ACKNOWLEDEMENTS To complete this master thesis today, I am grateful to many people for their great support, encouragement, cooperation and assistance. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to them. First of all, I would like to thank my great supervisor – Associate Professor Valerie Lindsay for her invaluable guidance, encouragement and endless patience. She has assisted me with her time, knowledge and experiences. Her roles as supervisor and mentor have been pivotal throughout the year, especially during the final phase of this research. I would also like to thank all staff of the School of Marketing and International Business for their support and research grant during my studies. I would like to send my sincere thanks to all research participants. I am immensely grateful to you for providing invaluable information for this thesis. I highly appreciate your time, cooperation and effort in this study. Personally, I wish to thank my family for their encouragement and assistance. I am greatly indebted to my parents who have given me so much by enabling me to get this far in my academic studies. I also wish to thank my beloved husband for his company, support and constant encouragement while I conducted this study. For reviewing this work, I would like to thank staff of the Student Learning Service of Victoria University and Paula Williamson from Astute for their kind assistance in proofreading, editing and giving up their time for me.