Using response behaviour theory to solicit survey participation in consumer research: An empirical study

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to report on research that examines survey participation rates (i.e. response rates) for personal interview surveys where solicitation for participation is based on different theories of survey-response behaviour in two culturally distinct countries. Field experiments were designed to investigate the extent to which the theories of exchange, cognitive dissonance, self-perception, and involvement/commitment can influence potential respondents to participate in a personal interview survey in Australia and Hong Kong. The results show that there were significant differences in Australia with the theory of self-perception having the strongest impact on survey-response behaviour, while cognitive dissonance has the least impact. In contrast, the effects in Hong Kong were not significant. This study adds to the limited empirical research regarding why consumers participate in surveys, particularly personal interview surveys. The theories are applied at the self-introduction and invitation to participate, which is a crucial stage in the potential respondent's decision about participation.     

The Influence of Cognitive Dissonance on Retail Product Returns

Given the significant costs and customer service ramifications associated with the return of retail merchandise it is important to understand the underlying reasons for product returns. One such underlying reason is cognitive dissonance. Customers who experience cognitive dissonance may seek to undo the effects of a regretted choice by returning the product in question. This research examines the influence of two forms of cognitive dissonance (emotional dissonance and product dissonance) on the frequency of product returns. Three antecedents (consideration of liberal return policies, customer opportunism, and switching barriers) are examined in terms of their influence on cognitive dissonance and product returns. In addition, the moderating role of gender and store brand is reported. The research is based on a survey of Wal‐Mart and Target customers who engaged in product returns. Structural equation modeling is used to verify and test these relationships. Emotional dissonance and product dissonance were found to be positively related to product returns frequency. It was found that consideration of liberal return policies reduces both emotional and product dissonance, while customer opportunism and switching barriers increase both dimensions of cognitive dissonance. Both gender and store brand were found to be significant moderators of the relationships between cognitive dissonance and two antecedents (consideration of liberal return policies and customer opportunism). In addition, gender and store brand moderated the linkage between product dissonance and emotional dissonance, and the linkage between emotional dissonance and return frequency.     

Antecedents and Consequences of Consumers' Response to Health Information Complexity

This study develops and empirically tests a model for understanding food consumers' health information seeking behaviour. Data were collected from 504 food consumers using a nationally representative consumer panel. The obtained Lisrel results suggest that consumers' product-specific health information seeking is positively affected by general food involvement and by usability of product-specific health information. Moreover, product-specific health information seeking and product-specific health information complexity are both positively related to post-purchase health-related dissonance. This link between information complexity and post-purchase dissonance has implications for marketers of food products since our results suggest that consumers might avoid purchasing the same food item again if post-purchase dissonance is experienced.     

A scale to measure the cognitive control form of perceived control: Construction and preliminary assessment

This article explores the notion that the evaluation process for services may include some variables not typically associated with the evaluation of physical goods. Evidence exists that enhanced perceptions of control may contribute to the pleasantness of service experiences. Although three forms of perceived control—behavioral, decisional, and cognitive—have been utilized as experimental manipulations of individuals' control, established measures exist for the first two forms only. Through two studies, this research develops a measure for perceived cognitive control and reports exploratory modeling with the construct within the disconfirmation paradigm and extensive tests of the measure's validation. The two‐dimensional scale evidences unidimensionality, strong internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity. Assessment of relationships between the perceived cognitive control scale and numerous, related constructs supports criterion‐related validity and nomological validity. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The Impact of Personal Gains on Cognitive Dissonance for Business Ethics Judgments

When managers make business ethics judgments, the decisioninevitably has impact on them. Sometimes managers reluctantly putorganizational profit as their first priority and make decisions against personal values. Howmanagers are affected by their business ethics judgments has rarely been examined. The purposeof this paper is to explore such an issue.Cognitive dissonance experienced by managers after makingbusiness ethics judgments is studied in this paper. It is hypothesized that thedegree of cognitive dissonance experienced by managers after making business ethicsjudgment is contingent upon (1) the nature of the judgment (ethical or unethical); (2)the magnitude of personal gains involved in the situation; and (3) managers' moraldevelopment.Two hundred and thirty-eight managers who attendednon-degree graduate management classes offered by a university participated in thisstudy. A business ethics situation of unfair competition with different amount of personalgains was used in this study. First, participants were asked to make a business ethicsjudgment about one of the situations. After making the judgment, cognitive dissonance andmoral development were measured for the participants. The analysis revealed thatan interaction effect was found for the three hypothesized independent variables. Generally speaking, however, the degree of cognitive dissonance experienced by managers wassignificantly affected mainly by their moral development.     

Please,let's get an answer—any answer: Need for consumer cognitive closure

Conceptually, it is argued that individual differences in need for cognitive closure, which stem from Kruglanski's theory of lay epistemics, provides a framework for studying various aspects of consumer judgment and decision making. However, methodologically, the need for cognitive closure scale has not demonstrated good measurement properties and has generated controversy. To improve the measurement quality of the scale for individual differences in the need for cognitive closure, the authors carry out a large‐scale data collection and measure validation exercise. To demonstrate the usefulness of this individual difference variable in a consumer context, the authors test hypotheses concerning consumer search behavior for cars and televisions. The results are encouraging and provide initial support for the utility of this framework in consumer judgment and decision making. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

To trust or not to trust? The interplay between labor-related CSR claim type and prior CSR reputation of apparel retailers

Prevalent human rights violations in supply chains have tarnished apparel retailers' reputations, heightening skepticism toward CSR communication. We examine the effect of labor-related CSR claim type (associative vs. substantive) on message credibility, skepticism, and retailer trust. Moreover, to determine whether CSR reputation plays a role in vulnerability to criticism, we investigate how a retailer's prior CSR reputation moderates the effect of CSR claim type on consumer evaluations. Applying the framework of decoupling and cognitive dissonance theory, we propose hypotheses and test them with an online experiment. We reveal that associative CSR claims, which communicate image-oriented rather than concrete information, significantly diminish message credibility and retailer trust, while triggering skepticism. A significant interaction effect further demonstrates that when a retailer's prior CSR reputation is negative, associative claims exacerbate message credibility. Our findings also indicate that positive CSR reputations do not always create a buffering halo effect. We discuss implications to develop optimal CSR communication strategies for apparel retailers.     

All's well that ends well: Effective recovery from failures during the delivery phase of e-retailing process

E-commerce retail has been on an exponential growth since late-1990s and now with COVID-19 crisis it is more popular and prevalent than ever before. But failures during the e-retailing process, specially when the business is under pressure, is a severe challenge with deteriorative impacts on customers' attitude and behavioral intention. While the majority of failures during e-retail process takes place at the ‘product delivery phase’ (the last phase of e-commerce process), little attention has been paid towards investigating how e-retailers can effectively recover from service failure encounters during the delivery phase. Seeking to address this gap, the present study draws on cognitive dissonance theory to examine the determinants of effective recovery from service failure encounters during the delivery phase of e-retailing. In doing so, a scenario-based experiment was conducted to collect data from 320 online customers. The findings provide empirical insights on how perceived recovery endeavor interacts with criticality of situation and brand equity to mitigate the negative consequences of service failure at delivery phase. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed along with avenues for future research.     

Consumer Insurance Fraud/Abuse as Co-creation and Co-responsibility: A New Paradigm

This article discusses the implications of moral dissonance for managers, and how dissonance induced self justification can create an amplifying feedback loop and downward spiral of immoral behaviour. After addressing the nature of moral dissonance, including the difference between moral and hedonistic dissonance, the writer then focuses on dissonance reduction strategies available to managers such as rationalization, self affirmation, self justification, etc. It is noted that there is a considerable literature which views the organization as a potentially corrupting institution and a source of acute levels of moral dissonance. A simplified process model linking immoral behaviour, dissonance and rationalization is mooted, and some recent theories which question traditional dissonance models, including the free choice paradigm (FCP), are considered. The writer concludes that in the light of the above mentioned critical theories, it may be assumed that the levels of moral dissonance, and the extent of rationalization/self justification amongst managers, are more a function of personality and situational factors than previously assumed.     

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) generation in new media platforms: The role of regulatory focus and collective dissonance

In this research, we examine the role of two motivational forces associated with creation of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM): regulatory focus and collective dissonance. Our studies show that generation of eWOM is enhanced by regulatory fit, while traditional WOM is dominated by the negativity effect. In study 1A, we show that prevention-focused consumers produce stronger intentions to post eWOM when they undergo a negative compared to a positive service experience. In study 1B, we find that promotion-focused consumers are more likely to post eWOM in reaction to a positive service experience when one's self-construal is independent. The final study shows that due to collective dissonance, consumers have greater intentions to create eWOM when their experiences are inconsistent with others' postings. We discuss the implications of these results for the development and management of eWOM communication in virtual communities.     

Cutting the Internet's Environmental Footprint: An Analysis of Consumers' Self-Attribution of Responsibility

This research project investigates consumers' willingness to adopt online pro-environmental behaviors. First, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study that revealed respondents' low awareness of the environmental impact of Internet usage and reluctance to change their online behaviors. Consumers tend to decline all responsibility and expect companies and public authorities to take the necessary measures. Moreover, they are led by contradictory motives: not harming the environment on the one hand and continuing to use the Internet the way they currently do on the other. Based on these findings, two quantitative studies were conducted to investigate the determinants of consumers' self-attribution of responsibility to reduce the digital footprint of their online activity (e.g., using an eco-friendly search engine). Our conceptual model emphasizes the mechanisms of cognitive dissonance and highlights the crucial role of skepticism toward pro-environmental solutions. Implications for IT companies and public policy makers are discussed.     

Workplace isolation: Exploring the construct and its measurement

Virtual offices are a growing trend in today's work environment and are expected to influence marketing roles dramatically, especially selling. These conditions may lead to perceptions of isolation, both socially and organizationally. Workplace isolation is a twodimensional construct that represents individuals' perceptions of isolation from others at work and includes perceived isolation from both colleagues and from the company's support network. This article reports the results of a four‐sample study to develop and validate a selfreport scale for measuring the two facets of workplace isolation. The scale's usefulness for future research and management applications are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Professionalism: evolution and measurement

This article opens with a review of changes to the concept of professionalism since Hall's classic 1968 study. Research into the measurement of professionalism is then evaluated and test results are reported for Hall's measure of professionalism on samples of British accountants and research chemists. Good fit indices from confirmatory factor analysis were only obtained after heavily modifying the original scale to give a 15-item, 5- factor scale. Inter-factor correlations are low, casting doubt upon the measurement of a single underlying professionalism construct. Suggestions for reconceptualising professionalism in terms of process rather than structure are given.     

EU's competition policy and the GE‐Honeywell merger fiasco: Transatlantic divergence and consumer and regulatory issues

This article discusses and analyzes the European Union's (EU's) competition policy and the 2001 General Electric‐Honeywell merger fiasco within the areas of global business and transatlantic issues. Based on a brief literature review of marketing, competition policy/antitrust law, vertical/horizontal integration, and global business, the article tries to explain those conditions that led to this failed merger. It is expected that in the coming years, the EU's competition policy and the United States' antitrust law will continue to differ and may create problems for those multinationals seeking large‐scale mergers and acquisitions in North America and Europe. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The effect of country-of-origin related stereotypes and personal beliefs on product evaluation

The country-of-origin effect has been the focus of numerous studies in international marketing. The concept of stereotypes assumes importance in the study of country-of-origin effects. However, past research has failed to consider the cognitive structures that influence a person's use of the country-of-origin factor in product evaluation. This article attempts to fill this gap through a conceptualization that suggests that the country of origin may be an outcome of a combination of two processes—cultural stereotypes and personal beliefs. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Measuring customer orientation of a salesperson: Modifications of the soco scale

This article addresses modifications made to the Michaels and Day (1985) version of the SOCO (selling orientation customer orientation) scale. Two modifications were made on the basis of pilot interviews conducted with industrial buyers. First, the scale items were changed to refer to a particular salesperson rather than salespeople. Second, the 9-point scale was changed to a more conventional 7-point scale. Further, in order to provide all respondents with the same frame of reference, scale instructions were modified to refer to the respondent's most recent buying situation. Scale properties were evaluated using the updated paradigm suggested by Gerbing and Anderson (1988). Unidimensionality of the scale was insured through the use of a confirmatory factor analysis program. The reliability of the scale is higher than that reported by Saxe and Weitz (1982), and Michaels and Day (1985). Convergent and discriminant validity were also assessed. The scale as modified in this article can be used to assess buyers' perceptions of salespeople and could provide sales managers with a means of assessing long-term aspects of a salesperson's performance. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An empirical comparison of two brand personality scales: Evidence from India

Aaker's (1997) brand personality scale has been widely used to measure the personality of brands. However, studies also show that Aaker's brand personality dimensions are not stable across cultures. In pursuance of this issue, we examine the structure of brand personality dimensions in India. This research presents the results of two studies conducted to develop a brand personality scale in Indian context, and to make an empirical comparison between Indian brand personality scale and Aaker's brand personality scale. Results reveal that brand personality in India can be described in six dimensions: sophistication, excitement, popularity, competence, trendiness and integrity. The findings empirically support the reliability and validity of the scale developed. The results also reveal that Indian brand personality scale is a suitable alternative to Aaker's brand personality scale in Indian context.     

A consumption emotion measurement development: a full-service restaurant setting

This article describes the development of a consumption emotion scale for use in the full-service restaurant industry. The current emotion measures utilized in consumer and marketing research are reviewed, along with the conceptualization of consumption emotions. The adequacy of employing a categorical approach to assess restaurant customers' emotional responses is discussed. Moreover, the appropriate procedure for a scale development is described. Based on quantitative analyses, a multi-item scale involving four dimensions of consumption emotions (excitement, comfort, annoyance, and romance) is developed. Further analyses provided strong evidence of the scale's unidimensionality, reliability, and validity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed with study limitations and recommendations for future research.     

Leisure and Tourism Services and the Older Innovator

In the light of changing demographics this article seeks to identify whether 'older' consumers are innovative in their consumption behaviour. A domain specific scale is used among up-market consumers for leisure and tourism services. This scale has been extensively applied to consumers to identify predisposition towards innovative behaviour for specific products and services. A postal survey identified 'older' consumers as having a relatively high level of domain specific innovativeness. The authors suggest that as people age they do not necessarily become less interested in consumption and it is a mistake to ignore or alienate such a potentially lucrative market.     

An Experimental Study of Cognitive Dissonance,Product Involvement,Expectations, Performance and Consumer Judgement of Product Performance

Abstract

This experimental study investigates the effects of cognitive dissonance, expectations, and product performance on product evaluations. The study improves upon the methodological problems of the past experimental studies. The results of a 2×2×2 factorial design suggest that product involvement acts as a moderator in the postdecisional product evaluation process. The theoretical and empirical findings suggest communication guidelines for the advertisers.