Date:                             04 June 2018 Level:                            Master Thesis in International Marketing, 15 ECTS Institution:                     School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors:                       Anastasiadou, Elena                       Meier, Philip                                       (94/05/25)                            (88/03/11) Title:                              Cross-border Online Purchase Intent: An Investigation of CSR-conscious Young Adults Supervisor:                   Emilia Rovira Keywords:                   Online purchase intent, international online vendors, corporate                                      social responsibility, technology acceptance model, Ikea Research Question:     What factors affect the online purchase intent of CSR-conscious young adults buying from IOVs and how? Purpose:                       With the worldwide increasing access and usage of the Internet, cross-border shopping has emerged as an online trend, especially amongst young adults. Simultaneously, CSR-consciousness has spread rapidly around the globe. Consequently, it is this study’s purpose to gain a deeper understanding of factors influencing CSR-conscious young adults’ cross-border online purchase intent. Method:                         For the sake of reaching a deeper understanding of factors influencing online purchase intent this study applies qualitative research methods. Primary empirical data is collected via focus group interviews. In order to introduce a relatable online shopping scenario to the interviewees, the investigators present the interviewees with a case company during focus group sessions. Ikea’s online store is chosen as a case, since Ikea is a well-known IOV engaging in CSR practices. Lastly, the empirical findings are assessed by doing a thematic analysis. Conclusion:                  The conceptual model (see Figure 3. OPIM) proves to be suitable for exploring cross-border online purchase intent of CSR-conscious young adults, as each element appears to play a vital role in understanding influences on behavioural intention to purchase products or services online. With the help of the OPIM, several contributions could be made in this particular field of research. Firstly, this study uncovered a relationship between company size and CSR-conscious young adults’ trust, as part of their perceived quality. The relation is negative when investigating at the trust towards CSR promises but positive when looking at trust towards payment procedures. Secondly, non-monetary sacrifices, stemming from IOVs’ intangible nature, have a strong negative impact on the behavioural intention to purchase goods and services online, while comparing it to physical store counterparts. Thirdly, the investigators discovered how convenience and flexibility concerns lower potential customers’ perceived usefulness of IOVs. Fourthly, IOVs need to positively influence subjective norms and tailor online loyalty programs to increase potential customers’ commitment to purchase their products and services online. Lastly, this study finds that the level of satisfaction with a given online purchase is part of a mental re-evaluation process that directly influences potential future purchases.   Abbreviations:              B2B:             Business to Business Relationship                                  B2C:             Business to Consumer Relationship                                      CSR:                       Corporate Social Responsibility                                      IOV:             International Online Vendor                                      IS:                Information Systems                                       IT:                 Information Technology             OPIM: Online Purchase Intent Model            TAM:               Technology Acceptance Model

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:38:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 13 / Nenhuma / Estudos publicados em respeitáveis periódicos internacionais relacionam o construto Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (RSC) com o comportamento dos consumidores, mais especificamente em relação a sua Atitude em relação à Empresa (AE) e a sua Intenção de Compra (IC) em relação aos produtos desta mesma empresa (BROWN; DACIN, 1997; ELLEN; MOHR; WEBB, 2000; ELLEN; WEBB; MOHR, 2006; LICHTENSTEIN; DRUMWRIGHT; BRAIG, 2004; MOHR; WEBB, 2005; SEN; BHATTACHARYA, 2001). Esta análise vem predominantemente ocorrendo de forma experimental. Assim, neste estudo, apresentam-se os resultados dos efeitos da RSC sobre a AE e a IC, além de verificar de forma individual e, em conjunto com a RSC, o efeito da influência de outras variáveis, as moderadoras (domínio, preço, comportamento socialmente responsável do consumidor, envolvimento e a identificação entre o consumidor e a empresa), sobre estas. Seguindo a tendência identificada nas principais pesquisas relacionadas ao tema, esta também foi realizada de forma experimental em / Studies published in renowned international journals relate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) construct to consumer behavior, more specifically regarding consumer Attitude towards the Company (AC) and Purchase Intention (PI) regarding products sold by such company (BROWN; DACIN, 1997; ELLEN; MOHR; WEBB, 2000; ELLEN; WEBB; MOHR, 2006; LICHTENSTEIN; DRUMWRIGHT; BRAIG, 2004; MOHR; WEBB, 2005; SEN; BHATTACHARYA, 2001). This kind of analysis has been mostly carried out in as an experiment. Thus, in this study we present the results of the effects of CSR on AC and PI, as well as we check, separately and in connection with CSR, the effect of the influence of the so called "moderators" (domain, price, consumer socially responsible behavior, involvement and consumer-company identification) on them. Following the trend identified by the main researches on the theme, this study was also performed on an experimental basis. Consumers-students interacted with: domain (environmental, internal and external), CSR level (h

Titel: Från eWOM till köpintention – En studie om hur valens och argumentkvalitet i en recension påverkar konsumentens köpintention  Nivå: C-uppsats, examensarbete i ämnet företagsekonomi  Författare: Tobias Fält & Viktor Hamwi  Handledare: Jonas Kågström  Datum: 2019 - januari  Syfte: Syftet är att analysera vilken roll valens och argumentkvalitet i en restaurangs onlinerecensioner har för påverkan på konsumentens köpintention. Metod: Studien använder sig av en kvantitativ forskningsmetod med en webbaserad enkätundersökning som grund för det insamlade materialet. Den webbaserade enkätundersökningen samlade in totalt 157 svar från respondenter. Därefter analyserades de insamlade svaren i SPSS där deskriptiv analys, korrelationsanalys, faktoranalys, t-test och klusteranalys genomfördes. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet av studien visar att valens har en direkt påverkan på konsumentens köpintention. Vidare visade resultatet att negativa recensioner har en större påverkan på konsumentens beteendemässiga intention än positiva recensioner, vilket styrker forskningen som påvisar att negativitetseffekten är aktuell. Studien fann också att argumentkvalitet inte har en signifikant påverkan på köpintentionen.  Uppsatsens bidrag: Uppsatsen bidrar till den befintliga forskningen genom att styrka att negativitetseffekten gäller även för restauranger, vilket belyser vikten i att behandla negativa recensioner då de kan spela en roll i restaurangens rykte och försäljning.  Förslag till vidare forskning: Vi ser gärna att framtida studier fokuserar på samma ämne, men med fler respondenter då vi inte fann något statistiskt samband mellan köpintention och argumentkvalitet. Framtida studier bör även fokusera på liknande tjänster då vi ser en överrepresentation av produkter som forskningsunderlag i denna typ av undersökningar.  Nyckelord: eWOM, recensioner, köpintention, valens, argumentkvalitet. / Title: From eWOM to purchase intention – A study of how valence and argument quality in a review effects a consumer`s purchase intention  Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degrees in Business Administration  Author: Tobias Fält & Viktor Hamwi Supervisor: Jonas Kågström Date: 2019 - January   Aim: The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of valence and argument quality on restaurants online reviews, and its impact on customers purchase intention. Method: This paper used a quantitative research method with a web-based survey as the basis for the collected material. The web-based survey collected a total of 157 responses from respondents. The collected answers were later analyzed in SPSS where descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, factor analysis, t-test and a cluster analyses were performed. Results and conclusion: The results show that valence has a direct impact on the consumer purchase intention. Furthermore, the results show that negative reviews have a greater effect on the consumer behavioral intention than positive reviews, which strengthens previous studies that show the relevance of the negativity effect. The study also shows that argument quality does not have a significant effect on the consumer’s purchasing intention.  Contribution: This study has contributed to previous research by demonstrating that the negativity effect is applied to restaurants as well, which shows the importance of addressing negative reviews as they can have an impact on a restaurant’s reputation and sales.    Further Research: We would like to see future studies focusing on the same subject, but with a larger number of respondents as seen as we could not find a statistical connection between purchasing intention and argument quality. Future studies should also focus on similar services since we see an overrepresentation of products as subject of examination in this field. Keywords: eWOM, reviews, purchase intention, valence, argument quality

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:20:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Henrique Laranjeira Barbosa.pdf: 473669 bytes, checksum: 886efe3190d09f7b71b642b9d46db20e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-31 / This paper have as it main topic the discussion about succession in asset purchase acquisitions with goodwill. It starts with the presentation of the subject within its economic background. After, it shows the definition of succession under the private law theory and its consequences in the market for corporate control. It appears that under the Brazilian law there are two legal doctrines of the institute. The first is established by the Civil Code, taken here as the general successor doctrine. The second, defined by the provisions of the Bankruptcy law is the special successor doctrine. Finally, the work concludes with a critique of both doctrines / A presente dissertação tem como escopo a discussão da sucessão empresarial na alienação do estabelecimento empresarial. Inicia-se o debate apresentando o assunto em seu contexto econômico. Após, passa-se à análise da definição de sucessão empresarial, com base na teoria geral do direito privado, mostrando-se, logo em seguida, o impacto que tem sobre o mercado de empresas. Verifica-se que no direito positivo brasileiro existe dois regimes jurídicos distintos do instituto. O primeiro tratase daquele estabelecido pelas regras jurídicas do Código Civil, tido neste trabalho como regime geral da sucessão empresarial. Já o segundo, definido pelas disposições da Lei de Recuperação de Empresas e Falência, é o regime especial da sucessão empresarial. Por derradeiro, conclui-se o trabalho com uma crítica a ambos os regimes

O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar os papéis na compra de interruptores de luz por clientes finais e identificar as influências desses papéis e como ocorrem. O método utilizado foi dividido em duas fases, a primeira com abordagem qualitativa e a segunda com abordagem quantitativa. Inicialmente foram feitas entrevistas em profundidade com consumidores e profissionais da área, com o objetivo de identificar quais os tipos de papéis que ocorrem durante a compra de interruptores e identificar os influenciadores. O segundo passo foi uma survey, sendo entrevistadas 1.013 pessoas divididas nas cinco regiões do país, Região Centro Oeste, Nordeste, Sul, Norte e Sudeste. Foram identificados cinco papéis de compra e sete influenciadores desse processo. Os resultados da pesquisa quantitativa foram analisados com análises univariadas e multivariadas. As análises indicam que os compradores adquirem interruptores para outros usuários, mas a grande maioria deles adquirem o produto para uso próprio e são responsáveis pela compra e pelo pagamento do produto. Os resultados também indicam que as pessoas próximas são os maiores influenciadores. Espera-se que com os resultados obtidos esse trabalho possa contribuir para executivos e empresas do setor elétrico na tomada de decisões. / The present paper has the objective to identify which are the final consumers purchase roles of light switches and identify the influences about this roles and how it occurs. The analysis method was dividing in two steps, the first with a qualitative approach and the second with a quantitative approach. First of all, had been made depth interviews with consumers and professionals from the area, with the objective to identify the influencers. After that, a survey has been made, 1.013 people were interviewed and divided at five regions of the country, Midwest region, Northeast, South, North and Southeast. Were identified five purchase roles and seven influencers of this process. The quantitative research results were analyzed with univariate and multivariate analysis. The analysis indicate that the buyers also buy the light switches for other users, but the majority buy the product for own use and is responsible for the purchase and the product payment. The results also indicate that, in general, close people are the major influencers. With the obtained results throw crossing and the performed analyses, the expectations with this paper is contribute with executives and companies of the area on theirs decision-making.

During the last year there has been a globalization of trade. Because of the development ofmore sophisticated information's - and communication technology the boundaries and thephysical distance have been smeared out between company as well as countries. Furthermoreit generates that many companies have restructured to global value chains. Because of theincreased access the marketplace has become harder and more competitive than ever.Since the customers nowadays have more access to product information the consume patternsand behaviour has been changed. Through the increased knowledge the consumers requiresmore of the products. Today’s consumers values not only prise and quality but are alsodemanding quality products which are tailored to individual needs and tastes. Companiesfocus has changed from price to the ability to quickly respond on new trends and customerdemands. Fashion companies in the textile sector appear on a complex and unpredictablemarket where new trends and the demand shifts quickly. In order to be competitive on themarket the companies need to renew their range of fashion products several times in season.Fashion goods have a short life-cycle, measured in months or even weeks. Fashion productshave become a consumable and embarrassed in the concept fast fashion. Management of aneffective purchase process is therefore very important in order to meet the requirement onhaving the right product, in right quality, in right quantity at the right time.The purpose of the thesis are to investigate, describe and analyze the connection between thecase companies H&M and Zara´s different ways of deliver fast fashion in relation toward theconsumers understanding of them as a trend conductive on the market.In our paper we have been using a hermeneutist perspective. We have interpreted thecollected material, sow as responders attitudes about the case companies purchasingstrategies. The approach has been adductive and then we have been waged from bothcollected theory and empiric materials. The collected empiric material endure in a qualitativequestionnaire survey that lies to shallow for our analysis and conclusion. In the essay has boththe secondary and primary data compliments each other in order to achieve the study's aimand to answer to our problem wording.Through our analysis, we can come to the conclusion that the customers' view about Zara andH&M´s ability to deliver a fast fashion is very even in that sense that no company was beingidentified as better than the other. We can also make the conclusion that the customers'assumptions not only come from the products visible in store, but also from their own attitudetowards fashion and the company's accessibility and interaction with the customer. Anotherconclusion was that one of the most important attributes is a product fashion degree and that itis important that companies can apply a ”quick response” strategy in order to be successful onfashion the market. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

O gerenciamento dos custos com a compra de energia elétrica para atendimento do mercado consumidor é um assunto que assumiu, nos últimos anos, papel relevante nas distribuidoras. Este fenômeno pode ser explicado pela crescente participação dos custos de energia comprada, para suprimento do mercado cativo, no desempenho operacional dessas empresas, bem como pelas recentes alterações na regulamentação que agregaram ao processo da compra a necessidade de um altíssimo nível de assertividade. Considerando a existência de uma lacuna na literatura da área, a despeito de trabalhos que tratam do entendimento e gerenciamento do repasse dos custos com a compra de energia elétrica pelas distribuidoras e da análise de riscos associados às incertezas pertinentes ao processo, propõe-se, neste trabalho, uma metodologia para representar os custos com a compra de energia elétrica no fluxo de caixa da distribuidora, assim como modelo que auxilie no gerenciamento dos riscos associados aos desvios das variáveis que compõem o processo, em relação a um cenário de referência. Para tanto, são apresentadas, através de equações, as regras de repasse com a aquisição de energia elétrica para a tarifa de fornecimento do consumidor final e uma metodologia empírica para análise de risco baseada em modelagem estatística, com o suporte de modelos econométricos, permitindo uma varredura de cenários plausíveis via simulação Monte Carlo. Com isso, para uma compra energia que atenda às necessidades de consumo de uma distribuidora ao longo de um ano, tal modelo deve ser capaz de informar a disponibilidade de caixa da empresa para fazer frente às despesas com a compra de energia em determinada data futura ou, ainda, deve ser capaz de permitir a avaliação do valor presente resultante dos desembolsos versus recebimentos ao final do período de repasse, aferidos através de metodologia com enfoque probabilístico. / The management of the costs related to electric energy purchase to supply the market is an issue that assumed, in the last years, a relevant role in the distribution companies. This phenomenon may be explained by the increasing participation of the quoted costs in the operational performance of such companies and by the recent changes in the rules which brought to the energy acquisition process a need of very high assertiveness. Considering the existence of an important gap in the area literature, in despite of papers which approach the understanding and management of cost pass through with electric energy purchase by the distributors, and the risk analysis connected to the uncertainties relevant to the process, in this work it is developed a new methodology to represent the costs with electric energy purchase in the distributors cash flow, as well as a model that helps in the management of risks related to the variable changes in relation to a reference scenario for the whole process. In this way, the energy supply costs pass through rules are presented with the aid of mathematical equations, as well as an empirical methodology is proposed, taking advantage of statistical and econometric models, in order to making feasible a Monte Carlo simulation aiming at screening the universe of scenarios that could happen in real life. Furthermore, giving the energy supply costs throughout one year, the model should be capable to forecast the company cash available to face these costs in a certain future date and, besides that, the model should be capable to calculate the present value arising from the disbursement versus the receipts along the time, till the end of the pass through period, in a probabilistic focus.

The long-standing concept of risk management in the financial sector has attracted more attention after the financial crisis of 2007–2008. In the context of ship finance, marine insurance has proven itself to be an effective tool to transfer certain shipping risks to insurers who are not directly involved in the ship finance projects. This thesis provides original suggestions concerning the role of marine insurance in ship finance, combining a financial perspective, an insurance perspective and a legal perspective. Marine insurance is a key risk management technique that fits into the general risk management process adopted by ship financiers. However, it is not necessarily the most appropriate technique in every particular case due to its limitations and costs. As a result, insurance gaps are identified to assist financiers in optimising the use of marine insurance and to help insurers to spot business opportunities. Marine insurance is a contract which is to be governed by and construed in accordance with the law. At the same time, marine insurance is a contract rather than a guarantee: if something goes wrong in the ship finance package and there is a marine policy, it should not be assumed that the policy represents money in the bank. Things can go wrong under the policy: apart from the legal risks relating to claims under the policy, the law itself may be a risk. In the context of ship finance, the risk transfer is not the only role of marine insurance. Other roles include, inter alia, reducing capital costs, improving the liquidity of shipowners and shipbuilders, and providing peace of mind for ship financiers. Nevertheless, such roles can only be created and sustained if the insurance contracts are carefully drafted and the legal risks are properly managed. The intention has been to state the law as it stands on October 28, 2017.

O papel dos sentimentos e das emoções é extremamente relevante para o entendimento do comportamento do consumidor. Por isso, o presente trabalho busca verificar quais são os reflexos do sentimento de afinidade com um país estrangeiro na relação do consumidor com produtos e serviços do referido país. Optou-se pela realização de uma pesquisa de caráter exploratório, por meio da utilização de métodos qualitativos: aliadas às 24 entrevistas em profundidade com indivíduos que possuem ligação afetiva com um país estrangeiro, foram utilizadas as técnicas de videografia e de elicitação por fotos e objetos. A análise dos dados ocorreu essencialmente com base no método de análise qualitativa de conteúdo, com o auxílio do software QSR NVIVO 8. Os resultados encontrados indicam que o sentimento de afinidade com o país estrangeiro geralmente ocorre em função do contato direto do indivíduo com o local, sua cultura, seu cenário e sua economia. Além disso, o país pode assumir diferentes significados para os entrevistados. O sentimento de afinidade atua na geração de atitudes majoritariamente positivas em relação a produtos e serviços ligados ao país querido. Os consumidores, quando defrontados com ofertas oriundas de diferentes origens manifestam um interesse especial por aquelas que fazem referência ao local querido. Ainda, é possível verificar que esses sujeitos buscam manter-se ligados ao país estrangeiro através do consumo de produtos e serviços que lembram o país, o que acaba interferindo na própria construção de suas identidades. / The role of feelings and emotions is highly relevant for the comprehension of consumer behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study is to verify the reflections of the affinity feeling for a foreign country in the relationship between the consumer and its products and services. It was chosen to conduct an exploratory research, through the use of qualitative methods: combined with 24 in-depth interviews with individuals who have an emotional connection with a foreign country, there have also been used two techniques: videography, and elicitation by pictures and objects. Data analysis was mainly based on the qualitative analysis methodology, with the assistance of the QSR NVIVO 8 software. The results indicate that the affinity feeling usually occurs due to the individual's direct contact with the foreign country, its culture, its landscape and its economy. Moreover, the country can assume different meanings to the respondents. The affinity feeling actuates in the generation of mostly positive attitudes toward products and services related to the beloved country. When consumers confront themselves with offers from different origins, they declare special interest for those linked to the beloved place. Further, it is possible to notice that these individuals try to remain connected to the foreign country through the consumption of products and services related to it, what ends up interfering in the construction of their own identities.

A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar as tendências para o consumo de carne bovina no Brasil para o ano de 2022, a partir da proposta de um modelo conceitual que engloba os fatores influentes para o consumo resultando no EDC (Escore de Determinante de Consumo). Como procedimentos metodológicos adotaram-se dois eixos investigativos. O primeiro, de caráter exploratório, por meio de uma revisão sistemática sobre as tendências e fatores influentes no consumo de alimentos. O segundo eixo, de caráter descritivo, por meio de uma pesquisa survey com 32 especialistas representantes de todos os elos da cadeia produtiva da carne bovina no Brasil (produção, indústria, varejo, órgãos institucionais e instituições de ensino/pesquisa). Foram definidos critérios para a inclusão dos especialistas de modo a nivelar a amostra que é considerada intencional. O questionário, composto por seis questões abertas e 28 questões fechadas, foi enviado via on-line para os especialistas. Para apreciação das informações obtidas foi realizada a análise de conteúdo, distribuição de freqüência, teste Qui-quadrado, Tukey e análise de cluster, por meio do Software SPSS. Os resultados revelam que o modelo proposto para avaliar as tendências do consumo de carne bovina no Brasil é composto pelas dimensões sociocultural, econômica, saúde/alimento e ambiente e 28 fatores influentes associados a elas. A partir da aplicação do modelo, verificou-se que as principais tendências do consumo de carne bovina no Brasil para os próximos dez anos apontam para uma segmentação do comportamento em função da renda. Nesse sentido, as classes com menor poder aquisitivo, que priorizam preço, tendem a aumentar o consumo de cortes pouco diferenciados. Já as classes com maior poder aquisitivo direcionam-se ao consumo de um conceito, priorizando qualidade, certificação e segurança do alimento. Essa parcela da população tende a buscar produtos com maior valor agregado, podendo manter ou mesmo reduzir o consumo de carne bovina para os próximos dez anos. Ademais, é preponderante a influência dos fatores econômicos (preço dos substitutos da carne bovina, distribuição de renda, preço da carne bovina, ascensão das classes C e D, renda no Brasil e poder aquisitivo) além da busca pela conveniência, praticidade e exigência do alimento seguro. Contudo, as questões ambientais ainda não serão prioridade para o consumidor brasileiro de carne bovina no período prospectado. O EDC proposto permitiu identificar as tendências de consumo para o Brasil, pois possibilitou a priorização de dimensões adaptadas a esse contexto. As dimensões de maior importância são, em ordem decrescente, econômica, sociocultural, saúde/alimento e ambiente. / This research aims to identify beef consumption trends in Brazil (2022) based on a conceptual model that encompasses the consumption influential factors, resulting on Determinant of Consumption Index (DCI). As methodological approach two axes investigative were adopted: The first, exploratory, through a systematic review about trends and influential factors in food consumption. The second axis, descriptive, through a survey of 32 experts representing the beef chain in Brazil (production, manufacturing, retail, institutional and educational institutions / research). Experts were defined by inclusion criteria in order to make even the sample, being considered intentional. The questionnaire was composed of six open questions and 28 closed questions, sent by e-mail. The analysis consisted in documents, frequency distribution, chi-square, Tukey test and cluster analysis, with SPSS software. The results show that the proposed model is composed by four main dimensions (sociocultural, economic, health / food and environment) and twenty-eight influential factors. For the next decade, the main trends of beef consumption in Brazil indicate segmentation by income. In this way, people with lower purchasing power that prioritize prices tend to increase consumption of less differentiated. However, people with higher purchasing power, which prioritize quality, certification and food safety, tend to seek the value-added products. For this group of consumers the beef consumption can remain or even reduce. Moreover, is predominant the influence of economic factors (price of beef substitutes, income distribution, beef prices, rising class C and D, income and purchasing power in Brazil) as well as search for convenience, practicality and safe food requirement. Low environmental impact products were not identified as a trend. Consumers are concerned about certifications, natural products, sustainable, with indication of origin, among other things. However for Brazilian consumers the factors related to environment or health / food will not be prioritized. The greatest relevance dimensions for consumer of Brazilian beef were rated by the Determinant of Consumption Index (DCI) proposed, in descending order: economic, sociocultural, health / food and environment.