Due to the saturation of the market and the economic downturn in 2008, the expansion rate of shops of convenience store chains in Taiwan has shrunk rapidly. In coping with this harsh external environment, all of the proprietors strive to implement varieties of promotion activities to boost their revenue. One of the most popular schemes is the "Whole Store Integrated Promotion Strategy" initiated by 7-Eleven in 2007. That is, by means of point collecting, customers can exchange for exclusive gifts or get a discount on certain products. The market response toward this activity is so strong that makes other competitors to follow suit immediately. Hence, this promotion skill has become the panacea for lifting sales. Thus, this study uses customers of convenience stores as the subject to analyze the impacts on impulsive buying behavior on different promotion activities and to understand the degree of customers¡¦ satisfaction after they finish their shopping. Meanwhile, the impulsivity traits and the social demographic variables of customers are included in this survey as well in order to find out their relationship with the impulsive buying behavior. The result reveals that the traditional price-discount promotion activity is favored and easier to induce impulsive buying behavior than the novel point collecting one. Besides, this study also finds out that the higher impulsivity trait the customer possesses the more possibility for them to conduct impulsive buying. As for customers' satisfaction, it shows that the higher degree of impulsive buying, the more satisfy the customer is.

With fast technical change and rapid information deliver, forcing electric products of life cycle has been reduced dramatically. Driven by market trend, causes the product development process bears squeeze. Therefore, electric component distributor is no longer engaged in the trading business, but also provides multiple services as share product features, marketing information, design application and create product add-on value. This helps customers to have products ready in the market as soon as possible. Most of electrical component manufacturers seek for more than one distributor in order to expand their own business, increase market share and decrease potential risk. At the mean time, there are many distributors investing on technical support and even preparing material without solid order for the customers demand, but the orders are still lost by slight cents difference. Thus, how to raise up the customer loyalty and repeat orders have become the important task of electric components distributor. According to nowadays industry of electric component distributor, the study of analysis of key factors affecting customer loyalty is to enhance the relationship and satisfaction as customer loyalty increase proposal and cost reduce plan for future development strategy. According to the result of research, the affecting of S company customers' loyalty is in terms of the degree of product substitutability, price, satisfaction, and the product brand.

Waiting for service was often happen in Service setting. The literatures about the consequence of the waiting were strong in certain respects, typically negative and erode the customers¡¦ overall service evaluation, and underdeveloped in other respects. In this article, I consider the influence of the waiting on the customers perceived values. I propose the effect of waiting experiences on the customers perceived values depends on both how far the time lags of distances between purchasing and consuming and the word-of ¡Vmouth information supply. For the purpose, I choose the oversea leisure travel products that appear to have a significant time lag of consuming. The sample data from 290 college and graduated students were analyzed using descriptive statistics, T-tests, One-Way ANOVA and Two-Way MANOVA. The results of the three studies are presented as follows: 1. When customers perceived higher the value of the service products, they were more patient about waiting duration and more purchasing intentions. 2. The time lags of distances between purchasing and consuming were longer, the customers perceived values would increase first and then drop late. 3. Word of mouth information supply will enhance the customers perceived value.

In this thesis, we study the dynamic facility location problem with mobile customers considering the permanent facilities. Our general aim is to locate facilities considering the movements of customers in time. The problem is studied for three objectives: P-median, P-center and MINMAX P-median. We show that dynamic facility location problem is a large instance of a static facility location problem for P-median and P-center objectives. In the problem, we represent the movements of each customer in time with a time series. Using clustering approaches, we develop a heuristic approach for the problem with P-median objective. K-means algorithm is used as a clustering algorithm and dynamic time warping is used in order to define similarities between the customer time series. Solution method is tested on several experimental settings. We obtain results, which differ at most 2% from the optimal, in small computation times. Generally, in the literature, MINMAX P-median is solved with a heuristic depending on scenarios planning (see Serra and Marianov, 1998). The heuristic finds an initial solution according to scenarios, later the initial solution is tried to be improved. We provide a bounding procedure on the solution of the problem. The bounds can be used by decision maker to judge the solution quality before proceed. The bounding procedure is also analyzed in different experimental settings.

THESIS ABSTRACT For the past few years, the development of social welfare has a tendency of leading the managing concept of business administration, which emphasizes the connection between service and cost, and the requirement of efficiency. However, in spite of the increasing demand of long-term care, the nursing system has come across many difficulties. The competition from the related occupations, the increasing pressure, and the higher demand of nursing quality have seriously affected the maintenance of nursing organization, which also have obliged the manager of nursing organization to consider the possibility of cooperation of the same line. The intention of Strategic Alliance between the aged long-term care organization and some medical organizations has been promoted. In the near future, the manager of medical and long-term care enterprises will be up against the challenges and competitions from these organizations. And they are forced to unite and share their resources by Strategic Alliance. The manager must realize the changes inside and outside of their organizations. And it is the most important to adopt the prompt policy, management and control of their resources. Through this research, I hope there will be better understanding for the main managers on their long-term care services and evaluation of satisfaction. Also, I wish to study the elements that influence the quality of service. Therefore, the resources of long-term care might be efficiently used, and the quality will be improved as well. In experimental research, I make use of contrast of Strategic Alliance which influences the quality of service by analysis of 84 questionnaires investigation reports from Won-An and Won-Tai Nursing Centers. The experiments are independent and circuitous. . The result of this study indicates that Strategic-Alliance makes influence on either service quality or customers¡¦ satisfaction. Customers gave Won-An Nursing Center a higher appreciation because which practice Strategic-Alliance. At the end, this study offers concrete suggestions for management. Hopefully this will provide the government authorities a consultation of policy as well as a new direction of the long-term care organizations.

<p>Customer Demand Uncertainty is a big obstacle for companies to sustain their competitiveness in the market that responding customer requirements becomes essential. Besides companies need to consider also their cost structures which should have in high consistency to survive as well. Lean and Agile terminologies have been investigated so far in cost and responsiveness to customer manner within internal system perspective i.e. product volume and variety. This thesis aims to link lean manufacturing steps with customer demand uncertainty condition following information systems, marketing issues and human factor for management level in framework that firm’s (manufacturer) current condition can be tested according to answers from questionnaires and implementation of assessment tables since it is used as guideline and provides on which level firms are in demand uncertainty, lean and agile manufacturing. This support enables to firms to create their own flexible leagile decoupling point according to their interior characteristics and capabilities in the market.</p>

<p>Since the introduction of shopping centers, it has become more and more common that the retail trade is taken over by the shopping centers. The shopping centers can offer the customers indoor shopping with stores, cafés and restaurants under the same roof. This comfortability is a competitive advantage for the shopping centers in comparison with other purchasing areas, such as the city core.</p><p>In Jönköping on the 2nd of April 1987 A6, a large shopping centre at this time the largest in the region, had it opening with great festivities. The merchants located in the city core feared that the large shopping centre would drive them out of business. After negotiations the merchants of the city core of Jönköping, the municipality and A6 made peace.</p><p>Today the two shopping areas are competing for the same customers, but are they competing on the same grounds? The city core of Jönköping is facing problems with customers leaving, but where are they going? What can be done to attract new customers and gain their old ones?</p><p>In this report we will try to find out how the city cores can do to gain, maintain and satisfy the customers. This will be done by a quantitative study of the Jönköping city core and the shopping centre A6. Interviews will be done with respondents at both A6 Centre and in the City core of Jönköping. The material we will gather, will be handed over to the organization ‘På Stan’, who is an association working with issues regarding the merchants in the city.</p><p>Through the interviews with the 200 respondents we accessed three main issues that have an impact on the customer’s choice of shopping location. These three are accessibility, range of stores and environment.</p>

Abstract The purpose of this thesis was to gain a better understanding of the relatively new concept of Brand Hate. More specifically, how Brand Hate can occur in people with no to little experience with certain brands, so called non-customers. We want to believe that humans are a rational being that takes decisions based on all the available information and does not jump to conclusions before all options have been exhausted. But upon closer examination theoretical concepts such as brand love can be found. A concept that argues that users of a brand utilize the brand itself in order to internally identify values he or she holds, as well as showcasing those values and personality traits externally to others. With this theory as a basis the relatively new concept of Brand Hate was born. The new concept, posits that there has to be another side of the brand love, where people actually hate or dislike the brand. Up to this point very little research has been done within the area, and that is where the authors of this thesis saw an opportunity to fill a research gap. There has been no previous research attempting to understand WHY these negative feelings comes to present themselves within people. But as soon as the work on the thesis had started another opportunity presented itself, it seemed as though people hate or dislike brands that they themselves does not even use. As a result non-customers became the focal point of investigation of this thesis.  The research itself included three different focus groups, with in total nineteen respondents that discussed a wide variety of topics. During the sessions the discussions touched upon what brands they disliked, why they disliked them and how the respondents identified with other groups of people. This gave the authors the ability to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological reasoning behind why certain brands the respondents did not use were severely hated or disliked.    The findings from the research seem to point in one very specific direction, group identification is an integral reason why non-customers started to hate or dislike brands. No matter how good companies are creating an appealing brand, that same brand will always risk to become distorted, as a result of the different targeted user groups. This research shows that people let their emotions and prejudices come between what they perceive a brand to be, and what companies want them to be. The result is people prematurely judging brands based upon the customers of that brand. If the respondents did not like the user group of a certain brand, that same brand would be inscribed with all the negative connotations with the user groups, thereby distorting the public brand image far from what the companies might intend them to be.

Salladsbarer i livsmedelsbutiker är något som ökat avsevärt i Sverige de senaste åren. Även i andra länder är det populärt, och främsta anledningen till detta är bekvämligheten och strävan efter ett hälsosammare matval. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka risker och rutiner kopplade till livsmedelsbutikernas salladsbarer, samt att ge en bild av konsumenternas attityd till den nya trenden. Informationsförordningen är en sammanslagning av två EU-direktiv, som ingående beskriver regler om hur livsmedel ska märkas. I december år 2014 utökades informationsförordningen med fler krav från EU. De nya kraven innebar t.ex. att allergener och infrysningsdatum för kött och fisk skulle märkas tydligare. Det är enligt denna förordning viktigt att butikspersonalen arbetar med tydliga regler och rutiner för att upprätthålla de krav som ställs på salladsbaren. Genom en kvalitativ och en kvantitativ undersökning har data, rörande butikspersonalens kunskaper samt konsumentens attityd gentemot salladsbaren, samlats in. I den kvalitativa undersökningen deltog sju personer från olika kedjor inom livsmedelsbranschen, vars ansvarsområde är salladsbaren i deras egen hembutik. Totalt intervjuades, i enkätform, femtiofem konsumenter i livsmedelsbutikerna. Frågorna innehöll bl.a. tycke och förtroende till salladsbar, samt tillsatser i mat. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att personalen har en god kunskap om rutiner och risker kopplade till salladsbaren. Konsumenterna i studien visar ett lägre förtroende till livsmedelsbutikernas, och salladsbarens produktsäkerhet. Majoriteten av respondenterna var utan allergi till något livsmedelsinnehåll, men uppskattade inte tillsatser. Slutsatsen av denna undersökning visade på en god kunskap hos personalen, men ett lägre förtroende hos konsumenten till butikens produktsäkerhet. Detta resultat som är inte generaliserbart p.g.a. de få deltagarna. / Salad bars in Swedish grocery stores have increased in frequently in the last few years. Many other countries have also followed the new hot trend, and the main reason of this increase is the convenience and the pursuit of a healthy meal. The purpose of this study was to examine the risks and routines of the salad bars in Swedish grocery stores, and look into the customer’s attitude against the concept. The Regulation of Information merges two EU directives, and includes rules on how the foods must be handled. In December 2014 the Regulation of Information increased with more claim from the EU. The new claims implied for example that allergens and the date of freezing, for meat and fish, must be labeled more legible. According to this Regulation, the staff in grocery stores must clearly show that the rules are being followed, with help of logs and rules of hygiene. The results of the study show that the staff has a good knowledge regarding routines and risks connected to the salad bar. The consumers in the study show a relatively low confidence in food stores' products. The majority has no form of food allergy, but did not appreciate additives in the food. The conclusion of the study shows that the staff has good knowledge in product safety, but unfortunately the customers’ don´t think so. The result isn’t generalizable – you´ll need more participants in the study to generalize.

Aim:  Optimize the usage of transactional emails, going beyond their communicative nature and combining it with marketing purposes. The project has been developed in collaboration with Incomedia, Italian software developer and vendor. Objective: Understand how Incomedia can exploit the benefits of transactional emails in a marketing perspective in order to increase the sales of its software. Limitation: The specificity of the topic, strictly related to Incomedia’s activities, products and consumers. Limits of time and variables tested with the A/B experiment. Theory/Methodology : It helped us to leverage the potential of transactional emails through the improvement of one particular element, the price discount offers. Due to the particularity of the software “medium-price” level, we have choose to do an A/B test experiment of the new transactional email by presenting the discount in two different ways: monetary and percentage terms. Result: The new transactional email, with the price discount, drove us to satisfactory results. The price discount expressed in percentage was better perceived and accepted by consumers; thanks to this, Incomedia during the experiment could highly increase its sales.