Path-type reliability assessments for consumer panel data

The usefulness of path analysis-type test-retest reliability models for explaining consumer panel data variability is assessed. Assumptions are made about the casual structure to obtain estimates of the various paths coefficients. The methodology is applied to substantive empirical problems. Models limitations and extensions are discussed.     

Value orientations and consumer expectations of Corporate Social Responsibility

This paper explores how personal and situational factors impact consumer expectations of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Consumer expectations are known to motivate marketers to incorporate social considerations into their marketing practices and to communicate about those actions. A study was conducted in order to examine the effect of values and issue involvement on consumer CSR expectations, categorised as economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. The study's findings demonstrated that consumers generally have high expectations of CSR, especially in the legal and ethical‐philanthropic domains. Expectations for the ethical‐philanthropic dimension of CSR are higher amongst consumers holding high self‐transcendent values and practicing high involvement. The main implications of the study are the potential for positioning companies as socially responsible and incorporating CSR in strategic marketing and communications decisions.     

商业银行如何防范消费信贷风险

随着消费贷款规模的不断扩大,该项业务中存在的问题和风险也逐步暴露出来,在有些地区还表现得比较明显,商业银行应加强对消费信贷风险的分析与识别,以便及时采取措施,防范消费信贷风险.     

A path analysis interpretation of consumer decision-making under conditions of potential risk

This study investigates consumer decision-making processes under conditions of potential risk to personal safety. Potential risk was defined as the individual's subjective interpretation of the likelihood of exposure to hazard or danger and their estimation of the consequences of such exposure. The main concerns were to determine under what conditions consumers would choose a flame resistant apparel item over a non-flame resistant apparel item and to discover the amount of money consumers were willing to pay for the flame resistant (FR) characteristic in apparel. A model of the expected decision process was developed. The variables in the model were (i) internal/external (I/E) control (x₁), (ii) awareness of flame-resistant facts (x₂), (iii) perceived risk (x₃), (iv) buying goals (x₄), and (v) willingness to pay for the FR characteristic. Data used to test the hypothesized relationships among the variables were collected from 136 mothers of pre-school-age children. Path analysis interpretations revealed that the following were the most salient variables affecting the consumer's willingness to pay: (i) perceived risk of clothing-burn injuries; (ii) consumer's feelings of I/E control; and (iii) FR safety as a buying goal.     

The effects of emotion and need for cognition on consumer choice involving risk

Building upon previous research, this article proposes that the effect of mood on risk-taking is moderated by the individual’s need for cognition. The hypothesized effect of mood and the need for cognition are tested with different types of consumer choices in three studies. Consistent with the hypotheses, the results indicate that the subjects in happy mood tend to be risk-aversive while the subjects in sad mood incline to take risks. Furthermore, the mood affects risk-taking behavior more for the low-NFC subjects than for the high-NFC ones. Finally, implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

From consumer problems to consumer anomie

At the beginning of this century consumer problems in Europe were concentrated on the economic and functional aspects of consumption. These were concrete realities which were felt so strongly that efforts were made to solve them independently, e.g., by consumer co-operation.With steadfast extension of the market, consumer problems have become more diffuse. This is due to several circumstances: (a) the functional aspects of commodities have become more complex and their origin more difficult to identify; (b) the functional and symbolic aspects have become more entangled; (c) the traditional cultural distinction between good and bad in consumption has collapsed at the same time as new, branded products have made it more difficult to build up a new cultural code.As a result there is a problem of how to combine — in consumer choice — the symbolic and the functional dimensions of a commodity. One may say that it is typical for modern consumption that there are no rigid choice criteria and that uncertainty is inherent in consumer choice. If this holds true one can use the Durkheimian concept of anomie in describing the main problem in modern European consumption.

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Von Verbraucherproblemen zur Verbraucheranomie

Zusammenfassung Verbraucherprobleme waren zu Beginn dieses Jahrhunderts in Europa vorwiegend auf die wirtschaftlichen und funktionalen Aspekte des Konsums beschränkt. Diese Aspekte waren handfeste Wirklichkeit und wurden so stark empfunden, daß man alle Anstrengungen unternahm, sie unabhängig zu lösen, beispielsweise durch Verbraucher-Kooperation.Mit dem stetigen Wachstum der Konsumgütermärkte wurden Verbraucherprobleme in steigendem Maße diffus. Mehrere Ursachen kommen dafür in Betracht: (a) die funktionellen Aspekte der Güter wurden immer komplexer und in ihrer Herkunft schwieriger zu identifizieren; (b) die funktionalen und symbolischen Aspekte wurden immer stärker miteinander verknüpft; (c) traditionelle kulturelle Unterscheidungen zwischen gut und schlecht im Konsum lösten sich zu der Zeit auf, als die neu entstehenden Markenprodukte sich schwer damit taten, eine neue kulturelle Bedeutung zu vermitteln.Somit ergibt sich als Hauptproblem, wie in den Konsumentscheidungen die symbolische und die funktionale Dimension der Güter miteinander verbunden werden soll. Man könnte sagen, daß es für den modernen Konsum typisch ist, daß es keine festen Auswahlkriterien gibt und Kaufentscheidungen immer ein Element von Unsicherheit anhaftet. Wenn diese Beschreibung zutrifft, läßt sich das Hauptproblem des modernen europäischen Konsums mit dem Durkheim'schen Konzept der Anomie beschreiben.

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Kaj Ilmonen is a researcher at the Central Union of Consumer Co-operation in Finland and a Docent of Sociology at the University of Tampere. His address is: Kulutusosuuskuntien Keskusliitto (KK) r.y., Hämeentie 19, SF-00101 Helsinki 10, Finland.This paper was first presented at the symposium New Challenges for European Consumer Policy, held at Heiligkreuztal, FRG, on March 17–20, 1986 under the sponsorship of the European Cultural Foundation, the Commission of the European Communities, and IBM Deutschland.     

基于消费者需求与信息搜寻的消费者教育模型研究

本文结合消费者需求特点和信息搜寻两个维度,指出产品市场可分为易识实用产品市场、难识实用产品市场、易识享乐产品市场、难识享乐产品市场和未被考虑产品市场.企业应根据各类市场特征,制定有针对性的消费者教育策略.     

浅析项目施工中的风险管理

施工企业要想在竞争中立于不败之地,必须有效地控制风险、规避风险、化解风险.必须善于分析风险因素,正确估计风险大小,认真研究风险防范措施,以避免和减轻风险.     

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.     

Modelling consumer responses to an apparel store brand: Store image as a risk reducer

To make informed private label (PL) strategy decisions, retailers must understand the factors influencing consumer's brand choices. Previous PL studies have investigated grocery products, and ignored unique features of different types of own brands. We investigate attitudes towards buying a retailer-endorsed brand, or store brand (SB), in apparel retailing. Customers of a Finnish department store were surveyed. Data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Perceived value and quality of SB apparel appear to be the main drivers of purchase intentions. Perceived risk reduces SB value and purchase intentions. Store image affects purchase intentions indirectly, by reducing perceived risk and increasing SB quality perceptions.     

根据消费者问题的变迁 探讨消费者教育的课题

改革开放以来，随着经济的飞速发展，消费者问题也日益严重，“假冒伪劣商品”一词成为近20年来历久不衰的流行语，消费者的投诉与年俱增，投诉内容也越来越复杂，20年来发生了很大的变化。     

Sexualized aspects of consumer behavior: An empirical investigation of consumer lovemaps

Sexuality has not been investigated by marketers and consumer researchers in terms of the constructs and theories developed by sex researchers. This article takes a first step in applying their approaches by investigating in an empirical study the consumer lovemap, an aspect of the more general lovemap. It focuses, in particular, on two aspects of the consumer lovemap in relation to product use, namely, the Consumer Sexual Behavior Sequence, which is a model of sexual stages, and product sexualization. In addition, it assesses the individual difference effects of the trait of erotophobia-erotophilia and of one's own sex. The results indicate that the newly introduced approaches helped to explain consumers' perceptions of the use of various products. Both managerial and future research implications are drawn. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characteristics of consumer law

This paper analyzes elements included in the formulation of a theory of consumer law, which while derived from several different initiatives, remains an autonomous legal discipline. In constructing the model the author establishes an alternative way of viewing the consumer. This subjective approach focuses directly on the consumer and his role in the production — distribution — trade — consumption cycle. The individual consumer must be viewed as a member of a larger group. Consumers have collective interests, distinct from general public interests, which must be recognized. The author uses this model to examine policies aimed at promoting consumer interests on the Belgian economic scene and at the European Community level. The author places increased emphasis on the social aspects of consumer law and supports combining an adaptive approach with a more participative legal strategy.

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Besonderheiten des Verbraucherrechts

Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag analysiert die Elemente einer Theorie des Verbraucherrechts. Dabei wird Verbraucherrecht bei aller Vielgestaltigkeit und Pluralität als eigenständige rechtliche Disziplin betrachtet. Bei der Entwicklung seines Modells folgt der Autor einer neuartigen Sichtweise des Konsumenten. Dieser subjektive Ansatz konzentriert sich unmittelbar auf den Konsumenten und seine Rolle in dem Kreislauf, der durch Produktion, Distribution, Handel und Verbrauch gebildet wird. Der einzelne Konsument muß als Mitglied einer größeren Gruppe gesehen werden. Konsumenten haben kollektive Interessen, die nicht mit allgemeinen öffentlichen Interessenlagen übereinstimmen; diese Besonderheiten kollektiver Verbraucherinteressen müssen beachtet werden. Der Autor benutzt sein Modell zur Prüfung von politischen Strategien zur Förderung des Verbraucherinteresses im ökonomischen Bereich sowohl auf nationaler Ebene in Belgien als auch auf der Ebene der Europäischen Gemeinschaft. Er betont besonders den sozialen Aspekt des Verbraucherrechts und plädiert für eine Verbindung eines adaptiven Ansatzes mit einer partizipativen Strategie.

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Thierry Bourgoignie is a Professor of Law at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Faculté de Droit, Place Montesquieu 2, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.     

Valuing consumer safety

Snowboarding is quickly becoming a popular sport at alpine resorts. In contrast to alpine skiing, where injuries to the knee and thumb are most common, the wrist (and forearm) and ankle are the most frequently injured body regions for snowboarders. Unfortunately, the rapid international growth of the sport has not been matched by detailed epidemiological evaluation of the injuries specific to snowboarding or the countermeasures to prevent them. The aim of this paper is to critically review the literature describing injury prevention measures, or countermeasures, for snowboarding. In doing so, it provides an evaluation of the extent to which these countermeasures have been demonstrated to be effective or associated with the occurrence of new types of injuries. Few countermeasures specific for snowboarding were found to have been formally evaluated. The countermeasures to which some attention has been paid are boots, bindings, wrist guards, skill level and methods of falling. Skill level and the other injury countermeasures apply more generally across the sport. Recommendations for countermeasure implementation include: education for snowboarders, adherence to snow conduct and safety codes, preparing snowboarders for their activity and maintenance of parks and runs. Recommendations for improved data collections include: standardising and maintaining existing data collections, collecting information about equipment used by snowboarders and monitoring injury trends. Further biomechanical and epidemiological research needs to be undertaken on knee/ankle and wrist/forearm injuries. Evaluation of countermeasures needs to keep pace with the rapid developments in this field. Particular attention should be directed towards evaluations of the role of wristguards, boots/bindings, fall technique and lessons in preventing injuries. Given the rapidly increasing popularity of the sport, the need for the safety equipment to be evaluated would seem to be a priority, along with identification of the mechanisms of injury.     

Advancing consumer neuroscience

In the first decade of consumer neuroscience, strong progress has been made in understanding how neuroscience can inform consumer decision making. Here, we sketch the development of this discipline and compare it to that of the adjacent field of neuroeconomics. We describe three new frontiers for ongoing progress at both theoretical and applied levels. First, the field will broaden its boundaries to include genetics and molecular neuroscience, each of which will provide important new insights into individual differences in decision making. Second, recent advances in computational methods will improve the accuracy and out-of-sample generalizability of predicting decisions from brain activity. Third, sophisticated meta-analyses will help consumer neuroscientists to synthesize the growing body of knowledge, providing evidence for consistency and specificity of brain activations and their reliability as measurements of consumer behavior.     

众说消费洞察

消费洞察是广告公司的基本功,但广告中反映出的消费洞察水平干差万别。究竟如何把握消费动态,中国广告公司的消费洞察受制于哪些因素,对此本刊采访了部分广告业内人士。     

Services and consumer protection the proposed Swedish consumer services act

The Nordic countries are at present preparing a regulation of consumer services contracts. Proposals for comprehensive Consumer Services Acts have been submitted by Governmental Committees in Sweden and Norway. The author, himself Chairman of the Swedish committee, reports about the Swedish proposals which soon may become applicable law. They will cover most service contracts with the exception of insurance and professional services. The Act will be of a private law character and regulate the performance of and liability for the contract in a mandatory way. The consumer's position in service contracts will be improved in many respects, and these are outlined in some detail in the paper.

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Eine schwedische Gesetzesvorlage zur Verbesserung des Verbraucherschutzes bei Dienstleistungen

Zusammenfassung Die intensive verbraucherpolitische Gesetzgebung der Nordischen Staaten — Schweden, Dänemark, Norwegen, Finnland — war bislang auf Handelspraktiken, Verbraucherkredit, Haftungsfragen und Kaufrecht konzentriert. Dienstverträge waren bislang nur sehr lückenhaft geregelt, obwohl erhebliche Werte umgeschlagen werden.Inzwischen hat eine schwedische Regierungskommission, die vom Autor dieses Beitrages geleiter wurde, ebenso wie eine norwegische Kommission einen umfassenden Gesetzgebungsvorschlag für Konsumentendienstverträge vorgelegt. Die Kommission beschreitet dabei bewußt rechtspolitisches Neuland.Der Beitrag geht auf die wichtigsten Vorschläge der Kommission ein, die weitgehend schon öffentliche Zustimmung gefunden haben und vermutlich zu einer entsprechenden legislativen Initiative führen. Das Gesetz wird nicht alle Dienstleistungen erfassen, etwa nicht Versicherungen, die einer besonderen gesetzlichen Regelung unterliegen, und Arztverträge. Zentraler Regelungsgegenstand sind Werkverträge (Reparaturverträge) an beweglichen Sachen und Gebäuden.Folgende Einzelvorschläge der Kommission verdienen besondere Beachtung: Werbeaussagen des Unternehmers, etwa über die Qualität seiner Dienstleistungen, werden grundsätzlich Vertragsinhalt und lösen bei Täuschung entsprechende Vertragssanktionen aus. Der Verbraucher kann den Vertrag jederzeit widerrufen, wenn das Werk noch nicht fertiggestellt ist, muß aber die geleisteten Dienste vergüten. Ausführlich und zwingend werden die Verzugsfolgen und die Gewährleistungshaftung des Unternehmers geregelt. Die Gewährleistungshaftung setzt eine entsprechende Anzeige des Konsumenten voraus, die spätestens zwei Jahre nach Gefahrübergang, bei unerkennbaren Mängeln auch länger, erfolgen muß. Bei Mängeln hat der Konsument ein kostenloses Nachbesserungsrecht. Unter bestimmten Umständen — nämlich Vertragsbruch durch Verzug oder gravierende Mängel — hat der Kunde ein Kündigungsrecht. Bei weniger gravierenden Mängeln kann der Konsument Minderung verlangen, sofern der Unternehmer nicht den Mangel beseitigt.Das Recht des Konsumenten auf Schadenersatz wird erweitert und in seiner Durchsetzungsmöglichkeit durch Beweislastregeln erleichtert. Es tritt grundsätzlich neben die sonstigen Rechtsbehelfe auf Nachbesserung, Kündigung und Minderung. Die Vorschläge regeln auch die Schadensberechnung, wobei im Verzugsfall vernünftige Pauschalen vereinbart werden können. Die Regelungen sollen zugunsten des Kunden zwingend sein.Schließlich enthält der Entwurf noch Vorschläge über Rechtsfolgen bei Verzug des Konsumenten mit seiner Leistung. Hier wird ein gerechter Interessenausgleich zwischem dem Zahlungs- und dem Ersatzanspruch des Unternehmers einerseits und dem Schutzanliegen des Konsumenten, insbesondere gegenüber übermäßig belastenden Verzugsfolgen, andererseits versucht.

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Ulf Bernitz is Professor of Private Law, Institute for Intellectual Property and Market Law, University of Stockholm, Fack, S-106 91 Stockholm 50, Sweden. From July 1980 he holds a chair of Consumer and Market Law at the same University. Parts of this paper appear also in the English language summary of the Swedish Government Official Report listed under References.     

男色消费时代——护肤，是一种权利——男性护肤品的消费变迁

“男性每天照镜子的时间不输女性”,“爱美讲求‘男女平等’”,这一连串让女性都感到意外的调查结果,于2007年在国内首份《风尚指数调查报告》上被揭露。据相关资料统计,男性美容护肤产品的全球市场份额正在按25%的年增长率递增。有市场预测显示,到2010年,我国化妆品市场的总销售额将达到800亿元,男性护肤用品所占份额至少为40亿元。