Points out that, although the elderly have been viewed historically as a sympathetic and vulnerable group, a reasonable case can be made that they represent a critical consumer group. (JOW)

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in college access and with it, a growing concern about the debt incurred by students. Analysts on all sides suggest a variety of causes and solutions to this very complex problem. This paper presents a collection of informational items that can be seen as both disparate and connected. We can see…

A study explored the differences in consumer perceptions of product attributes for national brand and generic grocery products as they related to the frequency of generic purchases. It was hypothesized that consumers perceive national brands more favorably than they do generics, but that the more frequently they purchase generics, the more…

Society has stereotyped the elderly as those who are unable, dependent, institutionalized, and handicapped in various other ways. Stereotyping older people in this manner allows them to be cast aside in the market as well. The marketing community should concentrate more on this thriving aggregate, for they have disposable income--some for the…

Acknowledging that consumers need to look for certain information on store coupons, this lesson plan uses the overhead projector for teaching elementary school students how to systematically read and use coupons. The lesson emphasizes informed consumerism and provides a practical opportunity for students to apply the skills of vocabulary…

This study sought to identify characteristics of counselors and counseling services that are important in the selection of a counseling service. Subjects (N=28) were recruited through a newspaper advertisement and through mall intercepts. The screening criteria were designed to locate potential or previous counseling service consumers whose…

A study explored whether ethnographic research is appropriate and feasible for Hispanic consumer research. Subjects, 41 Hispanic advertising executives (out of an original group of 80) in advertising agencies listed in the Standard Directory of Advertising Agencies from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and San Antonio, answered a 23-item…

A study examined whether advertising appeals based on product affiliation, achievement, and attributes would account for differences in male readership of liquor advertisements. The investigation focused on the relationship between the content of alcholic beverage advertisements and attention engagement, the first state in consumer information…

A specialist in marketing traces the evolution of the study of consumer behavior as a discipline and distills from it some lessons learned in the process. Topics examined include establishing legitimacy, using scientific procedures, and borrowing from other disciplines. Literature on the philosophy, sociology, and history of science is reviewed.…

A study examined Malaysian students' involvement with purchasing, with branded products, and with themselves as well as their responses to and beliefs about advertising, by ethnic group. Subjects, 387 students at a university in Penang, Malaysia, completed questionnaires measuring their responses to advertising. Results indicated a relatively high…

The first of two papers presented in this section, "Price-Caps: Theory and Implementation" (Peter B. Linhart and Roy Radner) describes a proposed method of regulation involving price caps on core services and no price regulation of other services. This method is designed to replace rate-of-return regulation during a transition period to…

Content analysis was used to study the values evident in televised beer and wine commercials. Seventy-seven prime time commercials, 7.6% of a week's total, were analyzed along value dimensions adapted from Gallup's measure of popular social values. The intensity of each value was coded on a five-point scale. None of the commercials in the beer and…

One of the central themes in marketing's consumer research has been that of isolating various desired product attributes that determine consumer purchasing patterns. The best way to identify determinant attributes, however, has become the subject of a controversy that has yet to be resolved. Overall, marketing researchers have generally embraced…

Social thinkers in the United States do not recognize that technology is a result of conscious decisions that directly reflect the social order, and, therefore, have an impact upon American life that goes beyond the technological development itself. The decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1954 established standards for color…

To assess the relationship between advertising and consumer promotion and to determine the optimal short-term advertising spending level for a product, a research project was undertaken by a major food manufacturer. One thousand homes subscribing to a dual-system cable television service received either no advertising exposure to the product or…