The role of aesthetic taste in consumer behavior

In light of the increasing interest in hedonic aspects of consumer behavior, it is clear that consumer taste plays a critical role in judgment and decision making, particularly for hedonic products and services. At the present time, however, our understanding of consumer aesthetic taste and its specific role for consumer behavior is limited. In this article, we review the literature from a variety of fields such as sociology, psychology, philosophy, and consumer behavior in order to develop a conceptual definition of consumer aesthetic taste. We then explore various issues related to taste and develop a conceptual framework for the relevance of expertise vs. taste in consumer decision-making. Finally, we present an agenda for future research on this important topic.     

The family and consumer decision making: A cultural view

An understanding of consumer behavior based on the traditional Western nuclear family (husband, wife, and unmarried children) model is inadequate to handle marketing on a global scale or to interpret changes at home. The number of relatives influencing purchase—and who they are—can vary as can the type of decision making, which may be allocative, stressing individual responsibility, or consensual. This article re-examines our basic assumptions and then considers marketing under alternative family scenarios—extended families, further familial shrinkage, and more participatory decision-making.     

Stratification in consumer behavior research: A re-examination

The role of the stratification concept in consumer behavior research is examined and compared to its sociological foundations. Misapplications of the concept in consumer research along with weaknesses in methodology, hypothesis formulation and criterion variable selection are identified and remedies suggested. Strengths and weaknesses of different stratification scales for consumer research are assessed and the key issues involved in stratification research are illustrated by reviewing the stream of stratification and consumer research in the area of banking behavior.     

Theory in consumer behavior: A status report

This article examines the attitudes of 40 opinion leaders in marketing toward theory in consumer behavior. These individuals exhibited favorable attitudes toward theory in marketing in general. More favorable perceptions of the value of the contributions of theory to consumer behavior existed than for promotion and channels of distribution. In comparison to eight other areas of marketing, the consumer behavior area was perceived as having made the greatest past contribution to marketing thought and the one most likely to make worthwhile future contributions. The sample believed that much future effort was needed in progressing toward a general theory of consumer behavior and that such effort would indeed be forthcoming.     

A conceptualization of the consumer behavior discipline

Consumer behavior, as a social science discipline, is analyzed from a developmental perspective. Seven developmental levels or stages are identified reflecting the growing role of consumer behavior study in applied social settings. A classification schema is also presented in an attempt to categorize consumer behavior research     

Models of consumer behavior: The state of the art

Models of consumer behavior have gained much acceptance since the early sixties. The purpose of this article is to examine the state of the art by reviewing the often cited models: Nicosia, Howard-Sheth, and Engel-Blackwell-Kollat. Specifically, a major objective is to consider these models from their practical utility standpoint, i.e., whether the models can be tested and used by marketers. To accomplish this, a set of criteria is developed for evaluation of models in general, and consumer/buyer behavior models in particular. The criteria used for evaluating the state of the art in consumer behavior models are largely derived from model building sources in various fields. The results indicate that although the models are quite impressive in scope, they are inherently weak to be of much help to the marketing practitioner. Indeed, none of the models have been tested as a whole in their original form because they lack specificity and thus are difficult, if not impossible, to operationalize. This article is partially based on a paper which received an award in an Academy of Marketing Science student paper competioion. The Academy encourages scholarly work by various groups through annual competitions and awards.     

地方政府职能的规范化与行为的理性化

地方政府在改革开放、体制转型中扮演着极其重要的角色，规范的政府职能，理性的政府行为是市场经济的客观要求，它既能带来地区经济与全国市场的繁荣，也有助于市场经济体制的确立和完善。     

Perception of marital roles in purchase decision processes: A cross-cultural study

Following the approach of the classic 1974 marital-role influence study of Davis and Rigaux, the present study focuses on differences in decision making (i.e., joint, husband dominated, wife dominated) across 24 product categories as a function of two key factors. These factors are stage of the decision process (i.e., problem recognition, information search, and the final decision) and culture (People’s Republic of China and the United States). The Jacobson Marital-Role Egalitarianism Scale is included to further assess individual differences in husband and wife traditionality-modernism. The major findings are that emphasis on joint, husband-dominated, and wife-dominated decisions vary by stage and by stage-culture interaction. Practical implications are presented with suggestions for future research. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1985 with a Ph.D. in marketing. His research interests include global strategic market planning and cross-cultural research issues and methodologies. He has published in such journals asJournal of Advertising Research, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Columbia Journal of World Business, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business Strategy, andJournal of Consumer Marketing. He graduated with honors in 1986 from the University of Mississippi with a Ph.D. in marketing. His research interests include cross-cultural consumer behavior and emotional responses to advertising stimuli. He has published in such journals asJournal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, Journal of Health Care Marketing, andInternational Marketing Review. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1986 with a Ph.D. in marketing. His research interests focus on cross-cultural consumer behavior. He has published in such journals asJournal of Advertising, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Health Care Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, and theInternational Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management.     

A multi-attribute approach to understanding shopping behavior

This paper attempts to explain shopping center choice behavior in the Peoria area using Attribute Salience, Determinant Attribute Analysis and Factor Analysis. Thirteen shopping center selection attributes were developed by interviewing about 3000 Peoria shoppers and a review of the relevant literature. Attribute Salience and the Determinant Attribute Analysis indicated almost the same attributes to be relatively important and determinant: availability of parking, quality of merchandise, variety of merchandise, distance from home and atmosphere of shopping area. The factor analysis model in all 4 cases extracted a merchandise-atmosphere index and a convenience index, indicating that the basic assumptions of the traditional gravitational models which use shopping center square footage and distance as proxy variables for utility and disutility should be reconsidered.     

The value of user image in quelling aberrant consumer behavior

Shoplifting has reached epidemic proportions. Traditional approaches to keeping this behavior under control have met with limited success. This article explores the use of user image to decrease shoplifting. The analysis supports the approach. If the image of the “typical shoplifter” is made more negative, individuals anxious to disassociate themselves with the negative image will be less likely to shoplift.     

Factor analysis: Key tool in consumer behavior research

Quantitative techniques are in frequent use by students of consumer behavior. Most of these techniques, such as correlation analysis and Chi-square tests for significant differences are treated in the various quantitative methods courses taught in or for schools of business across the country. Factor analysis, on the other hand, is rarely included in the content of these courses. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to find journal articles in which results of factor analytic studies are reported. This state of affairs must produce some frustration among marketing practitioners and even among some academicians, who find it difficult to interpret those results, much less understand how they were obtained. This article is designed to assist those who need to read and comprehend journal articles, who need to discuss such articles with others and who may find it desirable to use factor analysis in their own work.     

The role of affect in attitude formation: A classical conditioning approach

This study investigates the role of affect in attitude formation. Two experiments, using established conditioning procedures, assessed the impact of affect on attitude formation. The results of Experiment 1 indicate that affect can influence attitudes even in the absence of product beliefs. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that affect plays as important or more important a role than the belief mechanism in attitude formation, depending on the number of repetitions. Implications of the results for understanding the role of affect in advertising are discussed. John Kim is an associate professor of marketing in the School of Business Administration at Oakland University. He earned his Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include consumer decision making, advertising effectiveness, and brand equity. His work has appeared in theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of Consumer Research, and theJournal of Business Research. Jeen-Su Lim is Interim Chair and a professor of marketing at the University of Toledo. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Indiana University. His work has appeared in many journals, including theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of Consumer Research, theJournal of Business Research, Industrial Marketing Management, International Marketing Review, Management International Review, Psychology and Marketing, and theJournal of Health Care Marketing, among others. His research interests include consumer inference processes, new product development and competitive strategy, and export marketing. Mukesh Bhargava is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing and Management at Oakland University. He has a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Texas, Austin, and several years of practical experience in advertising and marketing research. His research includes areas such as advertising effectiveness and evaluation of marketing strategy in business and nonprofit organizations. His work has appeared in theJournal of Advertising Research, Marketing Letters, theJournal of Business Research, and theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, among others.     

The role of expectations in the determination of consumer satisfaction

The purpose of this paper is to explore the three determinants of consumer satisfaction, i.e. Predictive Expectations, Normative Expectations and Comparative Expectations. This study applied the confirmation of expectations paradigm to each of the types of expectations. The efficacy of the paradigm in the prediction of consumer satisfaction is examined. Comparative analyses of the three types of expectations show that normative expectations and their confirmation are the best predictors of satisfaction. Suggestions for further research on measurement and conceptual development of consumer satisfaction are also offered.     

Social class and consumer behavior: A review for the 70's

Stratification of American society creates social classes— large groups of people sharing approximately the same life styles who are ranked according to social prestige. Class membership is determined on the basis of occupation, artifacts, association, and influence. Classes themselves are measured empirically through reputational, subjective, and objective techniques. The most popular models of American class structure provide for five or six distinct social strata. In recent years, however, divisions have become somewhat blurred by the spread of affluence and rapid social change. Social class appears to determine buying behavior for some products and services, and may be useful as a basis for market segmentation. School of Business, C. W. Post Center, L.I.U. Rapp & Collins A Division of Doyle, Dane Bernbach Advertising     

Self-congruity versus functional congruity: Predictors of consumer behavior

Four studies were conducted to test the hypothesis that (1) consumer behavior is more strongly predicted by functional congruity than by self-congruity, and (2) functional congruity is influenced by self-congruity. The pattern of the results provides support for hypotheses.     

Pioneer brand advantage and consumer behavior: A conceptual framework and propositional inventory

What are the behavioral origins of pioneer brand advantage? This article provides an integrative conceptual framework and propositional inventory to help more fully understand this multifaceted phenomenon. It is proposed that there are three sources of entry-order information that work through various psychological processes and affect multiple decision process variables. The conceptual framework translates into eight testable propositions. New exploratory evidence is presented. Managerial implications are discussed.     

Factors influencing the likelihood of customer defection: The role of consumer knowledge

Customer satisfaction is the predominant metric firms use for detecting and managing customers' likelihood to defect. But while satisfaction and defection are related, satisfaction is only a weak predictor of whether a customer will defect. This article suggests that for repurchase decisions that involve an information-based evaluation of alternatives to the incumbent, likelihood of defection will be influenced by “how much” customers know about those alternatives. The relationship between level of knowledge about alternatives and defection is examined in the context of actual health insurance choices. Results suggest that the level of objective and subjective knowledge about alternatives has a direct effect on likelihood of defection—above and beyond satisfaction level. The view of defection forwarded in this article suggests that managers may be able to gain additional control over customer defection through actions aimed at influencing how much customers know (or come to know) about alternative vendors. Anthony J. Capraro (tcapraro@unca.edu), an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, earned his Ph.D. in marketing in 1999 from the University of Texas after having spent 20 years in industry in marketing and marketing management positions. His current research interest focuses on developing and enhancing the value of a firm's customer base. Susan Broniarczyk (Susan.Broniarczyk@bus.utexas.edu), an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, earned her Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Florida. She serves on the editorial boards of theJournal of Consumer Research and theJournal of Marketing Research and the advisory board for the Association for Consumer Research. Her research, which examines consumer decision making and how consumers' knowledge structures affect their reaction to missing or conflicting product information, appears in theJournal of Consumer Research, theJournal of Marketing Research, andOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. Rajendra K. Srivastava (Rajendra.Srivastava@bus.utexas.edu) is the Jack R. Crosby Regent's Chair in Business and a professor of marketing and management science and information systems (MSIS) in the McCombs School of Business at the University Texas at Austin. He is also the Daniel J. Jordan Research Scholar at Emory University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. His research, which spans marketing and finance, has been published in theJournal of Marketing, theJournal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, and theJournal of Banking and Finance. His current research interests focus on the impact of marketing strategy and market-based assets on corporate financial performance, particularly in the context of technology-intensive products and services.     

Domestic country bias,country-of-origin effects,and consumer ethnocentrism: A multidimensional unfolding approach

This study uses a multidimensional unfolding approach to examine the preference patterns of U.K. consumers for domestic products and those originating from specific foreign countries for eight product categories. Results indicate that the observed variability in preferences is linked to consumer ethnocentrism. However, the latter's capability in explaining consumer bias in favor of domestic products is dependent both on the specific country of origin and the particular product category. Implications of the findings are considered and future research directions identified. George Balabanis (g.balabanis@city.ac.uk) is a senior lecturer at City University in London. He has published articles in several journals including theJournal of International Business Studies, theBritish Journal of Management, International Marketing Review, theEuropean Journal of Marketing, andInternational Business Review. Adamantios Diamantopoulos (a.diamantopoulos@lboro. ac.uk) is a professor of marketing and business research at Loughbough University Business School, United Kingdom. His main research interests are in international marketing and research methodology. His work has been published, among others, in theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of International business Studies, theInternational Journal of Research in Marketing, theInternational Jorunal of Forecasting, and theJournal of Business Research.     

The impact of alternative consumer education strategies on safety knowledge and behavior

The article describes an experimental study which attempted to increase children's awareness of proper safety behavior as well as to increase actual safe behavior in the use of playground equipment. Results indicated that modest to substantial gains were made in both knowledge and behavior, and that among the alternative consumer education programs, the strategy that was most successful was the use of the greatest amount of information with the youngest children.