22 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab.

Influence Impacting Female Teenagers' Clothing Interest: a Consumer Socialization Perspective (open access)

Influence Impacting Female Teenagers' Clothing Interest: a Consumer Socialization Perspective

Female teenagers have been found to be the most affluent teens according to the Rand Youth Poll's nationwide survey. The survey finds the average weekly income from female teens age 16 to 19 to be $82, with $50 from earnings and the balance from their allowances. Other findings from the survey indicate that adolescent girls receive more than adolescent males in allowance from parents, as mothers understand the need for the female teen to have the income necessary to purchase clothing and cosmetics. Past research studies have attempted to measure the influence sources on teenagers when purchasing clothing by asking teens to rank different influence sources or by asking the teens who accompany them when shopping. The current research study develops a structural equation model that allows for the comparison of the three predominant influence sources identified in the consumer socialization literature, i.e., parental influence, peer influence, and promotional communications sought out by the teen. To test the model, 206 randomly selected female teenagers completed a mail questionnaire regarding the influences on clothing interest. The female teens were all members of a non-denominational youth group, age 13 to 19, living in the North Texas region. The model derived is only …
Date: August 1995
Creator: Waguespack, Blaise P. (Blaise Philip)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Exploratory Analysis of the Food Consumption Behavior of Up-scale Asian-American Consumers (open access)

An Exploratory Analysis of the Food Consumption Behavior of Up-scale Asian-American Consumers

The first objective of this research was to identify whether Asian-Americans having higher than average levels of income and education represent an appropriate target market for four food product categories. Second, the impact of national origin membership, demographic variables, and level of acculturation on food consumption was determined. In addition, perceptions related to sensory and nutritional factors and the cultural acceptability of the products were identified and interpreted to determine if the variables differed among specific groups of Asian-American consumers.
Date: August 1993
Creator: Boykin, Nancy J. (Nancy Jo)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Retail Crowding: Impact of Merchandise Density on Store Image (open access)

Retail Crowding: Impact of Merchandise Density on Store Image

Store image research has attempted to identify factors contributing to formation of positive or negative perceptions of stores by consumers. These factors include tangible and intangible elements. Of the tangible factors, store atmosphere (including store layout and congestion level) is often identified as contributing to store image. Intangible factors influencing store image include emotional or psychological reactions that consumers have in response to various tangible store factors. One of these emotional responses is retail crowding. Retail crowding is a state of psychological stress occurring in consumers in response to perceived high density levels in stores. Crowding literature suggests that environmental cues, including layout and density level, contribute to this stress level. The overall purpose of this study was to expand on current research by incorporating the concept of retail crowding with store image research.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Paden, Nita L. (Nita Lynn)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characteristics of Purchasing Managers That Influence Preferences to Enter Buyer-Seller Partnerships by Single Sourcing (open access)

Characteristics of Purchasing Managers That Influence Preferences to Enter Buyer-Seller Partnerships by Single Sourcing

This research addresses the question of whether there are personal characteristics of purchasing managers that lead them to make decisions regarding buyer-seller partnerships, and supplier sourcing in particular, that may be suboptimal, therefore affecting the performance of the firm. This question warrants study due to the current business environment, in which business firms have been entering into both formal and informal buyer-seller partnerships as a means of surviving in a highly competitive environment.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Swift, Cathy Owens
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Role and Contributions of Independent Sales Representatives in the Relationship Between Merchandise Suppliers and Small Retailers: Dynamic Interactions in the Channel (open access)

The Role and Contributions of Independent Sales Representatives in the Relationship Between Merchandise Suppliers and Small Retailers: Dynamic Interactions in the Channel

Small retailers are searching for a basis of competitive advantage to compete against larger retailers. The independent sales representative (rep) may represent such a basis. Little is known about how the role of reps and their performance is perceived by suppliers and retailers. We do not know what is expected from reps, if the reps' performance meets suppliers and retailers expectations, or whether met expectations lead to a basis of competitive advantage. Primarily, the study was designed to identify the role and contributions reps in the interactions between the supplier and retailer in the channel of distribution.
Date: May 1998
Creator: Gruben, Kathleen H. (Kathleen Hall)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Industrial Representative's Perception of the Impact of Managerial Control Systems on Performance (open access)

The Industrial Representative's Perception of the Impact of Managerial Control Systems on Performance

The objective of this study was to examine whether the factors which constitute the manufacturer/industrial-representative relationship, influence performance as predicted by control theory. In addition, the study evaluated the contribution of selected demographic factors such as size of the firm, and the representative's experience, on performance.
Date: August 1995
Creator: Dunipace, Richard A. (Richard Alan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Factors Associated with Salespersons' Use of Influence Tactics and Their Outcomes : An Exploratory Study (open access)

Factors Associated with Salespersons' Use of Influence Tactics and Their Outcomes : An Exploratory Study

The use of influence tactics by sales representatives appears to be related to a number of latent constructs and factors such as, manifest needs, role conflict and role ambiguity, and perception of sales managers' power bases. However, such relationships have not been examined by researchers. These relationships were examined in this study in an effort to improve the current level of understanding of causes and results of the use of influence tactics in a sales environment. The contention of this study was that individuals in work settings engage in a variety of influence tactics, and that the type of influence tactics used are influenced by factors such as personal characteristics of the salespersons, the nature of goals to be achieved, the salespersons' perceptions of their superiors' power bases, and the nature and complexity of the dyadic relationship that exists between supervisor and subordinates.
Date: May 1992
Creator: Nonis, Sarath A. (Sarath Alban)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Antecedents of Power in the Distribution Channel : A Transaction-cost Perspective (open access)

Antecedents of Power in the Distribution Channel : A Transaction-cost Perspective

A discussion of reward, coercive, expert, legitimate, and referent power bases was the initial focus of this research. A review of the power sources literature suggested that vertical integration within a channel of distribution was a crucial precursor to develop a structure to facilitate the use of power without creating a significant conflict among channel participants. Elements of transaction cost analysis (TCA) were offered as being suitable for determining the existing level of vertical integration among respondent firms. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to develop a tentative model to determine proper use of power within varying levels of vertical integration.
Date: August 1991
Creator: Erdem, S. Altan (Selim Altan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effect of Information Technology on Productivity in the Retail Sector (open access)

The Effect of Information Technology on Productivity in the Retail Sector

Three major research questions were addressed in this study. First, does information technology contribute to the productivity of retail institutions? Second, to what degree can information technology be substituted for labor and capital in retailing? Finally, is the market efficient in allocating information technology? These questions were chosen after a careful review of the literature revealed gaps in these areas.
Date: August 1995
Creator: Reardon, James F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Modeling the "Make-or-Buy" Logistics Decision: An Empirical Analysis of the Logistic Decision Drivers for Suppliers and Manufacturers in Vendor Managed Inventory Relationships (open access)

Modeling the "Make-or-Buy" Logistics Decision: An Empirical Analysis of the Logistic Decision Drivers for Suppliers and Manufacturers in Vendor Managed Inventory Relationships

Managing the movement of components and products from suppliers to customers and ultimately to end-users is undergoing rapid changes. Supply chain management has increasingly gained attention as companies have sought to reduce costs and improve service performance in a quest for gaining an advantage on the competition.
Date: August 1999
Creator: Ricketts, Philip M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Exploratory Study of the Information Search Stage of the Consumer Decision Process: Based on Elderly Consumers' Selection of a New Housing Bundle (open access)

An Exploratory Study of the Information Search Stage of the Consumer Decision Process: Based on Elderly Consumers' Selection of a New Housing Bundle

This dissertation deals with the decision-to-move process of elderly persons—from a marketer's perspective. The central problem addressed is the lack of empirical knowledge concerning the factors and influences associated with the information search process of elderly persons in making a residential move decision. The purpose was to investigate and understand the key factors and influences which are viewed as important by elderly individuals in their search for and use of information.
Date: May 1993
Creator: Judd, Vaughan C. (Vaughan Charles)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Eclectic Paradigm of Salesperson Compensation: a New Framework for Investigating the Role of Salary versus Commission (open access)

The Eclectic Paradigm of Salesperson Compensation: a New Framework for Investigating the Role of Salary versus Commission

Numerous researchers, employing theories from either psychology or economics, have investigated the circumstances under which firms are likely to adopt salary-based versus commission-based compensation plans. This study integrates the most common theoretical bases of salesperson compensation literature into a broad framework labeled the Eclectic Paradigm of Salesperson Compensation (EPSC). The EPSC proposes that there is a positive association between a firm's salary orientation and resource commitment, and a firm's salary orientation and firm control. There should be a negative association between salary orientation and dissemination risk, and salary orientation and salesperson motivation/performance. Twenty-three hypotheses originating from the EPSC were tested using a pretest sample of 48 real estate salespersons and a test sample of 311 real estate salespersons. The data were analyzed using common factor analysis, logistic regression, multivariate analysis of variance, and median tests. Of the 23 hypotheses, 10 were supported, 7 were partially supported, and 6 were not supported. The results suggest that the eclectic paradigm of salesperson compensation is a promising initial step toward developing a comprehensive model for understanding the determinants of salary versus commission.
Date: December 1995
Creator: Massad, Victor J. (Victor James)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Perceptions of Work Group and Managerial Behaviors as Antecedents of a Salesperson's Commitment, Performance, and Turnover (open access)

Perceptions of Work Group and Managerial Behaviors as Antecedents of a Salesperson's Commitment, Performance, and Turnover

Theoretically grounded and empirically testable conceptualizations that offer alternative explanations regarding sales force performance and turnover can: (a) enhance understanding regarding these pivotal outcomes, and (b) augment an organization's capability to increase sales and decrease turnover. The study advances one such explanation by conceptualizing and testing a perceptual model that links a salesperson's psychological climate dimensions to organizational commitment, performance, and turnover. The framework the study proposes respecifies the leadership and work group dimensions of psychological climate into four distinct perceptions (i.e., a salesperson's perceptions regarding the behaviors of work group, sales manager, senior management, and non sales employees in the organization). These climate dimensions are posited to influence positively a salesperson's organizational commitment which consequently influences positively the salesperson's effort and intention to stay with the organization. The proposed outcomes of organizational commitment result in increased performance and decreased turnover. Success beliefs and perceived behavioral control are posited to moderate the relationship between the salesperson's organizational commitment and effort. The study tests the hypothesized relationships on a sample of salespersons belonging to a telecommunications organization utilizing path and hierarchical regression analyses.
Date: August 1999
Creator: Gulati, Rajesh, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determinants of the Magnitude of Foreign Direct Investment: An Analysis of Korean Manufacturing MNCs (open access)

Determinants of the Magnitude of Foreign Direct Investment: An Analysis of Korean Manufacturing MNCs

The purpose of this study is, therefore, to investigate empirically the firm- and location-specific determinants of the magnitude of FDI by Korean manufacturing MNCs--one of the leading Third World MNCs. This study also examines firm-specific characteristics that distinguish Korean MNCs investing in developing countries from those investing in developed countries.
Date: December 1993
Creator: Kim, Seong-Soo
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effects of Perceived Quality, Product Category Similarity, and Brand Breadth on Consumers' Perceptions of Brand Extensions: Tests of Categorization Theory and Cognitive Response Theory (open access)

Effects of Perceived Quality, Product Category Similarity, and Brand Breadth on Consumers' Perceptions of Brand Extensions: Tests of Categorization Theory and Cognitive Response Theory

Various constructs are related to predicting consumers' perceptions of brand extensions. Among these, three constructs, perceptions of perceived quality (PQ) associated with the parent brand, product category similarity (PCS) of an extension to its parent brand, and brand breadth (BB) of the parent, are central to many brand extension studies. The purpose of this study is to clarify the roles of these three constructs and to pit predictions from an alternative theoretical perspective — cognitive response theory — against predictions based on categorization theory.
Date: August 1994
Creator: Lee, Dongdae
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determinants and Outcomes of Salespeople's Coping Style (open access)

Determinants and Outcomes of Salespeople's Coping Style

Some salespeople cope with the chronic stress that accompanies sales jobs better than others. That is, while all salespeople possess some ability for coping with job stress, some coping mechanisms work better than others. Thus, it is critically important to identify the coping mechanismwhich are associated with the most positive organizational outcomes (i.e., higher performance, increased retention). Research on the coping mechanisms of salespeople is in its exploratory stage. Increased knowledge concerning how salespeople cope with chronic job stress would help researchers and managers to clarify why certain job outcomes occur instead of others (i.e., performance, retention, and burnout). This study proposes and tests a set of relationships pertaining to the dimensionality and the outcomes of salespeople's coping styles. The model identifies the antecedents of coping style and proposes three types of coping style salespeople employ to reduce job stress- emotion focused coping (EFC), problemfocused coping (PFC) and action oriented coping (AOC). It also elucidates the outcomes associated with EFC and PFC styles. The empiricalfindingssuggest that among salespeople, those who use PFC possess a more pronounced internal locus of control, perceive higher social support, and project higher continuance commitment, and higher self efficacy than those who use EFC. The findings …
Date: August 1996
Creator: Srivastava, Rajesh, 1964-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Testing of a Resource-Based Theory of International Entry Mode Choice (open access)

Development and Testing of a Resource-Based Theory of International Entry Mode Choice

A firm can deploy a variety of arrangements (entry modes) like wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, contracts, and export modes to implement its product market strategies in foreign countries. Each of these arrangements entails decisions about the location of production facilities and/or marketing operations, and the type of ownership of these operations. The choice of an entry mode is of strategic importance to a firm because it can involve investment of substantial amount of resources and has a strong bearing on the firm's marketing mix. Due to its strategic importance, the entry mode choice phenomenon has been extensively researched. In the past, seven major theories have been proposed but none is able to explain the choice from the complete set of entry modes. Thus, there exists a gap between the theory and practice of entry mode choice. This study provides breakthrough on two fronts. First, it develops a new theory of entry mode choice grounded in the resource-based perspective of the firm. The theory posits that the decision to locate its production and/or marketing operations in a country is related to the actualizability of the firm's competitive advantage in that country. However, the ownership decision is related to the sustainability …
Date: August 1995
Creator: Sharma, Varinder M. (Varinder Mohan)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Threat to Health or Exuberant Well-Being: Which Best Explains Wellness Behavior? (open access)

Threat to Health or Exuberant Well-Being: Which Best Explains Wellness Behavior?

Because of the high and rapidly increasing cost of health care, wellness has become a significant issue for both health care practitioners and the general public. This research examines the issue of wellness and seeks to develop a model that identifies the factors that are most significant in explaining why people engage in wellness activities. A questionnaire was mailed to a sample (n = 499) randomly selected from the general population of the United States. Predictor variables are the demographic variables of age, income, education and gender together with the cognitive variables of self-actualization, benefits of wellness behavior, health locus of control and threat to health. Dependent variables are the health-seeking behaviors of exercise, stress management, nutrition, health responsibility and social support. Canonical correlation, t-tests, regression and analysis of variance are used to analyze the data. Chapter one presents two existing health models. The first presents prevention or threat to health and the second proposes self-actualization as motivating wellness behavior. The research model combines the two models. Chapter two presents relevant studies in the literature regarding use of multivariate models in consumer behavior, dimensions of wellness and empirical findings of wellness-related research. Chapter three presents the research hypotheses, research design …
Date: August 1996
Creator: Murrow, Jimmie L. (Jimmie Lorraine)
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of the Perception of Delivered Quality at Different Levels of Organizational Hierarchy in Services (open access)

An Investigation of the Perception of Delivered Quality at Different Levels of Organizational Hierarchy in Services

The overall purpose of this research was to add to existing theory of quality pertaining to the service provider's perception of quality. Quality in the service industry is difficult to assess because of the intangible, heterogeneous and labor intensive nature of services. In addition, personnel have varying perceptions of delivered quality based on their position within the organizational hierarchy. This study enhanced the Service Quality Model developed by Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman (1988). An additional gap ("gap 6") was hypothesized and investigated. This gap describes the differences in perceived delivered quality by employees at different organizational levels (e.g., managerial, supervisory, and non-management employees) across different market segments. The researcher proposed that "gap 6" has a significant impact on total perceived delivered quality. The survey instrument addressed five dimensions of overall quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The survey was administered to employees from hotels representing three market segments located within the same metropolitan area and managed by the same company. A 3 X 3 factorial design was used with three organizational levels (managers, supervisors, and hourly employees) and three lodging market segments (luxury, business-traveller, and long-term/suite). Data analyses included descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey's Multiple Comparison …
Date: December 1993
Creator: Getty, Juliet M. (Juliet Margolin)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Continuity Expectations in Vertical Marketing Systems: a Dyadic Perspective of Domestic and International Franchising (open access)

Continuity Expectations in Vertical Marketing Systems: a Dyadic Perspective of Domestic and International Franchising

An emerging paradigm shift in the marketing discipline has prompted renewed research interest in the nature and scope of exchange. A common theme in the research to date is a departure from the traditional transactional orientation to a relational perspective of exchange. The relational emphasis is particularly germane to contractual Vertical Marketing Systems (VMS) where the emphasis is on long-term, mutually beneficial interaction between various channel members. The franchisor-franchisee relationship, a type of contractual VMS, is governed by norms that impact system efficiency and effectiveness. Despite the unprecedented growth of international franchising systems in the marketplace, a paucity of empirical attention has focused on cross-national franchisor-franchisee relationships. With many U.S.-based business format franchisors penetrating foreign markets, the primary purpose of the dissertation is to provide insights into tools which franchisors, and franchisees can use during the evolution of the exchange relationship. To identify differences across geographic boundaries, the dissertation simultaneously studies domestic and cross-border franchisor-franchisee relationships.
Date: May 1999
Creator: Mehta, Sanjay S. (Sanjay Subhash)
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Descriptive Study of Offended Responses to Nudity in Print Advertising Targeted to Women (open access)

A Descriptive Study of Offended Responses to Nudity in Print Advertising Targeted to Women

A discussion of offensiveness in advertising is the initial focus of this research. A review of the offensiveness, irritation, nudity, and sexual suggestiveness in advertising literature suggested that females report somewhat high arousal scores when viewing nudity but that the arousal may not necessarily be positive. The measure of contributing variables to offendedness responses was proposed using various degrees of nudity in existing advertising as the primary stimuli.
Date: August 1992
Creator: Dishman, Paul Lake, III
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Model of Salespeople's Training Attitudes and Related Outcomes (open access)

A Model of Salespeople's Training Attitudes and Related Outcomes

Today many selling organizations are reexamining and revising their philosophy for managing salespeople because of increase costs of hiring and maintaining a sales force. More than everm management is looking for ways to assist salespeople in becoming more productive and effective faster. One avenue for enhancing salespersons' performance is through improved sales training practices. improved sales training practices should help salespeople view training, and how sales training transcends to the job environment. Considering the need for greater understanding concerning salespeople's perceptions of sales training and assuming the influence of those perceptions on job performance and other outcomes, this study develops and executes an analysis of several proposed relationships among personal characteristics, job related characteristics, perceived training needs, sales training variables, and related outcomes. The program of research identifies and evaluates salespeople's attitudes toward sales training and specifies influences of those training perceptions on salesperson' behaviors and general attitudes. As well, a relationship between salespeople's transfer of training materials, their use, and individual performance are evaluated.
Date: August 1999
Creator: Wilson, Phillip H.
System: The UNT Digital Library