A lifestyle analysis of female consumers in greater China

This study compares the lifestyles of female consumers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China, which together make up Greater China. The investigation revealed that significant differences exist among the three groups of female consumers in nine different areas. These are (a) women's role and perception, (b) family orientation, (c) home cleanliness, (d) brand consciousness, (e) price consciousness, (f) self-confidence, (g) addiction to work, (h) health consciousness, and (i) environmental consciousness. Although the women studied in the three groups were found to be heavily influenced by Confucianism, they were also affected by western culture to varying degrees. Thus, the three groups were found to have a mixture of traditional and modern values. Hong Kong women were found to favor a more modern view of the role of women than their counterparts in China and Taiwan. However, women in China, especially the younger ones, were quickly adopting new values and Western ideas. The authors foresee that female consumers in Greater China will become increasingly similar in their lifestyles in the near future. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Attitudes and consumption values of consumers of imported fruit in Guangzhou,China

Research on how Chinese consumption values influence Chinese consumer behaviour is rare. First, this paper examines consumers’ attitudes towards the physical and intangible attributes of imported fruit. Then, it identifies consumers’ consumption values and the role of these values in purchasing behaviour. Data were collected through point of sale intercept surveys conducted in Guangzhou, China. Latent consumption values of consumers were identified through factor analysis. K‐means clustering revealed four natural groupings of consumers, each group demonstrating different consumption values. The results demonstrated the primary importance of symbolic values and hedonic values in the decision to purchase imported fruit. Such consumption values may derive from the intermingling of Confucian and Western cultural values. Results from this study could help to better understand interrelationships among product attributes, consumption values and cultural values, and could make a significant contribution in developing strategies to market imported fruit in China.     

Perspectives of service consumers: their multiple roles and challenges

The unique characteristics of services — i.e. intangibility, perishability, inseparability and heterogeneity — add risk, challenge and complexity to the tasks involved in being a service consumer. In response, service consumers assume six important roles, labelled: Targets, Partners, Quasi-Employees, Service Itself, Reporters and Quality Inspectors. The successful implementation of these roles relies heavily upon consumer skills that vary from consumer to consumer. Implications of being a service consumer are discussed and specific recommendations are offered to service consumers.     

走近中国新兴城市消费者——中国消费力2.0研究

2009年8月27日一位中国政府高官在接受ChinaDaily采访时表示,预计未来20年内中国将出现大规模城市化浪潮,大约3亿人口将从偏远农村地区移居到城市。＂我觉得三四级城市的消费能力或者说可支配收入,可能比一二级城市更强,比我们想像的要强。＂麦肯锡全球董事合伙人及大中华地区消费品咨询业务负责人马思默在接受《中国企业家》采访时也如是说。三四级城市令人惊喜的消费能力和巨大的潜在市场,已经成为发展中国市场的新契机。与一二线城市不同,在这里有一套全新的市场与品牌的规则。因此,深入了解新兴城市消费者内心最真实的心态和想法,才能在新兴市场做出正确的营销决策,为企业在新兴市场腾飞助力。     

Shopping values of clothing retailers perceived by consumers of different social classes

With the advent of diverse forms of retailing, competition among retailers is becoming more intense. Due to this phenomenon, retailers now require marketing strategies that can differentiate themselves from other retailers. However, there is a lack of research on what kind of shopping values consumers perceive from the retailers they visit. This paper analyzes dimensions of shopping values consumers perceive and variations in perceived shopping values according to the types of clothing retailers, be it a department store, discount store, or internet shopping mall. More specifically, the paper analyzes the moderating effect of consumers’ different social class in perceiving the shopping values of each retailer. The results show that shopping value consists of five major constructs: experiential, diversional, reliable, efficient, and self-expressive shopping values. We also found that consumers perceive more experiential, diversional, and reliable shopping values in department stores and internet shopping malls than in discount stores, and self-expressive shopping value is highly perceived in department stores. However, consumers’ social class can moderate the perception of shopping values for department stores and internet shopping malls, but not for discount stores. Discount store shopping is likely to provide consistent shopping values to consumers of all classes. Based on these findings, managerial implications are then presented.     

The relationship between importance of retail store attributes and lifestyle of mature female consumers

Mature female consumers are an affluent market segment often ignored by retailers. This study examines the relationship between importance of selected store attributes (such as location and price) and lifestyle characteristics. The results indicate that certain lifestyle characteristics are related to the importance placed on store attributes.     

Influence of lifestyle and evaluative criteria for apparel on information search among non-employed female consumers

This study was designed to investigate the influence of lifestyle and apparel evaluative criteria on information search in apparel purchasing decisions among non-employed female consumers. A random sample of non-employed female consumers (n = 476) was collected via a self-administered questionnaire mailed across the nation. Principal Components Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotation was used to reduce the number of lifestyle, evaluative criteria, and information search activity items. As a result of Stepwise Multiple Regression Analyses, it was found that relationships existed among evaluative criteria, lifestyle, and informarion search patterns. Search profiles were developed to describe the four consumer information search patterns in terms of their lifestyle and evaluative criteria. Results will benefit consumers, marketers, and legislators because an understanding of consumer information seeking activities is essential in the design of efficient communication among these three groups.     

Cultural values in international advertising: An examination of familial norms and roles in Mexico

Past research suggests that the cultural value orientation, individualism-collectivism, should be considered when developing international advertising campaigns. The present study examines how (in)consistencies in collectivist values (e.g., familial norms and roles) may affect attitudes and behaviors toward advertised products within a collectivist culture, Mexico. The findings suggest advertisements that depict consistencies in local cultural norms and roles are viewed more favorably and purchase intention is higher than for advertisements that depict inconsistencies. The data provide no support for the moderating role of individual-level differences in value orientation (i.e., allocentric versus idiocentric tendencies) on persuasion measures. Interestingly, product category advertised appears to be the best moderator of the relative strength of role and norm effects on ad attitudes and purchase intention. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

中国消费时代的消费蜕变

<正>2006年我国宏观调控取得积极成效,国民经济继续保持平稳快速的发展。国家统计局调查数据显示,城镇居民人均收入以较快速度     

Consumer ethics: The possible effects of terrorism and civil unrest on the ethical values of consumers

Research investigating the consumer's ethical beliefs, ideologies and orientation has been limited. Additionally, despite the repeated call in the literature for cross cultural research, virtually no studies have examined the ethical beliefs and ideologies of consumers from cultures other than those in North America. This study partially fills this gap in the literature by investigating the ethical beliefs, preferred ethical ideology, and degree of Machiavellianism of consumers from Egypt and Lebanon. The results indicate that consumers in Lebanon, which has been torn by civil unrest and terrorism, tend to be more Machiavellian, less idealistic, and more relativistic than their Egyptian counterparts. Additionally, the Lebanese consumers tend to be more accepting of questionable consumer practices.Mohammed Y. A. Rawwas is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Northern Iowa. His research has appeared in theJournal of Business Ethics, Journal of Hospital Marketing, Health Marketing Quarterly, Medical Marketing & Media, and national proceedings of the American Marketing Association.Scott J. Vitell is Associate Professor of Marketing and holder of the Michael S. Starnes Lecturship in Marketing and Business Ethics at the University of Mississippi. His work has previously appeared in theJournal of Macromarketing, theJournal of Business Ethics, Research in Marketing, theBusiness and Professional Ethics Journal and theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science as well as various other journals and proceedings.Jamal Al-Khatib is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His research has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Marketing, International Marketing Review andResearch in the International Business Disciplines as well as various national and regional proceedings.     

Social values and female fashion leadership: A cross-cultural study

As international marketing activities grow in importance, researchers are paying increased attention to cultural differences in market segments. The present study examined the relative importance placed on social values by women fashion leaders compared with nonleaders in two samples, one from the U.S. and one from the United Kingdom. A self-report scale of fashion leadership was carefully validated for both samples and used to identify fashion leaders. As hypothesized, these consumers reported the value of excitement to be more important than nonleaders. This finding suggests that, at least where value appeals are used in fashion advertising, similar appeals stressing the excitement of new fashions may be suitable in both countries. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Two-sided effects of customer participation: roles of relationships and social-interaction values in social services

This research aims to extend customer participation and value co-creation theory to the social-services sector, where consumer choice is restricted. This study examines the relationship between the value creation of participation and customer satisfaction in social services. The perceived value corresponding to different types of relationships was divided into company–customer (relationship value) and customer–customer (social-interaction value). To test hypotheses, data were collected via an online survey of customers using child-care centers in Korea. The participating customers had children who attended day-care centers, and the proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Empirical result shows that customer participation as information resource and customer participation as co-developer affect the relationship and social-interaction values. The most important and interesting result is that the relationship value has a positive effect, but the social-interaction value has a negative one on customer satisfaction. These results suggest that customer participation in social services has both positive and negative outcomes, which means that the social-interaction value of co-creation does not always lead to customer satisfaction in a choice-limited service such as child care. This study explains a counterintuitive and interesting relationship between the social-interaction value and customer satisfaction by validating the moderating role of social network service-based interaction intensity in child-care services.     

我国批发与零售环节的地位、作用与演变趋势

本文研究了我国市场经济体制下批发与零售环节地位与作用的演变趋势,对比、分析、描述与探讨了近年来我国批发与零售环节销售业务的数据及其总量、结构、演变趋势和原因等.在此基础上,提出了如下观点:批发环节不会在流通市场化过程中消亡,而是呈现出淘汰、整合、创新与发展的趋势;我国传统"批发环节主导零售"的地位,正在发生"批发环节服务于零售环节与用户"的根本性变化,而零售环节在商品流通渠道中的主导地位与作用越来越明显;由商品自然属性和社会属性的差异性决定,商品流通渠道向多样化的构成方向演变,批发环节已不是商品流通过程的必经环节.     

The modernization of fresh food retailing in China: The role of consumers

Since 2002, the Chinese government has initiated the “Wet Market Transforming into Food Supermarket (WMTFS)” program that aims to transform the traditional fresh food retailing system into a more efficient system that adopts a supermarket operation mode. However, after years of effort, the process of implementing the WMTFS program has been painfully slow. In addition to several supply side factors, this paper focuses on the consumer demand side using survey data in three large Chinese cities to identify the factors affecting consumers' decisions to buy fresh food from traditional vs modern retail formats. It further explores regional differences in consumers' shopping behavior. We find that freshness, accessibility, and whether buyers can bargain are influencing factors and the effects of socioeconomic factors such as income and storage facility are very limited. In addition, we find regional difference exists in consumers' retail format preferences. We suggested that managers of fresh food supermarket should enhance product freshness and safety in the future. Meanwhile, since traditional retail formats are still preferred by many consumers, the policy-makers should give a further thinking on the specific way of transformation.     

How consumers' values influence responses to male and female gender role stereotyping in advertising

ABSTRACT

The present study aims to explore the moderating effect of culture-related values on responses to male and female gender role stereotyping in advertising. Based on an experiment in Sweden (n = 507) and Germany (n = 506), we test the impact of respondents' masculinity, power distance, assertiveness values and feminine role orientation on ad attitudes and brand attitudes. The results show that, in general, perceived stereotyping contributes positively to ad and brand attitude, and this effect is enhanced for more masculine, more power distant, more assertive and less feminine-role oriented individuals. In addition, consumers respond more negatively to perceived female stereotyping compared to male stereotyping, and this is especially true for more power distant and more assertive individuals.     

Self-management and protection of consumers in Yugoslavia

Yogoslav socialist society has applied the system of self-management also to the protection of consumers. Social compacts as guaranteed by the Constitution of 1974 and the Law of Associated Labour of 1976 may be negotiated among organizations of producers, trade, and consumers. A system of specific consumer codexes containing standards of quality, price, advertising, claim-handling, etc., has spread in Yugoslav society. A new draft consumer code is available for adoption by all consumer and associated labour organizations as from 1977.

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Zusammenfassung Die jugoslawische sozialistische Gesellschaft hat das System der Selbstverwaltung auch zum Schutz des Verbrauchers entwickelt. Kollektivverträge, wie sie in der Verfassung von 1974 und dem Gesetz über die selbstverwaltete Arbeit von 1976 zugrundegelegt sind, können zwischen Organisationen der Produzenten, des Handels und der Verbraucher abgeschlossen werden. Ein System spezieller »Verbraucherkodizes«, die Regeln über Qualität, Preis und Werbung enthalten sowie die Behandlung von Verbraucherbeschwerden vorsehen, überzieht die jugoslawische Gesellschaft. Ein neuer Muster-»Verbraucherkodex« steht seit 1977 allen Konsumentenorganisationen und Vereinigungen der assoziierten Arbeit offen.

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Jelena Vilus is Professor of Law at the Institute of Comparative Law, Terazije 41, 11000 Beograd, Yugoslavia.     

WTO后时代跨国公司在华投资战略变迁

中国加入世贸组织以后,对中国的社会经济生活产生了巨大影响。跨国公司为适应变化了的新形势,对其在华投资战略迅速做出调整,加快了进入中国市场的步伐。分析跨国公司在华投资现状及其战略调整的内容和特点,期望能够把握跨国公司在华投资战略调整的契机,利用跨国公司的优势资源,加速我国经济结构调整和产业结构升级,为中国经济WTO后时代持续稳定发展打下坚实基础。     

Women's responses to fashion media images: a study of female consumers aged 30–59

The purpose of this study was to examine whether female consumers ranging in age from 30 to 59 prefer fashion advertising models more closely resembling their age. The sample for this study consisted of 182 women. Stimuli included full‐colored photographs of current fashion models. A questionnaire designed to explore participants' responses to the stimuli included scales measuring participants' beliefs about the stimulus models' appearances and attractiveness, participants' purchase intentions and perceived similarity with the models and participants' perceived fashionability of the model's clothing. Participants rated models appearing older in age significantly higher than younger models on the characteristics related to appearance and attractiveness. Advertisements with older models also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions as compared to younger‐age models. Participants who perceived more similarity to the models were found to have more positive beliefs about the model's appearance and attractiveness and the fashionability of the model's clothing. Perceived similarity also had a significant positive relationship to participants' purchase intentions. As a result of this study, findings suggest that marketers and retailers should consider the age of the model used in their promotional materials. Specifically, it is possible that female consumers either transitioning into, or currently in, the middle adulthood life stages may have a preference for fashion models more closely resembling their age group.