This paper adds to the understanding and transparency of equity pricing in emerging markets. Its novel contribution is that it empirically investigates the pricing of Country Risk in BRIC markets, using a two-factor intertemporal pricing model. Bridging the gap between academics and practitioners, this paper contributes to the debate as to whether or not it is justified to adjust discount rates for emerging market companies – as given by the CAPM – by including an unconditional country risk premium. In choosing between country risk proxies, the sovereign yield spread adjusted for relative equity volatility appears to supersede the classical sovereign yield spread in explaining return variations. Evidence is presented that country risk is priced in India and China indicating some type of market segmentation; in these markets, the addition of a country risk premium to the discount rate is justified. Moreover, the paper complements the market integration literature in that it is shown that the correlation between the change in country risk premium and the equity risk premium might show signs of market segmentation or market integration, rendering the pricing factor for country risk in specific countries significant or insignificant, respectively. © 2010 Soeriowardojo, G.T. All rights reserved.

The thesis examines the relationship between consumer attitudes and a scented shopping environment. A relationship and phenomena concerning scent marketing, which could be seen as one of the more provocative forms of marketing since the human sense of smell, is connected to the limbic system where motivation and attitudes are created. The use of scent marketing has, so far, been proven effective in sales increasing whereas it is one of the less explored forms of marketing. The purpose of the thesis is to answer the following question: Is it possible to find differences in consumer attitudes in a scented buying environment compared to a nonscented buying environment, and thereby create new basis for segmentation? The thesis is based on a quantitative study where data has been gathered in a scent manipulated buying environment through structured interviews with consumers. The thesis applies a deductive approach to the main theories in the area of interest. The findings suggest new theory discussing that it is difficult to use consumer attitudes, towards a scented store environment, as a foundation for market segmentation. Further the results of the executed scent experiment comply with the existing theories about the affect of scent marketing as a sales increasing marketing tool.

Abstract In recent years (2011), whether atypicality and global warming affect seriously all species and living environment of mankind. It activated a trend of local caring and environment protection throughout the world, and advocating green living has been one of the fashion affairs. Nevertheless, how can we understand and quantify people¡¦s acceptance of green living? How to design a scale of green living, with which we can apply consumer behavior analysis and the research technique of market segmentation, so that for promoting green living styles to people of all ranks. The current research tried to building up a scale of green living style, with three constructs: green values, cognition of environment protection, and green behavior and habits, in addition to a brief test of knowledge over environment protection. The contents of the questionnaire cover such topics as water resources, global warming, renewable energy sources, international trend in sustainability and related industrial policy, warm chamber effect, carbon emission and the status and policy of environment protection in Taiwan. Office workers and current students in the Kaohsiung metropolitan area were the main participants undertaking the questionnaire survey of the research, with effective sample size of 603 subjects. The research tested the scale¡¦s reliability and validity through factor analysis and verified it¡¦s construct validity with local recognition. After those validation for the scale, the study conducted cluster analysis for market segmentation based on green lifestyle. The main works and findings of the current research including: (1) building a scale of green lifestyle with reliability and validity; (2) discovery of four segments of the green lifestyle in the market; (3) there are different approaches to evaluate the government¡¦s performance of environmental protection; (4) sustainability values and green cognition influence behavior of environmental protection; (5) local recognition positively affect the green index of people; and (6) youth in the society and college students are relatively lacking of sustainability conducts, although they presents in a higher level of the environmental protection knowledge.

The main purpose of this research is to discuss about the different positioning strategies of shopping centers with a case study of the Core Pacific City Living Mall (¨ÊµØ«°), including its managerial mission and marketing positioning. The structure of the analysis starts with the discussion about the definition of ¡§Living Mall¡¨. Is there any difference between shopping centers and department stores? The article is based on the development trends of the macro economy, consumer purchasing power, and the Core Pacific City Living Mall¡¦s current situation, strength and weakness of the related strategies, market positioning, competitor analysis, and other relative comparisons. It also includes a total strategic planning by evaluating the business strategic goal and managerial mission of the Core Pacific City Living Mall in the Greater Taipei area. First of all, the external and internal environments and the competitors¡¦ positioning strategies are evaluated, in order to find out the opportunity and treat for the Core Pacific City Living Mall. The strength and weakness of the organization in the developing phase can also be found. Secondly, the strategic planning, including strategic thinking and the fundamental competitive strategies are then formed. Finally, the strategy can be executed through the opertions of the business area, the conditions of the stores, consumers and marketing plans. Based on these, the positioning strategy of the shopping center can be seen.

In the past time, I had opportunity to serve as Rear Admiral Executive Officer, Office of Deputy Chief of General Staff for Personnel, Ministry of National Defense ROC. To establish "The National Armed Forces Recruitment Center" was my duty during that time. Under my command and control,the Recruitment Center, Ministry of National Defense, was founded on Jan 1, 1999. Now this center has operated for 7 years. After attending the EMBA Class, marketing and business management are our core courses, I want to use this knowledge to analysis the recruiting situation, market segmentation, target market, marketing strategy and management of this center. I hope to get some useful conclusion to enhance the marketing strategy and management, and make youths obtain the military information of joining the ROC military academies in time, and therefore the National Armed Forces can enhance quality of cadres. The major research findings of this study are summarized as follows: 1. The achievement of Recruitment Center has been excellent for seven years. Especially, in 2000 and 2001, the center got the Excellent Award Of Executive Yuan for two times. 2. In Taiwan, there are 77.7% people to know the activity of Recruitment Center according the issue of Executive Yuan in 2001. 3. The number of female joining the National Armed Forces is adding. The major target market is in the South of Taiwan, the second one is in the North of Taiwan, the third is in the Central Taiwan. 4. Most of student, their family outcome is 20000 to 50000 New Taiwan Dollars and most of them are the middle-low outcome family. 5. Speaking the occupation of student parents, most of them are workers and merchants, and most of them graduated from the high school. 6. Most of student, their motivation of joining the National Armed Forces is to emphasize the requirement of high level, such as Love and Belongingness Needs; Esteem Needs;Self Actualization Needs. 7. People Communication plays a very important role and network marketing also plays a key role according the Metcalfe Law. 8. In 2003, over 25000 young people took part in the entrance examination.But only 5.4% examinee can be elected to go to military academies, this is the lowest record in the history. Their examination score is up to the level of national university. 9. In the near future, the master degree will be the major market requirement. The voluntary officer should get the master degree before promoting to major or lieutenant commander. All of these achievement will enhance the image of National Armed Forces and competitive strength. 10. This study provides marketing strategy and action items in the Chapter 6, Article 2.

How potential tourists sort out intriguing resorts or wherever could fulfill their necessities among all the tourism destinations, it¡¦s what tourism marketers eager to know and their intention to guide the tourists. In terms of touristic necessities, besides the general factors such as distance, timing, traffic ways and the cost, tourists would more and more value the image and slant on resorts while choosing tourism destination. They would decide where they want to go by acquiring more information about the credit and image of the resorts, and determine whether they would travel there again by the hands-on traveling experiences and impression. This study has at fist referred to some relevant literatures about the tourists¡¦ impressions and slants on the tourism destination and the segmental marketing, then based on the resources and attributes of Moalin national scenic area to build up measurement and questionnaire for traveling image, so as to carry positive investigation around Taiwan and base on non-residents¡¦ impression for Moalin to segmentalize its potential tourism market. There were totally 900 questionnaires issued and 666 were returned (the valid returning rate was 78%). Then by factor analysis, the images and slants of scenic resorts were divided into four constructs, including ¡§natural landscapes¡¨, ¡§history and culture¡¨, ¡§social environment¡¨ and ¡§agricultural and forestry leisured activity¡¨. Furthermore, the imagery factors of resorts were used to be variables of market segmentation and the potential tourist market was divided into 3 factorial segments as factors of ¡§traveling experiences¡¨, ¡§motives for traveling¡¨ and ¡§cognition on impediments to traveling¡¨. The factors of motives for traveling were especially extracted by factor analysis and ramified into 8 clusters such as factors of ¡§enjoying touring experience¡¨, ¡§molding peaceful temperament¡¨, ¡§calling out friends¡¨, ¡§work-out for health¡¨; as well as the four factors for cognition on impediments to traveling such as ¡§experience and safety¡¨, ¡§travel-mate¡¨, ¡§substantial reasons¡¨ and ¡§environment and equipment¡¨. The author also used traveling images, demographic variables and some relevant data about traveling experiences to describe the characteristic and difference among those market segmentations. In the end, the results were sorted out and described according to the characteristic and difference among those market segmentations, so as to work out suggestions for marketing strategies as reference for relevant industries and tourism agency to choose adequate niche market and efficient market strategy.

The Internet with growing electronic commerce is regarded as a new selling channel for retailers. Online catalog organization has become an important issue for e-tailing business development. While most online retailing web sites provide assistance for searchers who know exactly what they are seeking, little has been done to aid browsers who take a more open-minded and exploratory approach to navigation. Good design of online catalogs is essential for browsers to shop over the web. In this paper, we propose a two-phase approach to the design of online catalogs. In the first phase, the idea of category management that analyzes customers¡¦ purchasing behaviors is employed to construct a customer-centered online catalog. Cluster-based market segmentation helps determine the web hierarchy with clusters of products in higher levels indicating more interesting to customers. The second phase is to dynamically adjust the hierarchy when customers¡¦ preference indicated by browsing patterns is changed.'Relative access' that reflects the popularity of web pages is used as a basis to make online catalog adaptation. Finally, we apply this approach to real-world data collected at Galleze.com by Blue Martini Software. It shows that our approach can result in meaningful online catalog organization for customers to navigate. Our study therefore provides a good direction for researchers in designing online catalogs. Furthermore, e-tailing practitioners can apply our approach easily and gain benefits from such a design.

In the book of Lau Tzu, there is a chapter saying that ¡§The highest goodness is like water¡¨. It¡¦s known that the earth is the only blue planet because of water. Water breeds infinite life and vitality and now it is experiencing a fatal moment due to human abuse in last fifty years while the human history moves into a new era. In the current days, the most important natural living elements including water need be further purified before daily usage. Water itself is now becoming an evaporating and scarce resource in the earth which affects the life of hundred million people. China economy has been growing dramatically in past decades accompanied with remarkably improvement of the living standard of people¡¦s life and income level. The beauty treatment and spa business has been developing its market in almost every province in China. Water is playing a crucial role in the treatment effectiveness and an elementary ingredient to ensure the final result of beauty treatment. The research purposes are to fist analyze the market status of the beauty treatment and functional water; secondly, is to investigate the feasibility and sales synergy in combining these two product and service lines (beauty treatment and functional water); Thirdly, is to conduct an in-depth case study for company T¡¦s marketing strategy in entering this new mixed product market. The whole research structure is divided into three sections. Section one is to collate the available academic research report and theory including market segmentation, goal setting, 4P in marketing, SWOT and competitive analysis in forming a framework of marketing strategy applied in the China beauty and functional water market. Last section is trying to leverage, verify and refine the theory framework against a series of in-depth interview and secondary data in the market. It¡¦s still in an infant stage of China beauty treatment business with an estimated size of three hundred billion RMB dollars market in year 2010. The demand of purified and functional water is soaring up with limited supply due to increasing contamination of water resources. It¡¦s foreseen a gold mine business of functional water as a means in pursuit of healthy, youth-looking and eco-compliance life. This research result also unveils the differentiation created in the beauty treatment market by introducing the functional water. It not only brings in a new profitable product lines, advances the revenues but also improve the bottom line by increasing the economical scale. The finding, last but not least, is the integration of functional water product and beauty treatment is meeting the macro trend of consumers¡¦ perception of living in a healthy, youth looking and sustaining life. On the other hand, the beauty treatment agencies will be able to increase their competitiveness, grow the business, concrete the sales channel and win the customer loyalty in a traditional fierce competition market. The objective of this research is to provide a marketing strategy in merging two product and service markets in achieving a long term business goal. Ultimately, purified and functional water are not only for the beauty treatment sales business but also targeting the consumers¡¦ daily life in preventing illness by accessing the purified water and treasuring the invaluable water resources in sustaining the earth and lives.

<p>This paper adds to the understanding and transparency of equity pricing in emerging markets. Its novel contribution is that it empirically investigates the pricing of Country Risk in BRIC markets, using a two-factor intertemporal pricing model. Bridging the gap between academics and practitioners, this paper contributes to the debate as to whether or not it is justified to adjust discount rates for emerging market companies – as given by the CAPM – by including an unconditional country risk premium. In choosing between country risk proxies, the sovereign yield spread adjusted for relative equity volatility appears to supersede the classical sovereign yield spread in explaining return variations. Evidence is presented that country risk is priced in India and China indicating some type of market segmentation; in these markets, the addition of a country risk premium to the discount rate is justified. Moreover, the paper complements the market integration literature in that it is shown that the correlation between the change in country risk premium and the equity risk premium might show signs of market segmentation or market integration, rendering the pricing factor for country risk in specific countries significant or insignificant, respectively. © 2010 Soeriowardojo, G.T. All rights reserved.</p>

Post-purchase consumer behavior is an area of consumer research that is underdeveloped. One new phenomenon that can be used to study post-purchase consumer behavior is the individual behavior related to “socially-visible brands.” A socially-visible brand (SVB) is a brand located on or near a person’s physical body while they are out in the public atmosphere. Understanding consumers’ use of their socially-visible brands sheds light onto this form of post-purchase behavior. From a theoretical standpoint, impression management theory from the field of social psychology and consumer culture theory from the field of consumer research were juxtaposed and applied to the topic of socially-visible brands. An organizing framework is presented which adapts the dramaturgical concepts from impression management theory to the field of consumer behavior. Two studies are then presented which look at consumer behavior through this organizing framework. Study one delves into the consumer culture surrounding consumer behavior associated with socially-visible brands. Study two shows how market segmentation factors predict consumer behaviors associated with socially-visible brands. The overall argument being made here that socially-visible brands are a “prop” or tool consumers use during their presentation of self to others. / text