This thesis is designed to explore consumer attitudes and behaviors toward corporations that engage in socially responsible practices. The goal of this project was to determine if there was a relationship between a company’s perceived reputation for social responsibility and attitudes and behaviors that would favorably impact the company. Specifically, the project uses a case study of UPS and its support of Zoo Atlanta to further test these relationships in a true-to-life scenario. The findings reveal implications for corporate communication efforts in two ways: first, by serving as a framework to evaluate future corporate giving programs and to better understand company reputation; and second, by understanding the importance of strategically positioning one’s company as a good corporate citizen.

Purpose: To study the Dutch youth’s perceptions on and attitudes toward mobile advertising. Background: Consumers are living within a media saturated environment, which limits the effectiveness of advertising. This has led to advertising clutter, most prevalent in traditional mass media. The advertising clutter has resulted in marketers moving their advertising focus toward less cluttered mediums, such as mobile advertising. Mobile advertising allows companies to specifically target the right consumers by looking at age, gender and geographic regions etc. Being able to advertise to such a specified target group is an advantage for companies, however the question remaining is how consumers perceive this form of specific targeting advertising. Method: In this research the deductive approach has been implemented in order to answer the research questions. Both qualitative and quantitative data has been collected through a questionnaire and focus group. The statements used in the questionnaire are based on previous studies and theories. The data retrieved through the questionnaire has been analysed using SPSS. Conclusion: The results of this study showed the Dutch youth mainly sees the originality, interactivity and entertainment levels of mobile advertising as positive in comparison to traditional forms of advertising. Furthermore, message content was shown to be an important factor in order for the consumer to perceive the advertising as positive. The main aggravating attributes that come with mobile advertising are the perceived risks, like receiving too many advertising messages. Furthermore it was found that the more positive the attitude toward advertising in general is, and the more the consumer likes searching for product information, the more positive the attitude toward mobile advertising will be. The main purpose of this research was to find out what the attitudes of the Dutch youth are toward mobile advertising. The statistical results showed a negative attitude toward mobile advertising. However, the qualitative results showed that when mobile advertising is used in a proper way, consumers’ attitudes can be positive.

The thesis examines the relationship between consumer attitudes and a scented shopping environment. A relationship and phenomena concerning scent marketing, which could be seen as one of the more provocative forms of marketing since the human sense of smell, is connected to the limbic system where motivation and attitudes are created. The use of scent marketing has, so far, been proven effective in sales increasing whereas it is one of the less explored forms of marketing. The purpose of the thesis is to answer the following question: Is it possible to find differences in consumer attitudes in a scented buying environment compared to a nonscented buying environment, and thereby create new basis for segmentation? The thesis is based on a quantitative study where data has been gathered in a scent manipulated buying environment through structured interviews with consumers. The thesis applies a deductive approach to the main theories in the area of interest. The findings suggest new theory discussing that it is difficult to use consumer attitudes, towards a scented store environment, as a foundation for market segmentation. Further the results of the executed scent experiment comply with the existing theories about the affect of scent marketing as a sales increasing marketing tool.

Medan gymbranschen i Sverige domineras av gymkedjor som Friskis & Svettis och SATS, som erbjuder främst gymträning med mindre fokus på tilläggsprodukter för ett relativt lågt pris, domineras marknaden i Storbritannien av företag som t.ex. David Lloyd och Virgin Active. Där är priserna betydligt högre men förutom gymträning finns där även aktiviteter som t.ex. tennis, tillgång till simbassäng, spa, barnpassning och restaurang med fokus på hela familjen. Denna kvantitativa studie i form av konsument- och konkurrentundersökningar ämnade utreda den potentiella efterfrågan och marknadsmöjligheten för ett liknande koncept i Sverige, med norra Stockholm som utvald miljö. Studien visade att det finns viss potentiell marknadsmöjlighet för konceptet samt att intresse för konceptets attribut och tilläggsprodukter finns bland respondenterna. Dock är de tillfrågade respondenterna i synnerhet priskänsliga och nöjda med nuvarande träningsanläggning. Meningen med undersökningen var även att ta reda på vilka av de tillgängliga attribut och tilläggsprodukter som efterfrågades mest från respondenterna. Följande var med ordningsföljd mest intressanta; gym, spa/massage bastu och bubbelbad, racketsporter, simbassäng samt gruppträningar, yoga och danspass.

Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka konsumentbeteendet för barnmat i Kina som i sintur ledde till identifierade faktorer som svenska företag bör ta hänsyn till när de funderar på enexpansion till Kina. På grund av säkerhetsbrister i barnmaten i Kina så finns det en ökadefterfrågan för utländsk barnmat som lett till potential för många företag. Därför har faktoreridentifierats som kan påverka hur en expansion ska gå tillväga för ett svenskt barnmatsföretagi Kina.Uppsatsen har utförts genom en mixad metodologi där en självadministrerande enkätgenomfördes i Kina riktad mot kinesiska konsumenter och en semistrukturerad intervjuutfördes med det svenska barnmatsföretaget Child Food Factory. Enkäten undersöktekonsumentbeteendet som finns för barnmat i Kina för att identifiera vilka attityder ochvärderingar som finns. Vidare undersöktes de köpvanor och behov som konsumenterna harför barnmat, samt åsikter kring utländsk barnmat och ekologiskt producerad barnmat. Densemistrukturerade intervjun undersökte det koncept som Child Food Factory har bakom sinbarnmatsprodukt och hur produkten kommer att tas emot av den kinesiska marknaden, dettadå Child Food Factory var i processen med att ta in sin barnmatsprodukt i Kina.De empiriska fynden analyserades och resultat innefattar identifierade egenskaper hos dekinesiska konsumenterna vad gäller konsumentbeteende och värderingar kring barnmat.Några av de egenskaper som identifierats är att de kinesiska konsumenterna påverkas främstav familj, vänner och släkt när det gäller inköp av barnmat och det vanligastetillvägagångssättet till inköp av barnmat är i mataffär. De ansåg också att säkerhet var detviktigaste attributet vad gäller barnmat.Vidare har också faktorer om den kinesiska marknaden för barnmat identifierats för svenskabarnmatsföretag att ta hänsyn till om de planerar en expansion till Kina. Några av de faktorersom identifierats är att ett barnmatsföretag måste ta hänsyn till sin marknadsföring så att denär anpassad till den kinesiska kulturen. Barnmatsföretagen måste också beakta det faktum attfamilj och säkerhet har stor påverkan. Vidare är en faktor också att kunna använda sig utavfördelen av att vara ett utländskt företag på ett styrkande sätt för expansionen till Kina. / The purpose of this research was to examine the consumer behavior for baby food in China,which in turn led to identifying factors, which Swedish baby food companies should considerwhen thinking about an expansion to China. Due to the lack of security for baby food inChina, there has been an increase of the demand for foreign baby food in China. This has ledto potential for many companies. Factors have therefore been identified which can affect theapproach for an expansion for a Swedish baby food company in China.The research was conducted through a mixed method methodology where a self-administeredquestionnaire was executed in China towards Chinese consumers and a semi-structuredinterview was executed with the Swedish baby food company Child Food Factory. Thequestionnaire examined the consumer behavior for baby food in China in order to identify theattitudes and values that exist. Furthermore, consumers' buying habits and needs for babyfood was examined, as well as opinions regarding foreign baby food and organically producedbaby food. The semi-structured interview examined the concept which Child Food Factoryhas for their product and how the product will be received by the Chinese market, this sinceChild Food Factory was in the process of bring their baby food product in to China.The empirical findings were analyzed and the results comprises of identified characteristics inthe Chinese consumers concerning consumer behavior and values for baby food. Some of thecharacteristics that were identified was that the Chinese consumers are affected mostly byfamily, friends and relatives when it comes to purchasing baby food and the most commonway to purchase baby food is in a supermarket. They also felt that safety was the mostimportant attribute for baby food.Furthermore, the factors regarding baby food in the Chinese market were identified forSwedish baby food companies to consider if planning an expansion to China. Some of thefactors that were identified was that baby food companies need to consider their marketing sothat it is adapted to the Chinese culture. The baby food companies also need to bear in mindthe fact that family and security have a big influence. Another factor is to be able to use theadvantage of being a foreign company in a strengthening way for the expansion to China.Please note that this research is written in Swedish.

Food safety events receive substantial media coverage and can create devastating economics losses for agribusiness firms. It is unclear what factors influence consumers’ purchasing decisions before or after a food safety event occurs. The objectives of this study is to identify these factors that influence purchasing decisions, determine how consumers respond to hypothetical food safety events, and compare these findings across different products and geographical regions. The data for this research was obtained from two surveys. One survey concerned fresh produce while the second focused on meat products. The SPARTA model, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, is used to determine the impact of probable factors that influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. The result of this research suggests that consumers have clearly-defined levels of trust regarding sources of food safety information. In general, a food safety event occurring in the fresh produce market seems to affect purchasing decisions more than the same event occurring in the meat market. Comparison of findings across geographical regions is less clear. Agribusiness firms can use these results to form a base strategic response plan for food safety events.

Sammanfattning Titel: ” Man kan inte springa ifrån ödet och inte annonserna ”- En kvalitativ fokusgruppsstudie i hur konsumenter uppfattar värdet av annonser på sociala medier Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Bente Juel Handledare: Jonas Kågström Datum: 2019-september Syfte: Syftet med studien är att få en ökad förståelse för hur konsumenter uppfattar värdet av annonser på sociala medier utifrån ett antal nyckelfaktorer. Metod: I studien har kvalitativ arbetsmetod använts. Data har samlats in genom fokusgruppsintervjuer, analyserats genom transkribering, kodning och viktningsfaktorer och redovisats i löpande text med koppling till redan genomförd forskning. Respondenterna använder Facebook, är 50 år eller äldre och har olika kulturella bakgrunder. Resultat & slutsats: Det finns kulturella skillnader i konsumenters uppfattning av annonsvärde på sociala medier. Informationsvärde, underhållningsvärde, trovärdighetsvärde, interaktivitetsvärde, förköpsmotivation och social påverkan påverkar annonsvärdet positivt. Irritationsvärde påverkar negativt. Företag bör göra informativa, underhållande och trovärdiga annonser. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien ger värdefulla insikter för marknadsförare och forskare i hur faktorerna undersökta i studien påverkar konsumenters uppfattningar av annonsvärde på sociala medier. Förståelsen för hur konsumenter uppfattar värdet av annonser på sociala medier och Facebook ökar. Studien ger företag insikter i hur de ska utforma sina annonser på sociala medier för att konsumenter ska uppfatta dem som värdefulla.   Förslag till vidare forskning: Vidare forskning bör, utgående från faktorerna i studien, undersöka hur olika åldrar och kön men samma kulturella bakgrund, påverkar hur konsumenter uppfattar annonsvärdet på sociala medier. Även studier av om det finns kulturella skillnader i påverkan av faktorerna i denna studie mellan respondenter av samma kön och ålder med olika kulturella bakgrunder är intressant i vidare forskning.   Nyckelord: ”consumer attitudes”, ”consumer value”, ”ads on Facebook”, ”social network advertising” och ”Facebook advertising”

Low-income subsidy housing production is not satisfying the current housing need, leading to increasing backlogs and significant impacts on many poor people's health and safety. Traditional methods for producing these houses have not been sufficient for meeting the low-income housing need, particularly in aspects concerning time, cost, and quality of construction. There has been enough evidence supporting the adoption of innovative building technologies to enhance the South African government's ability to deliver low-income housing by reducing the times and costs of construction while substantially improving the quality of construction products. However, the implementation of low-income housing produced using innovative building systems has been primarily unsuccessful owing to the low levels of acceptance by South African communities. This study explored consumers’ attitudes and perceptions towards low-income housing produced using innovative building technologies. Data was collected from seventeen semi-structured interviews with potential low-income housing beneficiaries. The results showed that participants had limited knowledge about housing constructed with innovative building technologies. The lack of knowledge enhanced participants’ perceptions of risk and led them to develop negative attitudes towards the housing systems. The negative attitudes primarily were related to increased perceptions of performance, financial and psychosocial risk. However, the results also showed that participants were still willing to accept housing produced using innovative building technologies because of their potential to improve participants’ living conditions. The study contributes new knowledge to the debate about the role of innovative building technologies for improved housing delivery in South Africa. The study also helps the government, decision-makers, and stakeholders formulate effective strategies for developing and promoting housing produced with innovative building technologies. / Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

For the last five years, Sweden has seen a quite remarkable milk war between the traditional Arla serving dairy products and the innovative Oatly offering vegan milk substitutes. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how consumers’ attitudes are affected by firms’ involvement in brand rivalry, where the conflict between Arla and Oatly served as a case. A conceptual model based on previous research was created to shed light on essential elements that affect consumers’ attitudes. Empirical data was collected through a qualitative content analysis as well as two focus group interviews. Findings resulted in three main insights concerning consumers’ attitudes. Firstly, consumers’ attitudes depend on how the brands decide to leverage and influence consumers’ emotions, where humorous content can smooth over smear campaigns. Secondly, consumers’ attitudes are influenced by their degree of knowledge regarding the conflict, where knowledgeable consumers are often more critical to the content communicated in advertisements. Lastly, consumers’ attitudes are negatively affected if a brand’s core values do not cohere with its engagement in rivalry. This dissertation has contributed to additional insights into brand rivalry initiatives from a consumer perspective. Brands should consider a public conflict more carefully to avoid negative attitudes among consumers.

The burgeoning second-hand economy plays a crucial role in alleviating the environmental crisis exacerbated by over-consumption. In China, the second-hand market has witnessed rapid growth since local customer-to-customer trading platforms emerged in 2015. However, from a sociocultural viewpoint, engaging in second-hand consumption could conflict with traditional Chinese values, particularly face Consciousness. This study applies the Theory of Reasoned Action to investigate Chinese consumers' attitudes towards second-hand consumption and to discern whether Face Consciousness induces feelings of shame in this context. Through quantitative and qualitative surveys, the study reveals a moderately positive consumer attitude towards second-hand consumption, unswayed by gender, education, or city tier. Simultaneously, Sustainable Awareness and Face Consciousness stand out as the primary positive influences, with younger generations more inclined to second-hand consumption. Furthermore, both quantitative and qualitative findings affirm that Face Consciousness is positively correlated with feelings of shame in the context of second-hand consumption.