Li, Han

Consumer evaluations of brand extension are becoming increasingly important to the consumer market (Kaur & Pandit, 2015); however, little attention has been given to crosscategory specific research in this field. This research examines whether there are correlations between an iconic product (a product category already occupied by the brand) and its crosscategory extension product and how the user experience on an extension product affects its iconic product. The findings reveal that consumers have a positive attitude toward an extended product when they perceive credibility, quality, and innovativeness from its iconic product. Consumer perceived image-fit and advertisement-match are positively correlated with consumer attitude. The results support that the post-evaluation on an extended product affects its iconic product; however, user experience with an extended product does not correlate with consumers' evaluations of an iconic product on their evaluations of the extended product because of the survey limitation.

This research used a mixed-method approach to examine motivational factors contributing to Aboriginal student retention at the University of Northern British Columbia. To explore academic motivation in the context of Self-Determination Theory, 20 Aboriginal participants completed in-depth interviews. The participants also completed an acculturation questionnaire to explore whether cultural orientation was an interceding factor in academic motivation. Five intriguing findings emerged from the data. First, Aboriginal students were motivated to succeed by the desire to contribute to the well-being of the participants’ home Aboriginal community, or to the broader Aboriginal community. Second, the participants viewed a university education as a means to self-growth, which they perceived as necessary to fulfill a needed role in the Aboriginal community. Third, home community support and institutional support were important factors in motivating students to stay in university and earn a degree. Fourth, participants perceived that their university experience supported their autonomy. Finally, in comparison with more acculturated participants, less acculturated participants were more likely to feel academically unprepared for university, were more likely to attend post-secondary education transition programs, were more likely to use academic resources at the university, and were more likely to return to their home Aboriginal community after graduation. This research showed that Self-Determination Theory, traditionally tested using quantitative methods, can be effectively explored using a qualitative approach. This research also showed that examining cultural orientation within a motivational framework contributes to our understanding of the influence of cultural dynamics on academic motivation in Aboriginal student populations.