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Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Kimberly A. Williams / Despite extensive evidence that appropriate use of floral preservatives extends postharvest longevity of most fresh flowers, their use by traditional full-service florists has been observed to be highly variable. This research was developed to determine if knowledge about floral preservatives increases consumers’ perception of quality, purchase intention, and price of a floral arrangement. A survey was administered to 222 participants at two locations in Manhattan, Kansas during April 2010. Seventy-three percent of respondents fell within the age range of Gen Y. The survey instrument contained four levels of presentation of a floral arrangement that were associated with increasing knowledge about the use of a floral preservative on consumers’ perceptions about the quality and price of that arrangement. Results were analyzed via within-subjects ANOVA, Bonferroni post-hoc tests, t-tests, and regression analyses. Participants of the survey rated the quality of a floral arrangement higher from Level 2 (presence of floral preservative not explicit) to 3 (presence of floral preservative explicit) and Level 3 to 4 (after reading 191 word count message about floral preservative function and effectiveness). Their intent to purchase the floral arrangement generally increased with each level of presentation. Participants increased the price that they were willing to pay for the floral arrangement at each level of presentation, starting at $25.49 at Level 1 (no floral preservative use indicated) to $29.17 at Level 4. Participants were more knowledgeable about the benefits of floral preservatives and believed that floral preservatives increased the value of floral arrangements after reading a message describing their function and effectiveness more so than before reading the message. Younger participants were more willing to pay more for floral arrangements with floral preservatives than older participants. As consumers become more aware of the use of floral preservatives and more knowledgeable about how and why they are effective, they attribute higher quality to floral arrangements with preservatives, are willing to pay more for arrangements with preservatives, and their purchase intention frequency increases. Florists should consider providing a message about the function and effectiveness of floral preservatives to their customers, and then market their use of these materials.

Genre is a very important characteristic for movies and generates utility for the audience, therefore, it is very useful for producers and investors to study the correlation between annual genre performance and consumer preference of the audience. How are genre elements reflecting the audience’s taste every year? Does it change over time and does this change have a pattern? With Lancaster’s characteristic consumption theory as an approach, we explored the balance and shifting trends of the popularity of genre elements, thus providing guidance and predictions for the producers and investors for decision making reference. A study based on 15 years of movie performance in box offices and award ceremonies indicates that consumer’s preference on genre elements follow certain patterns and could be predicted. The importance of genre elements deserves more attention from decision makers, and perhaps a special unit on genre studies should be established  economy-wised to much more deeply exploit their value.

Problem: What are Thai consumers’ perceptions toward sugar confectionery  products, which are sold as loose candy (lösgodis) in Sweden? Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify and describe the perception of Thai consumers toward sugar confectionery products with the concept of loose candy (lösgodis) by putting an emphasis on the preferences of product features and the choices of product as well as explore the similarities and differences of each demographic and psychographic group. Method: Method included a collection of information concerning theories. model and confectionery market information from different sources; interview with the candy store owner to figure out market insight as well as related information and the survey with a sample of respondents in order to investigate their perception and preferences of the sugar confectionery products. The retrieved data was analyzed statistically and theoretically in accordance with the conceptual framework. Result: The findings indicated that the majority of Thai people like to consume candy. By allowing consumers to perceive and evaluate candy features through different senses, the result revealed that colorful soft gummy fruity flavors candy with a shape of eatable product together with a uniquely stand-out sweets smell are most preferable. After examining the similarities and differences among the demographic and psychographic groups of consumer regarding their perception and preferences of sugar confectionery products, only minimal differences were found.

<p>Genre is a very important characteristic for movies and generates utility for the audience, therefore, it is very useful for producers and investors to study the correlation between annual genre performance and consumer preference of the audience. How are genre elements reflecting the audience’s taste every year? Does it change over time and does this change have a pattern? With Lancaster’s characteristic consumption theory as an approach, we explored the balance and shifting trends of the popularity of genre elements, thus providing guidance and predictions for the producers and investors for decision making reference. A study based on 15 years of movie performance in box offices and award ceremonies indicates that consumer’s preference on genre elements follow certain patterns and could be predicted. The importance of genre elements deserves more attention from decision makers, and perhaps a special unit on genre studies should be established  economy-wised to much more deeply exploit their value.</p>

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Aleksan Shanoyan / Competition in the retail animal feed business can be challenging. Millennials are emerging as an increasingly important consumer group. Companies want to attract Millennials as new customers while at the same time retaining current customers of Baby Boomers and Gen X generations. Consequently, an important question is how do Millennial retail shopping habits for animal feed differ from that of other generations. To help answer this question the thesis research utilizes customer survey data obtained, from the Kent Nutrition Group. The data was collected through an online survey which was conducted with customers from Company W’s customer list. The total sample consists of 1068 customers. The data is analyzed using exploratory data analysis to gain insights on key differences and important attributes related to marketing and selling to customers from different generation groups. The results indicate that word of mouth serves as the largest initial source of awareness for all customers. Not surprisingly, the results show higher tendency to shop online and a preference for social media as a source of information by Millennials compared to Baby Boomers and Gen X customers. Knowledgeable staff and a positive in-store shopping experience continue to be a high priority for all customers. In general, e-mail or a mailed newsletter were identified as important communication methods by respondents of all generations. The results also show high preference by customers of all generations for receiving sales circulars and tips for animal and pet care. Sales circulars, direct mailers and newspaper ads are the core communication channels that customers view advertising from Company W. Three quarters of Company W’s customers expressed some level of interest in shopping online through Company W if the option were available. This implies that offering online shopping options will not only enhance the current customers’ experience but also attract new customers. The gained insights will be used by Company W to adapt and enhance their marketing and sales strategies to a) effectively engage and attract more Millennial customers and b) improve retention and service for customers of Baby Boomers and Gen X generations. The researcher will use the insights gained from this study to improve marketing efforts for the Kent Nutrition Group.

The research question addressed in this study is "what outerwear fabric types are preferred by consumer segments in each of the major climatic zones in Australia?" objectives are to:1. examine consumer preference for fabric in each of the five major climatic zones in Australia, using fabric attribute levels as the choice criteria, in order to provide information to Stormboy on fabric attributes most preferred by consumers, and the market segments in each zone, based on these fabric attribute preferences; and2. determine any significant differences in fabric preference between the climatic zones so as to indicate to Stormboy whether climate should be taken into consideration in the marketing of wool based fabric.This information on preference for fabric type, will enable Stormboy design wool based fabrics that match the fabric attribute requirement of consumers. The information on market segments will not only provide the fabric attribute requirements but also the possible size of the market.This study will develop a method to monitor consumer trends in fabric preference so that Stormboy can make informed decisions about their design and choice of wool based fabric.This study provides the required consumer information to Stormboy. It illustrates a method of research which can be used in decisions making by producers of products or services where there is heterogeneity in buyers' preferences, for:the development of new products or services;the renewal of a product or service;the positioning of a product or service; andthe ongoing monitoring of consumer preferences and retail compatibility with consumer preferences.As Green and Kreiger (1985) conclude, once preference and segments have been identified companies can react to (or possibly produce to) preference heterogeneity by modifications of their current product/service attributes (including price), distribution, and ++ / advertising/promotion. Companies are motivated to do so if the net payoff from modifying their offerings exceeds what the payoff would be without such modification. Companies may modify its product/marketing mix to include product line addition/deletion decisions as well as the repositioning of current offerings.The study begins by reviewing relevant literature on the function of clothing and fabric type, the position of wool in the apparel market, the effect of climate on choice, the key concepts of consumer behaviour and segmentation as a means of positioning products. The design of the research is summarised in Chapter 3, and the findings from a survey of consumers in five Australian centres are presented in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 discusses the implications of these findings and recommendations made to StormBoy. Conclusions relating to the study design, limitations and future research are addressed in Chapter 6.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Amanor-Boadu, Vincent / Beans play a major role in addressing malnutrition and poverty in Africa. Hence, several studies have been conducted over the last two decades on beans attributes in various African countries, including Zambia. The similarity of these studies is their emphasis on the importance of including consumer preferences in the beans supply chain. This study attempts to contribute to informing the bean supply chain about bean attributes and consumer characteristics influencing beans consumption so that downstream stakeholders can effectively seize the embedded opportunities in the bean supply chain. Data used in this study were obtained from 900 surveyed households in Lusaka, Zambia and analyzed using a logit model. The study evaluated three attributes of beans: gravy quality; cooking time; and grain size. In addition, it assessed the price of beans associated with these attributes. The study sought to determine how these attributes influenced consumer preference for specific color beans. Results show that gravy quality, cooking time and price are important bean attributes influencing consumer preference for purple, mixed yellow and yellow bean while grain size has no statistically significant effect. The study also found that gender, education, and employment status of the household head or person purchasing food for the household, as well as the household’s child dependency ratio, dual household income, residential area and perception of the bean food group’s importance to consumers’ nutritional security were statistically significant in their effect on preference for purple, mixed yellow and yellow beans. The study’s results contribute to downstream stakeholders’ efforts to improve their own decisions in identifying the market segments to engage in. For example, bean breeders, producers, and traders might optimize limited resources available for their activities by investing in products that promise large markets to use volume to overcome any price disadvantage regarding profitability. Similarly, they may also invest in high-value low volume products that could also provide them with acceptable profitability. The option used would depend on their location and their own resource situation.

Lighting accounts for nearly 20% of overall U.S. electricity consumption, 14% of U.S. residential electricity consumption, and 6% of total U.S. carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. A transition to alternative energy-efficient technologies could reduce this energy consumption considerably. We studied three questions related to energy efficiency lighting choices and consequences, which are: • Question 1: How large is the system-wide effect of a residential lighting retrofit with more efficient lighting technologies? • Question 2: Based on stated preference (SP) data, which factors influence consumer choices for general service light bulbs? What is the effect of the new lighting efficiency label mandated by the Federal Trade Commission? • Question 3: What can we learn about market trends and consumer choices from consumer panel data (i.e. revealed preference (RP) data) for general service light bulbs between 2004 and 2009? How can we compare the findings from SP and RP data, and which findings are robust across the two? In Chapter 2, we focus on the issue of lighting heat replacement effects. The issue is as follows: lighting efficiency goals have been emphasized in various U.S. energy efficiency policies. However, incandescent bulbs release up to 95% of input energy as heat, and it has been argued that replacing them with more efficient alternatives has a side effect in the overall building energy consumption: it increases the heating service that needs to be provided by the heating systems and decreases the cooling service that needs to be provided by the cooling systems. We investigate the net energy consumption, CO2e emissions, and saving in energy bills for single family detached houses across the U.S. as one moves towards more efficient lighting systems. In some regions, these heating and cooling effects from more efficient lighting can undermine up to 40% of originally intended primary energy savings, erode anticipated carbon savings completely, and lead to 30% less household monetary savings than intended. However, this overall effect is at most one percent of total emissions or energy consumption by a house. The size of the effect depends on various regional factors such as climate, electricity fuel mix, differences in emission factors of main energy sources used for heating and cooling, and electricity prices. Other tested factors such as building orientation, insulation level, occupancy scenario, or day length do not significantly affect the results. Then, in Chapter 3, we focus on factors that drive consumer choices for light bulbs. We collected stated preference data from a choice-based conjoint field experiment with 183 participants. We estimate discrete choice models from the data and find that politically liberal consumers have a stronger preference for compact fluorescent lighting technology and for low energy consumption. Greater willingness-to-pay for lower energy consumption and longer life is observed in conditions where estimated operating cost information was provided. Providing estimated annual cost information to consumers reduces their implicit discount rate by a factor of five, lowering barriers to adoption of energy efficient alternatives with higher up-front costs; however, even with cost information provided, consumers continue to use implicit discount rates of around 100%, which is larger than that estimated for other energy technologies. Finally, we complemented the stated preference study with a revealed preference study. This is because stated preference data alone have limitations in explaining consumer choices, as purchases are affected by many other factors that are outside of the experimenter control. We investigate consumer preferences for lighting technology based on revealed preference data between 2004 and 2009. We assess the trends in lighting sales for different lighting technologies across the country, and by store type. We find that, across the period between 2004 and 2009, sales of all general service light bulbs are almost monotonically decreasing, while CFL sales peaked in 2007. Thanks to increasing adoption of CFLs during the period, newly purchased light bulbs contributed to lowering carbon emissions and electricity consumption, while not sacrificing total produced lumens as much. We study consumer preferences for real light bulbs by estimating choice models, from which we estimate willingness-to-pay (WTP) for light bulb attributes (watt and type) and implicit discount rates (IDR) consumers adopt for their purchases. We find that the campaign for efficient bulbs in Wal-Mart in 2007 is potentially related to the peak in CFL adoption in 2007 in addition to the effects of the EISA or other factors/programs around the same period. Consumers are willing to pay, $1.84 more for a change from an incandescent bulb to a CFL and -$0.06 for 10W increase, the values which also include willingness-to-pays for corresponding changes in unobserved variables such as life and color. IDRs for four representative states range between around 230% and 330%, which is in a similar range we estimate from the choice experiment. Overall, even with energy efficiency labels, nationwide promotion of CFLs by retailers, or better availability of CFLs in the transforming residential lighting market, we see the barriers to energy efficient residential lighting are still persistent, which are reflected in high implicit discount rates observed from the models. While we can expect the EISA to be effective in lowering the barriers through regulation, it alone will not close energy efficiency gap in the residential lighting sector.

Inspired by the sudden recent incline in and awareness of veganism as well as my own personal involvement in such matters, I sought out to complete an empirical analysis to study the impact of consumer preferences. Originally intrigued by the consumption of meat and its impact on developing countries, I opted for a related topic with better accompanying data. Consumer preferences change regularly with an increasing plethora of reasons behind their decisions. As the guiding force of the demand side of the market, it was vital to study the impact of their choices. My decision to use plant-based milk was meant to be a proxy for consumers who could not consume dairy. To my surprise, the force behind the increase in plant-based milk consumption was not propelled by those with alternative lifestyles but regular consumers who wanted healthier and better-tasting options. Further analysis has led me to look past consumers themselves and their individual choices to identify the impacts of their choices. This required an intricate look into the United States dairy industry and its composition. What is recorded within the next 45 pages is a delicate web of outcomes spun by the needs of consumers. It branches out into the lives of small dairy farmers who cannot compete with larger farms. It spins out to form a massive web of increasing profit for the plant-based milk industry. It creates a loss in the whole milk sector of the dairy industry only to be filled by the organic and specialty sectors. While they can be guided into choices through various forms of advertisement, the world has changed since the introduction of modern economics, and consumers are learning to utilize the products that fit their lifestyles. Gone are the days of passive consumption and food pyramids. Information has never been as readily available as it is today, with the help of the internet and independent researchers, and consumers have chosen to use this to their advantage.