Edinburgh Napier University

  The paper aims to propose a model to investigate the relationships between price, use, quality, and culture regarding the adoption of high-technology branding strategy. Design/methodology/approach - Based on the identified areas of influence - price, use, quality and culture - a questionnaire was designed and randomly sent out to 70 respondents via e-mail. At the same time, those respondents were asked to pass on the e-mail, resulting in a total number of 94 people from 21 different countries responding to the request. The findings were evaluated and analysed by using the computer-aided data analysis programme SPSS. Findings - The study concluded that people purchase high technology products primarily for prestige (usage) rather than to satisfy particular needs, and perception of change (culture) affected the adoption process of high-technology. Research limitations/implications - Because of the focus of this survey to discover the incentives behind the adaptation process, the possibilities of using the findings for more general purposes were narrowed down. In addition, the small amount of already existing knowledge in this area made the collection and the evaluation of data very difficult, which again influenced the way the research was designed. Practical implications - In a globally competitive business environment the value of a strong brand in high-technology marketplace is well documented. The difficulty in maintaining a basis for differentiation, and heightened consumer price consciousness reveals the necessity to understand consumer evaluation and purchase decision processes. Therefore, this study discovered and revealed the reasons behind individual buying decisions of high-technology products. Originality/value - To the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous research has been done on this particular area, which makes the outcome of this survey very valuable. Furthermore, the practical implications of the findings show a high relevance regarding the design of present-day business strategies while providing suggestions of improvement.