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The study identifies major factors that contrast gift decisions for different status signature clothes. Gift buying represents a significant proportion of purchases in many product classes and is a pervasive retail consumption pattern. Specialty clothing retail sales surpassed the $9 billion figure in 1983. Factors that discriminate status brands for gift purchases can be used to develop market strategies to increase purchases. Strategies are provided for brand managers, fashion marketers, and store buyers to better meet consumer needs and wants in the gift‐buying process.

Examines empirically the standardization of international marketing strategy from the perspective of Colombian exporting firms. Also investigates standardization of the finer aspects of the marketing mix variables than previous studies have addressed. In addition, links marketing standardization to Colombian firms’ export intensity. Suggests that Colombian firms appear to pursue different degrees of standardization with respect to different dimensions of their international marketing strategy. Also suggests that there are several relationships between marketing standardization and Colombian firms’ export intensity, and the nature and strength of each relationship depends on the specific dimension of marketing standardization being examined. Discusses the implications of these findings for research and management.

Looks at consumer research in Greater China including Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Maps out the contributions within this area and guides future research. Examines the state of the art over the 1979‐97 period, with particular emphasis on the topics that have been researched, the extent of the theory development in the field and the methodologies used in conducting research. Uses content analysis to review 75 relevant articles. Suggests that, while a considerable breadth of topics have been researched, there remains much to be done, there is further room for theoretical development in Chinese consumer behaviour studies; and the methodologies used need improvement and further refinement.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate similar and different wayfinding strategies used by novice and expert patrons at an academic library.

The study employed a usability study approach. In total, 12 people, places, or things were identified as important for students to be able to locate within an academic library. Students from one of three groups (high school, freshmen, and seniors) were randomly assigned a scenario requiring them to find the indicated person, place, or thing. Student researchers video recorded participants and took field notes during the wayfinding activity and conducted an interview about participant’s experience following the exercise.

Total and average time needed to locate the person, place, or thing indicated in the scenario were determined for each group. In addition, wayfinding tools (signs, maps, help desks, technology, and experience) used by participants were identified.

The research compares novice and expert wayfinding strategies. It is unique in its use of student researchers as part of a sociology class project, to collect and analyze the data.

This paper aims to describe the relationship between functional health literacy level and smoking cessation outcomes.

Participants in an inpatient smoking cessation program in a mid‐western city in the USA were enrolled and the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults was administered while the participant was still admitted. A follow‐up telephone call was made three months after the intervention in order to assess self‐reported smoking cessation.

A total of 30 participants were enrolled. At the three‐month follow‐up, 22 patients were currently smoking and eight had quit smoking. Chi‐square analysis indicated that there was no difference in the incidence of successful smoking cessation based on level of functional health literacy. The results of a stepwise logistic regression analysis suggest that predicting whether a study participant will quit smoking or not appears to be a function of the participant's environment, since the only variable that contributed significantly to the equation was environmental factors.

The results of this study suggest that the participants had a relatively high level of functional health literacy. Participants with all levels of functional health literacy were able to quit smoking, as the incidence of smoking cessation was no different across levels of functional health literacy. A participant's ability to quit smoking did not appear to be a function of their functional health literacy, but instead appeared to be a function of their environment.

Health educators and smoking cessation counselors need to consider all factors that have an impact on people's ability to quit smoking, but environmental factors may deserve additional consideration.

Notes how service encounters have tended to be viewed as an interaction between service providers and service customers. Examines situations where the main encounter is the interaction between the facility and the customer. Considers different perspectives for planning service facilities – operational, locational, atmospheric/image, consumer use, contact personnel. Argues that congruent facilities are those that can succeed in integrating these competing perspectives.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing is split into seven sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy; Customer service; Promotion; Product management; Marketing research.