by Lee Siu-Po & Yu Pun-Wai. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references. / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.iii / List of Figures and Tables --- p.iv / Acknowledgement --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Literature Review --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Research Objective --- p.14 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Research Methodology --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Research Results --- p.26 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion and Recommendation --- p.39 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Limitations --- p.41 / References --- p.44 / Appendices --- p.45 / Chapter 1. --- Annotated Questionnaire --- p.46 / Chapter 2. --- Table 1 - SPSS Results of the Questionnaire --- p.70 / Chapter 3. --- Table 2 - Tables of Z-values by Brands --- p.73 / Chapter 4. --- Table 3 - Tables of F-values by Brands --- p.75 / Chapter 5. --- Graphical Comparisons of Overall Impressions --- p.77

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 123-129).

Human behaviour can be explained not only through experience and environments but also by incorporating evolutionary explanation. Consumer behaviour could not be understood accurately without infusing Darwinian evolutionary theory which has contributed in the knowledge of human nature. Evolutionary psychology revolves around the human's evolved mental and the impact on human's traits and behaviour where the influence of the environment to our genes would determine our individual behaviour and traits, resulting in variation among us. Foraging which is a part of behavioural ecology involves many sequences or repetitions of animals' activities and decision making which is useful to relate these patterns of activities to the decisions made in human consumption. The aim of this research is to investigate the similarities of human consumption and ecological behaviour by employing interpretative and comparative approach. It is hoped that by applying the evolutionary theory in explaining consumer choice, this study is able to contribute to the development of behavioural ecology in human consumption.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / abstract / Business / Master / Master of Philosophy

by Shum, Wing Fai David, Tsang, Leung Lun Lennon. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-94). / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENT --- p.vi / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Advertisement Variation --- p.1 / Research Objective and Title --- p.4 / Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.5 / Background of the Ban on Cigarette Television Advertising --- p.5 / Situation after Bans in Other Nations --- p.8 / Rationale of the Research --- p.9 / Chapter III. --- THE RESEARCH HYPOTHESES --- p.11 / The Repetition-Variation Hypoptheses and the Elaboration Likelihood Model --- p.11 / Research Hypotheses --- p.14 / Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.17 / Causal Laboratory Experiment --- p.17 / Subjects and Design of the Experiment --- p.18 / Procedure of the Experiment --- p.20 / Non-experimental Independent Variables --- p.21 / Experimental Independent Variables ´ؤ´ؤX --- p.22 / Dependent Measures -- Oij --- p.23 / Consumer Research --- p.24 / Questionnaire Design --- p.24 / Sample Design --- p.25 / Chapter V. --- RESULTS DISCUSSIONS --- p.26 / Results Discussions of the Causal Laboratory Experiment --- p.26 / Brand Name Recall --- p.26 / Overall Attitudes toward the Cigarette Brand --- p.28 / Results Discussion of the Consumer Research --- p.31 / Brand Awareness of the Cigarette and the Corresponding Extended Product --- p.31 / Marlboro Classics --- p.36 / Kent Leisure --- p.37 / Mild Seven Freedom Holidays --- p.39 / Overall Feeling towards the Advertisements --- p.41 / Recall of the Brand's Cigarette when Viewing the Advertisement --- p.42 / Purchase Intent --- p.43 / Chapter VI. --- COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.45 / Persuasive Process --- p.45 / Information Processing --- p.47 / Brand Processing --- p.47 / Nonbrand Processing --- p.48 / Implications from Laboratory Experiment --- p.49 / Limitations --- p.50 / Implications from Consumer Research --- p.51 / Brand Product Extension --- p.53 / Chapter VII. --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.56 / APPENDIX / Chapter 1. --- MEDIA EXPENDITURE FOR 1990 一一 CIGARETTE --- p.59 / Chapter 2. --- PROCEDURE FOR THE EXPERIMENT --- p.60 / Chapter 3 . --- OBSERVATIONS OF THE DEPENDENT MEASURES --- p.63 / Chapter 4. --- QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CONSUMER RESEARCH --- p.65 / Chapter 5. --- SCORES OF TOP-OF-MIND AWARENESS --- p.70 / Chapter 6. --- PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WHO KNOW ABOUT THE PRODUCT EXTENSION OF THE CIGARETTE BRANDS THEY HAVE NAMED IN Q1 --- p.71 / Chapter 7. --- PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS WHO HAVE SEEN ADVERTISEMENTS OF THE EXTENDED PRODUCT --- p.72 / Chapter 8. --- PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWN OF CHANNELS FROM WHICH THE RESPONDENTS SAW THE ADVERTSIEMENTS --- p.73 / Chapter 9. --- ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ADVERTISEMENT OF MARLBORO CLASSICS --- p.74 / Chapter 10. --- ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ADVERTISEMENT OF KENT LEISURE --- p.77 / Chapter 11. --- ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ADVERTISEMENT OF MILD SEVEN FREEDOM HOLIDAYS --- p.80 / Chapter 12. --- OVERALL FEELING TOWARDS THE ADVERTISEMENT OF THE EXTENDED PRODUCT --- p.83 / Chapter 13. --- PURCHASE INTENT OF THE CORRESPONDING CIGARETTE --- p.84 / Chapter 14. --- PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DUMMY PRINT-ADVERTISEMENTS --- p.86 / Chapter 15. --- PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRINT-ADVERTISEMENT OF THE TESTING CIGARETTE --- p.91 / Chapter 16. --- PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRINT-ADVERTISEMENT OF THE EXTENDED PRODUCT --- p.92 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.93

This study examines the effects of two types of consumer knowledge, product and brand knowledge, on consumer fit perceptions between an extension and its parent brand, so as to further investigate the role of consumer knowledge in brand extension evaluations. Based on the reviewed literature four hypotheses were proposed. The first two hypotheses predicted that both product and brand knowledge has an impact of consumer perceived fit between an extension and its parent brand. The other two hypotheses proposed that product knowledge affect more on the fit perceptions between a functional brand and its extension, while brand knowledge affect more on the fit perceptions between a prestige brand and its extension. An experiment was performed to examine these hypothesized relationships. Two hypotheses related to brand knowledge are supported, while the other two hypotheses related to product knowledge are not supported statistically. The results reveal that product and brand knowledge have different effects on consumer fit perceptions between an extension and its parent brand in terms of different brand types, functional vs. prestige brand. The experimental findings demonstrate that brand knowledge has an impact on consumer fit perceptions between an extension and its parent brand, and its effect dominant in prestige brand extension evaluations.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis includes three essays which examine the implications of incorporating parameter heterogeneity, consideration set heterogeneity, and decision rule heterogeneity, respectively, in brand choice models. In the first essay, we identify the conditions under which unaccounted for price response heterogeneity results in a spurious sticker shock effect. We show, using an analytical derivation, a simulation study and an empirical application to scanner panel data, that estimates of the sticker shock effect may be biased if households that are price sensitive in their brand choice decision are also more likely to respond to category marketing activity in their purchase timing decision. The empirical results, from two product categories, show that the sticker shock coefficient from a Hierarchical Bayes model (which continuously accounts for price response heterogeneity) is statistically insignificant, providing no evidence of the existence of a sticker shock effect. In contrast, the corresponding coefficient from the standard model, which ignores this heterogeneity, is highly significant and supports the existence of a sticker shock effect. A posterior analysis of household parameters confirms the hypothesized relationship between price sensitivity in brand choice and responsiveness to promotional activity in purchase incidence, and is consistent with our explanation of the underlying cause of the bias in the standard model. The second essay develops a new consideration set model that can be estimated with scanner panel data. In contrast to many previous approaches, which require enumeration of all possible consideration sets, we directly model uncertainty about including a brand in the consideration set. The resulting inclusion probabilities for brands reflect a "fuzzy" consideration set in the sense that a brand belongs to the consideration set only probabilistically. The proposed fuzzy set model outperforms several previous consideration set models in two product categories (yogurt and ketchup). We then apply the fuzzy set approach to examine the role of the consideration set in moderating the impact of advertising on price sensitivity. In contrast to the experimental findings of Mitra and Lynch (1995), we find no positive relationship between consideration set size and price sensitivity. Further empirical test may be necessary to confirm the hypothesized relationship. In the third essay, we investigate the role of decision rule heterogeneity in brand choice behavior. We develop a flexible model, which allows for the uncertainty in decision rules used by the consumer. Specifically, we develop a Hierarchical Bayes model of reference price effects that accommodates both the sticker shock and reference-dependent formulations. In addition, we also incorporate the possibility that consumers may mix the two decision rules probabilistically. Therefore, the proposed model allows for three different decision hierarchies which incorporate sticker shock, reference-dependent and mixed rules respectively. The empirical results show that consumers differ not only in their preference and response but also in their decision rules. On average, half the sample households appear to show loss aversion, i.e., follow a reference-dependent decision rule, while the remaining households do not seem to respond to reference prices. The proposed model provides a richer description of consumer choice processes than the comparison models that allow for only one model structure and ignore model uncertainty.

This investigation probes the perceptions of consumers as well as marketers with regard to the branding of fast moving consumer goods in South African retail chain stores. While much research has been conducted on branding, this investigation will focus on the extent to which marketers’ perceptions and consumers’ perceptions converge with a view to maximizing the mutual benefits to be derived from marketing strategies within a contemporary South African environment. The extent to which South African marketers’ perceptions and consumers’ perceptions converge to promote brand equity is postulated in the brand equity optimization model. The research commenced with an exhaustive literature survey followed by an empirical survey. The fieldwork for this survey was conducted nationally among the three major retail groups in South Africa and among consumers living in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The findings from the literature survey indicate that both local and international companies have realized the potential of investing resources in brand building activities. These findings have provided evidence to suggest that building brand equity for fast moving consumer goods impacts positively on the sales and the popularity of these products. The findings of the empirical research illustrates that the typical South African consumer has become brand conscious and brand building activities encourage them to purchase these products. The findings from the consumer survey were supported by the investigation conducted among retail chain stores who agreed that building brand equity results in increased sales and the popularity of the products concerned. Consumers have a preference for manufacturer branded products but house brands are selected primarily because they are cheaper. Manufacturer brands are viewed by consumers as having the most innovative packaging, excellent promotional support and consistently good quality while retail chain stores believe that manufacturer brands lead the way in terms of brand building activities, packaging innovation, promotional support and quality. The results of both surveys illustrate that retail chain stores and consumers share similar viewpoints with regards to the branding, packaging, pricing, promotions and quality attributes of fast moving consumer goods in terms of optimizing brand equity. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2007.