Consumer Decision-Making in the Purchase of Estate Agency Services

The paucity of research into the ‘demand side’ of services can becontrasted with the plethora of ‘supply side’ investigations. Thispaper reviews consumers' pre-purchase choice and decision-making in services, and summarises the findings of a survey ofproperty vendors who have purchased the services of estateagents. The findings highlight the importance of non-rationaldecision-making in estate agency service purchase, and the keyrole played by personnel in shaping consumer behaviour; whilesuggesting that price and physical appearance of the serviceprovider are not major evaluative criteria. The paper concludesthat existing theory on consumer behaviour for services is inadequate and calls for the imbalance of research into the ‘demand side’ to be addressed.     

An investigation into women's perceptions of fibre types used for holiday clothes to be worn in hot climates

When clothes are taken on a summer holiday in a hot climate, their performance properties may become particularly important. The purpose of this research was to determine women's fibre preferences for holiday clothes and to discover the perceptions underlying those preferences. Results showed a strong preference for cotton and an extreme dislike of nylon. There was a tendency to regard all man-made fibres with disfavour, with perceptions founded primarily on past unfavourable experiences of nylon only.     

More or Less Equal? Australian Income Distribution in 1933 and 1980*

Utilizing information in the 1933 census we estimate several measures of individual and household income inequality for that year. Allowance is made for the effect of the Depression on the 1933 income distribution, revealing a clearly adverse impact. Comparisons with recent years indicate marked declines in aggregate income inequality.     

探寻瑞士

曾经有人这样说：＂如果有机会去游览一个城市,无疑是巴黎;如果有机会去一个城市生活,巴塞罗那或许是不错的选择;如果你想追赶历史的脚步,那自然非意大利莫属;而如果你想体会真正的美丽,那就去瑞士吧!＂