Consumer demand for counterfeit goods

Research on counterfeiting has focused on the supply side, with scant attention to consumer demand for counterfeit goods. Anticounterfeiting efforts would benefit from the identification of the segment(s) of consumer counterfeiting accomplices, consumers who knowingly purchase counterfeit products. This article reports on three studies, conducted at flea markets and malls, that attempted to identify consumer accomplices. Study 1 investigated prepurchase factors, Study 2 focused on factors active during purchasing, and Study 3 concentrated on postpurchase factors. The results suggest the existence of a typology of consumer accomplices, sly shoppers who purposely purchase counterfeit goods to demonstrate their consumer shrewdness and economically concerned shoppers whose intentional purchase of fake goods is driven by economic concerns. Implications for marketing practitioners are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

New development: Decentralizing governance in England—transport's key role

Transport holds the key to effective decentralization of responsibilities in England. But transport cannot be considered in isolation from other functions. It has close links with spatial planning and other environmental, economic and social activities and they must function together. Decentralization must take this on board for England as a whole. There should be combined authorities established throughout England that are viable and accountable to the areas they serve.     

Optimal prediction designs in finite discrete spectrum linear regression models

In the paper, we solve the n-point optimal prediction design problem for the simplest nontrivial finite discrete spectrum linear regression models with correlated observations. We show that for all the models in consideration, there exists an optimal prediction design supported on at most three distinct points, which can be computed using one-dimensional optimization. In some cases, an optimal prediction design can be found explicitly.     

Social class differentials in the store selection process of single black professional women

Black single professional women form a growing and little researched market. This study hypothesized that there are significant social class differences in prepurchase store screening and in actual store choice process. Findings indicated that there were significant differences among groups in preplanning the number of garments, using catalogues, and seeking information from sales clerks. There were no significant differences in types of stores patronized, and store loyalty appeared low overall. It was concluded, both in prepurchase screening and during purchases, that social class played almost no significant role in store selection. However it appeared that single black professional women, unlike other nonblack samples studied, tended to rely on store characteristics and features more than on informational search and process or an all-out store search. If additional comparative studies substantiate this finding, there are strong implications for retailing strategies.     

Visitors' Motivation for Attending the South Beach Wine and Food Festival,Miami Beach,Florida

The objective of this study was to identify the major factors that motivated visitors to attend the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami Beach, Florida, and determine whether these factors varied among the visitors from the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia. A survey of 475 visitors to South Florida was conducted in February 2006. Forty‐four motivational items were factor analyzed. The seven factors that motivated first‐time visitors to the festival were the desire to taste new wine and food, enjoy the event, enhance social status, escape from routine life, meet new people, spend time with family, and get to know the celebrity chefs and wine experts. A significant difference in motivation among the five national groups of visitors was found in the area of family influence. Implications of the study results are discussed.     

New development: Fast track to Birmingham

Despite government hesitation, high speed rail lines can offer cohesive solutions to some of the UK's current major challenges: climate change and the environment, sustainable economic development and congestion. The article demonstrates this for the London–Birmingham corridor.     

Social class differences in the apparel purchase behavior of single,professional black women

Single professional black women are becoming a separate and powerful segment in the total apparel market. This study explores whether or not there are significant social class differences in their apparel purchase behavior in regard to social classes. Apparel purchase behavior has been analyzed in terms of three-areas: purchase planning, method of payment and social influence. In most cases, class differences were not found to be statistically significant with the exception of social influence. It was found that social classes respond quite differently to social influences in their clothing selection.