M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Evoked sets can be defined as the group of products or companies that come to mind when considering a purchase. An evoked set is a set of products of which a consumer is aware and which are considered for purchase. The proliferation of brands occurring in the consumer goods markets, create information processing problems for the consumers. They must often devise means to simplify their purchase decisions. One of the results of this simplification process is the existence of what is referred to as "evoked set", which include the brands the buyer considers when he contemplates purchasing a unit of the product class. Since the evoked set is a subset of the products available in the marketplace, the evoked set formation is seen as an information load reducing mechanism used by consumers to reduce the cognitive complexity of the brand choice process. The purpose of this study is to identify the most powerful brands of perfumes based on an analysis of consumers' unaided recall of perfume brands. This study seeks to provide a snapshot of some of the leading perfume brands from a consumer decision making process, rather than a business perspective.

With the fast growing Chinese online marketplace and the increasing popularity of shopping imported products online in China, more and more practitioners and researchers are interested in understanding the cues that Chinese consumers use to evaluate imported products consumption online. Our quantitative study aims to identify what factors affect the behavior of Chinese online consumers towards imported products and the relationships between the identified factors and purchase intention, and thereafter help companies to understand how to increase Chinese online consumers’ purchase intention of imported products. The research model is developed based on The Theory of Planned Behavior. Data were collected through web-based survey in China. Subsequently, the logistic regression in SPSS was used for testing the 12 hypotheses. Results reveal that the purchase intention of Chinese online consumers to imported products is closely associated with Perceived Behavioral Control, Subjective Norms, Perceived Risks, Service Quality, Country of Origin and Price. However, Product Variety and graphically well-designed websites are not relevant to purchase intention when Chinese consumers evaluate online imported products. The findings of our study serve as a link between consumers and online retailers or companies. The information from this study can add knowledge to limited studies on the behavior of Chinese online consumer.

Researchers and companies are paying increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and the reaction to them by consumers. But despite such corporate efforts and an expanding literature exploring consumers' response to CSR, it remains unclear how consumers perceive CSR and which "Gestalt" consumers have in mind when considering CSR. Moreover, academics and managers lack a tool for measuring consumers' perceptions of CSR. This research explores consumers' perceptions of CSR and develops a measurement model for them. Based on qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, a conceptualization of consumers' perceptions of CSR is developed. Subsequently, this model is tested and validated on three large quantitative data sets. The conceptualization and the measurement scale help companies assess consumers' perceptions of CSR relative to their performance. They also enable managers to identify shortcomings in CSR engagement and/or communication. Finally, the paper discusses implications for marketing practice and future research. (authors' abstract)

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Ο λόγος που πραγματοποιήθηκε αυτή η έρευνα ήταν για να παρατηρήσουμε τη συμπεριφορά των καταναλωτών απέναντι στα συμπληρώματα διατροφής αλλά και για την ολοκλήρωση του Μεταπτυχιακού προγράμματος «ΜΒΑ στη Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων Τροφίμων». Σκοπός της έρευνας είναι η καταγραφή των προτιμήσεων των καταναλωτών όσον αφορά τα συμπληρώματα διατροφής αλλά και την «σχέση» τους με τη γυμναστική. Η μεθοδολογία που χρησιμοποιήθηκε ήταν πρωτογενής έρευνα σε σημαντικό δείγμα καταναλωτών, που πραγματοποιήθηκε σαν συνέντευξη αλλά και μέσω διαδικτύου όπου αναρτήθηκε σε σελίδες κοινωνικής δικτύωσης. Το δείγμα των ερωτηθέντων ήταν 101 άτομα άντρες και γυναίκες από όλη την Ελλάδα. Το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό των ερωτηθέντων ήταν μεταξύ 18-25 ετών και αμέσως μετά 26-35 ετών. Οι περισσότεροι είχαν μηνιαίο εισόδημα έως 500 ευρώ. Το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό των ερωτηθέντων είναι άνεργοι, κάτι προφανές στις μέρες μας με τη δεδομένη κρίση. Αφήνοντας το προφίλ του δείγματος περνάμε στη συμπεριφορά του καταναλωτή, αρχικά όσον αφορά τη γυμναστική και μετά όσον αφορά τα συμπληρώματα διατροφής. Το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό του δείγματος γυμνάζεται 3 μέρες τη βδομάδα περίπου 1 ώρα τη κάθε φορά στο γυμναστήριο. Οι περισσότεροι γυμνάζονται για χομπυ και δεν ασχολούνται με κάποιο άθλημα. Το μεγαλύτερο ποσοστό του δείγματος χρησιμοποιεί συμπληρώματα διατροφής και μας απήντησε ότι έχει παρατηρήσει μεγαλύτερη ευεξία αλλά και απώλεια βάρους. Στην ερώτηση για το αν γνωρίζουν ποια είναι συμπληρώματα διατροφής από μια λίστα που τους παρατέθηκε παρατηρήσαμε ότι οι καταναλωτές γνωρίζουν ποια είναι όντως συμπληρώματα και ποια όχι. Οι περισσότεροι ξεκίνησαν τη χρήση συμπληρωμάτων διατροφής για απώλεια βάρους αλλά και λόγω κόπωσης και είχαν τα επιθυμητά αποτελέσματα. Πληροφορήθηκαν για τα συμπληρώματα από την τηλεόραση αλλά εμπιστεύονται τα φαρμακεία για την αγορά τους έτσι ώστε να είναι ασφαλείς γιατί με την υγεία μας δε μπορούμε να ρισκάρουμε. / The reason that was realised this research was in order to we observe the behavior of consumers toward the supplements of diet but also for the completion of Postgraduate program “MBA in the Administration of Enterprises of Foods”. Aim of research is the recording of preferences of consumers with regard to the supplements of diet but also their “relation” with the gymnastics. The methodology that was used was primary research in important sample of consumers, that was realised as interview but also via internet where anartithike in pages of social networking. The sample asking was 101 individuals men and women from all Greece. The bigger percentage asking was between 18-25 years and immediately afterwards 26-35 years. Most had monthly income until 500 Euros. The bigger percentage asking is unemployeds, something obvious in our days with the given crisis. Leaving the profile of sample we pass in the behavior of consumer, initially with regard to the gymnastics and afterwards with regard to the supplements of diet. The bigger percentage of sample exercises 3 days week roughly 1 hour each time in the gym. Most exercise for chompy and do not deal with some sport. The bigger percentage of sample uses supplements of diet and us apintise that it has observed bigger well-being but also loss of weight. In the question for whether they know who they are supplements of diet from a list that was mentioned to them we observed that the consumers know who are indeed supplements and who no. Most began the use of supplements of diet for loss of weight but also because lassitude and had the desirable results. They were informed for the supplements by the television but are entrusted the drugstores for their purchase so as to they are sure because with our health we can't risk.

The goal of this study was to develop a demographic profile of food co-op shoppers and to assess the relationship between policy importance ratings and two measures of shopper involvement. A survey measuring co-op shopper demographic characteristics, ratings of co-op environment and ratings of the importance of 13 co-op policies was completed by 283 food co-op shoppers in the fall of 1983 at the Food Conspiracy Co-op in Tucson Arizona. Overall, the strongest distinction between working members and non-members was a tendency for members to spend more at the food co-op. The two groups were similar demographically and similar in their ratings of the quality of food co-op atmosphere. Both groups rated range of co-op policies as important factors in store selection. These co-op policies were equally important to both members and non-members, and the importance ratings were largely unaffected by length of involvement with the organization.

My dissertation discusses a mechanism that thwarts sniping and improves efficiency in ascending Internet auctions with fixed ending times, specifically eBay. The first research chapter proposes a design of the bidding mechanism and the second chapter tests the effectiveness of the mechanism in a controlled environment. In addition, it presents an innovative theoretical representation of the eBay bidding environment. The first chapter investigates theoretically whether sellers can improve their profits in eBay-like auctions via the implementation of bidder credits. The analysis predicts that providing a credit, similar to a coupon or discount, for early bidding can thwart sniping and increase seller profit. The paper formulates and analyzes a multi-stage auction model with independently and identically distributed private values, where bidders place proxy bids. I show that sniping can emerge as a Bayesian-Nash equilibrium strategy so long as late bids run the risk of not being successfully received by the auctioneer; extending the prior work of Ockenfels and Roth. This equilibrium is inefficient and yields the worst outcome for sellers. The proposed credit mechanism awards a single early bidder a reduction, equal to the value of the credit, in the final price if he wins the auction. The optimal credit satisfies two necessary conditions; first, it increases seller ex-ante profit and second, it incentivizes bidders to deviate from the sniping equilibrium. Relative to the surplus generated by the sniping equilibrium, implementing the credit increases seller surplus and improves welfare. The second chapter experimentally investigates the effectiveness of the credit mechanism. In particular, it compares bidding strategies, seller profit, and overall efficiency in auction environments similar to eBay with and without credit incentives. I observe a significant decline in the frequency of sniping when subjects have the opportunity to receive the credit. The credit also improves auction efficiency primary because subjects overbid in auctions with the credit regardless of which subject has the credit. A within-subjects design allows me to directly compare differences across treatments conditional on the subjects being snipers. Auctions with snipers yield significantly lower profits to sellers because non-sniping rivals are bidding less aggressively when competing against a sniper.

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This dissertation examines the phenomenon of consumer debt in the U.S. and probes the issue of credit card debt from a consumer-centric perspective. It examines how credit card usage and credit card debt are embedded in consumers' social relations and life projects, and reveals how debtors cope within their social networks as they use credit cards and manage their credit card debt.Study 1 explores how young adults use credit cards to achieve their life goals as well as to negotiate changes in their relationships with their parents. Credit cards are an important tool for helping young people gain independence and sever their obligation to their parents. This study focuses on the initial stage of credit consumption and examines the rationale young adults use when acquiring credit cards and taking on credit card debt. Through depth interviews with 17 undergraduate students who have credit card debt, I find that the consumption of credit cards corresponds to their strategies to negotiate independence as well as obligations to their parents. The use of credit cards and management of credit card debt among young adults is a significant and symbolic aspect of their transition from childhood to adulthood, and credit cards are a transitional tool for this coming of age.Study 2 focuses on another phase of debt consumption: repayment of credit card debt. Depth interviews were conducted with 22 adult debtors who were enrolled in a debt elimination program at a credit-counseling agency. Two main theoretical themes are found. First, debtors negotiate the meaning of consumer status. The concept of normality with respect to consumer behavior changes from being based on lifestyle and possessions to a focus on maintaining consumer credibility and being a good credit citizen. Second, during the process of falling into debt and struggling to extricate oneself from debt, consumers engage in a stigma management process to deal with people in their social networks. In addition to coping with the financial consequences of debt, debtors also employ strategies to cope with debt's symbolic consequences.

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.