Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the influential factors on consumer attitude towards organic food in a rapid growing market and how the attitude influences consumer purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – after reviewing relevant literatures, a research model was developed based on six hypotheses. The model was tested by conducting an online survey on Chinese consumers. Findings – Four out of six hypotheses were accepted. In specific, health consciousness, consumer knowledge and personal norms obviously showed their impacts on Chinese consumer attitude and the last hypothesis indicates the positive relationship between attitude and purchase intention. Originality/value – Since two hypotheses from the research model were rejected, a new model was developed which is particularly represented for Chinese market. Keywords - Consumer attitude, Organic food, Health, Consumer knowledge, Environmental, Norms, China, Purchase intention Paper type - Research paper

Customer perception and the way this phenomenon impacts customers' choices when purchasing products is an extremely significant marketing aspect in any industry. In a competitive market and economy, understanding and being able to predict consumer perceptions and responses is a crucial competitive factor that all suppliers should have an in–depth knowledge and understanding of. This applies especially to the South African beer market with more than forty competing beer brands. This study examines the aspect of customer perception in terms of the three central variable perceptions of price, taste and brand image. Furthermore, the study takes into account the interaction between these variables and attempts to ascertain whether one is more significant than the other. To this end an empirical research study was undertaken by means of a questionnaire that examined the responses from 225 participants. These responses were analysed in terms of a number of significant variables in relation to perceptions of price, taste and brand image. The results were also compared to the literature and theory on the subject. Among the findings from this research was that while all variables were important, price was considered by the participants to be a constant factor in the decision–making process. However, it was also found that price as a perception could not be viewed in isolation as a separate and autonomous variable. It was found that aspects such as brand image could have a significant impact on other perceptual factors such as taste. The study concludes with the recommendation that the perceptions of price, taste and brand image should be considered in terms of their affect on each other and should be further researched in terms of a more holistic understanding of their interconnections. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Societal marketing - marketing based on socially or environmentally conscious attributes, has for many years been considered an accepted chapter of marketing theory. However, consumer response to many socially-conscious products never met expectations - prompting marketing researchers to re-examine the assumptions underpinning the societal marketing theory. One such assumption is that, given consumer concern for environmental and social issues, there is a positive, significant relationship between consumer societal knowledge and the purchase of socially-conscious products. However, the few studies which have examined this relationship have failed to provide consistent results, and thus the nature of the relationship remains unclear. It is argued within this thesis that the equivocation of results may have been a methodological artefact, as investigations often used general rather than specific measures and excluded moderating variables from their theoretical models. Adopting a mixed-method approach, this study first used qualitative interviews to identify moderating variables which may impact the relationship between the knowledge and purchase. The identified potential moderating variables were then incorporated into quantitative, survey research which was used to examine the nature of the relationship between consumer societal knowledge and the purchase of socially-conscious products. The study found that the relationship between the variables is both positive and significant, but weak. The results revealed that one contextual variable, Health, moderated the relationship between knowledge and purchase. The results also suggest the more traditional product attribute of price remains the most significant predictor of purchase - far greater than the consumers' societal knowledge.

Abstract This study examines the relationship between perceived brand fit, perceived risk, perceived value and intention to purchase in the context of co-branded hotels and restaurants. Today’s market contains many products and services that can look very similar, and companies use co-branding of their products to make them distinctive from other products on the market. A better understanding of consumer behaviour and attitude to co-branding may improve restaurant profitability and hotel occupancy. One important question to be considered is what determines consumers’ willingness to purchase in co-branded hotel and restaurants? In spite of a number of research papers on hotel-restaurant co-branding written in recent years, previous academic studies have not addressed the relationship between co-branding of hotels and restaurants and intention to purchase. The aim of this research is to examine how the relationship of brand fit, risk and value relate to intention to purchase, and to do this three research questions and eleven hypotheses are proposed. A previous study by Boo and Matilla (2002) has proposed a conceptual model of hotel-restaurant brand alliance strategies, relating management strategy characteristics and consumer characteristics with the consequences of perceived brand fit. The present study develops this existing model by examining the components of brand fit that determine consumer intention to purchase. The study investigates three main areas: firstly, it examines the relationship between perceived brand fit and intention to purchase in terms of perceived fit (overall), complementary fit based on product usage and product goal, and transferability fit based on service quality. Secondly, it examines the relationship between perceived risk and intention to purchase in terms of personal characteristics including risk-taking behaviour and self-confidence; uncertainty of loss including financial loss, time loss and physical loss, and, performance risk. Thirdly, it examines the relationship between perceived value and intention to purchase in terms of perceived brand image, perceived quality and perceived sacrifice, based on monetary and non-monetary price. A quantitative approach involving survey of hotel guests has been employed with data collected in four and five star hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand from August to September 2008. A survey questionnaire was administered to guests and a total of 511 completed responses were collected. The data analyses performed using a standard multiple regression method, a paired sample T-test, a chi-square test and a multiple response technique. The results indicate that the model of perceived brand fit in this study has two key components which positively influence a consumer’s intention to purchase. Firstly, the perceived fit (overall), and, secondly, complement fit based on product usage and product goal. Furthermore, for the perceived risk model the finding also indicates two key components which positively influence a consumer’s intention to purchase. The first component is uncertainty of loss in terms of financial, time and physical loss. The second component is performance risk in terms of product and service performance. Lastly, the results indicate that the perceived value model revealed three components which are positively related to consumer’s intention to purchase. The first component is perceived brand image, the second component is perceived quality, and the last component is perceived sacrifice in terms of both monetary and non-monetary price. The conceptual framework developed and tested in this study can be used as a guideline to enable an appropriate co-branding marketing strategy to be developed.

Zugl.: Erlangen, Nürnberg, University, Diss., 2006.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Mar. 11, 2010). Thesis advisor: Daniel M. Feller. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-126).

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.