How often have you walked around in the supermarket trying to decide what product by which brand to choose? The options are many. Some people look for the price tag while others are more influenced by the esthetic appeals of the packaging design. Some people might look for ethical or environmental aspects of the brand. The area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) interests many people today and is a growing concern. We found that consumers consider companies acting ethically while also new jobs among the most important responsibilities by firms today. These factors are making the purchase decision process even harder for consumers. Sweden is one of the most socially responsible countries in the world, making it important for Swedish companies to integrate CSR into the core of their businesses. One example of such integration is Fairtrade, a concept that has grown tremendously during the last decade, while the attention focused on socially responsible behavior by firms has increased. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between Fairtrade and the purchase decision of consumers living in Sweden, to investigate the awareness and perception of Fairtrade and how that ultimately translates into making a purchasing decision. From this we developed the research question: “What factors influences Swedish consumers purchase decision in buying products from Fairtrade Sweden?” The target group of our research is young adults ages 18-30. The nature of our degree project is quantitative with a deductive approach. The research philosophy is objectivism since we do not intervene in any way as we observe the data collected from our survey. Furthermore a positivistic approach is used since we rely heavy on numbers and data rather than words. We received 158 participants in our survey. The theoretical framework consists of theories within the areas of CSR, branding, consumer attitudes-behavior and finally previous empirical studies about Fairtrade. From the theories we have developed a series of hypotheses, which we test statistically using independent-samples t-test and bivariate correlation tests. Statistical support for gender differences between men and women were found and also positive correlations between willingness to pay for Fairtrade products and how often participants purchase Fairtrade products were found. The findings from our research show that the 18-30 year old Swedish consumers find Fairtrade important and the general attitude towards Fairtrade is positive. Most consumers chose Fairtrade to help people and because it makes them feel good. The most common reasons why not to choice Fairtrade is because of the price or that the products simply cannot be found. Women are keener on purchasing and caring about Fairtrade products compared to men.

Prostitucija egzistuojanti nuo pirmykščių laikų savyje talpina socialinį neteisingumą, išnaudojimą ir pažeidžiamas žmogaus teises, todėl socialinis darbas būdamas anti-engėjiška praktika, privalo imtis iniciatyvos. Darbe remiamasi interpretuojamąja – konstruktyvistine ontologija, kuri teigia, kad socialiniai reiškiniai neegzistuoja savaime, jie yra sukonstruoti ir įtakoti kitų. Prostitucijos fenomenas sąlygotas stereotipų, pasmerkimo ir visuotinės stigmatizacijos, dažnai šios nuostatos trukdo į reiškinį pažvelgti iš esmės. Pripažįstama, kad prostituciją sukuria paklausa, tačiau apie ją nekalbama, tai tarsi nematoma prostitucijos pusė, kuri palikta užribyje. Nėra aiškios informacijos, kokia ši paklausa ir kas sąlygoja jos egzistavimą, todėl siekiant kalbėti apie tuos, kurie perka seksą ir išlaiko sekso industriją, šio darbo tikslas – atskleisti vyrų, perkančių seksą, naratyvus projektuojant socialinio darbo intervencijos kryptis. Keliami tyrimo klausimai: kaip sekso pirkimo reiškinį aiškina perkantieji seksą? Kaip sekso pirkimas yra susijęs su hegemoninio vyriškumo nuostatomis? Kokios galimos socialinio darbo intervencijos kryptys sekso pirkimo kontekste? Siekiant atskleisti vyrų, perkančių seksą naratyvus buvo pasitelktas kokybinis naratyvinis tyrimas. Remiamasi subjektyvistine – interpretuojamąja epistemologija. Pasirinkta tyrimo dalyvių trianguliacija, kuri padėjo gauti tikslesnius duomenis iš reiškinio vidaus (interviu su sekso pirkėjais) ir išorės (interviu su policijos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Prostitution has existed since primeval times. This phenomenon contains the social injustice, exploitation and violations of human rights. Social work, as an anti-oppressive practice, must take action. The paper is based on interpretative – constructivist ontology, which proposes that social phenomena do not exist in spite of themselves, but they are designed and influenced by others. Prostitution is conditioned by stereotypes, stigmatization and universal condemnation and often this approach doesn`t let to look at the very core of this phenomenon. It is recognized that prostitution is created by demand but it is not discussed in public. It is like an invisible side of prostitution, which is left behind. There is no clear information what the demand is and what determines its existence, so there is a need to discuss those who buy sex and support sex industry. The aim of this paper is to reveal narratives of men who buy sex with the purpose to design directions of social work based on these narratives. The questions the research raises are is: How the phenomenon of sex-purchase is explained by the buyers themselves? What are the possible directions of social work intervention in the context of the sex-purchase? In order to reveal the narratives of men who buy sex, qualitative narrative study was chosen. The research is based on subjectivist - interpretative epistemology. Triangulation of research participants was chosen, which helped to get more accurate data from inside of... [to full text]

This research is a study of purchasing intentions and behaviors in China. Consumers from four key cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guangzhou were studied and differences in intentions and behavior as well as influences on behavior were analyzed. The results of the study provide greater depth to understanding consumer behavior in China and insight into likely responses to marketing strategies. Interviews with Chinese marketing experts were conducted and surveys were administered to samples of the target populations. Interviews assisted in understanding many of the general stereotypes held with respect to various ethnicities and helped with explaining some of the reasons for differences found. The study’s results are categorized into five areas. First, with respect to general purchasing intentions the study found that Chinese consumers from key cities differ significantly with respect to most of the purchasing intentions measured including inclination to try to new products, brand loyalty, use of discount cards, and willingness to purchase substitute brands. Based on five measures of conservatism, Beijing and Shanghai consumers were found to exhibit more conservative consumption behaviors than Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers. Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers are more likely than consumers in Shanghai and Beijing to wait for a friend's recommendation before buying a new brand. Second, with respect to brand choices, the study found that Beijing consumers tend to be more ethnocentric in their purchasing behavior in comparison to consumers from other key cities. The study also found a moderate association between ethnicity and brand purchase repertoire in most product categories. Third, with respect to reasons for purchases, the study found that generally there was only limited association between ethnicity and the reason for selecting brands. Consumers most often cited quality as the main reason for purchase. Fourth, with respect to actual brand purchase frequencies, the study found that Beijing consumers made more frequent purchases more often than other consumers in half of the categories studied. Chongqing consumers tend to purchase favorite brands less frequently than consumers from other key cities. Fifth, with respect to knowledge of country of origin and country of manufacture and their influences on intentions, the study found that for most product categories (nine of twelve studied) country of origin was an important consideration in the purchase decision. In general, many Chinese consumers are misinformed about brands’ country of origin. The research provides insight into important purchase cues and moderators impacting brand choice behavior.

This study investigated significant influences including Hispanicness, traditionalism and demographic characteristics on Hispanic women's purchase behavior when selecting work and social activity apparel. A sample of 114 Hispanic women from a Hispanic professional organization or businesses in the Dallas and El Paso, Texas areas. Surveys were collected by mail or administered to subjects. Analyses included frequencies, percentages, t-tests, and Pearson's product-moment correlations. For both situations, mean scores indicated the most influential information sources were: clothing displays, friends, and female family members, while the most used acquisition sources were: department and specialty stores. In both situations, these women had very feminine appearance attributes and very feminine and fashionable clothing style. Hispanicness, traditionalism, and demographic characteristics made some difference when selecting work and social activity apparel.

Background: Agricultural activities occupy a significant part of the world’s land area and the food systems are comprehensively reliant on fossil fuels, resulting in that the sector is responsible for a large percentage of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Changes are needed in order to meet the challenges of developing sustainable food systems. One change strategy would be to replace parts of animal proteins with greener plant substitutes. This thesis is part of a four-year transdisciplinary research project with the aim to, within four years, develop domestically produced products based on Swedish legumes. This paper will focus on exploring significant components affecting health-conscious consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions regarding legumes-based products. By the thesis, valuable information and insights regarding legumes as a protein substitute will be gathered amongst the growing consumer group of health-conscious consumers.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes regarding legumes, and underlying key components affecting health-conscious consumers purchase intentions towards legume-based products. Additionally, two research questions have been developed to reach valuable findings for this investigation.

In 2001, the FASB (Financial Accounting Standard Board) introduced accounting regulations SFAS 141 and SFAS 142 to improve the relevance, representational faithfulness, and comparability of financial reporting. The new standards have profoundly changed the accounting for business combinations and goodwill under US GAAP by requiring reporting entities to no longer amortize goodwill over its expected useful life, but to test for impairment annually. However, the new regulation has met sharp criticism for creating a scope for high levels of managerial discretion which may be exercised opportunistically in the accounting for goodwill. This study examines whether the proportion of purchase price allocated to goodwill differs between public and private acquisitions. We try to answer this question by carrying out a quantitative study on 481 observations, between the period of 2001 to 2005 by studying the relationship between acquirer type (Public vs. Private) and target firm characteristic on goodwill allocated, and we find the following results: 1) Public acquirers allocate higher levels of goodwill in comparison to private acquirers. (2) Market-to-book values of private target firms are not positively correlated with recorded goodwill levels.

Word-of-mouth har länge varit ett intressant och viktigt fenomen inom marknadsföringen. Med introduktionen av Internet och den växande populariteten av sociala medier, så har word-of-mouth förändrats och är nu tillgänglig för många fler konsumenter online och världen över. Word-of-mouth som sker över Internet har fått namnet elektronisk word-of-mouth (förkortat eWOM). Denna studie har undersökt skillnader i inflytandet av olika word-of-mouth-källor, specifikt traditionell muntlig WOM och eWOM. Detta för att se om det finns några skillnader i hur konsumenter söker och tar del av WOM-information inför köpbeslut av nya produkter eller tjänster. Denna studie har också perspektivet att endast kolla på inflytandet av negativa WOM-källor och hur dessa påverkar konsumenters köpbeslut. Studien har genomförts med hjälp utav ett elektroniskt frågeformulär som distribuerats genom Högskolan i Borås studenter samt genom Facebook. Frågeformuläret består av frågor och avsnitt gällande hur viktigt WOM är för konsumenter innan köp av en tidigare oprövad produkt eller tjänst, trovärdigheten av WOM informationen, hur WOM kan ändra ens attityd samt sannolikheten att man avstår köp på grund av negativ WOM.Resultatet från frågeformuläret visar på att traditionell muntlig WOM fortfarande anses vara den bästa WOM-källan, den som används mest och anses vara den mest trovärdiga källan för WOM och fick högst poäng i alla kategorier från frågeformuläret. eWOM från ratingsidor rankades som näst bäst medan eWOM från ens Facebookvänner ansåg vara det sämsta alternativet för eWOM i alla kategorier. Slutsatsen dras därför att negativ WOM-information influerar konsumenter på olika vis beroende på vilken WOM-källa det kommer ifrån. Traditionell muntlig WOM anses vara det bästa, även om eWOM används mycket så anses det inte vara lika trovärdigt och informativt. / Word-of-mouth has been an important phenomenon in marketing for a very long time. With the introduction of the Internet and the growing popularity of social media, word-of-mouth communication has changed and is now available for consumers from all over the world with just the click of a mouse on your computer. This phenomenon has been given the name electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This study has examined the influence of different WOM-sources, specifically traditional oral WOM and electronic WOM to see if there are any differences in how consumers search and use different WOM-information in their purchase decision. This study has also taken an approach to only look at the influence of negative word-of-mouth from different WOM-sources and their influence. To research this an electronic questionnaire has been used and distributed to student at the University of Borås and also over Facebook. The questionnaire consists of questions regarding how important looking for WOM information before a purchase it, trustworthiness of WOM, how WOM can change your attitude to a product or service and the possibility of not going through with a purchase based on information from WOM-sources.Results from the questionnaire shows that traditional oral WOM is still considered to be the best, most used and trustworthy source of WOM as it scored highest in all categories of the questionnaire. eWOM from rating sites scored second in all categories, and eWOM from Facebook friends scored lowest in all categories. It can therefore be concluded that negative WOM-information can influence consumer purchase decision in different ways, and even though eWOM is widely used it is considered to be less informative and trustworthy than traditional oral WOM.

Social networking sites are a major networking tool for consumer interactions as they provide a platform for communication, socialization, and learning activity. Subsequently, social media has become an important marketing tool for advertising companies’ messages. As a result, fashion brands such as H&M and Victoria’s Secret started to show more brand ads on Facebook. Facebook is one of the most powerful social networking sties due to its ability to reach to broad consumer groups through a brand page. However, research regarding this topic is limited as the social networking sites is relatively a new phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine the effect of the brand’s comments in attenuating (enhancing) negative (positive) influence of other consumer’s postings on brand trust and purchase intention of other consumer’s postings on social media. Findings from this study revealed that there is no moderating effect of brand comments of the relationship between other consumer’s postings and brand trust, while positive other consumer’s postings has a significant effect on consumers’ brand trust. Also, there were no significant differences among other consumer’s postings, brand comments and purchase intention relationships. These findings add to the previous literature explains that brand should interact with consumers frequently in order to induce positive other consumer’s postings to develop brand trust. By using the consumer socialization theory to investigate Facebook marketing, this study provides insights and information on consumer attitudes and behaviors related to Facebook brand page.

Commercial establishment as an object of legal relationship (purchase of commercial establishment and usufructuary lease of commercial establishment) The topic of this thesis is "Commercial establishment as an object of legal relationship (purchase of commercial establishment and usufructuary lease of commercial establishment)". From the title it is obvious that commercial establishment is an object of legal relationship but not a subject of legal relationship which is a considerable part of its understanding. With the acceptance of the Czech Civil Code a lot of changes came to this institute, including name change. This is the reason why it was necessary to conceive this matter complexly, from the basic term to specifics of particular legal relationships. The first part of this thesis is focussed on a basic term of commercial establishment and its circumscription in the Czech Civil Code, where it is understood as a set of asset and also as an agent for entrepreneurial activities. This part analyses particular kinds of commercial establishment and also branch of another parts of commercial establishment. The second part is dedicated to various examples of legal relationships where the commercial establishment might be the object. Particular legal relationships are concisely characterised. In this part there...

The Commercial contract of purchase (law and perspectives) The contract of purchase is one of the most concluded contracts between artificial persons as well as between natural legal persons. It is surely appropriate to analyse modifications related to New Civil Code that is being drafted and means one of the biggest legislative changes that is being made in almost fifty years in the Czech private law. Therefore, the purpose of my thesis is to analyze both an effective law of the commercial contract of purchase including the international level, and forthcoming changes first and foremost related to liability for defects, consequences for the attainment of the ownership from the wrongful proprietor in general as well as in connection with real estate. I divided the thesis in two main parts; the first one is dealing with an effective law of the commercial contract of purchase, the second one is dealing with legal regulation in New Civil Code according to contract of purchase. Each of these parts is divided into minor chapters for better lucidity. In the first part I describe International sale of goods regulated by United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods and its application, then by effective law of the commercial contract of purchase in Czech Republic. Within the...