<p>The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the behaviour of young Chinese girls toward luxury goods and to provide suggestions for the marketer when marketing products on the Chinese market.</p><p>The goal of this study was to see the differences in behaviour between the area of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China (Mainland), but also to identify toward which categories of luxury goods (perfume, leather goods, clothing) people were more favourable.</p><p>In order to get information for our thesis we used a qualitative approach (by doing a focus group) and a quantitative approach (by using questionnaire). Our sample can be described as girls aged from 20 to 25 and living in the area of Honk Kong, Taiwan and China (Mainland)</p><p>To retrieve information we focused on different variables intervening in the consumer behaviour such as perception, learning and memorisation, motivation and attitude. We investigate perception through, knowledge, symbolism and risks perceived, the learning and memorisation process were evaluate through information , the motivation and attitude were measured through the intention to buy.</p><p>As a result of this study we find out some similarities in behaviour in the different geographic areas investigated. These findings can lead to the glob-alization of some specific points of the marketing mix. However great dif-ferences between the regions also appeared and they should be taken in consideration in the marketing strategy in order to be successful.</p>

This Professional Report explores the effects of Tiffany&Co’s online advertising strategy on brand perception in Italy and United States. The study starts with an analysis of the concept of luxury and the opinion that scholars have on how luxury value and brand equity should be communicated. Brand perception, its influence on consumers, and the role of Internet are also analyzed. The last part includes a detailed analysis of the findings for Italian and American consumers aged 18-25 and the variables that influence Tiffany&Co’s perceptions. The study concludes with recommendations to reinforce brand equity and perceptions via online advertisements. / text

Background: Since the early 1990s, the market for luxury goods has been growing at an unprecedented pace (Granot et al., 2013). Formerly exclusively targeting the richest of the rich, nowadays luxury products are aiming at a broader and considerably younger customer base, the Generation Y (Truong, 2010). Current studies suggest that luxury goods consumption is driven by a need to signal prestige (Grotts &amp; Widner-Johnson, 2013; Nelissen &amp; Meijers, 2011). However, this need can only be fulfilled when a signal is interpreted in the intended way. Nelissen &amp; Meijers (2011) among others believe that a reliable signal can yield “fitness benefits”. Although researchers agree on the outcome of the signaling game, there appears to be no consensus on “what” a product should look like in order to serve as a reliable signal. Purpose: This thesis investigates the impact of brand prominence on perceived “fitness benefits” among Generation Y consumers in the context of luxury fashion clothing. Method: To meet the purpose of this thesis a quantitative study was conducted. The data was collected through a social experiment among students at Högskolan i Jönköping. The participants were randomly presented with one of three visual cues, capturing Brand Prominence by a person wearing t-shirts with differently sized brand logos. An oral survey was then conducted by which the attributed social "fitness" of the depicted person was assessed. Conclusion: The overall results of this study suggest that Brand Prominence has not as much impact on Generation Y consumers than suggested by previous research. Empirical evidence is provided that the signaling process is not as straight forward as proposed by Nelissen &amp; Meijers (2011) or Veblen (1899). The signaling process among Generation Y consumers is (a) influenced by the recipient’s characteristics and (b) by the subtlety of the signal. Furthermore, current studies suggest in accordance with the obtained results a shift form Luxury Consumption to the phenomenon of Luxury Experience. This implies the necessity for luxury manufacturers to adapt to new levels of complexity created by a demographically and geographically heterogeneous consumer landscape, characterized by a new way of Costly Signaling.

An emerging literature stream posits that drawing on users rather than internal designers in new product creation may benefit firms because the resulting products effectively satisfy consumer needs. Four studies conducted in the context of the luxury fashion industry uncover an important conceptual boundary condition of this positive user-design effect. Contrary to extant research, the results show that being "close" to users does not help but rather harms luxury fashion brands. Specifically, the authors find that user design backfires because consumer demand for a given luxury fashion brand collection is reduced if the collection is labeled as user (vs. company) designed. The results further reveal the underlying rationale for this reversal: user-designed luxury products are perceived to be lower in quality and fail to signal high status, which results in a loss of agentic feelings for the consumer. The authors explore several strategies luxury brands can pursue to overcome this negative user-design effect. Finally, they find that negative outcomes of user design are attenuated for luxury fashion products that are not used for status signaling - that is, product categories of a luxury brand that are characterized by lower status relevance for the consumer. (authors' abstract)

Marketing research indicates a robust industry for luxury brands with ever-increasing consumer demand. However, studies indicate no correlation between the booming luxury industry and the value of luxury as perceived by the consumers. Against the backdrop of growth in this industry and its contributions towards the economy of a nation, it is imperative to understand why consumers buy luxury accessories brands from an academic and managerial perspective. It is equally important to understand the reasons as to why consumers hold certain brands dear and how their perception of luxury affects their buying decisions. Previous market research done in this regard highlighted the need for luxury brand managers to adopt a focused approach when selling luxury goods. Consumers should be able to perceive certain value in the luxury accessories brand that justifies its high cost, especially during periods of economic recession. To obtain a quantifiable and sustainable competitive advantage, it is prudent for the luxury industry to investigate and analyse the consumer value of their products. Therefore, it is crucial to study the types of value required and their impact on consumer behaviour. To bridge this gap, the present study proposes generating an in-depth explanation of how consumers’ luxury value dimensions determine their overall luxury brand value in an accessories context. Subsequently, these influence their repurchase intention through direct and indirect routes, by establishing and testing an integrated model of the determinants and consequences of luxury accessories value from the perspective of Gulf Arab tourist. To meet the requirements of this research, a mixed methodology was deployed. This combined all quantitative and qualitative data, in a sequential manner, to deduce the results. An explorative qualitative phase was used at the preliminary level of research. This required various focus groups to set out the scope of the model and devise topics for the questionnaire. This was followed by a quantitative research phase that compiled and evaluated all data generated from the self-administered questionnaires. Hypothesis testing was estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) v.3) on 397 Gulf Arab tourists who have an experience in luxury accessories. The results confirm that Gulf Arab tourists consider emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial value when developing their overall value of luxury accessories. Effectively, this shapes their repurchase intention only indirectly through brand trust and preferences. The uniqueness of this research is elicited from being the first to use the theory of consumption values to construct a model that uncovers overall value for luxury accessories brands and tests its influence on repurchase intentions. This model develops the narrow view of consumption-value theory in terms of the value components that affect only consumption choice decisions. The research model cultivates this view by integrating a set of value components as a basis on which to explain consumer preferences and purchase decisions for luxury accessory brands. Thus, the theory of consumption values may go beyond choice decisions to include behavioural outcomes. In addition, this study reiterates the experimental view of consumption, as proposed by Holbrook and his colleagues. The study states that cognitive and affective components work in collaboration to determine the overall value of luxury accessories brands. The research provides supplementary data to the assumptions of the traditional rationality models. Combined with such models, this research intends to enhance the prediction of the value of consumer luxury accessories. Methodologically, the existing empirical research relies on small student samples, used conventionally in similar studies. Consequently, a significant number of respondents lacked the necessary purchase experience, essential for this research. However, the present research contributes by using actual consumers of luxury accessories brands; thereby, enhancing the validity of the empirical findings. Another significant contribution of this research is the use of a mixed-methods approach to understanding consumer behaviour. This allowed the researcher to obtain a better understanding of the Consumer Value theory within the context of luxury accessories, branding and endorsements. The qualitative and quantitative aspects of such consumer values have never been explored before. Therefore, this research anticipates providing a benchmark for all future research under the same topic. Pragmatically, regarding emotional, social, self-identity, relational and financial dimensions, marketers will be able to base their selling strategies based on this model. Furthermore, it facilitates the improvement of purchase value for their luxury accessories and help them target consumers in different market segments. Consumers may differ with respect to their perceived values for luxury commodities, but prefer a prticular luxury brand to satisfy their emotional and cognitive needs. This model is also useful from a market position, while enhancing the overall Marketing efficiency for luxury accessories. Alternatively, luxury accessories brand managers will be required to build strong brand value and a continual relationship with their consumers to prevent them from searching for and investing in alternate brands and substitutes; thereby encouraging cross-shopping.

The fiscal charges of the income tax state that if we want to consider an expense as deductible it must fulfill the causality principle, apart from that, they state rules that expenses are necessary to generate income and fulfill the criterion of reasonable expenses, majority among others.Showing that an expense is a necessity is a complicated task that in many cases will force — the person to determine that necessity — to examine internal aspects of the company, as business strategies, internal policies, etc. Apart from the analytical complexity of these topics, there will be the subjective aspect from the point of view of the outside observer.This article pretends to show the difficulty to decide if an expense is necessary or not, through the analysis of a real case where the tax system denies expenses of a taxpayer because they were not considered necessary for that kind of business. / Las normas tributarias del impuesto a la renta señalan que para que un gasto sea deducible de impuestos debe cumplirse con el principio de causalidad; además señalan dichas normas que los gastos deben ser necesarios para generar renta y cumplir con criterios de razonabilidad del gasto, generalidad, entre otros.Demostrar que un gasto es necesario es una tarea compleja que en la mayoría de los casos obligará —a la persona que quiera determinar esa necesidad— a evaluar aspectos internos de las empresas, como estrategias empresariales, políticas internas, entre otros. Además de la complejidad analítica de esos temas, subsistirá siempre el aspecto subjetivo de parte del evaluador.Este artículo propone precisamente esa dificultad en demostrar si un gasto es necesario o no, a través del análisis de un caso real donde la Administración Tributaria objeta los gastos de un contribuyente por no considerarlos necesarios para el giro del negocio.

nÃo hà / O consumo do luxo à um fenÃmeno social e cultural, presente em todo o mundo. A presente pesquisa tem o objetivo de suprir parcialmente essa lacuna, ao investigar quais os principais fatores de influÃncia do consumo de marcas de luxo no Brasil. O mercado de produtos de luxo apresentou grande crescimento no Brasil nos Ãltimos anos. Seu estudo se faz importante para entender o comportamento e as formas de sociabilidade de uma elite que consome de maneira peculiar. A pesquisa seguiu um mÃtodo qualitativo de investigaÃÃo, com trÃs fontes de evidÃncia principais: entrevistas em profundidade, consulta a materiais e observaÃÃo. Optouse por realizar uma pesquisa qualitativa, utilizando o mÃtodo da entrevista em profundidade, associada à tÃcnica projetiva, realizada com 18 consumidores de luxo residentes na cidade de Fortaleza. O foco do estudo recaiu sobre categoriais de produtos de luxo acessÃveis. A pesquisa indicou que o consumo de marcas de luxo à influenciado principalmente por questÃes emocionais, tais como tradiÃÃo, busca da exclusividade, diferenciaÃÃo, raridade e auto-afirmaÃÃo. A pesquisa indicou ainda que o consumo de bens de luxo à influenciado pelos meios social, profissional e familiar. / The luxury consumption is a social and cultural phenomenon, present in the whole world. This research has the goal of exploring this gap by investigating the main influence factors of consumption of luxury brands in Brazil. In the last years, Brazilian luxury market has experienced na expressive growth. To study it is important to understand the behaviour and the ways of sociability of an elite, which have consumes peculiar way. The research was based on a qualitative approach, using three sources of information: in-depth interviews, desk research and observation. A qualitative method of research was chosen, making use of indepth interviews, associated with projective techniques, carried out with 18 luxury consumers living in the city of Fortaleza. The research focused on products accessible categories. The research found influence much more for emotional factors as tradition, exclusivity search, rarity and to be distinguished the consumption of luxury brands. The research also found that social, professional and familiar environments influence the consumption of luxury products.

Originalmente, os produtos de moda voltados ao mercado de luxo estavam associados a um elevado grau de refinamento, obtidos por meio de insumos valiosos, buscando aprimoramento em todos os processos que envolviam sua produção. O vestuário tangenciou aspectos de construção de luxo, sejam por meio dos materiais, cores, formas, ou mesmo, relações subjetivas e sociais que o luxo sempre apresentou. Utilizando o referencial teórico da semiótica discursiva, notadamente nas postulações de Algirdas Julien Greimas e de seus colaboradores, o presente estudo visa analisar as estratégias discursivas que tecem a significação do luxo e da alta-costura através dos arranjos de seus formantes plásticos. Foram investigadas as poéticas visuais propulsoras dos princípios ordenadores utilizadas na alta-costura contemporânea e posteriormente feito um recorte utilizando como corpus a altacostura da casa de moda Chanel, produzidas entre 2004 a 2014, totalizando 21 coleções. Foram examinadas como as criações vestimentares atuais são articuladas a fim de criar um discurso vestimentar singular e manter esta casa de moda como referência no universo do vestuário de luxo / Originally, fashion products aimed at the luxury market were associated with a high degree of refinement, obtained through valuable inputs, seeking improvement in all processes involving production. The clothing tangenciou aspects of building luxury, whether through the materials, colors, shapes, or even subjective and social relations that luxury always presented. Using the theoretical framework of semiotic discourse, notably in Algirdas Julien Greimas of postulations and its employees, this study aims to examine the discursive strategies that weave the meaning of luxury and haute couture through the arrangements of their plastic formants. The driving visual poetics of ordering principles used in contemporary haute couture were investigated and subsequently made a cutout using as corpus couture fashion house Chanel, produced between 2004-2014, totaling 21 collections. We examined how current vestimentares creations are hinged to create a singular discourse vestimentar and maintain this fashion house as a reference in the world of luxury clothing

Entre 2007 e 2012 a indústria de bens de luxo, no contexto nacional dobrou e tamanho, movimentando mais de US$ 20 bilhões em 2012, sendo que São Paulo é a cidade brasileira com a maior \"concentração destas atividades. Abordada por Pierre George na década de 1950, esta temática, assim como as discussões sobre Geografia do Comércio, se fizeram pouco presente durante a segunda metade do século XX, o que começou a mudar a\' partir da década de 1990. Com a chegada do século XXI e a intensificação do processo de globalização acompanhadas de mudanças no modelo. produtivo, é possível observar um maior protagonismo do Consumo em relação à produção; possibilitando o surgimento de novas terrilorialidades adequadas para a realização destas novas funções urbanas. O presente, trabalho se propõe a discutir e analisar os processos que conformam os territórios que serviram de base material para. a comercialização de bens e serviços de luxo na cidade de São Paulo neste período (1913-.2014). O luxo, um tema plural e multifacetário, exigiu desta dissertação de mestrado uma interpretação interdisciplinar,e a combinação de distintas teorias inerentes à ciência geográfica para sua concepção, respaldados pelo método de pesquisa qualitativo, aliada à pesquisa bibliográfica, aplicação de questionários, realização de entrevistas e trabalhos de campo no .Brasil e no exterior. Concluindo, esta dissertação revela uma tendência de localização dos novos empreendimentos ligados à esta indústria na cidade de São Paulo, coincidindo com a localização dos bairros de alto padrão e a. região que desde princípios do século XX têm concentrado grande parte dos investimentos em infraestrutura urbana por parte da municipalidade: o Vetor Sudoeste. A formação de novas camadas de consumidores resulta da mobilidade social pela qual a cidade e o país passaram na última década. Processos estes, que possibilitaram ainda a formação de um novo grupo de consumidores que mesmo residindo em outros estados da federação, têm na cidade de São Paulo o destino ideal para suas compras de produtos e serviços ligados à indústria de bens de luxo. / Between 2007 and 2012, the Brazilian luxury goods industry doubled in value. up to US$ 20 billion in 2012, with São Paulo - being the Brazilian city having the largest concentration of these activities. Already approached by Pierre George ir] the early 1950\'s, the subject of Iuxury and the geography of trade, did not receive much attention during the course of the 20th century until the- nineties. With the arrival of the 21st century and the intensification globalization process accompanied by changes in the production model, a greater role of. consumption in relation to production can be observed. This allowed the emergence of new territorialities suitable for the realization of new urban functions. This research aims to discuss and analyze the process of formation of the territorialities that served as base material for the rnarketing of luxury goods and services in the city of São Paulo in the recent history of the municipality (1913-2014). Luxury I is a research subject that requires different points of view; therefore, this master study has an interdisciplinary approach thereby combining different theories inherent to the science of geography: qualitative research combined with literature study, questionnaires, interviews and fieldwork in Brazil and abroad are the research methods used. This study reveals the trends in localization of new luxury goods infrastructure in the city of São Paulo, wtiich is closely related to the emergence of wealthy neighborhoods. Moreover, since the beginning of the 20th century, the municipality of Sao Paulo lnvested in urban infrastructure in that same region that can be identified as the Southwest Vector. Also, the formation of new layers of consumers that benefit from the social mobility in both city and country durinq the last decade can be observed, such as a new group of consumers that, even while residing in other States of the Federation, find in the city of São Paulo the ideal destination for their luxury goods purchases.

Recently, many studies have detailed how consumer perceptions and experiences affect attitudes and behaviours towards web service quality and e-satisfaction. Controversy arises when it comes to luxury brands. Luxury brands associate themselves with the concept of exclusivity and they position themselves in the market as such. But in online placement, how do they remain exclusive when information is accessible to everyone? Consumers of luxury products and services have varying opinions on the subject. Not all consumers are susceptible to online marketing and retailing. The perception of consumers is highly relevant when assigning the term ‘luxury’ to a brand. Therefore, a luxury brand has a certain personality and has an emotional and a creative appeal for the consumer. The aim of this research is to understand consumer attitude towards online luxury shopping websites before the purchase, during the purchase, and after the purchase. This study investigates the external factors that impact on consumer attitude toward purchasing online luxury shopping as a first step in the consumer online luxury shopping model. Further, it examines consumer attitude towards purchase life cycle, and the mediation role of consumer attitude between external factors and purchase intention. Moreover, this study investigates the relationships between different stages inside the purchase life cycle. This work is the first study focusing on the above aspects in a luxury context, the importance of which has been widely recognised in marketing literature but never explored empirically. Taking an exploratory approach, the study shows that in the case of brands in the premium luxury segment, external factors may have a positive influence on luxury perceptions, and more specifically on consumer attitude, which in turn may affect their intention to proceed to the online buying process. This study uses the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical grounding to study the adoption and evolution of a consumer online luxury shopping (COLS) model. A questionnaire was deployed online as a research instrument to collect the data from 313 online luxury consumers in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US). The data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with PLS software. Further analysis using multi group analysis (MGA) was conducted after the main analysis for comparison between country (UK and US), gender (Male and Female), and level of internet experience (Intermediate and Advanced). The empirical results from this study show that, among seven external factors that affect consumer attitude (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived brand value, e-WOM, e-service quality, social network site usage and social media marketing activities), e-service quality has the strongest impact on consumer attitude toward purchasing online. However, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and e-word of mouth were non-significant, while e-service quality, social network site usage, social media marketing activities, and perceived brand value were all significant, and positively impact on consumer attitude. Moreover, the rest of the relationships from the COLS findings were significantly positive. Finally, the findings of this study provide noteworthy theoretical insights in terms of development of the COLS from the theory of extended TAM, and the COLS highlights the importance of the external factors, consumer attitude, and purchase lifecycle as the key elements of online luxury shopping. Moreover, the COLS model has been tested using multi-group analysis in three sets (country, gender, and internet level of experience). Furthermore, these findings bring valuable marketing implications highlighted by this study, and covers before purchase, during purchase, and after purchase, which shows what is happening inside the entire buying process for online luxury shopping. Marketers might also note that adopting an online luxury shopping website and recognising what factors can affect buying externally or internally can improve business efficiency.