Toward a predictive model of the consumer inference process: The role of expertise

An information processing model is proposed for understanding and predicting cognitive behaviors underlying the generation of an inference. J. R. Anderson's theory of cognitive skill learning serves as the basis for the conceptual model. Specific predictions are generated concerning the impact of different levels of prior knowledge on the occurrence of inference and on the types of inference processes. An effort is made to demonstrate how the theory can be developed into a formal, predictive model in the form of a computer simulation model. Finally, some suggestions for future research directions are discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Alternatives for consumer policy: A study of consumer organizations in the FRG

The most important findings of a research project on consumer organizations in the FRG point to the necessity for an alternative orientation in consumer policy in circumstances of economic crisis. During the thirty years of their existence, consumer organizations have specialized in educating the consumer about the rules under which the market operates and have requested the suppliers to comply with these rules. The organizations are faced today, however, with the situation that the process of interaction between producer and consumer functions only to a limited extent as an instrument for securing the satisfaction of wants. Many indicators show that the dynamics of economic development are taking a hold on more and more spheres of life and are jeopardizing the substance of natural and social living conditions. The inquiry shows that the consumer organizations, in contrast to the numerous initiatives of those affected, have gained no effective access to this problem. This reinforces the tendency towards an unfruitful polarization between grassroots-oriented forms of protest and traditional, in part publicly financed and institutionalized, interest representation structures.

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Verbraucherpolitische Alternativen: Eine Untersuchung der Verbraucherorganisationen in der Bundesrepublik

Zusammenfassung Gegenstand des Forschungsprojektes waren Alternativen der Verbraucherpolitik und der Organisierung von Verbraucherinteressen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Innerhalbe eines kooperativen Arbeitszusammenhangs von 6 Forschungsteams bildet das Projekt einen Bestandteil des Verbundes EMPIRISCHE VERBRAUCHERFORSCHUNG. Die hier thesenhaft referierten Ergebnisse beziehen sich auf die Evaluation unterschiedlicher Verbraucherorganisationen in der BRD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Verbraucher, Verbraucherzentralen, Stiftung Warentest, Stiftung Verbraucherinstitut).Die Verbraucherorganisationen stehen gegenwärtig vor dem Problem, daß aus dem Umfeld von Konsum und Reproduktion Problemlagen entstanden sind, die mit der traditionellen Orientierung der Verbraucherorganisation an Markt und Wettbewerb allein nicht mehr effizient zu bearbeiten sind. Umwelt- und Gesundheitsgefährdung, Verknappung der Rohstoffe sowie die Zerstörung traditioneller Lebens- und Kommunikationsformen bilden Stichworte einer gesellschaftlichen Diskussion, die als Indikator dafür zu werten ist, daß die Dynamik der ökonomischen Entwicklung auf immer mehr Lebensbereiche übergreift und natürliche und soziale Lebensbedingungen in der Substanz gefährdet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Verbraucherorganisationen bisher keinen effizienten Zugang zu diesen Problemen gefunden haben und so die Tendenz zu einer unfruchtbaren Polarisierung zwischen basisorientierten Formen des Protestes und den traditionellen, teilweise öffentlich finanzierten und institutionalisierten Strukturen der Interessenvertretung verstärkt wird. Die Untersuchung geht daher der Frage nach, ob die für die gesellschaftliche Integration wichtigen intermediären Organisation so organisiert werden können, daß sie ihre Vermittlungsfunktion zwischen den zentralen gesellschaftlichen Entscheidungsprozessen und der Ebene alltäglicher Betroffenheit nicht verlieren. Dem stehen die korporatistischen Beziehungen zwischen den Verbraucherorganisationen und der Bürokratie entgegen, über die sich gegenwärtig die staatliche Option der Rückverweisung ökonomischer, sozialer und gesellschaftspolitischer Problemlagen an den Steuerungsmechanismus der Marktregulation auch in der Verbraucherpolitik durchsetzt. Ein deutlicher Hinweis ist die Tendenz zur Ökonomiesierung der Verbraucherorganisationen. Mit der zunehmenden Umstellung auf kommerzielle Angebote an Verbraucherinformation drohen sie zu Dienstleistungsunternehmen zu entarten. Der Alternativentwurf zielt darauf ab, daß die Verbraucherorganisationen, entgegen der bisherigen Konzentration auf Probleme des formalen Austauschprozesses zwischen Produzenten und Konsumenten, neue und u.U. konfliktäre Problemfelder des Konsumbereiches zum Selektionskriterium ihrer Tätigkeit machen. Soweit hierbei disparitäre Bedürfnisbereiche und nicht Marktprozesse den Ausgangspunkt bilden, wird die Orientierung der Verbraucherpolitik an Markt und Wettbewerb in Teilbereichen durch die Bedürfnisorientierung ergänzt.

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Bernd Biervert is Professor of Economics and Reinhard Rock is Professor of Business Administration, both at the Bergische Universität — Gesamthochschule Wuppertal, P.O. Box 10 01 27, D-5600 Wuppertal, FRG. Kurt Monse is Wissenschaftlicher Angestellter at the same university.     

物流系统中主要物流活动绩效评价

物流活动可能发生在跨越多时区的广阔区域内,是具有挑战性的经济活动.强化物流作业最直接的方法就是对各项主要物流活动进行绩效评价并提高其运作效率.与此同时,也必须了解整个物流系统的总体绩效,这种跨功能的综合性考虑,可以避免个别活动为达到自身优秀而牺牲物流系统的总体利益.     

资本弱化——国际避税的焦点

资本弱化已成为跨国公司国际避税的一种重要手段,也是国际税收领域的重要课题,许多发达国家都针对这种情况制定了相应的反避税措施。我国加入WTO以后,外商来华投资企业日益增多,资本弱化避税问题日加显现,我国应从选用固定比率法、制定适合的债务/股本比率及关联方认定标准等方面加以应对。     

关于物流管理系统的几个管理要求的探讨

一、采购依据与发货依据 1.采购依据及对采购的控制 任何合同的签订必须有依据.因此在物流管理中首先要明确的就是采购依据及对采购过程的控制,采购依据包括采购的物量、采购的价格、采购的时机,如图1.     

粮食物流生产管理信息系统的开发

通过业务流程分析、数据流图及E—R图等详细阐述了粮食物流生产管理信息系统的开发步骤和方法,以及在系统中所体现出的实时收集生产过程数据、管理系统与控制系统自动进行数据交换等特点。     

Assessing consumer logistics functions in grocery shopping: Evidence from an emerging market

Abstract

Consumer logistics (CL), focuses on the role of consumers in the logistical processing of goods for the purpose of consumption from point of acquisition to the point of disposal. The objective of this study is to test and validate the CL scale as introduced by Bahn, Granzin, and Tokman for grocery shopping in a previously unexplored country setting, namely in Turkey. Our findings show in contrast to Bahn et al. only six CL functions: information search, transportation management and materials handling, storage management & inventory needs assessment, contingent inventory operations & product acquisition, intra-household communication, and interdependent transportation operations. These six CL functions are more applicable for an emerging market, such as Turkey. These findings are consistent across the different socio-demographic characteristics in our sample.     

The effects of role strain on the consumer decision process for groceries in single-parent households

Single-parent families are becoming a larger part of American society. But what is known about their decision-making processes? Role strain is of particular interest when studying single parents because of their need to serve multiple family roles otherwise carried out by dual-parent families. In this study, the consumer decision process for single parents is empirically examined in the context of grocery shopping. Role strain was found to have a significant effect on problem recognition style and reactive shopping behaviors. Advertising positively influenced proactive shopping behaviors and had a negative relationship with reactive shopping behaviors. Implications for food retailers are provided.     

浅谈应急物流体系建设的问题与对策研究

在应对各类重大突发性公共事件实践中,我国已经具备了一定的应急物资保障能力,但多数情形下,第一时间的应急物资保障总体上还难以实现.究其原因,主要是应急物流体系建设严重滞后.加快应急物流体系建设迫在眉睫,建立并完善应急管理协调机制:制订并优化应急管理行动流程;制订并完善应急管理法规体系;搭建应急管理信息平台势在必行.     

The role of a consumer interest group in new product development: a case study of Canadians for home equity conversion

Since the mid-1960s there has been a significant increase in the number of public interest groups in Canada and the United States. Representing environmental, social and consumer interests, these groups serve as focal points through which consumer, business and government sectors interact. In the area of housing and community planning, public interest groups have been able to influence housing and planning policy to reflect the interests of housing consumers. Never, however, has a senior's advocacy group arisen with the purpose of attempting to influence the public and private sectors in the field of mortgage finance. Canadians for Home Equity Conversion (CHEC) is a grassroots advocacy group that represents exactly this cause. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the evolution of CHEC in order to broaden our understanding of the role of consumer interest groups in new product development. Home equity conversion will be discussed in the context of consumer, business and government interaction, and will serve as a case study that illustrates the public interest movement.     

Adolescent consumer decision-making styles: The consumer socialization perspective

This study has attempted to conceptualize the distinct factors that may be said to characterize an adolescent's consumer decision-making style from the perspective of consumer socialization. Eight consumer decision-making styles were proposed to be associated with the influence of socialization agents and antecedent variables (e.g., social structural and developmental variables). Influence of socialization agents was also proposed to be associated with antecedent variables. Survey data (N = 1954) collected from 29 high schools in a southwestern state were examined with the use of a series of stepwise multiple regression analyses. Influence of socialization agents—peers, parents, printed media, TV commercials, and consumer education—clearly played an important role in influencing adolescent consumer decision-making styles. Antecedent variables, especially social structural variables such as gender, ethnicity, main reason for working, and the amount of parental allowance, demonstrated significant correlations with consumer decision-making styles. Antecedent variables, however, were in general found to be only distantly related to the influence of socialization agents. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

卷烟物流企业服务社会消费品市场可行性探索——以贵州省毕节市卷烟物流配送中心为例

研究经济社会相对落后的山区卷烟物流企业为社会提供服务消费品市场的问题,是必要的,也是可能的,对于其存在的困难和面临的大环境,提出应树立危机意识,财务核算相对独立及运营模式相对独立等对策。     

Slowing the adoption and diffusion process to enhance brand repositioning: The consumer driven repositioning of Dunlop Volley

What should you do when your brand becomes ‘hot’ overnight among influential endorsers? Do you exploit this sudden rise in popularity and mainstream the brand, or do you attempt to slow the diffusion process and seek to understand how to market to these consumers? Drawing on the case of Dunlop Volley in Australia, we argue that mainstreaming the brand by targeting later adopters results in a short-term fashion cycle rather than creating long-term brand value. Since these brands are ‘discovered’ by consumers, marketers must first understand the value system underlying this adoption and then fit the marketing program to these values. In the case of Dunlop Volley, slowing diffusion rates was achieved through four tactics: the rejection of hard sell marketing, appearing authentic, targeting alternative distribution channels and delaying launch to the mainstream audience. These activities ensured the ongoing credibility of the brand with endorsers and helped revitalize a long-thought ‘dead’ brand.     

Ambient scent and consumer behavior: a field study in a florist's retail shop

Numerous studies have shown that ambient scents influence human behavior including customers' behavior in real retail environments. However, the effects of scents in a closed-in plant and flower shop have not yet been examined. This study proceeded to measure customer behavior in two different situations taking place in a French flower shop: when lavender aroma was diffused and when it was not. The results showed that lavender aroma increased both the number of customers who bought plants and/or flowers and the amount of purchasing.     

Reverse logistics program design: A company study

A series of visits to a Fortune 500 wholesale distribution company of technology products revealed a changing perspective regarding building and implementing reverse logistics programs. Five major initiatives define the reverse logistics program design process at this company: (1) Gain senior management support and turn reverse logistics into a company-wide initiative; (2) Involve your customers in the reverse logistics design process; (3) Give distinct recognition to the employees involved in handling returns within the firm; (4) Implement carefully developed written rules and procedures that reflect both internal and external concerns; and (5) Assign strict responsibility for the execution of the reverse logistics program. The study follows these five major considerations in more detail. The interviews and observations at this particular firm provide guidelines for managerial decisions relating to reverse logistics.     

最速降线在粮食仓储物流中的应用

最速降线理论在工程中应用非常广泛,本文详细论述了该理论的基本原理,介绍了变分法求解最速降线的方法,结合目前粮食仓储物流中的相关设备和工艺,讨论了最速降线理论在粮食仓储物流中的应用前景。     

The importance of origin as a quality attribute for beef: results from a Scottish consumer survey

Perception of country of origin and purchasing habits for beef were examined for urban and rural Scottish consumers. Origin was identified as being as important as intrinsic quality cues of colour and leanness, with rural consumers giving more weight to origin than urban ones. Most consumers interpreted ‘Scotch Beef’ and ‘British Meat’ label logos as evidence that the beef animals were ‘born, raised and slaughtered in Scotland or Britain’ respectively. The logos were taken as indicators of quality and safety. Both urban and rural respondents had higher agreement levels with Scotch beef as a safer, higher quality and more expensive commodity than British meat. Rural consumers made more use of butcher shops for purchase, but both groups sought butcher beef for quality reasons and supermarket sources because of convenience.     

Packaging and design of consumer goods: a comparative study between Turkey and Jordan

The purpose of this study of packaging design is to examine the preferences of Turkish and Jordanian consumers living in the capital cities of both countries. A field survey was carried out to measure consumers' preferences, mostly for consumer goods, for colour or colour combinations of packages, and package sizes. The colour and size preferences show differences based on different cultures and economic conditions both in Turkey and Jordan. The study also investigates the influence of purchase frequency on package sizes. The conclusions will be beneficial to those who are planning and developing suitable marketing strategies for multinational companies.