Information searches by consumers of miniature automobiles

We studied the information search behaviors of Chinese consumers of miniature automobiles. First, we identified the main sources where consumers acquire or seek information about miniature automobiles and discussed their extent of information search. Then, based on logistic regression and optimal scaling regression of statistics, we studied the influences of characteristics of consumers of miniature automobiles on the extent of information search and on Internet usage. The results indicate that consumers often utilize four sources to obtain information about miniature automobiles. The dominant information source for consumers is their friends/family, followed by dealers, newspapers, and TV. Age, occupation, education and income significantly affect the extent of information search, but gender and city of residence do not have significant impacts. Age, city of residence, occupation, education and income produce significant influences on Internet usage. Gender has an insignificant influence on whether a consumer uses the Internet to search for information.

Psychometric evaluation of a Swedish version of Krantz Health Opinion Survey

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of The Krantz Health Opinion Survey (KHOS). A convenience sample of 79 persons (47 men and 32 women) was recruited from The Heart and Lung Patients’ National Association at ten local meeting places in different areas in Sweden. The questionnaire was examined for face and content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The findings showed that the Swedish version of KHOS is acceptable in terms of face and content validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability over time among 79 individuals >65 years of age and with a cardiac disease. In conclusion, wider evaluations of the psychometric use of KHOS for other populations and settings are recommended.

The Role of Consumer Privacy Concerns in Shaping Platform Strategy for Online Markets

We investigate the effects of consumer privacy concerns on the pricing and personal data collection strategy of an online platform.The online platform derives revenues from disclosing consumer information to firms.Firms compete for the information in order to enable them to price discriminate and thus derive revenues from consumer purchases.A novel aspect of our research is that we allow the online platform to sell only a subset of consumer data.We develop analytical models where consumers can/cannot protect their privacy.Our analysis yields three main conclusions.First,in the monopoly case,we find that when the consumer privacy disclosure aversion cost is relatively low,it is optimal for the platform to sell all consumer information to the firm.Second,in the duopoly case,we illustrate that when the consumer privacy disclosure aversion cost is relatively low,the platform will sell all consumer information to only one firm;when the cost is moderate,the platform will choose to sell the information of only some consumers and to only one firm;when the cost is relatively high,the platform will select only some of the consumers and sell their information to both firms.Third,it will be better for the platform to provide the information protection service for free when the privacy cost is low.