The beauty of group-buying is that the price will go down as the value of accumulated orders is increasing. However, the beauty cannot be realized if many customers are waiting have a lower price. Therefore, it may affect the performance of the group-buying. How to design different incentives to induce customers to join the group-buying as early as possible is the purpose of this study. In the light of inducing buyers to join the group-buying as early as possible, three incentive mechanisms, time-based, quantity-based, and sequence-based, are proposed. In order to verify the performance of the three proposed new group-buying models compared with that of the traditional group-buying model, an experiment was implemented. According to the results of the experiment, we found that the time-based model can reduce customers¡¦ decision time before joining the group-buying. While the sequence-based model also can push customers to join the group-buying in the very beginning. As for the quantity-based model, it is in our expectation that the customers buy more than their original plan in order to get more discounts. We also observe that buyers' satisfaction is higher if the group-buying model can effectively reduce the price. Furthermore, the earlier customers join the group-buying, more satisfactions they will get. Besides, the buyers also agree with that the group-buying model can effectively reduce the price. Furthermore, we discover that the perceived value, perceived usefulness, and perceived easy of use can positively affect the buyers' attitude, and consequently, buyers are willing to join the group-buying in the future.

In the group-buying transaction, consumers will not know the final price until the transaction is closed. It means that there are uncertainties of the final price and time to reach a desired price. In other words, consumers have financial risk and time risk in group-buying transactions. In addition, different pricing strategies of group-buying may result in different risks. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the perceived risks of consumers affect their intentions to participate the online group-buying with different pricing mechanisms, i.e. decreasing, neutral and increasing. The result shows that because group-buying models with different pricing mechanisms have different initial prices, final prices and discounts, the risks perceived by consumers are different and then, affect consumers¡¦ intention to participate the online group-buying. Among these three pricing mechanisms, decreasing pricing mechanism makes consumers perceive higher risk than other pricing mechanisms because its initial price is higher. The more the consumers¡¦ perceived risks are, the lower the consumers¡¦ intentions to participate the online group-buying are. Therefore, group-buying with decreasing pricing mechanism can not attract consumers to join the online group-buying efficiently. Furthermore, this study finds that perceived usefulness and satisfaction affect consumers¡¦ intentions to participate the online group-buying significantly. In addition, all consumers¡¦ perceived risks, perceived usefulness and intentions to participate online group-buying influence consumers¡¦ actual participating behavior significantly.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study examines the changes of family life and relationships in urban China with reference to the filial piety and intimacy theories as well as the individualization thesis. It takes housing consumption as an entry point and focuses on the intergenerational relations in one-child families. It adopts qualitative research methods to explore consumption practices and the meanings attached to these actions and events for these families. I conducted in-depth interviews with 22 families (middle-aged parents and/or adult children) and ethnographic observation in Guangzhou during the period of 2010 and 2011. This study examines the meanings attached to housing consumption from the perspective of these urban families. It shows how parents use money to express their love/care and to define their children’s filial obligations. It also demonstrates how parents use their grey money to secure a better future for both generations. It also illustrates the process of consumption to show differentiated family strategies for achieving collective well-being. It also presents their power dynamics and varied ways that parents and children negotiate and handle conflicts for individual goals. It examines the specific socioeconomic context regarding numerous risks and abundant opportunities that are faced by these families. This study thereby enables us to see more clearly the interactions between the state, the market and family dynamics in modern China. It is argued that urban Chinese parents who play an active and leading role in housing consumption use their money to purchase intimacy with only children. Their desires are socially constructed by their life experiences since the Mao era and by their children’s struggles in a marketized economy. Thus this study challenges the victimized image of Chinese parents and refines the over-simplified exchange logic of parental investment in the market economy. Their desires and agency as middle-aged people with only children in a rapid socioeconomic transformation have to be addressed. It notes the rise of new filial individuals among only children in the individualization of Chinese society. They are not the uncivil individuals as portrayed by scholars and the media, but rather the dutiful ones who have a heightened filial sense and also engage in new filial practices. Their ideas of filial piety are less about life-debt (due to parents’ giving them life and raising them up), obedience (to parents) and moral obligations. It is more about money-debt (due to parental investment in housing and other financing projects), exchange of material assistance and emotional bonds. This study thus helps develop a new way of understanding filial piety among young Chinese and reconsider the impacts of individualization on family relations and on the younger generation. The study shows a visible trend of refamiliation with cooperation, conflicts and negotiations involved. By stressing the necessity of collective decision-making between this two-generation collective in housing consumption, these parents and children are building up a negotiable intimacy that reconfirms the vital importance of family intimacy over conjugal intimacy. It thus develops a new model of exploring housing consumption in urban China and helps redefine the Western concept of intimacy. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

<p>Public opinion tools are used to look at voter motivations to engage in clientelistic practices and their variation across structures of competition.</p> / Dissertation

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there is a correlation between attitude andbuying decisions of consumers regarding certified coffee. The study will examine whether marketsurveys measuring consumer’s attitudes, is a good method for predicting a purchasing decisionsregarding certified coffee. Method: To study consumer attitudes towards certified coffee, we have implemented a web-basedsurvey at Facebook. A total of 108 responses were recorded. To complement the Facebook study wehave conducted three surveys on persons who are customers at ICA. Respondents here consists of customers who traded at an ICA store in Stockholm on three different occasions and times. In order tostudy consumers' actual buying decisions are also sales on Fairtrade and KRAV-certified coffeecollected. Theory: The study is based on the two theories "The Theory of Planned Behaviour" and "TheDecision-Making Process," which describe consumers' attitudes and purchasing behavior to a product. Conclusions: The study’s results show that one can discern a pattern among the four sub-studiesregarding respondents' attitudes and purchase decisions of certified coffee. Results of this study showthat the respondents on average have a neutral attitude to certified coffee. Women have a more positive attitude to certified coffee than men. Students and workers' attitude to certified coffee is not different.There is a correlation between respondents' attitude to the stated purchase decision regarding certified coffee. The stated purchase decision is the buying decision that the respondents have stated in the questionnaire surveys. An analysis of the sales of Fair Trade and KRAV however, we can see that thereis a paradox between consumer attitudes and the actual buying decision when it comes to certified coffee. Approximately 36 percent of respondents have a positive attitude to certified coffee while Fairtrade and KRAV-certified coffee have a sales share of about 10 percent of the total coffee market in the Swedish grocery trade in 2011. The study concludes that there is a relationship between consumers' attitude to and the actual purchase decision regarding certified coffee. Market surveys which measure consumers' attitude is not a reliable method for predicting consumers' purchasing decisions regarding certified coffee.

Buying behaviour is a complex, wide– ranging field, intricately associated with human mental processes, responding to environmental stimuli. Understanding the customer and being able to predict their behaviour, is of prime importance to all marketers and marketing strategists for two reasons: Firstly because, the overall strategy of the company has to be clearly reflected in the marketing strategy for any meaningful progress. Secondly, to be able to adjust or adapt the marketing effort to changing marketing conditions. The focus of this study is to research the buying behaviour of farmers through the marketing mix paradigm. Although slightly contentious in terms of recent theories and field of application, the dichotomous nature of farmers buying behaviour and the characteristics of the purchase makes this theory a good fit for the circumstances. The marketing mix theory focuses on the controllable external stimuli which reinforces the practical application of this study. The buying behaviour of farmers was researched by asking farmers to evaluate the importance of a statement related to an element of the marketing mix theory by telephonic interview. The answers of the farmers were analysed using various statistical methods and the following salient results were obtained: All the elements of the marketing mix theory are important to farmers when deciding on buying a new tractor. The less experienced farmers rated all the elements of the marketing mix as more important than more experienced farmers. There was a definitive subset of farmers for whom the more changeable part of the marketing mix, price and promotion, had a definite impact on their decision. Price and promotion did not correlate with farmers who viewed the product of high importance. Other results indicated that the farmers in the test sample bought a new tractor every 2.3 years with 54% of farmers buying a new tractor in the past year. The frequency with which farmers buy new tractors shows the importance of the market. The finding that the elements of the marketing mix theory are important to farmers was expected and could serve as an incentive for future research. The marketing mix theory is viewed as highly applicable in this case, due to its relative simplicity and the focus on the more controllable stimuli on the farmer. It was also found that for a significant subset of farmers the more modifiable elements had a definitive impact on their decision when buying a tractor. This offers an opportunity to marketers willing to respond to changing uncontrollable conditions to influence buying decisions in the short term. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Buying behaviour is a complex, wide– ranging field, intricately associated with human mental processes, responding to environmental stimuli. Understanding the customer and being able to predict their behaviour, is of prime importance to all marketers and marketing strategists for two reasons: Firstly because, the overall strategy of the company has to be clearly reflected in the marketing strategy for any meaningful progress. Secondly, to be able to adjust or adapt the marketing effort to changing marketing conditions. The focus of this study is to research the buying behaviour of farmers through the marketing mix paradigm. Although slightly contentious in terms of recent theories and field of application, the dichotomous nature of farmers buying behaviour and the characteristics of the purchase makes this theory a good fit for the circumstances. The marketing mix theory focuses on the controllable external stimuli which reinforces the practical application of this study. The buying behaviour of farmers was researched by asking farmers to evaluate the importance of a statement related to an element of the marketing mix theory by telephonic interview. The answers of the farmers were analysed using various statistical methods and the following salient results were obtained: All the elements of the marketing mix theory are important to farmers when deciding on buying a new tractor. The less experienced farmers rated all the elements of the marketing mix as more important than more experienced farmers. There was a definitive subset of farmers for whom the more changeable part of the marketing mix, price and promotion, had a definite impact on their decision. Price and promotion did not correlate with farmers who viewed the product of high importance. Other results indicated that the farmers in the test sample bought a new tractor every 2.3 years with 54% of farmers buying a new tractor in the past year. The frequency with which farmers buy new tractors shows the importance of the market. The finding that the elements of the marketing mix theory are important to farmers was expected and could serve as an incentive for future research. The marketing mix theory is viewed as highly applicable in this case, due to its relative simplicity and the focus on the more controllable stimuli on the farmer. It was also found that for a significant subset of farmers the more modifiable elements had a definitive impact on their decision when buying a tractor. This offers an opportunity to marketers willing to respond to changing uncontrollable conditions to influence buying decisions in the short term. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

No description available.

衝動性購買在一般的消費行為中扮演著日趨重要的角色，衝動性購買是企業不可忽視的消費行為，有必要了解其產生原因。由於過去文獻大部分都只探討某些變數對衝動性購買的影響，缺乏完整性，因此本研究透過完整架構來探討消費者衝動性購買的原因。此外，不同於一般衝動性購買行為的相關研究，本研究設法進行跨通路比較，比較在實體通路與電視購物兩種不同通路型態消費者衝動性購買的原因是否不同。本研究資料分析是以LISREL來檢定相關研究假設，本研究多變項的研究架構正好適合用LISREL進行分析，以探討各變數間的影響關係。 經過實證分析的研究結果發現： 一. 在實體通路與電視購物兩種通路的衝動性購買行為影響因素並不完全相同，且影響效果也有所不同。 二. 衝動性購買是複雜的消費行為，容易受到眾多因素一起影響，並非只是單一變數的影響效果，且這些變數在體通路與電視購物兩種不同的通路也會有不同的影響效果。 三. 在實體通路與電視購物兩種通路，價格促銷優惠對衝動性購買行為的影響均不顯著，而非價格促銷優惠對衝動性購買行為的影響均顯著。 四. 在實體通路與電視購物兩種通路，通路品牌形象對店內瀏覽或收看購物頻道的影響均顯著。 五. 在電視購物通路，產品品牌形象愈良好，愈容易產生衝動性購買行為；在實體通路，產品品牌形象的影響不顯著。 六. 在實體通路，信用卡使用對購買衝動及衝動性購買行為都有顯著的影響；在電視購物通路，信用卡使用的影響不顯著。 七. 在實體通路與電視購物兩種通路，使用聯名信用卡對衝動性購買之影響力均高於一般信用卡。 八. 在實體通路與電視購物兩種通路，衝動性購買傾向對購買衝動的影響均非常顯著。 九. 在實體通路，店內瀏覽的投入程度愈高，愈容易產生衝動性購買行為；在電視購物通路，收看購物頻道的投入程度愈高，愈容易產生購買衝動，也愈容易產生衝動性購買。 / Abstract The role of impulsive buying is becoming more and more important in normal consumption behavior. Enterprise shouldn’t neglect this kind of consumer behavior. It is a worthwhile problem to investigate impulsive buying precursors. The past research usually focused on investigating the effects of only certain variables on impulsive buying. This kind of study is not complete. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the cause of impulsive buying through complete structure. Besides, unlike other impulsive buying studies, this study tries to add the variable of channel. This study compares impulsive buying precursors in physical outlet and TV shopping channels. This study uses LISERAL program to examine hypotheses. By means of these studies, the conclusions of this research are summarized as follows： 1. Impulsive buying precursors are different in physical outlet and TV shopping channels. The effects of impulsive buying precursors are also different in these two channels. 2. Impulsive buying is a complicated consumption behavior. It is usually affected by many variables at the same time, not just one variable. Besides, the effects of these variables are different in physical outlet and TV shopping channels. 3. In physical outlet and TV shopping channels, the effect of price promotion on impulsive buying is not significant. 4. In both physical outlet and TV shopping channels, the effect of channel brand image on in-store browsing or TV shopping program watching is significant. 5. In TV shopping channel, the better the product brand image, the higher the likelihood of making an impulse purchase. In physical outlet channel, the effect of product brand image on impulsive buying is not significant. 6. In physical outlet channel, the effects of credit card use on felt urges to buy impulsively and impulsive buying are both significant. In TV shopping channel, the effects of credit card is not significant. 7. In physical outlet and TV shopping channels, the effect of co-brand credit card use on impulsive buying is more significant than regular credit card use. 8. In physical outlet and TV shopping channels, the effect of impulse buying tendency on impulsive buying is both very significant. 9. In physical outlet channel, the greater the level of in-store browsing, the greater the frequency of felt urges to buy impulsively. In TV shopping channel, the greater the level of TV shopping program watching, the greater the frequency of felt urges to buy impulsively.