Objects of Desire: Consumer Behaviour in Shopping Centre Choices

What determines where people shop? Why would people visit one shopping centre rather than another? These questions are important to developers, backers, planners and Government. In addition, there is a need to understand shopping as a fundamental feature of modern society. Attributes such as transport links, parking and choice of major stores are well known as determinants of shopping centre success - but some centres are only 50% let twelve months after opening. This paper is based on an empirical investigation, carried out over a three-year period, of four UK shopping centres, ranging in size from a large out-of town regional centre to a small in-town sub-regional centre. Further data are added from a related study, the total number of respondents at all six centres being 287. Other researchers have used questionnaire surveys based on the respondents’ perceptions of the importance or ratings of attributes of shopping centres. Another approach is the attempt to measure the distinctiveness of attributes. This study combines importance, rating and distinctiveness. A further innovation is to weight attributes according to the degree of association with shoppers' spending. A methodology is thus proposed for identifying the most critical attributes. Some differences have been observed between shopper groups such as male/female or type of transport, and these differences can be used in planning a shopping centre marketing strategy. Many of the critical attributes are not consistent between centres and the results indicate ways in which each centre might have scope for improvement

The effect of national culture on information flow

The primary purpose of this paper is to test the effect of national culture on service provision within Islamic Insurance(Takaful). This paper seeks to incorporate the following constructs: Power distance, information gap and information flow as an observed variable represented by hierarchical driven information gathering and sharing or functional driven information gathering and sharing. The secondary purpose, is to investigate Hofstede’s claim regarding the homogeneity of Arab culture in which he believes dominated by the religion of Islam. The sample (n=462) were employees of Takaful operators in Kuwait and Egypt, and they completed the questionnaires in a self administrated method. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modelling using Analysis of Moments structure (AMOS) was employed. It was found that there is differences in information flow between Kuwait and Egypt. Kuwait was found low power distance and functional driven information gathering and sharing mediated by low information gap, whereas Egypt was found high power distance provide information in hierarchical driven information gathering and sharing mediated by high information gap. Another finding, was the significant evidence that is not supporting Hofested’s claim of homogeneity of all Arab culture. Result show clearly how two different Arab countries varies in the services they provide within a sector that unique to the Arab cluster. This paper confirms an existing theory that to the best of the researcher knowledge has never been tested which adds to the body of knowledge in general and Takaful industry in particular how national culture may affect service provision. Secondly, it disconfirm Hofstede’s claim of homogeneity of the Arab culture as it evidently proves the cultural differences between Kuwait and Egypt

Vacuum powder injector and method of impregnating fiber with powder

A method and apparatus uniformly impregnate stranded material with dry powder such as low solubility, high melt flow polymer powder to produce, for example, composite prepregs. The stranded material is expanded in an impregnation chamber by an influx of air so that the powder, which may enter through the same inlet as the air, penetrates to the center of the stranded material. The stranded material then is contracted for holding the powder therein. The stranded material and powder may be pulled through the impregnation chamber in the same direction by vacuum. Larger particles of powder which do not fully penetrate the stranded material may be combed into the stranded material and powder which does not impregnate the stranded material may be collected and reused

Bolivia Or Bust: Cila Memories

The first tentative talks about the possibility of a teaching mission to Bolivia began in June of 1998 at the annual conference of the Association of Christian Librarians. We had a semi-formal meeting to discuss the possibility at the 1999 annual conference-nearly a year before it would actually happen-at a meeting of the Commission for International Library Assistance (CILA), a ministry of the Association. The mission of CILA is to provide support for libraries in developing countries where there is a lack of formal training or financial resources. It does so by serving as an umbrella organization to coordinate requests and match them up with volunteers willing to spend some time abroad

The pricing journey – The evolution of approach and execution as organisational pricing capability develops

This is an author version of an article which has been published in its definitive form as a Margin2 / Brunel Pricing Forum white paper and has been posted by permission of the Brunel Pricing Forum for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published online by Margin2 and the original version can be accessed at the link below.An organisation’s approach to Pricing can be seen as a competency in the sense that it is a combination of skills, behaviours and the application of knowledge. As the efficiency and effectiveness of pricing decisions improve, then a range of indicators highlight a more thorough, considered and generally more successful approach. Fewer mistakes are made, results are more visibility linked to previous actions, and implementation becomes quicker and more comprehensive

Modelling 3D product visualisation for online retail atmospherics

Purpose: The Stimulus (S) Organism (O) Responses (R) paradigm has been extensively studied in conventional retailing but has received little attention in the online context. This study aims to investigate the effects of an online retailer atmospheric using three dimensional (3D) product visualisation. Design/methods/approach: We operationalise 3D antecedents, the main online atmospheric cues, as the “stimulus” (S) that attracts consumers’ attention towards the online retailer, authenticity of the 3D, hedonic and utilitarian value as the “organism” (O) part, and consumers’ behavioural intention as the “responses” (R) part. A hypothetical retailer Web site presents a variety of laptops using 3D product visualisations. Findings: The control and animated colours represent the main stimuli (S). Furthermore, 3D authenticity, hedonic and utilitarian values are the main determinants of behavioural intentions. The proposed conceptual model achieves acceptable fit and the hypothesised paths are all valid. Practical implications: Retail website designers can contribute to enhancing consumers’ virtual experience by focusing more on utilitarian and hedonic value. Any 3D flash should include the essential information that consumers seek and consumers should be able to click to any part of the 3D flash to access further information. Originality/values: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first in the U.K. that uses a U.K. sample to investigate the effects of using 3D product visualisation on consumers’ perceptions and responses. Our research makes an important contribution to the online atmospheric literature by providing a rich explanation of how authenticity of the 3D virtual models adds more information, fun and enhances consumers’ responses towards the online retailer

Interviews of deshopping behaviour: An analysis of theory of planned behaviour

Research reveals alarming results on the prevalence of the dishonest consumer behaviour known as deshopping. Deshopping is the “deliberate return of goods for reasons other than actual faults in the product, in its pure form premeditated prior to and during the consumption experience.” (Schmidt et al., 1999 p.2) In effect this means buying something with no intention of keeping it (Schmidt et al., 1999). The authors consider the implications of deshopping and retailers’ prevention of deshopping, exploring the research undertaken to date and the methodology for further research