Consumer acceptance of fatty spreads

The effect of consumer trends on the purchase of reduced fat products in general and fatty spreads in particular are discussed. A variety of fatty spreads with fat levels ranging from 20 to 80% were assessed by cone penetration measurements and sensory assessments. The results indicated that butter had poor spreadability characteristics at 5° and 10°, while mechanically worked butter (spreadeasy butter) gave a significantly different texture profile, as measured by the Instron Model 1000. This butter type was assessed as being spreadable at 10° by the sensory panelists and by cone penetrometry. Comparable values of hardness were obtained using data obtained by cone penetrometry and texture profile analysis from the Instron. Low fat spreads (fat levels 25–39%) produced desirable spreadability characteristics using both objective and subjective methods of assessment. Sunflower oil-based spreads and very low fat spreads, i.e. ≦ 25% fat, were assessed as being soft and oily. The results overall indicated that the use of a cone penetrometer and the subsequent calculation of a yield value gave, using Haighton's seven-point scale, a good indication of spreadability characteristics.     

Consumer acceptance of the mobile Internet

Technological innovations are often designed to help consumers save time. However, some consumers refuse to use innovations and downgrade their usability with increasing usage time. The purpose of this research is to find out how consumers?? personality in younger (vs. older) men (vs. women) affects behavioral choices of the mobile Internet, as an example of new technology, and how usage time affects perceived ease of use of innovative (vs. established) media. The study shows that innovativeness, low desire for social contact, and technology optimism, in interaction with demographics, determine whether consumers choose mobile Internet services over substitutes. Job-related dependency on technology and gender directly affect choice behavior. The study reveals that ease of use is downgraded as more time is spent using the mobile Internet, whereas there is no such relation for established media. The results help explain overoptimistic forecasts that were made in the field of technology acceptance.     

Consumer e-shopping acceptance: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model

This study integrates e-shopping quality, enjoyment, and trust into a technology acceptance model (TAM) to understand consumer acceptance of e-shopping. Online surveys with college students (n = 298) were conducted. E-shopping quality for apparel products consists of four dimensions: web site design, customer service, privacy/security, and atmospheric/experiential. A structural equation model reveals that e-shopping quality determines perceptions of usefulness, trust, and enjoyment, which in turn influence consumers' attitudes toward e-shopping. Consumer perceptions of usefulness and attitude toward e-shopping influence intention to shop online, while perceived ease of use does not influence attitude toward e-shopping. Shopping enjoyment and trust play significant roles in consumers' adoption of e-shopping. This study provides important implications for e-tailers whose web site developers must keep in mind that customers are not only web users with trust/safety and information needs, but also shoppers with service and experiential needs.     

Consumer attitudes and acceptance of genetically modified organisms in Korea

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) were first used to designate micro organisms that had had genes from other species transferred into their genetic material by the then‐new techniques of ‘gene‐splicing.’ Cultivation of GMOs has so far been most widespread in the production of soybeans and maize. The United States holds almost three‐fourths of the total crop area devoted to GMOs. Because many crops have been imported from the US, there is a large possibility for consumers to intake the products of GMOs in Korea. The safety of GMOs is not scientifically settled at this time, however. Additionally, the research regarding the GMOs issue of consumers has rarely been conducted in Korea. This study therefore focused on the consumer attitudes about GMOs and willingness to purchase them. The data were collected from 506 adults living in Seoul, Daegu and Busan, Korea, by means of a self‐administered questionnaire. Frequencies and chi‐square tests were conducted by SPSS. The results of the survey were as follows. First, the consumer concerns about GMOs were high but recognition was low; many respondents answered they did not have exact information about GMOs, although they had heard about them. Second, almost 93% of the respondents desired the labelling of GMOs. Third, the level of acceptance of GMOs was high; two‐thirds of the respondents showed that they were willing to buy GMOs. Finally, many respondents worried about the safety of GMOs in that 73% of the respondents primarily wanted to be informed about safety of GMOs. This study suggests that the consumer education about GMOs should be conducted through mass media and consumer protection organisations.     

Consumer evaluation of recycled products

Despite the tremendous growth of recycled and recyclable products in recent years, there exists very little research on how consumers evaluate such products. An experiment was conducted to examine whether consumers' reactions to recycled products is product specific and cognitive or affective and not product specific. Results indicated that consumers are favorably influenced by the presence of recycled material regardless of the type of product, thus supporting an affective evaluation process. Results also indicated that the positive effects of recycling held only for established brands and not for new brands. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Consumer acceptance of beef with different levels of marbling

Beef striploin steak disappearance from the retail counters of six stores in three different Canadian provinces was monitored over two consecutive weekends. Beef consumers in three Canadian cities were subsequently interviewed and requested to evaluate steaks representative of four different marbling levels, both visually and organoleptically. There was a clear consumer preference at the point of purchase or visual assessment for steaks with traces of marbling, and discrimination against steaks with modest marbling, and a preference for steaks with slight marbling over steaks with small marbling. However, during organoleptic testing opposite preferences were evident. Therefore, most consumers desire both leanness and palatability in beef. However, these qualities are not necessarily coincidental.     

Consumer satisfaction of retirees: products and services

This study was designed to assess the nature and extent of consumer satisfaction of retirees at two stages of retirement: Stage I, age 60–69; Stage age 70 and above. This cross-sectional mail survey study contained 196 retiree households selected at random, representing retirees who had been retired for at least 1 year and were 60 years of age or older. Results indicate that retirees are in fact a heterogeneous group of consumers who are generally self-reliant, with varying consumer problems and varying reasons for those problems. Results of this study, collectively, lend support to the notion that age alone is not an appropriate way of studying consumer concerns of retirees. Additionally, retirees' stage of retirement has no significant relationship to the person responsible for the weekly household shopping. Finally, reasons for consumer dissatisfaction are not related to the weekly household shopper.     

乳制品工厂的卫生设计

GMP被视为食品安全生产的基础,而建筑和设施的卫生是其重要内容之一,因此,乳制品工厂在选址、总图布局、建筑和设施设计时应始终重视卫生设计.     

Consumer acceptance of food irradiation: a test of the recreancy theorem

Consumers living in both developed and developing nations rely upon foods that have been produced and processed in many countries and in a wide variety of ways. Therefore, it is not surprising that they express concerns about the safety of their food supplies. A technology proposed to improve consumer trust in food safety is irradiation. Despite extensive education efforts and endorsements given by many health‐related organizations worldwide, food irradiation has been slow to gain widespread acceptance. This ineffectiveness of diffusion efforts might indicate a need to broaden our theoretical perspectives of consumer acceptance of controversial technologies. Most theoretical approaches explain acceptance primarily as a function of perceived risks associated with a technology. The recreancy theorem, in contrast, explains acceptance as a function of public trust in societal institutions to effectively manage a technology. This study investigated the extent to which the recreancy theorem explained acceptance of food irradiation by US consumers, while statistically controlling for perceived risk and social‐demographic variables. The study used a longitudinal field design to survey one adult each in 116 households located in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area during the first large‐scale market test of irradiated food. The results indicate that the recreancy theorem might provide a valid conceptual approach to gaining a broader understanding of consumer acceptance of controversial new technologies.     

Consumer acceptance of quick-cooking rice as food for use in a disaster

The consumer acceptability of a Philippine cultivar quick-cooking rice (QCR) as food for use in a disaster was studied. Test feeding in an evacuation centre involved random selection of 50 young adults and adult evacuees, rehydration of QCR and distribution of test rice samples for sensory evaluation test. The sensory evaluation results showed that more than 90% of the evacuee participants found the colour, texture, taste and overall qualities of the rehydrated QCR to be acceptable. Eighty per cent of the participants described the rehydrated rice to be adequately soft and neither undercooked nor overcooked. The test QCR samples were described by the community kitchen personnel of the evacuation centre as easy to prepare, requiring minimum cooking time and exhibiting homogeneity in doneness when cooked.     

Consumer use patterns for fresh and processed vegetable products

Consumer use patterns for 43 fresh and processed vegetables were studied in an effort to explain recent shifts in vegetable consumption practices. Data on the appropriateness of each of the vegetables for 10 different uses were collected and analysed to determine food and food use patterns. Nine vegetable factors and two use factors were extracted. Results indicate that in the majority of cases respondents perceive different forms of the same vegetable to be inappropriate substitutes for each other. Patterns were found which reflect the changes in usage patterns for certain forms of vegetables that have occurred in recent years.     

Consumer concern,knowledge and attitude towards counterfeit apparel products

The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship of three variables (concern with apparel industry issues, knowledge about counterfeiting and attitude towards counterfeit apparel products) with consumer willingness towards paying a premium for non‐counterfeit goods. The intent of the research was to develop a theoretically based foundation from which educators and apparel industry leaders can develop policy regarding counterfeit goods. Will consumer concern and knowledge influence the behavioural intent of paying more for non‐counterfeit goods? We surveyed 244 undergraduate students within a fashion and apparel programme at a large Midwestern university. In this study, willingness to pay more for non‐counterfeit goods increased directly with greater concern, knowledge and attitude towards counterfeit apparel goods.     

Consumer motives for buying regional products: the REGIOSCALE

Marketing Letters - Consumers are increasingly turning towards regional products (RP). The Consumer Ethnocentric Scale (CETSCALE) has been widely used to examine consumer motives for buying...     

Consumer insecurity and preference for nostalgic products: Evidence from China

This research examines the effects of consumers' insecurity on their preferences for nostalgic products. Using survey data from a sample of 356 Chinese consumers, the analysis shows that existential insecurity and social insecurity enhance consumers' preference for nostalgic products. In addition, the results suggest that marketers can use nostalgic elements to promote sales by relieving consumers' insecurity, through designing nostalgic appearance and creating meaningful stories for products.     

浅谈加强乳制品质量监督管理的措施

随着三聚氰胺等事件的发生,暴露出乳制品的的质量安全问题,严重影响了我国乳制品行业的健康发展.本文从影响乳制品质量因素分析入手,谈了乳制品质量监督管理的现状,及加强乳制品质量监督管理措施.     

浅谈加强乳制品质量监督管理的措施

随着"三聚氰胺"等事件的发生,暴露出乳制品的的质量安全问题,严重影响了我国乳制品行业的健康发展.本文从影响乳制品质量因素分析入手,谈了乳制品质量监督管理的现状,及加强乳制品质量监督管理措施.     

Consumer satisfaction with shopping experiences and clothing products in the children's wear market

This study, utilizing a model of the satisfaction process in retail settings, analysed the relationship between problem disconfirmation and satisfaction with (i) shopping for children's clothing and (ii) the quality of children's clothing. In addition, the effect of shopping satisfaction on product satisfaction was also examined. The sample comprised 957 children's wear consumers from one mid-western state. Factor analysis and ordinary least-squares regression were the statistical techniques used to analyse the data. The results indicate that sizing and fit problems are significantly related to satisfaction with the shopping experience. Product attributes related to the lasting ability of a garment, as well as those specific to infants' wear, were significantly related to satisfaction with product quality. Satisfaction with the shopping experience was also found to affect product satisfaction. These results have tangible implications for apparel marketers.     

Consumer responses to high-technology products: Product attributes, cognition, and emotions

The present study investigates how high-technology attributes influence consumer responses. Based on Mehrabian and Russell's Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework (1974), this study proposes that high-technology product attributes elicit consumers' cognitive (attitude) and affective states (pleasure and arousal), contributing to their approach-avoidance behavior. High-technology product users (N = 408) participated in surveys. The results provide support for the model. Among six factors of high-technology product attributes (usefulness, ease of use, innovativeness of technology, visual appeal, prototypicality, and self-expression), the latter four have major influences on approach behavior through attitude (cognitive state) and pleasure (affective state). Supplemental analysis shows that attitude and pleasure influence approach-avoidance behavior directly, but that arousal affects approach-avoidance behavior indirectly via pleasure.     

The Korean versus American marketplace: Consumer reactions to foreign products

The Republic of Korea recently became one of the member countries of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Such developed-nation status requires Korea to open its consumer goods and financial markets. As a more open Korean market becomes increasingly attractive to foreign manufacturers and investors, it is critical for foreign marketers to understand how Korean consumers perceive and evaluate imported goods. This study examines how Koreans in comparison with Americans react to foreign-made products. The results of the study show that both Korean and U.S. consumers, in general, relied heavily on specific intrinsic attributes of products as the basis for their evaluations of the product quality. Interestingly, Koreans considered country-of-manufacture information as equally important in this situation. However, when they determined their purchase intentions, neither Koreans nor Americans valued country labels of the products; they again used product attribute information. The implications of the results for foreign marketers in Korea are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.