Abstract:
The search for alternative and durable substitutes for timber has made the use of bamboo
and rattans receive significant attention lately. This study investigates the knowledge and
perception consumers hold for bamboo and rattan furniture products as an alternative to
hardwood furniture. Questionnaire was used to solicit information from 384 craftsmen and
household heads from Takoradi metropolis in the Western region. The craftsmen were
purposively sampled while systematic random sampling was used to sample household
heads. Regression models, correlation matrix and t-test among other statistical applications
were used to investigate consumers’ knowledge, perceptions and attitudes towards bamboo
and rattan furniture, its implications for the conservation of tropical forests and prospects
for the local wood processing industry. The results showed that respondents do have
adequate knowledge on benefits of bamboo and rattan as materials for furniture production
and they were ready to purchase the product if information on the product is readily
available. Different perceptions exist about the product in relation to environmental issues,
social enhancement issues and quality attributes. In all, the most important driver of
preference for bamboo and rattan cane furniture were social status, environmental safety
and quality attributes of the product. Hence, building positive social image and highlighting
bamboo and rattan as environmentally sustainable materials will in turn enhance the
product’s value and this will culminate in increasing consumers’ preference for the product
and their intentions to purchase them. The study concludes that respondents have adequate
information on the product and their perception on it can influence their purchasing
decisions and thus through market segmentation, marketers of the bamboo and rattan cane
furniture can target consumers who are pro-environmentalists and those who want to use
the product to enhance their social image to attract a price premium for the products
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of CONSTRUCTION AND WOOD
TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION, Faculty of TECHNICAL EDUCATION, submitted
to the School of Graduate Studies, University of Education, Winneba in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Master of Philosophy
(Wood Science and Technology) degree
SEPTEMBER, 2016