness and brand perception, on purchase attention? Purpose: The purpose of this research is to study if social media marketing can have an effect on luxuries brands perception in consumers mind and if social media can influence consumers purchase intention. Method: This study is following a quantitative approach by using statistical methods to test the hypothesis. Conclusion: Luxury brands are considered as exclusive and expensive brands. Social media is a mass communication tool that is usually used to reach a broad segment of consumers. The authors found out through the gathered data that consumers are aware about the brand and they perceive the brand as a luxury brand. However, consumers were not only relying on the official home page of the brand to obtain information.

Research Question: To what extent do social media reviews’ effect on the purchase   intention and actual buying behaviour of consumers differ in the beauty industry in a cross-country comparison?     Purpose:   The purpose of this study is to explore to what extent consumers in the beauty industry perceive the importance of social media reviews and if it has direct or indirect effect on either their purchase intentions or buying behaviors or if not on both. The aim is then to contribute to limited research available and to see if this connection differs with the country particularly between Sweden and Sri Lanka.   Methodology:     A descriptive qualitative research strategy was approached conducting semi-structured interviews with a total of fourteen participants both from Sweden and Sri Lanka. Open-ended questions were asked and thematic analysis was used when analyzing the collected primary data.   Conclusion: Respondents from Sweden were more engaged with social media reviews and their purchase decisions were based mostly on social media reviews. Sri Lankan respondents were interested in negative reviews while Swedish respondents were highly affected and motivated by positive reviews. Even if young consumers in Sri Lanka were motivated to purchase beauty products because of social media reviews, almost all of the Sri Lankan respondents’ purchase decisions were highly impacted by family and friends compared to effects of social media reviews.

We are currently in the middle of the digital marketing era where technological developments have made it possible for customers and businesses to communicate around the clock. Social media is a tool that makes it possible for companies and brands to create and maintain relationships. To understand social media usage and the motivations behind it, Uses & Gratifications theory is commonly used. Motivations are important when exploring consumer behaviour and understanding the customer journey. A customer journey can be explained as the different touch-points a customer has with a firm during a purchase cycle. Marketing on social media often has different objectives where purchase intention is one important, since it indicates the real value of advertising on social media. Earlier research has not combined these three concepts: motivations to social media usage, the customer journey and purchase intention and this gap got us interested in examining the relationships between these. To do this we developed two research questions: RQ1: Do motivations to use social media affect stages in the customer journey?  RQ2: Do the different stages of the customer journey affect purchase intention?  The purpose of this study is to investigate motivations that lead to social media usage and if these affect the stages in the customer journey, and further how the customer journey affects purchase intention. We also wanted to investigate if usage of social media has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. To answer our research questions and fulfill the purpose of this study, we conducted a quantitative research targeting students in Sweden.  Based on existing literature regarding social media, motivations, Uses & Gratification theory, the customer journey, customer decision process and purchase intention we created a theoretical framework and a conceptual model whose aim was to explain relationships between motivations to use social media, the stages of the customer journey and purchase intention. We also developed 12 hypotheses that we tested and included in the model. We collected data by using an online questionnaire and then analysed it and ran tests in SPSS. Our results showed that 4 out of 12 hypotheses could be supported: There is a positive relationship between cognitive motivation and the pre-purchase stage of the customer journey; There is a positive relationship between cognitive motivation and the purchase stage of the customer journey; There is a positive relationship between hedonic motivation and the pre-purchase stage and lastly; There is a positive relationship between the pre-purchase stage and purchase intention. The conclusion is that changes in purchase intention mostly rely on the impact of the pre-purchase stage. The pre-purchase stage is in turn affected by cognitive and hedonic motivations to use social media.

Sammanfattning Titel: "Klimatsmartare förpackning" och "ekologiskt" En undersökning för hur miljöetiketter påverkar konsumentens Intention To Buy och Willingness To Pay. Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Charlotta Ekebergh och Thai To Handledare: Patrik Sörqvist Datum: juni, 2021 Syfte: Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka konsumentens intention to buy (ITB) och willingness to pay (WTP) för olika typer av vinförpackningar samt att se om dessaskattningar kan påverkas genom Systembolagets märkningar "klimatsmartare förpackning" och "ekologiskt". Studien undersökte även om det finns några skillnader mellanrespondenternas ITB och WTP för självskattad miljövänlighet, enligt studiens miljöindex. Metod: Studien utfördes med ett faktoriell kvasiexperiment (4x4) med totalt 102 deltagare, där respondenterna fick ge svar utefter en 7-gradig Likertskala i en enkätundersökning innehållandes manipulerade bilder för att besvara studiens hypoteser. Resultat & Analys: Denna studie visar att respondenternas skattade intention att köpa (ITB) och betalningsvilja (WTP), skiljer sig mycket åt beroende på förpackningstyp för vin. Dessa skattningar har i vissa fall visat sig kunna påverkas av Systembolaget etiketter "klimatsmartare förpackning" och "ekologiskt". Resultaten visade att det i stora drag stämmer överens med tidigare empiriska resultat men att även motsättningar har kunnat bekräftas genom statistiskt signifikanta resultat. Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie visar signifikanta skillnader för respondenternas skattade intention att köpa (ITB) och betalningsvilja (WTP) för de olika förpackningsalternativen för vin i kombination med de olika etiketterna "klimatsmartare förpackning" och "ekologiskt". Resultatet från studien kan tänkas indikera konsumenters intention att köpa (ITB) och betalningsvilja (WTP) för vin i alternativa förpackningar i kombination med de olika etiketterna. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Denna studie föreslår vidare forskning där man undersöker konsumenters faktiska köp på Systembolaget i förhållande till konsumentens skattade ITB förekologiska produkter och produkter i klimatsmartare förpackningar. Ytterligare förslag ges för vidare forskning att undersöka om liknande förhållanden råder för andra produktgrupper på Systembolaget. Samt att undersöka konsumenters intention att köpa (ITB) och betalningsvilja (WTP) för alternativa, klimatsmartare förpackningar för andra typer av livsmedel. Nyckelord: Wine, Intention To Buy (ITB), Willingness To Pay (WTP), Organic, Label,Packaging / Abstract Title: "Klimatsmartare förpackning" and "ekologiskt"A study researching how climate friendly labels affect the consumers’ Intention To Buy and Willingness To Pay. Level: Student theses, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Charlotta Ekebergh and Thai To Supervisor: Patrik Sörqvist Date: June – 2021 Aim: The aim for this study was to research whether the consumers intention to buy (ITB)and willingness to pay (WTP) for different types of wine packaging could be altered through the use of Systembolaget’s labels, "klimatsmartare förpackning" and "ekologiskt". (In english the labels would read "climate friendlier packaging" and "organic"). Further, this study aimed to research whether any differences between the respondents ITB and WTP occurs according to the respondent’s self-evaluated environmental friendliness, and this studies’ environmental index. Method: This study was performed with a factorial Quasi-experiment (4x4) with a total of 102 participants, responding through a 7-grade Likert scale in a questionnaire containing manipulated images to answer the hypotheses of this study. Result & Conclusions: This study shows that the respondents estimated intention to buy (ITB) and willingness to pay (WTP) differs greatly depending on the type of wine packaging. These estimates have in some cases been influenced by the Systembolaget’s labels "klimatsmartare förpackning" and "ekologiskt". The results from this study largely showed that they are in line with previous empirical results. However, this study has proven some contradictions to be statistically significant. Contribution of the thesis: This study shows statistically significant differences between therespondents estimated intention to buy (ITB) and willingness to pay (WTP) for the different types of wine packaging in combination with the two labels "klimatsmartare förpackning" and "ekologiskt". The results show an actual indication of consumers intention to buy (ITB) and willingness to pay (WTP) for wine in different types of packaging in combination with the two labels. Suggestions for future research: This study suggests future research to investigate consumers actual purchases at Systembolaget in relation to their estimated intention to buy (ITB) of organic products and products in a more climate friendly packaging. Further suggestions are to investigate whether similar relationships occur for other types of products at Systembolaget. Lastly, investigate whether the consumers intention to buy (ITB) and willingnessto pay (WTP) for alternative, more climate friendly packaging for other types of food. Key words: Wine, Intention To Buy (ITB), Willingness To Pay (WTP), Organic, Label, Packaging

Superstitious beliefs date back thousands of years and continue to the present, and research suggests that superstitious beliefs have a robust influence on product satisfaction and decision making under risk. The study therefore examines how superstition attitude will impact potential tourists' intention to visit a destination so that relevant organizations (e.g. destination management/marketing organizations) could better understand potential tourists' behaviors, identify a niche market encompassing those prone to superstition, and tailor the tourism products to the needs and beliefs of potential tourists. The study used a survey instrument which consists of four components: the scale of Superstition as Destination Attractiveness (SADA), the revised Paranormal Belief Scale, the measurement of Intention to Visit, and respondents' demographics and travel experiences. A mixed-method data collection procedure was adopted to populate the sample. A total of 323 questionnaires were collected from Virginia Tech students, at both undergraduate and graduate level. A multiple regression analysis method was employed for hypothesis testing. The result of the data analysis supported both hypotheses, and the study finds that the more positive potential tourists' attitude is about superstition, the more likely they are to visit a destination with superstition as its attractiveness, and the more trait of superstition a potential tourist bears, the stronger the relationship between potential tourists' attitude about superstition and their intention to visit a destination with superstition as its attractiveness. Implications and future studies were suggested based on the findings of the study. / Master of Science

Bakgrund: Brist på vårdpersonal är ett globalt problem. Vårdpersonalens intention att lämna sin anställning påverkar både patienter och samhället negativt och en av faktorerna som påverkar detta är arbetsrelaterad stress. Syfte: Syftet var att kartlägga faktorerna vårdpersonals arbetsrelaterade stress och intention att lämna sin anställning samt sambandet dem emellan.  Metod: Tio artiklar med en kvantitativ metod inkluderades i studien. Samtliga artiklar genomgick kvalitetsgranskning, analys och har sammanställts. I sökningarna användes databaserna Pubmed, Cinahl, APA PsycInfo och Scopus.  Resultat: Samtliga artiklar visade att vårdpersonal upplevde arbetsrelaterad stress och att det fanns vårdpersonal med intention att lämna anställning. De visade även ett signifikant positivt samband mellan dessa faktorer.  Konklusion: Resultatet i denna litteraturstudie belyser ett globalt problem och kan användas för att öka medvetenheten om detta. För att hitta en lösning behövs systematiska interventioner i organisationen och området behöver vidare forskning för att validera denna kunskap och tydliggöra problemets natur. Arbetet med detta kan få betydelse för både vårdtagare och vårdgivare. / Background: Nurse shortage is a global problem. Nurse’s turnover intention has a negative effect on both patients and society and one of the factors affecting this is occupational stress. Aim: The aim was to map nurse’s occupational stress and turnover intention and the correlation between these factors. Methods: Ten articles using a quantitative method were included in the study. All of the articles have gone through a quality review, analysis and compilation. The article searches were conducted using the databases Pubmed, Cinahl, APA PsycInfo and Scopus.  Results: All of the ten articles showed that nurse’s experienced occupational stress and that there were nurse’s with turnover intention. They also indicated a significant positive correlation between these factors.  Conclusion: The results of the literature review illuminates a global problem and can be used to increase awareness about it. To find a solution, systematic interventions are needed in the organization and the subject needs further research to validate this knowledge and clarify the nature of the problem. This work can have significance for both caretakers and caregivers.