Can Sentiment Toward Advertising Explain Materialism and Vanity in the Globalization Era? Evidence From Dubai

ABSTRACT

This report presents the first study to address sentiment toward advertising, materialism, and vanity in the globalized city of Dubai. A conceptual model is developed and subsequent hypotheses are tested via structural equation modeling. The main research findings suggest that consumers in Dubai exhibit positive perceptions of advertising as well as higher levels of materialism and vanity. Sentiment toward advertising is found to positively influence materialism levels, while materialism strongly influences views, concern for physical appearance, and personal achievement. Sentiment toward advertising, however, has no direct effect on any vanity trait, suggesting that vanity is more an internal personal trait.     

The Relationship Between Consumer Ethnocentrism and Human Values

Abstract

The study explores the relationship between human values and consumer ethnocentrism. Schwartz's (1992) framework of human values is used as the basis of the study. Hypotheses linking values and consumer ethnocentrism are developed and tested in samples of consumers drawn from Turkey and the Czech Republic respectively. Findings indicated that the values relationship to consumer ethno-centrism varies across the two countries surveyed. The study also confirmed that “conservation” types of values are positively related to consumer ethnocentrism. However, some of the hypotheses put forward are not empirically supported but they provide new avenues for future re-search.     

Creativity,self-expression and leisure

The links between creativity, self-expression and leisure practices are underexplored within leisure literature. Despite research that documents the centrality of leisure as a worked-at process of self-actualisation and self-identity, the practice of leisure is still predominately viewed as one of consumption rather than production and of passivity rather than creativity. This paper, supported by empirical evidence through qualitative research into the lives of users of the leisure spaces of the ‘provincial bohemia’ of the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, argues that there is a strong component of creativity in this group’s leisure activity. This component, we argue, has, in recent years, become more important for ‘aesthetic-reflexive’ social actors in particular, as acts of self-authored and individual-expressive creativity have become more central to economic production, and to social identity. The rise in creative leisure is strongly linked to the valorisation of the romantic-artistic ethic of inalienable creative self-expression and the rejection of mass and putatively passive forms of leisure consumption common within previous Fordist modes of economic production and social ordering.     

QC理论在提高隔膜碱一等品率的应用

应用QC理论,对某公司隔膜碱生产一等品率低的现状进行调查,分析了其原因,并针对要因采取了相应对策,从而提高了该公司隔膜碱一等品率。     

工业建筑测量控制网的建立

简述建筑方格网的设计,方法,测定,平差计算,网点的归化和改正,施工坐标换算为大地坐标以及高程控制的布设。     

基于心理学角度的设计类型探讨

设计是为了美化生活,改变人们生活方式的一种行为。设计的产品为消费者服务,消费者对产品设计的好坏程度,有直接的发言权,而满足消费者的心理,可以说就是成功设计的一半。文章从心理学的角度阐释什么是好的设计,根据李彬彬教授的研究和其他资料的学习整理,分析归纳出好的设计类型。     

基于时间约束的消费者选择理论与模型研究

本文运用效用理论与消费者行为理论，在经典模型基础上加入时间约束参数，从而放宽消费行为不需要时间这一假设，从消费者的商品边际效用和时间边际效用方面对消费者选择的理性行为进行研究，并从工资率的变化出发，对均衡条件进行比较静态分析。基于时间约束条件的分析表明：消费者实现效用最大化时应使花费在各种消费品及休闲上的最后每一元钱所获得的边际效用相等；替代效应的正负取决于商品的相对时间密度，当某商品的时间密度与其他商品相比较小时，替代效应为正，反之为负；工资率收入效应的正负取决于商品的性质，正常品和高档品对应的工资率收入效应为正，低档品对应的工资率收入效应为负。     

Public face and private thrift in Chinese consumer behaviour

The concept of face, or mianzi, is quite important in Chinese culture. We examine how public face and private thrift together affect Chinese consumer shopping behaviour based on the results of a survey of nearly 400 Chinese consumers under the age of 40. When a product is used in public or the behaviour occurs in a public place, Chinese consumers are typically willing to spend more money than if a product or service is used in a private place or at home. In addition, non‐Chinese or Western brands do not mean more ‘face’ to Chinese consumers. Instead, it is the expense of the item that matters most with the ultimate goal of being praised by others.     

Does Vice Make Nice? The Viability and Virtuousness of Charity Lotteries

ABSTRACT

Globally, charities are under increasing pressure to find alternative sources of funding. Although charitable gaming has long been considered a viable source of revenue for charities, opponents of gaming have raised concerns about the potential negative consequences associated with gambling. The current paper examines a unique form of charity gaming–the charity super lottery (CSL)–that offers a number of fund-raising benefits to cash-strapped charities. Results from a preliminary study of CSL ticket buyers suggest that the CSL may be both a virtuous and viable source of fundraising. Interviews revealed that CSL consumers (1) viewed the ticket purchase as a donation rather than gambling, (2) were unlikely to be involved in other forms of gambling, and finally (3) perceived the CSL purchase as a complementary rather than supplementary form of charity support behavior. Implications for the fundraisers of charitable organizations and directions for future research are discussed.     

Using response behaviour theory to solicit survey participation in consumer research: An empirical study

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to report on research that examines survey participation rates (i.e. response rates) for personal interview surveys where solicitation for participation is based on different theories of survey-response behaviour in two culturally distinct countries. Field experiments were designed to investigate the extent to which the theories of exchange, cognitive dissonance, self-perception, and involvement/commitment can influence potential respondents to participate in a personal interview survey in Australia and Hong Kong. The results show that there were significant differences in Australia with the theory of self-perception having the strongest impact on survey-response behaviour, while cognitive dissonance has the least impact. In contrast, the effects in Hong Kong were not significant. This study adds to the limited empirical research regarding why consumers participate in surveys, particularly personal interview surveys. The theories are applied at the self-introduction and invitation to participate, which is a crucial stage in the potential respondent's decision about participation.