Adopting the Brisoux-Larouche model of brand categorization to correlate brand social responsibility in national and in-house coffee shops

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2012-01-01
Authors
Wencel, Frank
Major Professor
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Robert H. Bosselman
Rebecca L. Tang
Committee Member
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Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management

The Department of Apparel, Education Studies, and Hospitality Management provides an interdisciplinary look into areas of aesthetics, leadership, event planning, entrepreneurship, and multi-channel retailing. It consists of four majors: Apparel, Merchandising, and Design; Event Management; Family and Consumer Education and Studies; and Hospitality Management.

History
The Department of Apparel, Education Studies, and Hospitality Management was founded in 2001 from the merging of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies; the Department of Textiles and Clothing, and the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management.

Dates of Existence
2001 - present

Related Units

  • College of Human Sciences (parent college)
  • Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies (predecessor)
  • Department of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management (predecessor)
  • Department of Textiles and Clothing (predecessor)
  • Trend Magazine (student organization)

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Apparel, Events and Hospitality Management
Abstract

In-house food service brands operating on college campuses struggle to build brand image with limited consumer awareness. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities may enhance brand image for customers, employees, and stakeholders. In some cases, CSR associations have significant influence on consumers' response to new products. The purpose of this study was to determine if a non-branded socially responsible retail food offering would be accepted (evoked) by a campus consumer. To date there has been little research on this topic. College-age customer purchasing trends can provide important insight into future consumer trends. The quantitative methodology started with a coffee-cupping survey and an Internet-based survey on socially responsible coffee. With the knowledge gained from the cupping survey and Internet survey a structured equation modeling (SEM) confirmatory model was developed. This model and the five hypotheses were tested by the campus coffee survey, a personal intercept survey instrument (N = 344). In addition to the SEM, other quantitative methods were utilized including multiple regressions and ANOVA. By using accepted brand categorization methods, this study confirms that an in-house coffee brand offering a high-quality product and deploying a brand social responsible strategy can be coveted by the college campus customers with little or no previous experience of the brand. Additionally the research illuminated how these customers' needs for social responsibility products will reshape the foodservice and restaurant industry in the near future.

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Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2012