| dc.description.abstract | Over the past ten years, Taiwan’s investment climate has changed and labor costs have risen. Taiwan invested enterprises started large-scale development in Southern China, but over the past few years, wages and related costs have surged and there is even a shortage of workers. As a result of this Taiwan investors and manufacturers, of which the electronic high-tech industries play a major role, have step-by-step turned their focus towards the Yangtze River Delta in Central China, Kun Shan in the Greater Shanghai, the Su-Zhou and the Hang-Zhou areas. Specifically this research institute has inquired into the following problem: a statistical comparison of the purchasing power and consumer behavior of female workers and staff working for Taiwan companies in the Kun Shan area. We look into whether or not the consumer behavior of immigrant workers, in particular, that of young women in the 18-23 age group, is significantly influenced by external influences, such as peer pressure and role models. In this research we use questionnaire data and Mainland China registry data including birthplace, birth-date, household income, etc. The respondent’s background information is also investigated, for example, whether they bear responsibility for family livelihood, the monthly household income, the occupation of the head of the household and finally the individual’s purchasing power in relation to 3C electronics and personal adornment products is evaluated. We use analytical correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA, and other statistical methods to investigate similarities and differences in the sample. We discover that six-tenths of the group send about one-half of their wages home to support their families. The most important reason that Chinese immigrant workers go out to find a job is to improve their family’s finances. Naturally the longer people work the greater their power to purchase these types of items. At the same time, not only do daily living expenses continue to increase, but the amount that worker’s spend on 3C electronics and personal products also increases, as these represent a better quality of life. It is worth noting that formally enquiry shows that up to 92% of the respondents felt that although these products are desirable one must first “have the opportunity and the ability to buy”, that is they did not want to “borrow money to buy”. This reflects the fact that Mainland Chinese women hold the idea that one must control personal expenses and not borrow money, which is very different from the habits of Taiwan young people today. The results of this research are not sufficient to completely clarify how peer pressure and spokesperson or role models influence female consumer behavior but they do show a clear trend. | en_US |