This research is a study of purchasing intentions and behaviors in China. Consumers from four key cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guangzhou were studied and differences in intentions and behavior as well as influences on behavior were analyzed. The results of the study provide greater depth to understanding consumer behavior in China and insight into likely responses to marketing strategies. Interviews with Chinese marketing experts were conducted and surveys were administered to samples of the target populations. Interviews assisted in understanding many of the general stereotypes held with respect to various ethnicities and helped with explaining some of the reasons for differences found. The study’s results are categorized into five areas. First, with respect to general purchasing intentions the study found that Chinese consumers from key cities differ significantly with respect to most of the purchasing intentions measured including inclination to try to new products, brand loyalty, use of discount cards, and willingness to purchase substitute brands. Based on five measures of conservatism, Beijing and Shanghai consumers were found to exhibit more conservative consumption behaviors than Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers. Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers are more likely than consumers in Shanghai and Beijing to wait for a friend's recommendation before buying a new brand. Second, with respect to brand choices, the study found that Beijing consumers tend to be more ethnocentric in their purchasing behavior in comparison to consumers from other key cities. The study also found a moderate association between ethnicity and brand purchase repertoire in most product categories. Third, with respect to reasons for purchases, the study found that generally there was only limited association between ethnicity and the reason for selecting brands. Consumers most often cited quality as the main reason for purchase. Fourth, with respect to actual brand purchase frequencies, the study found that Beijing consumers made more frequent purchases more often than other consumers in half of the categories studied. Chongqing consumers tend to purchase favorite brands less frequently than consumers from other key cities. Fifth, with respect to knowledge of country of origin and country of manufacture and their influences on intentions, the study found that for most product categories (nine of twelve studied) country of origin was an important consideration in the purchase decision. In general, many Chinese consumers are misinformed about brands’ country of origin. The research provides insight into important purchase cues and moderators impacting brand choice behavior.

O objeto de estudo desse trabalho é verificar os impactos das mudanças no ambiente institucional, europeu e nacional, em virtude das exigências do consumidor europeu quanto à qualidade do produto, sobre o Sistema Agroindustrial Bovino nacional.Utiliza-se como referencial teórico a Nova Economia Institucional (NEI), nas vertentes da Economia dos Custos de Transação (Williamson, 1989) e Economia Institucional (North, 1993). A hipótese central do trabalho considera que a alteração no ambiente institucional, devido ao crescimento das exigências do consumidor europeu, aumenta a especificidade do ativo, levando a adoção de uma estrutura de governança mais restrita como forma de reduzir os custos de transação. A partir das informações coletadas via questionários e entrevistas aplicadas às empresas frigoríficas exportadoras de carne bovina para a União Européia, concluiu-se que embora o aumento das exigências dos consumidores europeus tenha alterado o ambiente institucional do bloco, com conseqüentes alterações no ambiente institucional brasileiro, houve pouco impacto sobre a forma de governança das transações do SAG da carne bovina nacional. No que diz respeito à relação da indústria frigorífica exportadora com o fornecedor de boi, verificou-se que não há estabelecimentos de contratos nas transações. Contudo, este fato pode ser explicado pela criação de compromissos confiáveis entre as partes (fornecedores de boi e frigoríficos exportadores), e também pela falta de enforcement da rastreabilidade por parte da UE e do governo brasileiro (o que acaba por reduzir a especificidade do ativo da matéria-prima). Quanto à relação do frigorífico com seus compradores do mercado interno, rejeita-se a hipótese, pois prevalece um compromisso confiável entre as partes, sendo as transações conduzidas via mercado. No que se refere às relações dos frigoríficos exportadores com o mercado europeu, não se rejeita a hipótese, pois o aumento da especificidade dos ativos conduziu ao estabelecimento de contratos como forma de diminuir seus custos de transação. / The aim of this study is to analyze the changes in the institutional environments, European and National, due to European consumers’ requirements regarding the quality of products, about the National Beef Agro-Industrial System. It uses as theoretical references the New Institutional Economy (NEI), in its slopes of Economy of Cost of Transactions (Williamson, 1989) and Institutional Economy (North, 1993). The central hipothesis of the study considers that the changes in the institutional environment, due to the rise on requirements from European consumers, increases the peculiarity of the assets, leading to a more restrict governing framework as a way to reduce costs of transactions. Taking the data collected via questionairies and interviews made with the beef export slaughterhouses to the European Union, it is conluded that even though the rise on requirements from European consumers has changed the institutional environment of the block, with consequent changes in the Brazilian institutional environment, there has been little impact on the governing procedures of transactions of SAG of domestic beef. Regarding the beef export slaughterhouse industry, it was verified that there are no establishments of agreements for the transactions. However, this fact can be explained through the creation of reliable commitments between the parts (beef suppliers and slaughterhouses), and also by the lack of enforcement on traceability on the part of the European Union and the Brazilian government (which ends up reducing the peculiarity of the assets of the raw material). As for the relationship between the slaughterhouse and its consumers of the domestic market, the hypothesis is rejected, because what prevails is a realible commitment between the two parts, being the transactions conducted through the market. Regarding the relationship between the export slaughterhouse and the European market, the hypothesis is not rejected, because the rise on the peculiarity of assets leads to the establishment of agreements as a way to reduce the costs of transactions.

O objeto de estudo desse trabalho é verificar os impactos das mudanças no ambiente institucional, europeu e nacional, em virtude das exigências do consumidor europeu quanto à qualidade do produto, sobre o Sistema Agroindustrial Bovino nacional.Utiliza-se como referencial teórico a Nova Economia Institucional (NEI), nas vertentes da Economia dos Custos de Transação (Williamson, 1989) e Economia Institucional (North, 1993). A hipótese central do trabalho considera que a alteração no ambiente institucional, devido ao crescimento das exigências do consumidor europeu, aumenta a especificidade do ativo, levando a adoção de uma estrutura de governança mais restrita como forma de reduzir os custos de transação. A partir das informações coletadas via questionários e entrevistas aplicadas às empresas frigoríficas exportadoras de carne bovina para a União Européia, concluiu-se que embora o aumento das exigências dos consumidores europeus tenha alterado o ambiente institucional do bloco, com conseqüentes alterações no ambiente institucional brasileiro, houve pouco impacto sobre a forma de governança das transações do SAG da carne bovina nacional. No que diz respeito à relação da indústria frigorífica exportadora com o fornecedor de boi, verificou-se que não há estabelecimentos de contratos nas transações. Contudo, este fato pode ser explicado pela criação de compromissos confiáveis entre as partes (fornecedores de boi e frigoríficos exportadores), e também pela falta de enforcement da rastreabilidade por parte da UE e do governo brasileiro (o que acaba por reduzir a especificidade do ativo da matéria-prima). Quanto à relação do frigorífico com seus compradores do mercado interno, rejeita-se a hipótese, pois prevalece um compromisso confiável entre as partes, sendo as transações conduzidas via mercado. No que se refere às relações dos frigoríficos exportadores com o mercado europeu, não se rejeita a hipótese, pois o aumento da especificidade dos ativos conduziu ao estabelecimento de contratos como forma de diminuir seus custos de transação. / The aim of this study is to analyze the changes in the institutional environments, European and National, due to European consumers’ requirements regarding the quality of products, about the National Beef Agro-Industrial System. It uses as theoretical references the New Institutional Economy (NEI), in its slopes of Economy of Cost of Transactions (Williamson, 1989) and Institutional Economy (North, 1993). The central hipothesis of the study considers that the changes in the institutional environment, due to the rise on requirements from European consumers, increases the peculiarity of the assets, leading to a more restrict governing framework as a way to reduce costs of transactions. Taking the data collected via questionairies and interviews made with the beef export slaughterhouses to the European Union, it is conluded that even though the rise on requirements from European consumers has changed the institutional environment of the block, with consequent changes in the Brazilian institutional environment, there has been little impact on the governing procedures of transactions of SAG of domestic beef. Regarding the beef export slaughterhouse industry, it was verified that there are no establishments of agreements for the transactions. However, this fact can be explained through the creation of reliable commitments between the parts (beef suppliers and slaughterhouses), and also by the lack of enforcement on traceability on the part of the European Union and the Brazilian government (which ends up reducing the peculiarity of the assets of the raw material). As for the relationship between the slaughterhouse and its consumers of the domestic market, the hypothesis is rejected, because what prevails is a realible commitment between the two parts, being the transactions conducted through the market. Regarding the relationship between the export slaughterhouse and the European market, the hypothesis is not rejected, because the rise on the peculiarity of assets leads to the establishment of agreements as a way to reduce the costs of transactions.

The thesis deals with the changes related to shift from university to first serious job. We have tried to find out how do graduates and university students reflects possible changes related to this situation with focus on changes in consumption behaviour. The theoretical part is based on theories of practices with their representatives Pierre Bourdieu and Alan Warde. Also approach of Mary Douglas and several classical approaches to consumption (e.g. Thorstein Veblen's conspicuous consumption etc.) and approach to reference groups theories are presented as a theoretical background of the thesis. The research is based on qualitative interviews with graduates or university students who have started to join their first serious job. All interviews have been conducted with Prague residents who work in commercial companies in Prague, their position have been often related to marketing area. The main finding is that the respondents perceive their social status as higher than before, they have started to follow practices related to their work team which have manifested also in the change of some of their consumption patterns (connected with e.g. eating, travelling, car purchasing and using). They have also different level of need to be integrated of the work team. This need is based on the age composition...

The master's thesis deals with the purchase decision-making process of consumers in the market of the portable computers. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the different stages of the purchase decision-making process, specify the consumers in this market and describe their buying behaviour. In the theoretical part of the thesis there are described internal and external factors affecting the buying behaviour of consumers and also the purchase decision-making process. Furthermore, the thesis describes the market of portable computers, the current situation on this market and purchase decision-making process in this market. The thesis contains primary and secondary research. Primary research involves the analysis of data obtained from a questionnaire survey conducted in the form of online surveying. Primary research is devoted to the description of the various stages of the purchase decision-making process of the defined age categories. Secondary research specifies the consumers in the market of portable computers on the basis of data from the database MML-TGI.