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Materialism and social comparison are important issues, especially in a Chinese context, and especially amongst adolescents. In this paper a theoretical model of the endorsement of materialistic values and social comparison by adolescents was proposed and tested. A survey of secondary school students in Hong Kong revealed normative peer influence and peer communication were positive predictors of social comparison with friends. In addition, motivation for advertisement viewing was a positive predictor of social comparison with media figures. Social comparison with friends and with media figures were both positive predictors of materialism. The implications are discussed, with recommendations for further research.

Identifies, via a mail survey of UK marketing executives, who makes the sales packaging (i.e. primary packaging) decision within the company, and the extent to which these individuals perceive trade‐offs between the traditional marketing and logistical functions of a sales package, and environmental pressures to reduce, recycle and reuse packaging. Finds that the primary function of sales packaging is to protect the product until it is ready for use. The marketing function carries the most influence within the organization when it comes to making the sales package decision and, in the majority of cases, sales packaging accounts for less than 10 per cent of overall product costs. Claims the majority of respondents did not see a trade‐off between the marketing and logistical function of the sales package and the environmental demands to reduce, recycle and/or reuse sales packaging. However, reports that respondents did agree that sales packaging is a major environmental concern and, assuming it is not possible to have a sales package which both enhances the saleability of the product and is compatible with the environment, the ability of the sales package to sell the product is more important than its compatibility with the environment.

China's accession to the World Trade Organisation has raised concerns about pirated and counterfeit products not only in China, but also in Asia in general. This research explores the demand determinants of Hong Kong consumers purchasing nondeceptive pirated brands. Utilising a structured questionnaire and counter-biasing statements, results from face-to-face street intercept interviews showed low spenders on non-deceptive pirated brands are mainly students or blue-collar workers between the ages of 19 and 24, with secondary education and earning a monthly income of HK$1,999 or below. High spenders on non-deceptive pirated brands are mainly whitecollar workers between the ages of 25 and 34, with tertiary education and earning a monthly income of HK$10,000 to HK$19,999. Consumers identify non-deceptive pirated brands by their low price and buying location. The findings also demonstrate that the criteria for choice of non-deceptive pirated brands differ by product category. Based on these results, this paper makes recommendations for original brand manufacturers and policy makers for combating non-deceptive pirated brands.

Elektronik ağızdan ağıza iletişim davranışı, internet teknolojilerinin gelişimiyle çeşitli değişimlere uğramıştır. Tüketiciler, ürün veya hizmetler hakkında Web 1.0 döneminde yoğunlukla arama ve okuma gerçekleştirirken, Web 2.0 ve sosyal medya döneminde çevrelerinden elde ettikleri görüşleri iletebilmekte ve kendi görüşlerini sunabilmektedirler. Bu çalışmada, elektronik ağızdan ağıza iletişim görüş arama, görüş iletme ve görüş belirtme olarak üçe ayrılarak satın alma niyeti üzerine etkisi incelenmiştir. Çalışma sosyal medyanın yoğun kullanıldığı Türkiye'de ve en bilinen platform olan Facebook üzerinde yapılmıştır. Veriler, Facebook kullanıcılarından çevrimiçi anket aracılığı ile ulaşılan 512 kişiden elde edilmiştir. Tanımlayıcı istatistikler ile sektöre katkı sağlayabilecek sonuçlara ulaşılmıştır. Faktör ve regresyon analizi uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, görüş arama ve görüş iletme boyutlarının satın alma niyeti üzerinde olumlu yönde etkisi olduğunu, görüş belirtmenin ise etkisi olmadığını göstermiştir.

Purpose -To investigate buyer attitudes and behaviour with respect to pirated products, in China, and to present findings potentially usable as the basis for planning effective marketing strategies to counteract this endemic competitive threat facing multinational entrants to the crucial Chinese market. Design/methodology/approach -Existing knowledge in the published literature was combined with inputs from focus groups in three cities to design and administer a questionnaire-based "mall intercept" survey in the same locations. Data were analysed and interpreted by means of principal component analysis and varimax rotation. Respondents were classified as heavy or light purchasers of pirated products, on criteria derived from the focus-group and survey findings. Findings -Responses from 1,152 buyers of two categories of pirated product suggest that tertiary-educated males in white collar occupations are heavy purchasers of pirated video discs, attracted by their speed of publication, variety and supply. Heavy and light buyers of pirated clothing and accessories has similar demographic and attitudinal profiles, and were mainly attracted by the appearance of the product. Both product categories were rated less positively on their ethical and legal dimensions, and on after-sales service.Research limitations/implications -Though the research sample was large and carefully controlled, the three cities in which data were collected, though chosen for their distinctive characteristics, cannot be considered representative collectively of the whole of China. Caution is, therefore, required in drawing general conclusions. Directions are suggested for future research studies. Practical implications -The findings provide useful marketing intelligence on an important phenomenon, and further suggest a number of strategies and tactics available to planners concerned to counter erosion of their market share in China by the producers and distributors of pirated products. Originality/value -Adds a fieldwork-based dimension to the body of knowledge about a serious challenge facing multinational marketers operating in the self-evidently crucial Chinese consumer market.

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract With a focus on the purchasing behaviour of parents buying luxury brands of infant apparel, this paper considers the concepts of buying roles, conspicuous consumption/social consumption motivation, and materialism. A survey of 134 mothers who had purchased luxury brands of clothing for their infants found that parents are motivated by the good quality and design associated with the luxury brands. The relationship between the amount of money spent by parents on luxury brands of infant apparel and social consumption motivation was not significant. However, interviewees who spent more on luxury clothing brands for their infants were determined to be more materialistic. It is thus recommended that marketers should emphasise the good quality and design of their luxury brands of infant apparel. In addition, marketers should promote the materialistic values of purchasing luxury brands of infant apparel, showing that buying luxury brands of infant apparel may be a route to happiness, rather than being a route for impressing others.