Chinese newly rich consumers have gained substantial power in the luxury sector through their conspicuous consumption. Chinese consumers’ lack of cultural capital and inexperience in the purchase and use of material commodities in the luxury consumption field has led many to associate their conspicuous consumption with pecuniary display of their newly acquired economic capital. Scholars have either used cultural globalisation theory to suggest that the Chinese consumers are embracing and emulating Western material culture, or have used Chinese face theory to explain their conspicuous consumption in terms of the social norms associated with Chinese family kinship and peer group pressure. This study attempts to look beyond both these assumptions, and for the first time seek a detailed and holistic understanding of Chinese newly rich consumers’ status consumption practices, particularly the relationships between personal taste and the social structure and cultural forces shaping individual taste in the consumption field struggle. Hence, the research question is “What status consumption practices do Chinese newly rich consumers engage in to compete for social distinction through luxury fashion consumption?” Bourdieu’s field analysis has been undertaken in order to enable a new understanding of Chinese newly rich consumers’ luxury consumption practices. The key concepts; cultural capital, habitus, and fields (Doxa and Illusio), have been discussed with respect to Chinese social conditions. Using luxury fashion as a potent example of conspicuous consumption, a qualitative study has been conducted among ten carefully selected Chinese newly rich consumers (Generation 1) residents of Beijing. Data analysis has shown that informants used two distinctive status consumption practices, namely, the materialist status consumption practice, and the cultural idealist status consumption practice (Holt, 1998), which are aligned with their social trajectory route, volume and the composition of their cultural capital. Informants’ cultural idealist status consumption practice indicated two important forms of cultural capital as social distinction: embodied cultural capital and ‘deterritorialized cultural capital’ (Üstüner & Holt, 2010). The embodied cultural capital has been accrued through early socialization, centered on intellectual cultivation and nonmaterialistic daily lives, whereas the ‘deterritorialized cultural capital’ has been accrued in a similar fashion to their Turkish high cultural capital (HCC) counterparts (Üstüner & Holt, 2010), through engagement with the West, despite only having this contact during adulthood, unlike the Turkish HCC. These two forms of cultural capital are centered on non-materialistic aesthetic driven consumption practices, which are similar to Bourdieu’s (1984) and Holt’s (1998) HCC consumers’ cultural idealist consumption practices. Thus, the thesis answers calls for more detailed analyses of consumption practices in Less Industrialised Countries. In doing so it both confirms the suitability of Bourdieu for the study of consumption practices in an Eastern context and provides new insights into the Chinese newly rich group’s consumption practices in the field of luxury fashion.

With the advancement of information technology and declining hardware price, organizations and companies are able to collect large amount of personal data. Individual health records, product preferences and membership information are all converted into digital format. The ability to store and retrieve large amount of electronic records benefits many parties. Useful knowledge often hides in a large pool of raw data. In many customer-centric applications, customers want to find some "best" services according to their needs. However, since different customers may have different preferences to find "best" services, different services are suggested accordingly to different customers. In this thesis, we study models for different customer needs. Besides, customers also want to protect their individual privacy in many applications. In this thesis, we also study how individual privacy can be protected. / Wong, Chi Wing. / "June 2008." / Adviser: Ada Wai-Chee Fu. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-03, Section: B, page: 1770. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-137). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

by Leona Tam Wing Yin. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-122). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / Chapter Chapter I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.0 --- Overview --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Objective --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- The Service Switching Behavior Model --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- The Design --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Significance of This Study --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Outline of This Study --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter II: --- REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND MODEL DEVELOPMENT --- p.7 / Chapter 2.0 --- Overview --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Review of Relevant Studies in Services --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Unique Characteristics of Services --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Classification of Services --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Measurement of Service Quality --- p.14 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Review of Past Studies in Service Switching Behavior --- p.16 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- Characteristics of Service Switchers --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2 --- Limitations of Past Studies --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3 --- The Conceptual Model --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- The Conceptual Framework --- p.20 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Definition of Constructs --- p.22 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Causal Relationships among Constructs in the Conceptual Model and Hypotheses --- p.25 / Chapter 2.4 --- Summary --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter III: --- METHODOLOGY --- p.33 / Chapter 3.0 --- Overview --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Methodology --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Research Strategies and Three-Horned Dilemma --- p.33 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- The Research Strategy Chosen for This Study --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- The Design --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- The Sample --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- The Data Collection Procedure --- p.37 / Chapter 3.2 --- Operationalization of Constructs --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Research Activities --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Pretest for Selection of Services for the Study --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Pretest of the Questionnaire --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- The Main Study --- p.48 / Chapter 3.5 --- Summary --- p.48 / Chapter Chapter IV: --- ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS --- p.50 / Chapter 4.0 --- Overview --- p.50 / Chapter 4.1 --- Scale Assessment --- p.50 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Unidimensionality of the Constructs --- p.51 / Chapter 4.1.1.1 --- Exploratory Factor Analyses --- p.51 / Chapter 4.1.1.2 --- Confirmatory Factor Analyses --- p.52 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Reliability --- p.53 / Chapter 4.2 --- Structural Equation Modeling --- p.54 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- The Structural Equation Models for All Three Services Combined --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1.1 --- The Full Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.55 / Chapter 4.2.1.2 --- The Modified Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.59 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- The Structural Equation Model for Fastfood Restaurants --- p.61 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- The Structural Equation Model for Hair Salons --- p.61 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- The Structural Equation Model for Banks --- p.62 / Chapter 4.3 --- Discussion --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Results of the Service Switching Model for All Three Services Combined --- p.63 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Comparison of Structural Model Results of Overall Model and Individual Models --- p.64 / Chapter 4.4 --- Summary --- p.67 / Chapter Chapter V: --- CONCLUSION --- p.68 / Chapter 5.0 --- Overview --- p.68 / Chapter 5.1 --- Summary of the Research --- p.68 / Chapter 5.2 --- Contributions of the Research --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Theoretical Contributions --- p.72 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Managerial Implications --- p.76 / Chapter 5.3 --- Limitations --- p.82 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Research Design --- p.82 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Sample and Sampling Procedure --- p.83 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Data Collection Procedure --- p.84 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- Measurement --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4 --- Future Research Direction --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4.1. --- The Use of More Comprehensive Model as the Conceptual Framework --- p.85 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Testing the Effect of Situational Factors on Service Switching --- p.86 / Chapter 5.4.3 --- Testing the Effect of the Customer's Personal Characteristics --- p.86 / Chapter 5.4.4 --- Using Different Service Classification Schemes to Choose Representative Service Industries to Be Tested in the Conceptual Model --- p.87 / Chapter 5.5 --- Summary --- p.87 / FIGURES: / Figure 1 --- p.89 / Figure 2 --- p.90 / TABLES: / Table 1 --- p.91 / Table 2 --- p.92 / Table 3 --- p.94 / Table 4 --- p.95 / Table 5 --- p.97 / Table 6 --- p.98 / Table 7 --- p.100 / Table 8 --- p.102 / Table 9 --- p.104 / Table 10 --- p.106 / Table 11 --- p.108 / Table 12 --- p.109 / APPENDIX --- p.110 / REFERENCE --- p.115

by Hwang Fai, Kam Pui Sze. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-63). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / Chapter / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Definition of e-learning --- p.1 / Traditional Classroom Learning vs. E-learning --- p.2 / Significance of Interactivity and Multimedia in E-learning --- p.2 / Cultural Difference in Learning Styles and Habits --- p.4 / Benefits of E-learning --- p.5 / Substantial Cost and Time saving --- p.5 / Meet Need-driven Demand --- p.5 / Flexibility and Convenience Enhancement --- p.6 / Create Learner-friendly Environment --- p.6 / Increased Retention --- p.6 / Improved Collaboration and Interactivity among Students --- p.7 / Ease of Information or Materials Update --- p.7 / Limitations of E-learning --- p.7 / Huge Initial Capital Investment --- p.8 / Technology Dependent --- p.8 / Technology cannot completely replace Human Contact --- p.8 / Personnel Resistance --- p.9 / Not all Courses are delivered well by Computer --- p.9 / Not all People are suitable for E-learning --- p.9 / E-learning on the Corporate Level --- p.10 / The Corporate E-learning Market --- p.10 / Barriers of Implementation --- p.11 / Significance of E-learning on the Corporate Level --- p.11 / Cost Savings to Corporations --- p.11 / Performance Improvement --- p.12 / Competitive Position --- p.12 / E-learning Development In Hong Kong --- p.13 / Chapter II. --- OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH / Chapter III. --- RESEARCH HYPOTHESE --- p.17 / Conceptual Framework: Flow construct --- p.17 / Research Hypotheses --- p.19 / Direct Influence on Flow --- p.19 / Direct Influence on Perceived Playfulness --- p.21 / Direct Influence on Intention to Use E-learning --- p.21 / Chapter IV. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.22 / The Sample --- p.22 / Definition of Variables --- p.23 / Chapter V. --- RESULTS --- p.24 / Results for Tests for Direct Influence on Flow --- p.24 / Results for Tests for Direct Influence on Perceived Playfulness --- p.25 / Results for Tests for Direct Influence on Intention to use E-learning --- p.26 / Chapter VI. --- DISCUSSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.28 / Chapter VII. --- LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY --- p.35 / Chapter VIII. --- CONCLUSION --- p.37 / APPENDIX --- p.46 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.56

Revenue management (RM) is the science of selling the right product, to the right person, at the right price. A key to the success of RM, which now spans a broad array of industries, is its grounding in mathematical modeling and analytics. This dissertation contributes to the development of new RM tools by: (1) exploring some fundamental tradeoffs underlying any RM problems, and (2) designing efficient algorithms for some RM applications. Another underlying theme of this dissertation is the modeling of customer preferences, a key component of any RM problem. The first chapters of this dissertation focus on the model selection problem: many demand models are available but picking the right model is a challenging task. In particular, we explore the tension between the richness of a model and its tractability. To quantify this tradeoff, we focus on the assortment optimization problem, a very general and core RM problem. To capture customer preferences in this context, we use choice models, a particular type of demand model. In Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4 we design efficient algorithms for the assortment optimization problem under different choice models. By assessing the strengths and weaknesses of different choice models, we can quantify the cost in tractability one has to pay for better predictive power. This in turn leads to a better understanding of the tradeoffs underlying the model selection problem. In Chapter 5, we focus on a different question underlying any RM problem: choos- ing how to sell a given product. We illustrate this tradeoff by focusing on the problem of selling ad impressions via Internet display advertising platforms. In particular, we study how the presence of risk-averse buyers affects the desire for reservation con- tracts over real time buy via a second-price auction. In order to capture the risk aversion of buyers, we study different utility models.

Master of Science / Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health / Delores Chambers / With increasing global e-commerce scenario, online shopping has become a part of our day-to-day life for products ranging from food to clothing and electronics. With globalization on one hand and tremendous change in the lifestyle of people, on the other hand, eating food outside of the home has also become an inevitable part of life nowadays. This study was designed to understand how photographs and information of the products influence the purchase behavior of consumers, to increase the purchase intent and liking of clothing sold online and food in a restaurant. The objectives of this study were to determine which type of photograph/description would have higher liking and purchase intent by consumers when they are shopping for clothes online and when ordering food in a restaurant. It also aimed to use different types of product descriptions to find any differences in overall liking, product perception, and purchase intent. An online survey was conducted with Indian women (n=600) through Qualtrics software. Data about demographics, overall liking, purchase intent and level of information gained based on the photographs were inquired for different type of photographic presentation of saris and Indian curries in two different sections. ANOVA, Correspondence Analysis (CA), frequency count analysis and descriptive statistics were employed for data analysis using XLSTAT software. In case of online shopping for clothing, especially saris, the results revealed that adding photographs of a model with/without a description to be a better presentation method as it acts as a virtual representation of the seller and is believed to establish trust between the consumers and the sellers. This thereby would lead to significantly higher overall liking, level of being informed and purchase intent. Similarly, in the case of restaurant shopping for food where the effect of photographs on a restaurant menu was studied, adding photographs of the food along with the sides with/without description was found to be a better presentation method. This was in turn related to significantly higher overall liking, level of being informed and purchase intent. Though there are no differences in the type of description added to the picture, adding information about the product was still found to be a critical factor for higher liking and purchase intent in both cases.

Chan, Ka Yan Elisa. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-106). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) --- p.ii / ABSTRACT (CHINESE) --- p.iv / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vi / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.viii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.xi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xii / LIST OF APPENDICE --- p.xii / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Overview of Research Objectives --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Outline of the Current Study --- p.2 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Defining “Experience´ح in Consumption --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Experience-rich Consumption --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3 --- Consumer Value --- p.8 / Chapter 2.4 --- Models and Scales of Consumer Value --- p.11 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Typology of Consumer Value by Holbrook (1999) --- p.11 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- The Theory of Consumption Value --- p.12 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Consumer Perceived Value --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Experiential Value Scale (EVS) --- p.17 / Chapter 2.5 --- Summary of Literature Review --- p.19 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- OBJECTIVES OF THE CURRENT STUDY --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1 --- First Objective of this Research --- p.22 / Chapter 3.2 --- Second Objective of this Research --- p.22 / Chapter 3.3 --- Third Objective of this Research --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- CONCEPTUALIZATION OF EXPERIENTIAL VALUE --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1 --- Exploring the Components of Experience --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Psychology Literature: Everyday Life Experience --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Stimulus-Organism-Response Framework --- p.26 / Chapter 4.2 --- Dimensionality of Experiential Value --- p.27 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Emotional Value --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Intellectual Value --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Dimensional Relation Between Emotional and Intellectual Value --- p.33 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- DEVELOPING THE EXPERIENTIAL VALUE SCALE --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1 --- Study 1: Item Generation and Selection --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Literature Review --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Focus Group --- p.37 / Chapter 5.2 --- Study 2: Item Reduction and Dimensionality of the Scale --- p.38 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Scale Purification with Exploratory Factor Analysis --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Initial Confirmatory Factor Analysis --- p.42 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Scale Reliability and Validity --- p.42 / Chapter 5.3 --- Study 3: Convergent and Discriminant Validity Analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Method --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Results --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX --- CONCEPTUAL MODEL TESTING --- p.50 / Chapter 6.1 --- Study 4: The Antecedents and Consequents of Experiential Value --- p.51 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Subjective Well-Being --- p.52 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Method --- p.53 / Chapter 6.1.2.1 --- Dependent Measures --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3.1 --- Discriminant Validity of Constructs --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3.2 --- Overall Model Results --- p.55 / Chapter 6.1.3.3 --- Equivalence Across Religious Group --- p.56 / Chapter 6.2 --- Study 5: Using Experiential Value to Predict Consumer Behavior and the Moderating Effect of Experience Context --- p.57 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- "Experiential Values, Consumer Trust, and Loyalty" --- p.57 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- The Moderating Effect of Shopping Context --- p.59 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Method --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2.3.1 --- Dependent Measures --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2.4 --- Results and Discussion --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.4.1 --- Discriminant Validity of Constructs --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.4.2 --- Overall Model Results --- p.63 / Chapter 6.2.4.3 --- Moderation Model Results --- p.63 / Chapter CHAPTER SEVEN --- GENERAL DISCUSSION AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATION --- p.65 / Chapter 7.1 --- Theoretical Contribution --- p.66 / Chapter 7.2 --- Managerial Implication --- p.68 / Chapter 7.3 --- Limitations and Future Research --- p.71 / REFERENCES --- p.99

Yu, Chi Ching. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-58). / Abstracts in English and Chinese ; appendices also in Chinese. / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Definition of CSR --- p.1 / Consequence of CSR --- p.2 / The effect of CSR on affective and cognitive components of consumer responses --- p.3 / The effect of CSR on behavioral component of consumer responses --- p.5 / Attribution as underlying mechanism --- p.8 / Effect of attribution on consumer responses --- p.10 / Mechanism for making attribution --- p.11 / Inter-relationships between dimensions --- p.15 / Other potential variables affecting consumer responses --- p.16 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method --- p.18 / Participants --- p.18 / Scenario --- p.18 / Questionnaire --- p.19 / Measures --- p.20 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Result --- p.23 / Validity Check --- p.23 / Descriptive statistics --- p.23 / Dimensionality --- p.25 / Reliability --- p.30 / Model testing results --- p.30 / Hypothesis testing --- p.33 / Total amount of variance explained --- p.34 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion --- p.35 / Attribution as the underlying explanation of CSR effect --- p.35 / Mechanism of how consumers form attribution of CSR activities --- p.37 / Managerial implication of the present study --- p.40 / Limitation of the present study and further research direction --- p.42 / Appendix --- p.44 / Appendix 1: Questionnaire of pilot study 1 --- p.44 / Appendix 2: Questionnaire of pilot study 2 --- p.46 / Appendix 3: Result of pilot study 2 --- p.48 / Appendix 4: Measurement items --- p.49 / Reference --- p.55

Visual metaphors in advertising have been researched extensively because of their ability to persuade. However, few studies have investigated why they are persuasive from the perspective of the consumer. The purpose of this study was to identify why viewers are attracted to visual metaphor ads and provide a better understanding of the types of consumers who view them, revealing their subjective opinions and attitudes. Through the use of Q-method, four factors were identified: "Highbrows," who prefer metaphors that are classy and refined, "Connectors," an emotional group that focuses on interpersonal relationships and the relevance of the metaphor to the advertised product, "Executionists," who focus solely on how well the message or idea is executed by the metaphor, and "Logical Agitators," who can appreciate humorous body distortion because they function primarily cognitively. The results show that visual metaphors attract a diverse audience and that consumers of metaphors are much more complex than previous research implies. Advertisers may create more effective visual metaphors by constructing them to appeal to one of the four types.

This thesis studies New Age tourism and New Age tourists in New Zealand. In order to better understand this phenomenon, the research reviews literature pertaining to spirituality, religious tourism, pilgrimage and sacred sites. Using the theory of strategic groups, the study also shows that New Age tourism is distinct from other forms of travelling.The thesis argues that as a New Age destination, New Zealand's rich natural and cultural resources present immense potential for development. Key New Age attractions in the country are identified and future development prospects discussed. Although a relatively new phenomenon, the research contends that the New Age market is not homogenous and visitors exhibit differences in 'interest', 'experience' and 'profile characteristics'. Nevertheless, a dominant theme in all New Age travel appears to be the pursuit of unique and transcendental life knowledge.To analyze the New Age tourists in detail, the study employs two research methodologies. Quantitatively, the profile characteristics of tourists are scrutinized and a specialization index is adopted to delineate differences between market segments. It will be shown that New Age tourists comprise three distinct groups: the low, medium and highly specialized individuals. Qualitatively, the New Age visitors are analyzed by means of a phenomenological method. Through in-depth understanding of their motivations, needs and opinions, the New Age traveller is seen to be constantly in search of extraordinary and life-changing experiences. Overall, the thesis demonstrates that a corroborative methodology combining quantitative and qualitative techniques provides not only a holistic view of New Age tourism, but also invaluable empirical insights into this burgeoning field of contemporary travel.