This research aims to realize the relationship between store image and consumer purchasing behavior of coffee chain store in Kaohsiung city. In order to paint a vivid picture of consumer behavior in Kaohsiung coffee chain store, this research tries to analyze the importance of store image and customer¡¦s satisfaction. The research is only conducted in Kaohsiung area and the range includes some specific coffee chain systems that open above 5 stores in Kaohsiung. In this case, the research is focus on three coffee chain stores ¡GSTARBUCKS, DOUTOR and BRUNCH . A total number of 315 effective questionnaires are collected until the end of April in 2003 . In this research, some attributes of store image are grouped into six dimensions. They are products, services, atmosphere, convenience, advertising¡Aand promotion and solid equipment .The six-dimensional research structure contains 26 attributes which are measured by Likert Scale to understand the importance of store image ,customer¡¦s satisfaction and total store image . The following are the results of this research ¡Gone result shows the level of significance with regard to the differences between importance of store image and customer¡¦s satisfaction. This reveals that customers dissatisfy with some attributes when they patronize coffee chain stores. The whole store image has positive correlation and level of significance with consumption, frequency of purchase and Re-patronage but doesn¡¦t show the level of significance with staying time. The result shows significantly different with total store image and consumer¡¦s satisfaction but doesn¡¦t show significantly different with the importance of store image in different coffee chain stores. The research also reveals significantly the difference among consumption, re-patronage and companies yet the difference with frequency of purchase and staying time in different coffee chain stores. The last but not the least, in different coffee chain stores, the research has the education difference but not the difference with gender , marriage, age, occupation and income .

Obesity related employer healthcare costs increased 8% from 2010 to 2011 (PwC, 2012; Durden, 2008), which has spurred an increase in worksite weight management programs. Due to minimal success of individually focused programs (Anderson, 2009; Mhurchu, 2010), efforts have shifted to the potential impact of environmental interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a red, yellow, and green (R/Y/G) point of purchase (POP) labeling system on perceived health literacy and purchasing behaviors at three on-campus eateries frequented by university faculty and staff. Foods were rated as red, yellow, or green based on the Nutrient Rich Food Index. All foods were labeled with stickers that looked like miniature traffic lights with the appropriate color light lit up through menu boards and nametags. Posters, emails and table tents were also used to communicate about the intervention. In order to provide various levels of exposure, the first eatery had the intervention for six weeks, the second for four weeks, and the last for two weeks. Eatery patrons (N=191 across the three locations) completed a paper and pencil pre-intervention survey assessing healthy eating intentions, knowledge, and behaviors. Post-intervention data collection was conducted via online survey (N=89), and consisted of the pre-test items and additional questions about label awareness and utilization. While the intervention did not appear to influence healthy eating intentions or knowledge, 41.6% of the patrons reported that the labels influenced their food choices. Patrons also reported being aware of, understanding, and using the labels. The average food sales for the six weeks prior to the intervention were compared to the average food sales during the intervention. Food sales data were compared by location and food category (R/Y/G). There was a significant increase in green food sales and a significant decrease in red food sales (r=-.375, p=.044). However, there were no significant differences between locations. These findings suggest that future research with the traffic light labeling is warranted. / text

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 74-76)

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-90).

Thesis (M.Hous.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-90) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Hous.M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-68) Also available in print.

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.

Mass-customization is a form of consumer-centric business practice, which is a hybrid of customization and mass-production (Gilmore & Pine II, 1997). It is the use of flexible processes and organizational structures to produce individually customized apparel products at the low cost of a standardized mass-production system (Hart, 1995). Very limited academic consumer research has been conducted in the area of apparel mass-customization. The purposes of the study were (a) to investigate consumers' purchase intentions of mass-customized apparel, (b) to examine the relationships among consumer characteristics, perceived usefulness, perceived behavioral control, attitude toward using apparel mass-customization, and purchase intention of mass-customized apparel, and (c) to identify the predictors of the overall purchase intentions and those of the purchase intentions of specific types of mass-customized apparel (i.e., design, fit and personalization mass-customized apparel). A conceptual model was developed, and eight hypotheses were generated to test the proposed relationships among the variables. A questionnaire was developed as the instrument of collecting data. A national sample of 474 male adults was recruited by a market research company. Statistics such as descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and stepwise multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the collected data. The results indicated that more than half of the respondents were willing to purchase mass-customized dress shirts. The relationships among consumer characteristics, perceived usefulness, perceived behavioral control, attitude toward using apparel mass-customization, and purchase intention of mass-customized apparel were confirmed, and the predictors of the overall purchase intention and of the purchase intention of specific types of mass-customized apparel were identified. Based on the results, in-depth discussions and related marketing implications were provided. / Ph. D.

Hoy en día existe un nuevo comportamiento del consumidor, en donde la tecnología forma parte de su día a día. La falta de tiempo, representa cada vez menos un problema para las personas por lo que las empresas buscan llegar a ellos y estos puedan realizar compras sin la necesidad de salir de casa. Para la solución de esta problemática aparece la compra online, que se mantiene en auge y facilita la vida de muchos clientes. Sin embargo, a pesar de representar algo positivo para las empresas, aún presentan barreras. Por tal motivo, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo determinar la relación existente entre las barreras que inhiben la compra de ropa casual en tiendas por departamento en el canal online y la decisión de compra Para ello, según los hallazgos encontrados, se analizaron los diferentes riesgos que giran en torno a la confianza: riesgo funcional (relacionado al funcionamiento del producto), temporal (tiempo de entrega del producto), financiero (el costo de devolución de una prenda) y la reputación (de la tienda en cuestión), las cuales se convierten en barreras al no poder ser mitigadas por las empresas. Los resultados indicaron que el riesgo funcional y la reputación de los retailers poseen una relación positiva con la intensión de compra. Esto se debe existe una fuerte desconfianza de adquirir productos online. No obstante, el riesgo financiero y riesgo temporal obtuvieron una relación negativa, lo cual indica que este tipo de riesgos han sido mitigados, ya que las consumidoras muestran mayor confianza. / Today there is a new consumer behavior, where technology is part of their day to day. Lack of time represents less and less of a problem for people, so companies seek to reach them and they can make purchases without the need to leave home. For the solution of this problem, online shopping appears, which remains booming and makes life easier for many customers. However, despite representing something positive for companies, they still present barriers. For this reason, this research aims to determine the relationship between the barriers that inhibit the purchase of casual clothing in department stores in the online channel and the purchase decision. For this, according to the findings, the different risks that revolve around trust were analyzed: functional risk (related to the operation of the product), temporary (product delivery time), financial (the cost of returning a garment) and the reputation (of the store in question), which become barriers as they cannot be mitigated by companies. The results indicated that the functional risk and reputation of the retailers have a positive relationship with the intention to buy. This is because there is a strong distrust of purchasing products online. However, financial risk and temporary risk obtained a negative relationship, which indicates that these types of risks have been mitigated, as consumers show greater confidence. / Trabajo de investigación

ABB is a global company with a leading position in power and automation technologies. Being active on a global market creates a high pressure to always develop the business and reduce costs in order to stay competitive. The purchasing function at ABB ́s unit Control Products is divided into a strategic- and an operative purchase department. The negotiated setups the strategic purchasers establish with the suppliers have been shown to affect the transport- and inventory costs that are charged to the operative purchase department. In order to determine whether more beneficial setups could be negotiated by including transport- and inventory costs when they are evaluated, this case study has been requested. Two master students from Linköping University have conducted the study and by investigating different setups, conclusions to answer the study ́s purpose could be drawn. The purpose is presented below. The study’s purpose is to recommend future guidelines for the strategic purchasers at ABB’s unit Control Products that can be applied when negotiating with suppliers, by evaluating purchase-, transport- and inventory costs. In order to investigate how the purchase-, transport- and inventory costs were affected by different setups, four different cases were defined. Each case included a specific article, which was chosen based on its properties and its current and alternative setups. The conducted literature reviews and interviews with employees at Control Products resulted in the two sub- criteria lead time and net price were defined as the most important ones when negotiating and evaluating suppliers. A combination of these sub-criteria was therefore used to choose suitable articles. Once the cases had been defined, the purchase-, transport- and inventory costs could be calculated for both their current situation and alternative setup scenarios. Theories from relevant researches were used to strengthen and criticised the cases’ results. Each case's result provided information regarding how the purchase-, transport- and inventory costs were affected by specific setups. By comparing the alternative scenarios with the setup currently used, the alternatives ́ profitability could be determined. The cases showed that by only studying one of the three cost posts, only a limited insight was gained. Even if the purchase cost was to increase for an alternative setup, it could still be profitable to implement due to decreased transport- and inventory costs. Furthermore, an alternative setup that showed significant potential to reduce inventory costs was proven to not be profitable because of its effect on the net price. Neglecting to take transport- and inventory costs into account when a potential supplier is evaluated can make a deal look more profitable than it is. The final recommendation is that purchase-, transport- and inventory costs all have to be taken into consideration in order to determine which setups that are economically preferable. If the strategic purchasers at Control Products includes these when they negotiate with suppliers, more profitable deals can be obtained. / <p>Examensarbetet är en förvrängd version då känslig information om ABB inte ska läcka ut.</p>