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Research Highlights

Dr. Chuanlan Liu is an assistant professor in the Division of Textiles, Apparel Design, and Merchandising. Her major research project deals with consumer coping in post-disaster recovery and rebuilding. Dr. Liu collected preliminary data in New Orleans following Hurrican Katrina, and is now working on a a mulit-displinary project focusing on consumer crisis coping and improvement of consumer well being.

Three primary research objectives include: (1) to identify types and extent of changes in individual consumption and the role they play in the disaster recovery process for individuals, (2) to assess the effect of antecedent factors (i.e., loss of resources, resource inadequacy, coping strategies, coping self-efficacy) on consumption adjustment and consequential effects of consumption on improved consumer well-being, and (3) to examine the role of a viable retail infrastructure in consumer coping and recovery.

Understanding consumers’ adjustment of their consumption behavior in response to disaster situations, with a focus on the process of returning to a normal day-to-day life is important. This will make it possible to: 1) examine the formation and change of individual coping self efficacy, 2) identify the necessary constructive coping strategies and actions for individual recovery, and 3) identify resources necessary for facilitating constructive coping. Results will provide opportunities to examine public and social support, and the retailing infrastructure.

Other investigators working cooperatively with Dr. Liu are Dr. Bill Black, Marketing and Dr. Fran Lawrence, Human Ecology with a speciality in consumerism. Dr. Liu’s research has received support from the School of Human Ecology, LSU Agricultural Center, an LSU faculty research grant, and recently a Louisiana State Board of Regents grant.

School of Human Ecology
Louisiana State University
125 Human Ecology Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone: 225-578-2281
Fax: 225-578-2697
E-mail: humanecology@lsu.edu