Generic drugs in times of economic crisis: Are there changes in consumer purchase intention?

This research aims to investigate the moderating role of an economic crisis in the consumer purchase intention toward generic drugs (GDs), and it uses a quantitative questionnaire survey to collect data through face-to-face interviews and robust statistical analyses. The results reinforce the idea that price is a fundamental element in building pharmaceutical product value. In situations of limited resources, the cost savings from generic drugs represent a strong appeal to consumers' experience of GDs and closes the perceived quality gap between the brand name and the generic products. This research highlights two main contributions, and its findings provides managerial and political implications.     

Cross-cultural examination of the effects of promotional framing on consumers’ responses: A comparison of China and Pakistan

Although extensive studies have focused on the impact of different types of sales promotions on consumers’ responses, few studies examined the effects of online sales promotional framing on consumers’ responses from cross-cultural perspective. Therefore, this study explored how cross-cultural differences moderated the effects of buy one get one free and buy two get fifty percent off promotion on consumer responses across China (lower uncertainty avoidance) and Pakistan (higher uncertainty avoidance). Based on the promotional framing effect theory, an empirical investigation across these two countries revealed that people with higher uncertainty avoidance (vs. lower uncertainty avoidance) prefer buy one get one free to buy two get fifty percent off promotion. Buy one get one free will lead to higher consumer perceived quality and purchase intention than buy two get fifty percent off promotion in both Pakistan and China, while the impact of buy one get one free and buy two get fifty percent off on perceived risk, perceived quality, perceived value and purchase intention are significantly larger in Pakistan than in China. In addition, the study verified the negative perceived risk-perceived value link, positive perceived quality-perceived value link and positive perceived value-purchase intention link from cross-cultural investigated data. The study provides new insights into the effects of online sales promotions on consumers’ responses considering cultural differences. Our findings have implications for multinational corporate managers to design appropriate online sales promotions strategies.     

简述完善企业采购关键点

采购在整个企业的物料产品生产与服务资源中起到了关键性的作用,然而如何使整个采购过程趋于完美化是所以企业的采购部门必须面对的一大问题.答案是将采购部门与企业物流部门紧密的联系在一起,使其达到最晚没的合作,并将采购部门的采购准则标准化将是最好的途径之一.     

安徽省城市经营性健身俱乐部现状调查与分析

安徽省城市经营性健身俱乐部存在经营人才缺乏、营销手段落后等问题。加快健身俱乐部的发展,应拓展健身市场,改善硬件设施,加强健身指导员队伍建设,建立科学的指导服务体系,引导消费观念。     

Consumer motives and impact of western media on the Moroccan luxury buyer

Despite rising income inequality, social and political instability, Morocco has witnessed an exponential growth in luxury good consumption. Increased political freedom, multiplication of international trade agreements and a somewhat liberalization the audio-visual sector combined with an ever increasing internet penetration have brought Moroccan ‘citizen under the spotlight of globalization. On the other hand, Morocco has remained deeply attached to it religious and traditional roots, with a vast majority of the population considering themselves devout and practicing Muslim. In Islam the consumption of ostentatious goods is clearly proscribed, yet consumption data clearly describe a different reality. Questionnaires were distributed by a trained pollster to potential luxury good consumers in Morocco. A total of 296 surveys were filled. Findings from this research shows a strong positive link between luxury good purchase intention and consumption of western media channels as well as social media. The research also provides an analysis of the demographics and the social and personal motives of the Moroccan luxury good consumer.     

浅析吉林省逆支逆差差距的来源及影响因素

随着全球经济一体化进程的加速和国际金融业务的日益增多，银行结售汇、跨境收支和进出口数据已逐渐成为衡量和分析一国涉外经济发展的重要统计指标。统计范围、统计环节、统计时间的不同以及经济活动中复杂多变的各种因素，导致三者始终存在一定差距。本文以吉林省涉外经济发展为研究背景，通过理论与实证分析探讨了吉林省对外贸易中逆支逆差差距的主要来源以及影响其变动的主要因素。     

租购并举、货币政策与房地产市场波动

为补足房地产市场发展短板,有效解决房地产市场结构性失衡,我国提出加快建立租购并举的住房制度,健全住房租赁市场,满足居民居住需求。本文通过构建一般均衡模型,分析住房租赁市场发展对宏观经济的影响,并采用1998~2010年全国30个大中城市季度数据分析在房地产市场化改革前期房地产市场结构失衡对宏观经济的影响,采用2002~2019年全国月度数据分析实施租购并举住房制度后房地产市场结构改善情况下,宏观经济变化以及货币政策对房地产市场的调节效应。研究结果表明:第一,房地产市场化改革前期,住房以"居住"属性为主,"投资"属性相对较弱;第二,租购并举制度下房租房价之间"剪刀差"的缩小能够有效改善房地产市场失衡的状况;第三,货币政策对房地产市场具有显著影响,但不同的货币政策会产生截然相反的作用。     

Customer happiness as a function of perceived loyalty program benefits - A quantile regression approach

Customers consider pursuit of happiness to be fundamental to their purchase experiences; thus, companies are increasingly looking for opportunities to bring happiness to customers especially in their consumption activity. The current study undertakes analysis of effect of perceived benefits of loyalty programs and customer satisfaction on customer happiness/purchase enjoyment if he/she has loyalty program membership. Empirical study with 407 participants found that Discovery and Entertainment Benefit (DEB) and Satisfaction Derived (SD) have an effect on customer happiness/purchase enjoyment while being a loyalty program member. Quantile regression analysis was used to analyze if independent variables have a differential effect on different levels of the dependent variable i.e. customer happiness/purchase enjoyment from use of loyalty programs. Since DEB and SD were found to be positively significant in influencing customer happiness/purchase enjoyment, companies should focus on balancing these aspects of customers’ consumption experience.     

Effects of price uncertainty on consumer purchase budget and price thresholds

This article examines how uncertainty about prices affects: (1) the budget consumers allocate for purchasing a product and (2) consumer price thresholds (i.e., the prices that are considered too high or a good deal). In an experimental setting, the purchase budget as well as the absolute values of both thresholds for uncertain subjects were higher than those for certain subjects. Moreover, a relatively large decline from the budget was needed before a price was considered a good deal, whereas a relatively small increase from the budget was sufficient for a price to be considered too high. Price uncertainty widened the difference between the upper (i.e., too high) price threshold and the budget, making uncertain subjects more tolerant to prices exceeding the budget than certain subjects. However, price uncertainty did not have a significant effect on the difference between the budget and the lower (i.e., good deal) price threshold.We wish to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier draft. We also thank Professors S. P. Raj and Amiya Basu for their comments and suggestions at various stages of the study.     

Non-preferential trading clubs

This paper examines the welfare implications of non-discriminatory tariff reforms by a subset of countries, which we term a non-preferential trading club. We show that there exist coordinated tariff reforms, accompanied by appropriate income transfers between the member countries, that unambiguously increase the welfare of these countries while leaving the welfare of non-members unaltered. In terms of economic policy implications, our results show that there exist regional, MFN-consistent arrangements that lead to Pareto improvements in world welfare.