Hospitality aesthetic labor management: Consumers’ and prospective employees’ perspectives of hospitality brands

This research addresses a critical phenomenon in the global hospitality industry: aesthetic labor management. The study examines how frontline service employees’ managed display of aesthetics influences consumers’ (Study 1) and prospective employees’ (Study 2) brand evaluations along with other behavioral responses. Study 1 revealed that consumers’ perceived aesthetic labor fit regarding employees’ static appearance and performative mannerisms can lead to positive brand evaluations and customer-based brand equity via the mechanism of conceptual fluency. Study 2 found, via the same mechanism, that prospective employees’ perceived aesthetic labor fit of performative mannerisms—but not static appearance—can lead to positive brand evaluations, perceived value fit with the organization, and intentions to join the organization. Theoretical implications, practical recommendations, study limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided on the basis of these findings.     

Vertical differentiation via multi-tier geographical indications and the consumer perception of quality: The case of Chianti wines

We derive and estimate a model of demand for Geographical Indications allowing for subjective and heterogeneous quality perceptions, and study vertical differentiation based on multi-tier quality labels within the context of the strategy adopted by the Chianti Consortium. Quality perceptions and wine choices are elicited in an online experiment where the number of quality tiers is augmented incrementally in a between-subject design. The empirical model includes subjective quality perceptions as an (endogenous) explanatory variable, and unexplained heterogeneity in WTP for quality as a random parameter. We find that quality perceptions are endogenous to the labeling regime, and adding a high-quality label (Chianti Classico Gran Selezione) decreases the perceived quality of all other Chianti wines, but not the competitor wines. However, the market shared lost to perception restructuring is small compared to the benefits of increased vertical differentiation.     

台湾“金融消费者保护法”的反思与借鉴

本文以台湾"金融消费者保护法"为中心,对其立法背景、制度特色和立法缺漏进行评析,并结合大陆现状,提出完善大陆金融消费者保护制度的对策建议。     

社会参与角度下的新生代农民工消费行为浅析

新生代农民工由于户口等城乡二元体制的壁垒无法从制度上获得社会参与的保障。通过调查我们了解虽然新生代农民工的社会参与度不断提高,但仍缺少保障,政府、社会应从多方面保障农民工的社会参与的权利。     

An experimental investigation of valuation change due to commonality in vertical product line extension

Commonality in product line design refers to using identical product features or modules in multiple products. The use of commonality in product line extensions is a growing practice in many industries. We consider vertical product line extensions to lower- and higher-end products, and study the effects of identical feature levels on consumers' evaluation of original products. Using a between-subject experimental design, we examine the effect of commonality using the bicycle as the example product. This experiment is then extended to eight different service and manufactured products. Results show that in many cases identical feature levels increase the perceived similarity between original and extension products. This influences the valuation of original products: valuation of the original low-end product increases while valuation of the original high-end product decreases. However, the amount of valuation change is not necessarily the same for the original low- and high-end products. This valuation change occurs regardless of buyers' knowledge level of the product and is sometimes moderated by a large difference in a differentiated feature.
This study suggests the importance of accounting for the demand-side effect of commonality in product design decisions. Change in customers' valuation may call for an adjustment in price—the price of a high-end product may have to be lowered due to valuation discount, and the price of a low-end product could be raised to take advantage of valuation premium. This change in valuation does not occur for every feature in every product. Therefore, by properly selecting the features that are identical, a firm may be able to take advantage of valuation premium without sacrificing valuation discount and enjoy the economies of scale in manufacturing and logistics due to commonality.     

消费者需求受食品质量与安全影响的讨论分析

近年来,国内经济发展迅速,人们生活水平也得到很大提升,使得人们越来越重视安全,而食品是人们生活中的基本物质保障,是人们生活的必需品,所以食品的质量与安全问题是当下最热门的话题之一。当前消费者的需求会受食品质量与安全的影响,频发的食品质量与安全问题让人们愈发重视食品质量与安全,消费者的需求渐渐发生变化。基于此,本文展开了关于食品质量与安全对消费者需求的影响的研究。     

消费需求与经济增长关系的计量经济分析

消费需求是拉动经济增长的三驾马车之一,足以说明消费需求在经济增长中的重要地位.改革开放以来,伴随国民经济的快速发展和消费者收入的增加,我国的消费总量呈现出显著增加的趋势,消费结构得到不断的优化.本文基于计量经济学的基本理论,依据消费需求与经济增长之间的辨证关系,选用1978年以来我国经济发展和消费需求的32年数据,使用不同的计量经济方法,从经济增长的因素分析、经济增长对消费需求的影响和消费需求对经济增长的影响三个方面验证了消费需求与经济增长之间的数量关系和相互影响作用,同时利用格兰杰因果关系检验的方法确认了消费需求与经济增长之间互为因果的影响关系.数量关系的确立,为探求二者之间的变化趋势,进行科学决策提供了数量依据.     

消费者对生态标识食品的多层面认知行为:基于MVP模型的实证分析

笔者基于山东省693个样本数据,以绿色食品为例,将消费者认知行为划分为知晓、识别与使用三个层面,构建多变量Probit模型,分析在消费者认知程度提高过程中起主要作用的因素。研究发现,男性或年轻受访者在知晓层面的认知率较高,而女性、年长受访者在识别和使用层面的认知率相对较高;收入和卷入程度的影响在知晓层面不显著,而在识别和使用层面显著;学历、子女状况与环境保护意识的影响在各层面皆显著;食品安全意识与信息渠道的影响在较低层面显著,而在较高层面不显著。消费者认知行为的异质性为市场细分与开发提供了空间。厂商应针对不同群体采取差异化营销战略,引导消费者认知行为,促进潜在需求向现实需求转化。     

Pure rent taxation and allocation of capital in a two-sector open economy: A long-run analysis

In this paper, the long-run incidence of a tax on pure rent is analyzed in an OLG two-sector small open economy, in which one sector produces a capital good and one sector a consumer good. Contrary to what is obtained in a one-sector closed economy, a land rent tax does not necessarily foster nonhumam wealth accumulation and capital formation. The accommodating scheme for the government budget plays a crucial role for the effects of pure rent taxation. A rent tax stimulates nonhuman wealth if distortionary taxes on wealth or on income from nonland inputs are alleviated. The mechanism spurring capital formation is brought into action, instead, only when the rent tax is matched by a fall in capital taxation or, if the capital sector is capital intensive, by an increase in government spending on the capital good.     

Effects of perceived product quality and Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) on consumer price preferences for children's furniture in China

The effects of perceived product quality and orientation toward Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) on consumer price preferences were studied with the use of survey data of the children's furniture market in two metropolitan cities of China: Shanghai and Shenzhen. Based on the results from a factor analysis and logistic regression, consumers’ perceived product quality of children's furniture was identified as a four-dimensional construct: ‘supplier attributes’, ‘extended product attributes’, ‘basic product attributes’ and ‘environmental quality attributes’. Consumer price preferences were discovered to be negatively influenced by ‘basic product attributes’, but positively influenced by consumer orientation towards LOHAS, gender and education level. In conclusion, China's children's furniture market presents a high-end niche segment with growth potential for both furniture producers and wood material suppliers.