The Impacts of Exhibitions on Customer Buying Decision-Making - Dissertation Example

The research is complemented by fieldwork that interviews consumers who made purchases that can be traced to the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition as well as exhibitors and other experts in the industry. This culminates in a number of findings that are critiqued and analyzed. It is identified that consumers who make purchases in the international automotive exhibitions belong to a small group of privileged elites.

These are people who make their decisions based on ostentation which focuses on luxury and country of origins. Premises in the automotive expos in China are best presented in a hybrid format and system. Also, the collectivist and socio-cultural systems and structures of China still play a major part in consumer buying decisions in these fairs. It is recommended that the information and presentation in the Chinese international automotive fair must be watched. Also, the technology offerings and the innovation on offer must be showcased in the exhibitions.

Finally, there must be a strong and appropriate digital system and structure to gather information for follow-up as the market is very small and specialized.  

 This chapter of the dissertation will discuss the basic elements and structure of the project. It will commence by examining the background of the main variables to be discussed in the actual research. This will culminate with the identification of the research problem.

The chapter will operationalize and conceptualize the research problems and build them up to research questions. This will set out the research aims and objectives and give an exegesis on the layout and procedure for the rest of the research that will be conducted. This chapter also discusses the motives of the research and the fundamental approach that will be employed in conducting the actual research.

1.1 Background

China was jointly blacklisted by the United States and other Western powers after the 1949 takeover by the Communist Party of China (Watson, 2010). However, towards the end of the last decade, China's popularity as a trade destination has increased. China is an emerging market for most businesses around the world today. The popularity of China as a trade destination commenced after China acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2001 (Sino Media, 2009).

China's reputation as an international trade destination has grown over the past decade. China has become a popular destination for all Western businesses including car and automotive manufacturers who seek to get a share of the country's markets. With a population of over 1.5 billion people, China continues to be attractive to investors in the industry who have options in the segmentation and promotion of their products (Roberts, 2009).