A study of consumers’ pre-purchase evaluation of apparel products in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Berihun Bizuneh ◽  
Shalemu Sharew Hailemariam ◽  
Selam Tsegaye
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Garment Fit

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore pre-purchase apparel evaluation cues and examine the effect of demographic variables empirically in the context of a developing country. The initiation for the study was driven by the absence of such prior research and supplemented by the big market opportunity for clothing products in the country under investigation.Design/methodology/approachA self-administered online survey was used for data collection. Demographic questions, 23 apparel measurement items composed of 17 product-based and 6 sustainability-based items, and an open-ended question were included in the questionnaire. Factor analysis was used for dimension reduction and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for hypotheses testing.FindingsGarment fit, design features, colour, fabric type and seasonality are the five important characteristics most Ethiopian consumers consider while buying apparel products. Factor analysis resulted in five important factors used for pre-purchase apparel evaluation amongst which the design and extrinsic cue is found to be the most important. Environmental factors in the apparel industry got higher emphasis than social factors. While age and educational background made differences in apparel evaluation, gender did not show a significant difference.Originality/valueThe paper provides a founding insight in exploring apparel evaluation cues by considering product- and sustainability-based cues in a developing country context. It also examines the effect of three demographic variables which are rarely studied in such combination.

Customer experience quality and demographic variables (age, gender, education level, and family income) in retail stores

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 940-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pankaj Deshwal
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Retail Store ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Retail Stores ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Gender Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on ascertaining whether and how groups based on demographic variables (age, gender, education level, and family income) differs for dimensions of customer experience quality in the Indian retail store context. Design/methodology/approach A 23 items instrument was distributed to retail store customers. Demographic variables were age, gender, education level, and family income. Finally, the analysis was performed on 346 responses. ANOVA test was performed to find out the significant difference between the groups based on demographic variables with respect to components of customer experience quality in the Indian retail store context. Findings Analysis revealed that some categories of demographic variables differ with respect to dimensions of customer experience quality in the Indian retail store context. Originality/value Authors believe that this is the first study, which applies EXQ model in India retail context.

scholarly journals Coffee culture: Will Nigerians drink coffee like others?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodele Christopher Oniku ◽  
Olamide Akintimehin
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Coffee Consumption ◽  
The State ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Southern Nigeria ◽  
Fit Indexes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the coffee culture of citizens of Southern Nigeria. Specifically, different scales were developed to measure coffee culture among the citizens which cover health, socialisation, elitism, culture and commercialisation factors. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted for the study, and factor analysis was used to analyse the data collected through an online survey. As a result, EFA and CFA showed the test of sphericity and the different fit indexes. Findings The findings revealed the experiences of consumers and their disposition to coffee consumption to establish coffee culture among the citizens. Largely, the findings revealed that coffee culture is still very low among the citizens and the summation that coffee culture is still in infancy. Originality/value Given the importance of coffee culture in the larger world, and acceptance of coffee as a global social drink, the design of a scale that focussed on socialisation, health, elitism, culture and commercialisation factors help to robustly investigate the state of coffee culture among the citizens.

How the operationalization of exposure impacts studies on direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-424
Author(s):  
Melanie R. Savelli
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Amazon's Mechanical Turk ◽  
Direct To Consumer Advertising

Purpose Without having a shared operationalization of what constitutes a direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) exposure, it is impossible to accurately generalize findings about their effects. First, it needs to be established how the variables involved in exposures impact outcomes. This will allow for more accurate operationalizations. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 216 participants were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and randomly assigned into one of four conditions to take an online survey. A 2 × 2 experiment (active/passive attention × low/high exposure) was conducted to determine if the level of attention, otherwise known as attentiveness, and the number of exposures impacted preferences for a fictitious prescription sleep aid. Findings Results indicated a significant difference among active and passive conditions such that active exposures resulted in stronger positive preferences. Research limitations/implications Studies using different operationalizations should not be aggregated for generalizations about the effects of DTCA of prescription drugs. Originality/value This paper urges researchers to clearly operationalize their definitions for “exposure” and to be hesitant about generalizing findings studies using different definitions.

Pre-service teachers' concerns about diversity

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wisuit Sunthonkanokpong ◽  
Elizabeth Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Diverse Learners ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Level Of Concern ◽  
And Gender

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate pre-service teachers' concerns about including diverse learners in their classrooms. The study identified which concerns they ranked highest and lowest and which types of diversity they were most concerned about. The study also compared results in relation to demographic variables of gender, year and major.Design/methodology/approachData collection relied on the Concerns about Inclusive Education Scale administered online with 343 pre-service teachers enrolled in higher education in Thailand. Analysis aimed to identify what were the highest categories of concerns as well as any significant relationships between concerns and demographic variables of gender, year and major. Analysis also identified the types of diversity about which pre-service teachers were most concerned along with any significant relationships between types of diversity and gender, year and major.FindingsResults revealed that pre-service teachers ranked lack of resources as their highest concern about teaching diverse learners. Analysis revealed a significant difference for gender with females (p = 0.014) having a significantly higher level of concern about lack of resources than males. Mental health disabilities along with physical and learning disabilities were ranked highest in terms of types of diversity about which they were most concerned. There were no statistically significant differences for demographics regarding type of diversity about which teachers were most concerned.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research related to higher education's role in preparing teachers to teach in contexts of diversity. This study goes beyond traditional definitions to include 12 types of diversity.

Infodemic surrounding COVID-19: Can LIS students recognize and categorize “problematic information” types on social media?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamima Yesmin ◽  
S.M. Zabed Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Wrong Answer ◽  
Student Groups ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Correct Definition ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Task

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate Library and Information Science (LIS) students’ understanding of infodemic and related terminologies and their ability to categorize COVID-19-related problematic information types using examples from social media platforms. Design/methodology/approach The participants of this study were LIS students from a public-funded university located at the south coast of Bangladesh. An online survey was conducted which, in addition to demographic and study information, asked students to identify the correct definition of infodemic and related terminologies and to categorize the COVID-related problematic social media posts based on their inherent problem characteristics. The correct answer for each definition and task question was assigned a score of “1”, whereas the wrong answer was coded as “0”. The percentages of correctness score for total and each category of definition and task-specific questions were computed. The independent sample t-test and ANOVA were run to examine the differences in total and category-specific scores between student groups. Findings The findings revealed that students’ knowledge concerning the definition of infodemic and related terminologies and the categorization of COVID-19-related problematic social media posts was poor. There was no significant difference in correctness scores between student groups in terms of gender, age and study levels. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time an effort was made to understand LIS students’ recognition and classification of problematic information. The findings can assist LIS departments in revising and improving the existing information literacy curriculum for students.

Examining the influences of perceived exclusivity and perceived rarity on consumers' perception of luxury

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xujia Wang ◽  
Billy Sung ◽  
Ian Phau
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Theoretical Support ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how exclusivity and rarity (natural versus virtual) influence consumers' perceptions of luxury. Further, it examines whether exclusivity and rarity can function as distinct marketing strategies in today's luxury market environment.Design/methodology/approachOnline questionnaires were administered by adapting developed scales from prior research. Research stimuli were chosen from three luxury categories including bags, wine and cruise. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regressions were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirmed that exclusivity, natural rarity and virtual rarity were perceived as relatively distinct constructs among our sample. Findings also highlighted that perceived natural rarity (PNR) has consistently emerged as a positive and significant contributor to consumers' perceptions of luxury across all three luxury categories. The influence of perceived exclusivity (PE) on perceptions of luxury has also shown to be significant for two product categories (luxury bag and luxury wine), whereas perceived virtual rarity (PVR) did not show any significant effects across all three categories.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that consumers perceive natural rarity, virtual rarity and exclusivity as relatively distinctive marketing strategies. This suggests that luxury businesses can adopt each strategy independently to achieve desired marketing outcomes.Originality/valueThis study offers theoretical support for the proposition that exclusivity and rarity may have different functions in luxury marketing implementations. It provides empirical evidence showing the distinctiveness of perceived exclusivity and perceived rarity, which have not be done in previous research.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic adults – a survey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor James Davidson ◽  
Keri Lodge ◽  
Alwyn Kam
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Impact

Purpose To date there has been limited research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This study aims to present the results of a survey of autistic people (n = 51) conducted by a UK specialist autism team. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey. Findings A total of 72% respondents reported either some or significant deterioration in mental health during the pandemic. The issues that caused most negative impact were uncertainty over what will happen next and disruption of normal routine. Respondents reported a variety of coping strategies to help them through the pandemic. Originality/value To date there has been little research looking specifically at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This paper adds weight to the evidence that the pandemic has had a particularly severe impact on autistic adults and includes useful information on potential coping strategies for this population.

Switching behaviour in activity-based working environments: an exploration of the reasons and influencing factors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunji Häne ◽  
Lukas Windlinger
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Activity Settings ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Switching Behaviour

Purpose A tendency that employees do not frequently switch between different activity settings was reported in previous studies, which are opposed to underlying assumptions of activity-based working (ABW) offices. Although ABW is increasingly becoming a standard office concept, employees’ switching behaviour has not been studied in depth. This study aims to understand employees’ switching behaviour by identifying reasons (not) to switch and various influencing factors of switching behaviour. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted across Switzerland and Belgium, and 124 respondents participated in the questionnaire. The mismatch model was developed to examine whether the misfit between either activity or preference and work environment leads to switching to another place in the office. Findings Results show that most of the respondents switch multiple times a day, which runs counter to the previous studies. Furthermore, this study presented clear evidence that mandatory switching frequency is independent of various factors presented in the study, indicating that the distinction between mandatory and voluntary switching is valid. Besides, results identified privacy, acoustics, distraction, proximity to team/colleagues as reasons to switch and as reasons not to switch, place preference/attachment, proximity to the team were determined. Originality/value This study contributed to better understanding switching behaviour by defining, distinguishing switching behaviour, identifying reasons (not) to switch and influencing factors of switching frequency. In addition, this study compared the misfit between activity and environment and the misfit between preference and environment as push factors leading to switching behaviour. These findings can provide more knowledge of switching behaviour to workplace or facility management practitioners.

Homesickness: a comparative study of defense and civilian employees and individual differences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naval Garg ◽  
B.K. Punia ◽  
Vanshikha Kakkar ◽  
Sarika Kumari
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Family Type ◽  
Adjustment Problems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Civilian Employees

Purpose Most of the studies in the field of homesickness are confined to students; this study aims to explore the feeling of homesickness among working professionals. Also, it tends to examine individual differences in the experience of homesickness across employees of different gender, ages, experience, family type, etc. The study also aspires to compare homesickness among military and civil employees. Design/methodology/approach The study explores five dimensions of homesickness, namely, missing family, missing friend, rumination about home, feeling lonely and adjustment problems. The collected data is subjected to reliability, validity and confirmatory factor analysis. Further, t-test and analysis of variance are used to explore homesickness differences across soldiers and corporate employees. Findings The study reveals that homesickness is significantly higher for employees in the male, unmarried, nuclear family, above the age of 45 years, and below the graduation category. Also, defense people experience more homesickness than civilian employees. Originality/value This study is one of the pioneer studies that compare homesickness among defense and civilian employees. Also, variables such as type of family, the experience of employees and marital status have hardly been explored in the literature of homesickness.

The effect of chia (Salvia hispanic L.) flour as a substitute for fat in gluten-free bread

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 517-527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katira da Mota Huerta ◽  
Caroline Pagnossim Boeira ◽  
Marcela Bromberger Soquetta ◽  
Jamila dos Santos Alves ◽  
Ernesto Hashime Kubota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Nutritional Assessment ◽  
Sensory Properties ◽  
Gluten Free ◽  
Main Ingredient ◽  
Sensorial Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Sensorial Analyses

Purpose The preparation of gluten-free bread is a challenge because the gluten in wheat is the main ingredient responsible for the retention of the gases which cause the bread to rise. This paper aims to develop breads without gluten and fat, and to evaluate the effect of the use of chia (Salvia hispanic L.) flour on the physical, nutritional and sensory properties of the breads that were developed. Design/methodology/approach Three formulations were developed with different proportions of chia flour (2.5, 5 and 7.5%), fat-free. Physiochemical, sensorial analyses were performed out in three repetitions (p-value = 0.05). Findings In the nutritional assessment, the results demonstrated that 7.5% chia showed higher levels of protein (15.1%), lipid (3.43%), total fiber (7.04%) and lower levels of carbohydrates (22.49%), with significant nutrient enrichment (p-value = 0.05). The specific volume and the elevation of the dough decreased with the addition of chia flour. In the sensorial analysis, the treatments with chia flour showed no significant difference regarding flavor and texture when compared to the standard. The addition of chia improved the nutritional and sensory properties (p-value = 0.05). Originality/value The chia flour improved the nutritional characteristics of the breads, in the reduction of carbohydrate content and the increase in the content of protein, minerals and fiber. It presented good acceptability and good nutritional characteristics, providing a healthy and differentiated variation in this segment.

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