The aim of this work was to identify and describe the main segments and individual types of customers of the drugstore chains on the basis of their identity and consumption behaviour and subsequently to make suggestions and recommendations for drugstore chains. The whole thesis is divided into two parts: theoretical and practical. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the literature review, which was based on the study of professional books and articles. It presents the basic definitions and concepts related to the issue. It mentions the term consumer, consumer behaviour, describes basic approaches to consumer behaviour monitoring, factors influencing consumer behaviour, purchasing decision-making process, market segmentation and consumer typology in various aspects. In the practical part, quantitative marketing research was conducted in the form of a questionnaire survey. Based on the results, consumer segmentation was performed according to demographic features such as gender and age, as well as the preferred drugstore brand. Each segment was analysed and described in detail in terms of purchasing behavior and based on the resulting data, some suggestions and recommendations for drugstore chains were created.

The thesis is aiming to describe a procedure suitable for business valuation of start-up companies. Secondary aim is to provide the value itself. There are several methods described in the theory, which are utilized to define the strategic position of a start-up company. Most of them come from strategic marketing. Chapters about finances and risk follow and work with the conclusions about the strategic position of the company. The application part starts with defining strategy and concludes with market value estimate. In respect to the width of the topic, the application part is aimed at core aspects only.

Ciências Empresariais (sem parte escolar) / Esta dissertação enquadra-se na problemática da segmentação de mercado e da selecção do número de grupos quando são utilizados modelos mistura de regressão para variáveis normais. Apesar do frequente uso destes modelos, o problema da selecção do número de segmentos continua em aberto, quer na literatura de Marketing, quer Estatística. Determinar o número de segmentos é essencial, na medida em que várias decisões estratégicas de Marketing em mercados heterogéneos dependem dela, existindo custos para as empresas de uma incorrecta definição do número de segmentos de mercado. Esta dissertação possui dois objectivos de investigação: (i) identificação, descrição e organização dos critérios, dispersos na literatura, que podem ser usados na selecção do número de segmentos; (ii) avaliação da eficácia dos critérios revistos e da influência de um conjunto de condições experimentais na selecção do número de segmentos. Os critérios foram classificados em dois grandes grupos, critérios de informação (estimadores da distância Kullback-Leibler, bayesianos e consistentes) e critérios de classificação (índices probabilísticos e índices difusos). A avaliação do desempenho dos 26 critérios seleccionados foi efectuada através de um conjunto de 17 designs experimentais. Na sua concepção deu-se particular relevância ao problema de nichos de mercado e à questão da robustez dos resultados à distribuição de probabilidade assumida (normal versus uniforme). As simulações foram realizadas no programa Gauss 6.0. Os melhores desempenhos foram dos critérios AIC3, AIC4, HQ, ICLBIC e ICOMPLBIC. Na presença de amostras de grande dimensão e um grande número de grupos são igualmente recomendáveis os critérios BIC e CAIC. / This dissertation is developed in the context of market segmentation and market segments retention when mixture regression models for normal data are used. Despite the popularity of these models, the decision of how many segments to keep is an open issue, both in Marketing and Statistics literature. To determine the correct number of market segments is essential, because many strategic Marketing decisions in heterogeneous markets depend on it and an incorrect selection of the number of market segments results in monetary costs for any company. This dissertation has two main objectives: (i) identification, description and classification of the criteria that could be used to select the number of market segments (ii) evaluation of how the reviewed criteria perform and the influence of a set of experimental conditions on the selection of the number of market segments. The reviewed criteria were classified into two groups, namely information criteria (Kullback-Leibler, bayesian and consistent) and classification criteria (probabilistic and fuzzy indices). The performance evaluation of the 26 selected criteria was accomplished through a set of 17 experimental designs. In these experimental designs we considered the problem of market niches and the robustness of the results to the probability assumed (normal versus uniform). The simulations were implemented with Gauss 6.0 package. The best results were obtained for the criteria AIC3, AIC4, HQ, ICLBIC and ICOMPLBIC. BIC and CAIC also perform well with large samples and a large number of market segments.

本研究以市場規模近百億元的家庭食用油為探討產品。家庭食用油為品牌間產品差異性低、低關心度之家庭日常烹飪用品。本研究的主要研究目的為：1. 探討家庭食用油市場之消費者行為，2. 將食用油市場以適當區隔變數劃分成有不同市場特性及外顯行為的數個區隔，3. 探討各區隔市場的特徵及消費行為。研究對象為臺北縣市、臺中縣市、高雄縣市30~49歲家庭食用油購買者或主膳者。 本研究以生活型態╱產品利益混合變數為區隔變數，以產品態度、人口特徵、地理變數、行為變數（使用者、使用者狀況、使用頻率、使用量、忠誠度） 等為描述變數。整合次級資料及經由焦點團體研究所得之初級資料發展問卷，以配額抽樣的方法至各指定賣場進行問卷調查。以因素分析由54個變數萃取出10個生活型態/產品利益因素，再以非層次集群分析法將樣本區隔為三個區隔。 三個區隔分別為：「健康賢妻」共 157人佔 樣本之39%，「保守經濟」共 74人佔樣本之18%，「認真生活」共 173人佔樣本之43%。除年齡在各區隔間無顯著差異外，其他描述變數在區隔間皆有顯著差異。健康賢妻：平均家庭生命週期最年輕，是最大的潛在市場，十分注重食用油的健康因素，甚至連烹飪方式亦傾向於低油脂的方式。保守經濟：生活態度保守，會在其認識的品牌當中選擇價格較便宜的食用油購買，忠誠度低，以食用油的市場來看，此區隔的消費量最小。認真生活：此區隔中48%的受訪者其家庭生命週期為滿巢二期，食用油的消費量最大，對食用油或日用品會嚐試不同的品牌，其對食用油的知識可能來自廣告、報章雜誌、口碑。本研究推論影響食用油的最大變數為家庭生命週期。

在網際網路與行動電話市場兩者成長快速之際，無線通訊與網際網路的結合，是配合現代人機動的生活與工作型態的重要發展之一。本研究目的即是對台灣地區之無線網際網路消費者及潛在消費者作市場區隔，透過網路問卷調查方式蒐集資料，將無線網際網路市場利用服務應用屬性進行市場區隔，然後運用人口統計變數、使用型態變數、生活型態變數及新觀念反應等變數作區隔描述，以協助相關業者找尋目標市場，發現潛在顧客。本研究以服務應用屬性，進行因素分析後萃取出「娛樂導向」、「交易導向」、「網路應用導向」、「生活資訊導向」及「個人輔助導向」等五個因素，並以此五個因素作為進行市場區隔的基礎，利用集群分析法，將市場區隔為「玩樂派」、「實用派」、「科技派」三集群。最後經由卡方檢定與變異數分析發現： 1. 各區隔在人口統計變數上，「性別」、「教育程度」、「零用金金額」等三變數有顯著差異。 2. 各區隔在使用型態變數上，「網路使用經歷」、「網路使用量」、「上網地點」、「上網目的」、「行動電話使用目的」等變數上有顯著差異。 3. 各區隔在生活型態變數上，利用因素分析，萃取出生活型態七個因素，包括「品牌時尚導向」、「務實成就導向」、「家庭休閒導向」、「社交領導導向」、「保守節儉導向」、「理性抉擇導向」、「隨緣感性導向」，各因素在三區隔中皆有顯著差異。 4. 各區隔在新觀念反應變數上，「無線上網意願」、「硬體設備滿意度」變數皆具有顯著差異。 根據研究結果，本研究最後就用戶面、經濟面、應用面及硬體面加以整合分析，並分別針對三個區隔市場，提出產品與價格策略、通路策略、及促銷策略，作為無線通訊相關業者當前及未來從事行銷活動之策略規劃時的參考。

台灣電腦週邊設備製造業的發展，一直以來與 PC 產業發展具有高度關聯性。本產業大約從1980 年代開始，國內廠商大多以代工模式興起。自1990 年起，產業進入快速成長階段，產能規模持續成長，台灣亦成為電腦週邊設備的製造重鎮。而近年來隨著科技產業的蓬勃發展，電腦週邊設備更是越來越複雜，產品種類不僅繁多、汰換率高且產品生命週期日趨縮短。再加上產業集中化與微利化的情形下，彼此之間的競爭更是激烈。 本論文研究是以台灣電腦週邊設備製造領導廠商G公司為個案，研究其將近三十年之行銷實務經驗，以提供未來台灣新創中小事業行銷組合策略之參考依據。在藉由本次行銷組合策略的分析過程中，讓我們更加了解電腦週邊設備製造業的現況及未來發展趨勢，以及如何面對產業的快速變化和不確定性。 文中是以訪談G公司經營高層，以及蒐集其他相關文件資料的方式，來探討國內電腦週邊設備製造商行銷組合策略，並將所獲得之成果進行衡量，其中研究之影響變數有市場區隔、目標市場、市場定位、產品定位、研發創新能力、行銷通路布建等等。透過本個案研究之結果，提供下列數點建議，以供台灣新創中小事業之借鏡： 1.透過明確的市場區隔，可穩定成長並避免與市場既有廠商競爭及攻擊。 2.要能掌握通路布局並與經銷商保持良好關係。 3.妥善運用區域彈性定價，以保持公司競爭強度及獲利。 4.發展品牌，以避免落入價格競爭。 5.技術領先與創新產品，保持公司競爭力。 6.積極參與國內、外產品展，藉以快速打開知名度。 關鍵字：新創事業，市場區隔，行銷組合策略。 / In Taiwan, computer peripheral equipment manufacturing industry has been highly associated with the PC industry. About the industry from the 1980s began, most domestic manufacturers rise to the OEM model. Since 1990, the industry entered a rapid growth stage, the capacity continued to grow; Taiwan has become the manufacturing center for computer peripherals. In recent years, the rapid development of the technology industry, computer peripheral equipment is more complex, not only the range of product categories, replacement rate and increasingly shorter product life cycles. Coupled with industry concentration and the case of shrinking profit margins, more competition between them is intense. This thesis is based on Taiwan's leading computer peripheral equipment G Co., as a case study of marketing practices for nearly three decades of experience, to provide for Taiwan's future small new ventures marketing mix strategy of reference. By this time in the marketing mix strategy analysis process, our understanding of computer peripheral equipment manufacturing industry development status and future trends, and how to deal with the rapid industry change and uncertainty. The article is based on interviews with the senior management of G co., and to collect other relevant documents, to explore the domestic manufacturer of computer peripherals marketing mix strategies, and measure the results obtained, which studies the impact of variables there is market segmentation, target market, market positioning, product positioning, R & D innovation, marketing channels, and so on. Through the case study results, the following points provide suggestions for the new ventures: 1.Through the market segmentation, we can stable growth and to avoid competition with existing companies and the victims of its attacks. 2.We should be able to master channel and maintain good relations with retailers. 3.Good use of flexible pricing strategy to maintain ours competitive and profitability. 4.To develop the brand in order to avoid falling into the price competition. 5.Technological leadership and innovative products, to keep the competitiveness of company. 6.Involved in domestic and international electronics show, in order to build brand awareness quickly. Keywords: New Ventures, market segmentation, marketing mix strategies.

<p>Syfte: En vanlig och traditionell uppfattning bland företagsledare i små företag är att små företag i princip fungerar som stora företag, men i mindre skala. Dock har Welsh och White, som skrivit artikeln ”A small business is not a little big business”, en annan uppfattning och menar att detta är en felaktig bild av små företag vars storlek skapar speciella förhållanden. Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa förutsättningarna för marknadsföring i små företag.</p><p>Metod: Det vetenskapliga förhållningssättet i denna uppsats är av hermeneutisk karaktär.</p><p>Eftersom vi studerat marknadsföring på universitets- och högskolenivå har vi redan med oss en hel del kunskap och åsikter i ämnet. Vi kommer även att påverkas under resans gång av det material vi samlar in. Vidare kommer vi att påverkas av de diskussioner vi har med varandra samt andra medverkande personer i denna uppsats. Materialet som vi samlar in genom artiklar, litteraturen och intervjuerna kommer att utgöra grunden för den analys som detta arbete kommer att avslutas med. Denna analys kommer till stor del också att ha inverkan av vår egen förståelse och tolkning av materialet som vi insamlat.</p><p>Resultat och slutsats: Vi har i analysen visat hur de medverkande företagen marknadsför sig och att de teorier som vi tagit med i denna uppsats SWOT - analysen, marknadssegmentering, targeting, positionering och marknadsföringsmixen är applicerbara och vi anser att de också är användbara. Vi har även kunnat visa att flera av företagen redan använder sig av dessa teorier, men att det inte alltid ligger någon tanke bakom det. De medverkande företagen har grundförutsättningarna för att kunna marknadsföra sig, men marknadsföringen är inte alltid genomtänkt och det finns inte en klar förståelse för marknadsföringskoncepten hos företagarna.</p><p>Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Att ingående analysera ett eller ett par små företag och därigenom ta fram specifika förslag till marknadsföring anpassad till ett litet företags bristande marknadsföringskunskaper, begränsade resurser och storlek.</p><p>Uppsatsens bidrag: Vi har i denna uppsats belyst förutsättningarna för marknadsföring i småföretag. Vi har kunnat konstatera att små företag har goda förutsättningar trots bristande marknadsföringskunskaper och knappa resurser som ofta ses som ett problem i små företag. Dessa brister har inte varit ett hinder för verksamhetens överlevnad och lönsamhet. De marknadsföringsteorier som vi prövade att applicera på de sju företagen var applicerbara. Det visade sig också att de redan används av de medverkande företagen, dock inte som en uttalad strategi.</p> / <p>Aim: A traditional assumption among managers has been that small businesses function the same way as big businesses but in a smaller scale. Welsh and White have written the article “A small business is not a little big business”, and their perception is that the very size of small businesses creates special conditions for small firms. The aim of this thesis is to illustrate the requirements for marketing in small businesses.</p><p>Method: The scientific study in this thesis is based on a hermeneutist stand point.</p><p>We have studied marketing at a university level and have from this been able to draw certain conclusions and opinions on the subject. We have however also relied largely on the material we have collected about marketing, from discussions with co-authors and others that have been involved directly with the thesis. Our analysis on this subject comes mainly from and is based on collected articles, literature and interviews. The final analysis is also largely based on our own personal interpretation and understanding of the material used to gather the information used in this thesis.</p><p>Result and conclusion: We have in our analysis shown how participating firms use marketing. The theories we have used such as SWOT – analysis, market segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing mix, are all applicable and we believe that they are fully usable. We have furthermore been able to show that several of the companies already use many of these theories, but that there lacks a greater understanding behind the use of marketing. The participating firms have the basic requirements and conditions to market themselves. Although their strategy is not always thought through and there is a lack of understanding for the marketing concepts.</p><p>Suggestions for future research: To thoroughly analyze one or several small businesses and thereby it is possible to find specific suggestions for marketing adapted to a small firms inadequate knowledge of marketing, resource limitation and size of the company.</p><p>Contribution of the thesis: The aim of this thesis is to illustrate the requirements for marketing in small businesses. We have been able to state that small firms often have good conditions, despite lacking marketing knowledge and slight resources. This is often seen as a problem in small businesses, although these flaws do not have a negative impact on a firm’s profitability and survival. The marketing theories that we applied to the participating seven firms have been shown to be applicable. It is also shown that participating firms already use marketing theories, but not as a known strategy.</p>

Syfte: En vanlig och traditionell uppfattning bland företagsledare i små företag är att små företag i princip fungerar som stora företag, men i mindre skala. Dock har Welsh och White, som skrivit artikeln ”A small business is not a little big business”, en annan uppfattning och menar att detta är en felaktig bild av små företag vars storlek skapar speciella förhållanden. Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa förutsättningarna för marknadsföring i små företag. Metod: Det vetenskapliga förhållningssättet i denna uppsats är av hermeneutisk karaktär. Eftersom vi studerat marknadsföring på universitets- och högskolenivå har vi redan med oss en hel del kunskap och åsikter i ämnet. Vi kommer även att påverkas under resans gång av det material vi samlar in. Vidare kommer vi att påverkas av de diskussioner vi har med varandra samt andra medverkande personer i denna uppsats. Materialet som vi samlar in genom artiklar, litteraturen och intervjuerna kommer att utgöra grunden för den analys som detta arbete kommer att avslutas med. Denna analys kommer till stor del också att ha inverkan av vår egen förståelse och tolkning av materialet som vi insamlat. Resultat och slutsats: Vi har i analysen visat hur de medverkande företagen marknadsför sig och att de teorier som vi tagit med i denna uppsats SWOT - analysen, marknadssegmentering, targeting, positionering och marknadsföringsmixen är applicerbara och vi anser att de också är användbara. Vi har även kunnat visa att flera av företagen redan använder sig av dessa teorier, men att det inte alltid ligger någon tanke bakom det. De medverkande företagen har grundförutsättningarna för att kunna marknadsföra sig, men marknadsföringen är inte alltid genomtänkt och det finns inte en klar förståelse för marknadsföringskoncepten hos företagarna. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Att ingående analysera ett eller ett par små företag och därigenom ta fram specifika förslag till marknadsföring anpassad till ett litet företags bristande marknadsföringskunskaper, begränsade resurser och storlek. Uppsatsens bidrag: Vi har i denna uppsats belyst förutsättningarna för marknadsföring i småföretag. Vi har kunnat konstatera att små företag har goda förutsättningar trots bristande marknadsföringskunskaper och knappa resurser som ofta ses som ett problem i små företag. Dessa brister har inte varit ett hinder för verksamhetens överlevnad och lönsamhet. De marknadsföringsteorier som vi prövade att applicera på de sju företagen var applicerbara. Det visade sig också att de redan används av de medverkande företagen, dock inte som en uttalad strategi. / Aim: A traditional assumption among managers has been that small businesses function the same way as big businesses but in a smaller scale. Welsh and White have written the article “A small business is not a little big business”, and their perception is that the very size of small businesses creates special conditions for small firms. The aim of this thesis is to illustrate the requirements for marketing in small businesses. Method: The scientific study in this thesis is based on a hermeneutist stand point. We have studied marketing at a university level and have from this been able to draw certain conclusions and opinions on the subject. We have however also relied largely on the material we have collected about marketing, from discussions with co-authors and others that have been involved directly with the thesis. Our analysis on this subject comes mainly from and is based on collected articles, literature and interviews. The final analysis is also largely based on our own personal interpretation and understanding of the material used to gather the information used in this thesis. Result and conclusion: We have in our analysis shown how participating firms use marketing. The theories we have used such as SWOT – analysis, market segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing mix, are all applicable and we believe that they are fully usable. We have furthermore been able to show that several of the companies already use many of these theories, but that there lacks a greater understanding behind the use of marketing. The participating firms have the basic requirements and conditions to market themselves. Although their strategy is not always thought through and there is a lack of understanding for the marketing concepts. Suggestions for future research: To thoroughly analyze one or several small businesses and thereby it is possible to find specific suggestions for marketing adapted to a small firms inadequate knowledge of marketing, resource limitation and size of the company. Contribution of the thesis: The aim of this thesis is to illustrate the requirements for marketing in small businesses. We have been able to state that small firms often have good conditions, despite lacking marketing knowledge and slight resources. This is often seen as a problem in small businesses, although these flaws do not have a negative impact on a firm’s profitability and survival. The marketing theories that we applied to the participating seven firms have been shown to be applicable. It is also shown that participating firms already use marketing theories, but not as a known strategy.

University of Macau / Faculty of Business Administration / Department of Management and Marketing

Personas, fictional user profiles based on research data, have gained popularity in the design field over recent years. These profiles include names, personalities, behaviors, and goals that are representative of a unique group of individuals. This paper examines the creation and utilization of personas as a tool for understanding others, specifically within the context of product design. A review of current literature revealed published methods for creating and using personas, along with the challenges and benefits associated with this tool. Current design industry practices were investigated through 15 semi-structured interviews with design professionals. Topics included persona creation and implementation, the tools use, and perceived outcomes from the inclusion of personas in the design process. Participatory research examined persona creation methods including user data collection and the selection of topics to be included in these profiles. Additionally, persona utilization was investigated through the tools integration into a 12-week Industrial Design student project. Observations and interviews with 8 student groups and instructors revealed the tools impact on the design process and potential within the educational environment, with specific attention being paid to universal design applications.