Question

Fred's faith in asics, his favorite brand of running shoes, makes him consider other offerings introduced by asics. fred is not a risk-taker, and he tends to evaluate each new product carefully before adopting it. fred is an opinion leader in his social networking community and best described as a(n) .

a) early adopter
b) late mainstream adopter
c) innovator
d) early mainstream adopter
e) lagging adopter

Answer 1

Option A is answer. Fred is an early adopter according to Everett Rogers' diffusion of innovations model. Early adopters carefully evaluate new products and serve as opinion leaders in their communities.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on Everett Rogers' model of the diffusion of innovations, Fred would be best described as an early adopter. Early adopters like Fred are characterized by their willingness to adopt new products after a careful evaluation. They take on some degree of risk but are not at the forefront of adoption like innovators. Fred is also influential in his community, which is typical of early adopters who often serve as opinion leaders.

The early mainstream adopter, on the other hand, adopts products once they have become more accepted by the general population. These individuals rely more on the opinions of others rather than being the ones to influence. Thus, given Fred's characteristics of being an opinion leader, cautiously evaluating new products, and his influence within his community, the correct answer is (a) early adopter.