Dissertation (MBus) -- AUT University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (81 leaves ; 30 cm.) in the Archive at the City Campus (T 658.8343 HEI)

Luxury consumption is more and more common in China with the rapid economic development today. Chinese consumers are becoming a main purchasing power of the fashion luxury brands.Chinese women accounted for 45 percent of Chinese luxury goods consumption at the end of 2012. There is no denying that the female Chinese consumers are playing an increasingly important role in the global luxury goods market. Chinese female luxury consumers between 30 and 50 are considered to be called Chinese Dama. The influences of this group of people on fashion luxuries market is becoming more significant. However, no research seems to have noticed the middle aged female luxury consumers group named Chinese Dama.The purpose of our research is to find out the reasons why this group of people, who are so called “Chinese Dama”, are consuming fashion luxuries. We want to define and identify this special fashion luxury consuming group. Hopefully, the findings in our thesis can inspire some fashion luxury companies to notice this new purchasing power and to come up with better sale and product strategies for Chinese Dama.A qualitative research method was developed to meet the purpose of collecting relevant data. Interviews were made with Chinese Dama we met in Gothenburg airport and a Munich fashion luxury shopping mall. We also made a content analysis on articles collected that explain the issue of who are Chinese Dama and the features and lifestyle of Chinese Dama for the empirical study.The findings of our research can provide information for marketers in the luxury market, which concludes that Chinese females have different type of attitudes and motivations including those found by other scholars and the new motivations and attitudes that were discovered in our investigation towards purchasing fashion luxuries, which are brand awareness, materialism, social comparison for attitudes and guanxi, saving face and reselling to make profit. We not only confirm common acknowledge about Chinese Dama, which is known by everyone in China, but also obtain a better understanding of Chinese Dama. We also concluded that the expression Chinese Dama is no longer appropriate.

Thesis (M.A. in apparel, merchandising and textiles)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

This paper tests the relationship between income inequality and trade flows. The model is based upon Helena Bohman and Désirée Nilsson (2007) and Mitra Trindade and Dalgin (2008). This paper will set up gravity model for 50 countries which includes, income distribution, population, average individual income level and GINI variable as distribution of disposable income as an explanatory variables. Results confirm that when income inequality increases in the exporting country, export of necessities increase and export of luxuries decrease. Income distribution also shows expected effect on trade flows in the importing country. When income inequality increases in the importing country, import of necessities decrease and import of luxuries increase.

Thesis (Ph. D.) -- Lincoln University, 2008. / Also available via the World Wide Web.

This paper investigates a number of psychological factors that influence the South African Black middle class to engage in bandwagon consumption when purchasing luxury motor vehicles. The South African Black middle class has been receiving attention in consumer markets, especially from luxury brand houses looking at emerging markets for growth. This study was designed to measure the impact of the self-concept, susceptibility to normative influence, propensity to seek status and the need for uniqueness on the propensity to engage in bandwagon consumption behaviour. An online survey of 184 people identified as Black middle class, provided the data which was analysed using the PLS Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique. The results of the model confirmed the presence of bandwagon luxury motor vehicle consumption among this market segment. It was also found that the bandwagon consumption behaviour occurs in spite of the self-concept and need for uniqueness. Status consumption and susceptibility to normative influence were confirmed as antecedents to the bandwagon consumption. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted