Aim: The concept of CSR is getting more attention among various fields but there has been a lack of research in enhancing the awareness of CSR within the field of retailing. In order to fill this gap, the aim of this study is to investigate the significance of CSR and green marketing (ecological labels) in the business of retailing while evaluating the affect of it on consumer behavior.   Method: Case study research method is opted for this study to answer “why” and “how” questions. Furthermore, quantitative data has been collected through in store and online customer interview. The research data is analysed by using Microsoft Office Excel.   Result & Conclusions: The result shows that CSR is well incorporated and practiced by ICA Kvantum, AB. Their business philosophy is focused on customer, product, environment, diversity and community. They provide environmental and organic products by abiding the rules and law of goods production that also protects the environment. Moreover, the quantitative study reveals that Swedish female consumer between the ages of 26-35 are more responsible towards environment. It also shows that most of the consumers are still buying conventional (non-ecological) products and majority of them don’t check eco-labels before purchasing but they are willing to pay more for ecological and organic foods. Thus, CSR and green marketing affects consumer buying behavior through different ways.   Suggestions for future research: The similar research can be performed by adopting qualitative data from company’s experts to record their perspective about CSR and green marketing. Moreover, it would be interesting to investigate multiple retail companies operating in different cities. Furthermore, it could give innovative results, if the study investigates the link of trust and loyalty on consumer behavior, as they are the key components in consumer purchase decision.   Contribution of the study: This study identifies and explains the concept of CSR and the important elements of CSR in grocery retailing. The novel concept of green marketing and ecological products has been studied in relation to consumer behavior. The investigation of CSR and green marketing on consumer behavior is a unique combination which has not investigated extensively within the field of grocery retailing.

This thesis has been performed at IKEA Jönköping. The purpose was to identify what kind of forecasting system IKEA Jönköping is using and analyze its problems. The data collection was based on interviews with a total of 6 people working at IKEA Jönköping, IKEA of Sweden (IOS) in Älmhult and observation at the Sales Supply Support division (SSS).  From the empirical study several problems were identified linked with the performance of the forecasting. Problems with understanding the initial forecast from IOS were identified and this was because of lack of information about demand. SSS also wanted to know their local market in a better way this to be able to make more accurate forecast. Finally all the departments at IKEA Jönköping which were working with forecasting wanted a closer collaboration between SSS, sales and the logistics department also wanted to have better information exchange. The result from this thesis explain what kind of forecasting system IKEA Jönköping is using and gives suggestions to solve the problems mentioned above. We have highlighted the importance of having a closer collaboration between IOS and IKEA Jönköping and between the different departments working with forecasting. Furthermore we have explained the importance of creating guidelines and routines regarding the forecasts and the flow of information. By considering our solutions presented in this thesis we think that the problems addressed above could be managed and hopefully lead towards a better forecasting performance at IKEA Jönköping.

This study explores the application of wireless local area network (WLAN) in retailing industy for enhancing experiential marketing. As competition in the retailing industry increases, added with new entrants competing for old customers, department stores nowadays must consider new ways of attracting customers. Against that backdrop , experiential marketing becomes increasing important. Taking Kaohsiung¡¦s six department stores as cases for study, the author conducted a two-wave survey to examine whether and to what extent visitors of deparment stores appreciate the introduction and possible deployment of wireless local area networks as a means for enhancing experiential marketing. Using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a research method, this study sorts out not only the key success factors of introducing wireless Internet in the context of department stores but also the priority setting of those key success factors, which includes seventeen elements falling into five categories. Broadly put, marketing and promotion stands out as the first priority setting, followed by business model and infrastructure. The finding of such priority setting has deep implications for experiential marketing which also falls into five modules of analysis: sense, feel, think, act and relate. It shows that visitors are more satisfied with the aspects of sense and feel, whereas the other three leave rooms for improvement. By introducing and deploying information and communications technologies, such as WLAN, that weakness of experiential marketing can be improved.

This study aims to understand the glocal character of shopping malls and consumption patterns in the specific case of Ankara. The shopping mall has been a manifestation of globalization in the changing urban space as well as culture in Ankara since the 1990s. It has marked a significant shift from local dispositions of consumption and retailing, too. The study explores how this shift occurs in Ankara with regard to four aspects: spatial reorganization of urban space via malls / changing consumption patterns and urban public culture / the rise of organized retailing / and, finally, the interplay between the global and the local in commodification processes. The data was collected from semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight salespeople in four malls, namely Begendik, Arcadium, Ankamall and Optimum. These four cases each display a distinct blend of global currents and local orientations. It was realized that malls are increasingly popular for they signify a much-needed urban space and public life for the socially and culturally differentiating people in the city. Orientations of mall visitors vary regarding age, gender, neighborhood and occupational differences, while urban or rural identities can be also effective in the social practices in different malls. The ways shop employees differentiate themselves change according to their perception of consumers in a certain mall, too.

For a retailer, who has a close and everyday contact with its customers, understanding the customers can be of benefit if they know how to use the information in the right way. One way of using the customer is to integrate customers when developing new services, to enhance the possibility of the new service gaining market acceptance. Customer insight, Omnichannel retailing and Big Data are areas that recently have caught the interest of retailers. The latter two are of interest as these provide retailers with better possibilities of gaining customer insight, by taking the opportunities to observe the customers’ virtual footsteps to a whole new level. This thesis is a study made with the market research company Nepa as employer of the thesis, in order to develop their B2B offer with end-customer integration. Why and how customers are integrated were further studied through the frame of reference. The factors that were chosen to describe from a theoretical standpoint how customers can be integrated were type of integration, role of the customer, type of customer and timing of the integration. The underlying factors that were chosen to answer why retailers choose different alternatives among the above mentioned factors were market orientation, service/goods dominant logic, environmental uncertainty and market maturity. The study was made with a qualitative, positivistic approach using a collective case study. The case study is a good way to be able to answer both how and why-questions and was therefore chosen as method. By investigating multiple cases and performing a cross case analysis the authors were able to draw more generalizable conclusions. Five retailers took part in the study and for each of these a developed service was chosen as case for investigation. By doing low structured interviews using a method called story-telling, the authors let the respondents from each company speak freely about the chosen case, and that information could then be analyzed. The conclusions of the study concern the different ways retailers choose to integrate customers and the reasons they do it in different ways. A company’s market orientation affects if and what type of customer integration is used in the idea-generating phases. The degree of market orientation also affects the amount of occasions and what type of customer integration is used in the execution-oriented phases. Retailers’ turbulent technology environment has influenced their general perception of risk and the risk of unacceptance with the specific project. This results in that a company can initially integrate customers proactively to let them guide the company or the company can consider customer integration to be secondary. Retailers generally are guided by a goods dominant logic which leads to them not choosing to integrate the customers in active roles in the innovation process. Instead, the retailers combine different integration techniques to gain some of the advantages that active customer could have brought. This is also connected to the retailers wanting to get quickly through the early phases of the process and instead use agile development after the launch of the service. The retailers do not choose different types of customers for integration, but the combination of integration techniques can still provide them with some of the characteristics of the more knowledgeable customer.

Forskningsfrågor På vilka sätt visar företag inom detaljhandeln tillit eller brist på tillit till sina kunder i servicelandskap? På vilka sätt upplever kunder att företags visade tillit eller brist på tillit i servicelandskap påverkar deras relationer med företagen? Syfte Syftet med uppsatsen är att ge en ökad förståelse för hur kunders relationer med företag inom detaljhandeln påverkas av om företag visar tillit eller brist på tillit i servicelandskap. Det kommer att uppnås genom att analysera servicelandskaps utformning samt kunders upplevelser av hur företag visar eller inte visar förtroende för sina kunder i servicelandskap. Metod Uppsatsen utgår från en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod och präglas av en abduktiv ansats. Eftersom syftet berör de tre huvudbegreppen servicelandskap, tillit och relationer har respektive begrepp behandlats under enskilda kapitel. I varje kapitel som behandlar respektive begrepp presenteras teori och en analys av empirin som har samlats in med stöd av fokusgrupper samt semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Slutsats Företag inom detaljhandeln visar brist på tillit till sina kunder i servicelandskapen främst genom inlåsta varor, övervakningskameror samt att låta personalen övervaka kunderna. Personalens brist på tillit är det som påverkar kunderna mest och huruvida kunderna påverkas av inlåsta varor beror på syftet med deras köp. Att ge kunder frihet och kontroll i servicelandskap är ett sätt för företag att visa tillit till sina kunder. Kunders relationer till företag påverkas i sin tur av i vilken grad kunderna påverkas av den tillit som företag visar eller inte visar i servicelandskapen. / Research questions In what ways do companies within retailing show trust or lack of trust to their customers in servicescapes? In what ways do customers perceive that companies trust or lack of trust in servicescapes affects their relationships with the companies? Aim The aim of this study is to give an increased understanding of how customers' relationships with companies in the retail sector are affected by whether companies show trust or lack of trust in the servicescape. This will be achieved by analyzing servicescapes design as well as customers experiences of how companies show or do not show trust to their customers in the servicescape. Method This study is based on a qualitative research method and is characterized by an abductive process. Since the aim involves the three main concepts servicescape, trust and relationships, each concept has been covered in individual chapters. In each chapter dealing with each concept theory and the analysis of the empirical data that has been collected through focus groups and semi-structured interviews is presented. Conclusion Companies within retailing show a lack of trust to their customers in the servicescapes mainly through locked goods, surveillance cameras as well as having the staff monitor the customers. The staff's lack of trust is what affects customers the most and whether the customers are affected by locked goods depends on the purpose of their purchase. To give customers freedom and control in servicescapes is a way for companies to show trust to their customers. Customers' relationships with companies are in turn influenced by the degree to which the customers are affected by the trust companies show or do not show in the servicescape.

This thesis consists of four essays, mainly related to the fields of industrial organization and political economy. The focus is on deregulation of electricity retail markets and on the continued regulation of parts of such markets after the introduction of competition. The first essay is an empirical essay on the causes of deregulation. The timing of implementation of competition in retail electricity markets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand is studied. One conclusion is that there exist important qualitative differences between the United States and Europe. While deregulation in the United States to a large extent seems to have been driven by consumer interest concerns, the influence from interest groups is more pronounced in Europe.The second (theoretical) and third (empirical) essays deal with the interaction between the regulation of distribution networks and the retail market. When the regulated and unregulated operations are conducted within vertically integrated companies the regulation may not only have an effect on the regulated market, but also affect the behavior in the unregulated market. In the third essay a test that uses prices to detect patterns of cross-subsidization is developed and used on Norwegian data. Especially the effects of a regulatory change on cross-subsidization behavior are analyzed. The results both highlight the importance of a well-designed regulation of the regulated market and give support to requirements of vertical separation between regulated and unregulated operations.The fourth essay is a study of domestic electricity demand. It is thus somewhat different than the other papers since it is not directly connected to the issue of electricity market deregulation. Since the energy sector is an essential part of any modern economy and energy production has considerable environmental effects, the sector has for a long time been subject to political interventions. To some extent the policy instruments available to the legislator are reduced by deregulations. The use of taxes to affect prices and thus the demand for electricity may at the same time become an even more important policy instrument and more difficult to implement due to the internationalization of the electricity market. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2003

Digital and mobile channels has dramatically changed the retailing environment. New technologies allow companies to integrate information between different channels, in order to create a seamless and personal shopping experience for its customers. This is termed omni-channel retail strategy. In previous research it is discussed that this is the only way for retail companies to survive in the new retail environment. Previous research has focused on customer attitudes and values ​​but not on their actual behaviour. Thus, more research is required on how customers combine different channels during their buying process and how they experience the interaction. The purpose of the thesis is to create an understanding of how the omni-channel customer experiences its interaction with retailing channels. The goal is for companies to be able to use this study to better understand their customers experiences, and thereby improve their omni-channel strategy. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, a theoretical model, S-O-U, has been designed based on the classical Stimulus-Organism-Response model, which  often is used to describe consumer behaviour. The theoretical model has been used as a basis for the study's implementation and analysis. The study has a qualitative research strategy, and the data has been collected through focus groups. The collected data has been analysed based on the theoretical framework of the study, and the result shows that the customer uses different channels during its buying process to maximize their exchange. Furthermore, it has been found that the customer has different needs during the phases of the buying process. At the beginning of the buying process the customer is primarily driven by utilitarian values, while at the end of the buying process it is rather driven by hedonic values. The selection of channel depends on how well the channel can meet the customer's needs. Although the customer is driven by different values during the buying process, the result has clearly shown that both utilitarian and hedonic values ​​are necessary for the customer to have a positive experience of the interaction with different channels.

Submitted by Juan Sanchez (juan_msanchez@msn.com) on 2016-06-06T13:44:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 marketing-sanchez-projeto VF 6.pdf: 1259869 bytes, checksum: e6fdb1cce68a5d409ee6ccd47f4f1771 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br) on 2016-06-06T13:46:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 marketing-sanchez-projeto VF 6.pdf: 1259869 bytes, checksum: e6fdb1cce68a5d409ee6ccd47f4f1771 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-06T15:11:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 marketing-sanchez-projeto VF 6.pdf: 1259869 bytes, checksum: e6fdb1cce68a5d409ee6ccd47f4f1771 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-11 / Increasing competition caused by globalization, high growth of some emerging markets and stagnation of developed economies motivate Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs) manufacturers to drive their attention to emerging markets. These companies are expected to adapt their marketing activities to the particularities of these markets in order to succeed. In a country classified as emerging market, regions are not alike and some contrasts can be identified. In addition, divergences of marketing variables effect can also be observed in the different retail formats. The retail formats in emerging markets can be segregated in chain self-service and traditional full-service. Thus, understanding the effectiveness of marketing mix not only in country aggregated level data can be an important contribution. Inasmuch as companies aim to generate profits from emerging markets, price is an important marketing variable in the process of creating competitive advantage. Along with price, promotional variables such as in-store displays and price cut are often viewed as temporary incentives to increase short-term sales. Managers defend the usage of promotions as being the most reliable and fastest manner to increase sales and then short-term profits. However, some authors alert about sales promotions disadvantages; mainly in the long-term. This study investigates the effect of price and in-store promotions on sales volume in different regions within an emerging market. The database used is at SKU level for juice, being segregated in the Brazilian northeast and southeast regions and corresponding to the period from January 2011 to January 2013. The methodological approach is descriptive quantitative involving validation tests, application of multivariate and temporal series analysis method. The Vector-Autoregressive (VAR) model was used to perform the analysis. Results suggest similar price sensitivity in the northeast and southeast region and greater in-store promotion sensitivity in the northeast. Price reductions show negative results in the long-term (persistent sales in six months) and in-store promotion, positive results. In-store promotion shows no significant influence on sales in chain self-service stores while price demonstrates no relevant impact on sales in traditional full-service stores. Hence, this study contributes to the business environment for companies wishing to manage price and sales promotions for consumer brands in regions with different features within an emerging market. As a theoretical contribution, this study fills an academic gap providing a dedicated price and sales promotion study to contrast regions in an emerging market. / O aumento da competição causada pela globalização, alto crescimento dos mercados emergentes e a estagnação dos mercados em países desenvolvidos levaram empresas de Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) a direcionar sua atenção aos mercados emergentes. Estas empresas devem adaptar suas atividades de marketing as particularidades destes mercados para obter sucesso. Em um país classificado como emergente, diferentes regiões possuem distintas características. Adicionalmente, divergências no efeito das variáveis de marketing também podem ser observadas nos diferentes formatos de varejo. Os formatos de varejo em um mercado emergente podem ser classificados em autosserviço (chain self-service) e tradicional de serviço (traditional full-service). Desta forma, entender a eficácia do marketing mix não apenas no nível agregado de país pode ser uma contribuição importante. Na medida em que as empresas visam gerar lucros em mercados emergentes, o preço é uma importante variável de marketing no processo de criação de uma vantagem competitiva. Junto com o preço, variáveis de promoção como displays nas lojas e redução de preços são muitas vezes vistos como incentivos temporários para aumentar as vendas no curto prazo. Executivos defendem o uso de promoções como sendo a maneira mais confiável e mais rápida de aumentar vendas e o lucro no curto prazo. No entanto, alguns autores alertam sobre as desvantagens de promoção de vendas; principalmente, no longo prazo. Este estudo investiga o efeito de preço e promoção em lojas no volume de vendas em diferentes regiões dentro de um mercado emergente. A base de dados utilizada esta no nível SKU para o suco, sendo segregada nas regiões do sudeste e nordeste brasileiro, correspondendo ao período entre janeiro de 2011 a janeiro de 2013. A abordagem metodológica de validação é quantitativa descritiva, sendo aplicado um método de análise de séries multivariadas e temporais. O modelo de vetor autorregressivo (VAR) foi utilizado para realizar a análise. Os resultados sugerem uma sensibilidade de preço semelhante na região do nordeste e do sudeste e maior sensibilidade de promoção em lojas no nordeste. Reduções de preço mostram resultados negativos no longo prazo (persistência do volume de vendas em seis meses) enquanto promoção em lojas teve resultados positivos. Promoção em lojas não mostra influência significativa sobre as vendas em lojas de autosserviço, por outro lado, preço demonstra não ter impacto relevante sobre as vendas em lojas tradicionais de serviço. Assim, este estudo contribui ao cenário executivo para empresas que almejam aperfeiçoar a promoções de vendas e precificação de suas marcas em regiões com diferentes características dentro de um mercado emergente. Como contribuição teórica, este estudo preenche uma lacuna acadêmica fornecendo um estudo de preço e promoção de vendas dedicado ao contraste de regiões em um mercado emergente.

Background  In the context of booming e-commerce, logistics service is an opportunity as well as a challenge for fresh products e-retailers and their logistics service providers (LSPs). In fact, they offered various fancy logistics services, like evening home delivery, same-day delivery and recyclable packaging. However, it will lead to a high cost. So, it is necessary for them to understand consumer preferences for logistics services to obtain their satisfaction and loyalty as well as to decrease the logistics costs.  Purpose  The purpose of this study is to investigate consumer preferences for logistics services within online retailing of fresh products in Sweden.  Method  To fulfill the research purpose, a quantitative research is conducted by employing the full-profile conjoint analysis. The quantitative data in a raw form were collected from the questionnaire, which has investigated 161 respondents in Sweden for rating nine logistics service profiles. To reduce the respondents’ evaluation task, the profiles are generated by orthogonal design in SPSS 24.0. The data analysis is conducted by conjoint analysis module in the software.  Conclusion  The results show that free home delivery is the preferred choice and green packaging material is much more attractive than ordinary one. Delivery speed does not appear to be so important comparing with the other attributes, which means the respondents could accept the delivery within one week. To extent, the respondents are very cost conscious, but they are still willing to make trade off for the premium logistics services. For example, they could accept 1-50 kronor delivery fee when they select home delivery with green package marticals. Therefore, e-retailers and their LSPs can focus on how to balance free shipping and certain delivery costs in different contexts.