Identifying the energy conscious consumer: The case of the opinion leader

The present study was undertaken to identify a demographic and psychographic profile of opinion leaders in an energy related context. The study found significant differences across opinion leadership groupings on the variables of interest.     

Dimensions of consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction with services: The case of electric utilities

This paper reports the results of research designed to explore the dimensions of consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction with various aspects of electric utility company performance and to develop psychographic, demographic, political orientation and media usage profiles of these satisfied/dissatisfied persons. Distinct differences between the two groups emerged which are not totally consistent with previous findings about consumers dissatisfied with tangible products. Directions for future research are suggested.     

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.     

The role of rationalization in consumer decision processes: A revisionist approach to consumer behavior

Consumer behavior theory, as it has largely evolved from economics with its rigid adherence to marginal utility theory, suggests that consumers are highly rational and that they basically strive to maximize utility or satisfaction by the careful rationing of resources. In this paper, the typical assumptions in consumer decision process models are reviewed and analyzed, the empirical evidence supporting the models of the rational consumer is challenged, the concept of rationalization is developed and the existential support for the concept is examined, the role and significance of alternative ego state on consumer decision processes are explained and finally, the rudiments of a revisionist approach to consumer behavior are advanced. An earlier draft of this paper entitled “Consumer Decision Processes: The Role and Influence of Rationalization” was presented at the annual meeting of The American Psychological Association Division 23 in 1977. The author was assisted in the preparation and development of this earlier draft by Dr. Chem Narayana. This assistance is herewith acknowledged.     

The client as consumer: Marketing the law,clinic-style

In 1977 the Supreme Court ruled that lawyers could not be prevented from advertising their prices for routine services, thus outlawing a long standing restriction imposed by the legal profession on its own members. This decision prompted a ferocious controversy (even for lawyers) over the proprieties of advertising legal services, not to mention the effect that “marketplace ethics” might wield on the delivery pricing, and quality of services offered to the great lay public. This article looks at how legal consumers are affected by the kind of high-volume, low-priced delivery of routine services that can only be offered profitably through aggressive marketing. Then it discusses how one firm used segmentation strategy and a consumer orientation to introduce the clinic concept on the East Coast. Finally, some implications of the immediate future of lawyer marketing for marketing professionals are analyzed.     

From consumer response to active consumer: Measuring the effectiveness of interactive media

Traditional measures of the effectiveness of marketing communications suggest a specific process by which marketing actions influence consumers. This article offers a broader philosophical perspective on measuring the effectiveness of marketing communications that focuses on interaction as the unit of analysis, rather than the behavior of either the marketer or the consumer. Structuration theory is discussed and offered as a viable foundation for the identification, selection, and evaluation of new measures of effectiveness in an interactive context among active, goal-driven consumers and marketers. Structuration theory focuses on the emergency and evolution of the structure of interaction, which is posited as a critical factor in devising, selecting, and evaluating new measures of the effectiveness of marketing communications. This view broadens the potential set of measures of effectiveness of interactive marketing communications, implying alternative meanings for measures under different interaction structures and combinations of goal states. David W. Stewart is the Robert E. Brooker Professor of Marketing and the deputy dean of the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He is also the immediate past editor of theJournal of Marketing. His research has examined a wide range of issues, including marketing strategy, the analysis of markets, consumer information search and decision making, effectiveness of marketing communications, and methodological approaches to the analysis of marketing data. Paul A. Pavlou is a Ph.D. candidate of information systems at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. His research focuses on business-to-business and business-to-consumer electronic commerce, new product development, institutional trust, interactive marketing, communications, and e-government. He has more than 25 publications in journals, books, and refereed conference proceedings. His research has appeared (or scheduled to appear) inMIS Quarterly, Electronic Markets, International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, Journal of Logistics Information Management, andJournal of Interactive Advertising, among others. He has recently won the Best Interactive Paper Award at the 2002 Academy of Management Conference.     

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.     

The consumer quest for authenticity: The multiplicity of meanings within the MG subculture of consumption

Authenticity in the consumption context is an important topic within the marketing literature. This article explores authenticity’s multiplicity of meanings within the MG brand subculture of consumption. An ethnographic approach guided data collection, which included participant observation, photo and document reviews, informal conversations, and formal, in-depth interviews with 58 MG owners. The data show that MG owners gain a sense of authenticity in the consumption context via the object and its ownership, consumer experiences, and identity construction and confirmation. As an object, an MG is authentic if it broaches an ideal standard and preserves the brand heritage. An MG experience is authentic when an owner interacts with the car through driving and self-work activities. Finally, an MG owner authenticates his or her identity through role performance and communal commitment. Implications are discussed in light of brand management. Thomas W. Leigh (tleigh@terry.uga.edu) holds the Emily H. and Charles M. Tanner, Jr. Chair of Sales Management at the University of Georgia. He earned his DBA in marketing at Indiana University and an MBA and BS (economics) from Southern Illinois University. He is a past president of the American Marketing Association (AMA) Academic Council, has served on the AMA Board Finance Committee, and is a charter member of the AMA Foundation Leadership Circle. He served as chairman of the East Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross from 1992 to 1993. His research has appeared in a variety of journals, includingJournal of Marketing Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Advertising Research, Planning Review, Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Academy of Marketing Science, andExpert Systems and Applications. He has served on the editorial boards ofJournal of Marketing, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, andJournal of Personal Selling and Sales Management. Cara Peters (petersc@winthrop.edu) is an assistant professor of marketing at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. She holds a BA in management from Luther College and an MBA and a PhD in business administration from the University of Nebraska. She has published in numerous conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals, including theJournal of Consumer Psychology; Consumption, Markets, and Culture; and {jtJournal of Academy of Marketing Science}. Jeremy Shelton (sheltonious@yahoo.com) is an assistant professor of psychology at Lamar University. He holds a PhD from the University of Georgia. His research interests lie in consumer identity and brand extensions. He has published inConsumption, Markets, and Culture, among other outlets.     

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.     

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.     

Marketing research and the aged consumer: The need for a new perspective

The aged consumer movement represents a major social trend which has broad implications for marketers. While many of these implications are positive, there are aspects associated with this movement that may prove detrimental to business firms if not acted upon in a positive manner. Perhaps the most notable of the potentially detrimental aspects is the increased activity of aged organizations in pressuring government for legislation designed to provide them with a greater voice in the marketplace. As a result of the movement's political strength, government is becoming an active advocate for the aged consumer. The obvious danger to business as a result of these activities is the potential for increased restrictive legislation. Certainly, a defense against such efforts is for business to meet the consumer needs of the elderly market segment more effectively. Unfortunately, a review of current marketing activities in this area does not show that such efforts are being expended. To correct this situation it is recommended that marketers attack this problem in two directions (1) through organizational and policy changes and (2) through increased research efforts. Specific recommendations are suggested in each of these areas.     

The consumer production journey: marketing to consumers as co-producers in the sharing economy

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science - New digital technologies not only support consumers in better fulfilling their own consumption needs but also enable them to create greater value for...     

Selling financial services: the effect of consumer product knowledge and salesperson commission on consumer suspicion and intentions

This research examines how consumers’ subjective product knowledge affects the way they interpret salesperson compensation within the financial services industry. Data from a nationwide panel of consumers show that higher product knowledge consumers become highly suspicious and lower purchase intentions when salesperson commission rates fall outside of the latitude of acceptance (Study 1). Study 2 results, however, demonstrate a reversal of these effects by showing that compensation–recommendation consistency is an important moderator in financial salesperson interactions. In addition, the study describes boundaries of the suspicious mindset that underlies consumer responses to sales information. Theoretical and practical implications of the finding are discussed, as are future research directions.     

The evolution of consumer knowledge and sources of information: Hungary in transition

The authors’ research in Hungary during the period of transition to a market economy provides an opportunity to examine the evolving relationships between consumer product knowledge and its antecedents, including advertising, personal search, interpersonal sources, and brand experience. Their findings, based on survey data collected in Budapest in 1992 and 1998, indicate that the market information variables explain more variance in consumer knowledge later rather than earlier in the transition. Advertising is an important predictor of consumer knowledge later but not earlier in the transition, personal search is important at both times, and interpersonal sources are not important in either time period; brand experience is negatively related to knowledge earlier in the transition and positively related later in the transition. This study allows one to begin to understand the boundary conditions associated with studies conducted in developed economies. Managerial implications for firms investing in transitional economies are presented. Robin A. Coulter (robin.coulter@business.uconn.edu) is Ackerman Scholar and an associate professor of marketing in the School of Business at the University of Connecticut. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Her research interests include branding, cross-cultural consumer behavior, advertising, and research methods. Her work has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Research, the Journal of Consumer Psychology, theJournal of Applied Psychology, and theInternational Journal of Research in Marketing. Linda L. Price (llprice@email.arizona.edu) is Soldwedel Professor of Marketing in the Eller School of Management at the University of Arizona. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to examine the active, emotional, imaginative aspects of consumers’ decisions and activities, and the social and cultural context of marketplace behaviors. Her work has appeared in theJournal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing, and other leading marketing, management, and social science journals. Lawrence Feick (feick@katz.pitt.edu) is a professor of business administration in the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. His current research focuses on cross-cultural consumer behavior, consumer word-of-mouth, and referrals. His work has appeared in the Journal of Marketing, theJournal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Consumer Research, Psychological Bulletin, andPublic Opinion Quarterly. Camelia Micu (camelia.micu@business.uconn.edu) is a marketing doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut. Her research interests include advertising and product trial and cross-cultural consumer behavior.     

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 consumer retail search process: A conceptual model and research agenda

Consumers are continually faced with the task of finding their way through a wide variety of retail environments. Surprisingly, very little research has addressed questions about how consumers physically search through retail settings. This article explores this important, yet little researched behavior. A conceptual model of the consumer’s retail search process (CRSP) and several research propositions are advanced. The CRSP model integrates research findings relevant to an understanding of consumer retail search behavior. Literature from such diverse fields of scientific inquiry as environmental psychology, human factors, architecture, and marketing are reviewed and serve as the theoretical basis of the CRSP model. He received his Ph.D. in marketing from Pennsylvania State University in 1991. His current research interest concerns how consumers interact with the physical environment and how this interaction influences subsequent behavior. His research has been published in theInternational Journal of Research in Marketing and theJournal of Marketing Education. His teaching and research interests focus on marketing and the environment and services marketing. He has carried out extensive research under sponsorship of federal, state, and local agencies on consumer behavior and urban travel and energy consumption. He received a B.S. degree in psychology from the University of Washington in 1966 and a Ph.D., also in psychology, from the University of North Carolina in 1972.     

The reconciliation of humanism and positivism in the practice of consumer research: A view from the trenches

Consumer researchers commonly assert that humanism differs from positivism (what is referred to here as naturalism) on a number of dimensions. However, it is shown here that once terminological differences and methodological similarities are recognized, the remaining differences between humanism and naturalism within consumer research are few. While arguments persist at the philosophical extremes, it appears that practicing researchers have achieved considerable reconciliation.     

The effects of company offshoring strategies on consumer responses

This paper develops a unique theoretical framework for explaining consumer reactions to corporate offshoring by testing the impact of the decision to offshore or to maintain domestic activities on two dependent variables: consumer attitudes toward the company and word-of-mouth communication. We conduct two controlled experiments administered in the field with adult consumers. Study 1 analyzes the processes underlying consumer reactions to corporate offshoring from the perspective of the perceived moral harm and good that offshoring produces. Results verify the mediating role of positive and negative moral emotions (i.e., gratitude and righteous anger) felt by consumers. Study 2 demonstrates the moderating role of consumer perceived risk of offshoring on the linkage between company offshoring and the same moral emotions and through these moral emotions on consumer attitudes toward the company and word-of-mouth communication. An unexpected finding is the mediation of the positive moral emotion of elevation on consumer attitudes.     

浅析我国《合同法》中的不安抗辩权

不安抗辩权，是大陆法系国家现代合同法的重要制度，该制度最早起源于德国民法，对许多国家的合同法产生了重大影响。我国《合同法》在批判借鉴大陆法系的不安抗辨权制度和英关法系的预期违约制度的基础上，创建了有中国特色的不安抗辩权制度。但是，不安抗辩权制度与预期违约制度之间尚存在冲突，对先履行方的举证责任要求过于苛刻等制度本身的欠合理性，仍有进行完善的必要。     

The impact of research design on consumer price recall accuracy: An integrative review

For almost half a century, researchers have examined consumer knowledge of prices, often with disturbing and conflicting results. Although the general findings suggest that consumer knowledge of prices is poorer than assumed in neoclassical economic theory, significant variations among results exist. The authors synthesize findings from prior studies to determine the impact of research design choices on price recall accuracy measures. A meta-analysis indicates that a significant amount of variation in the accuracy of consumers’ price recall is related to research design characteristics such as the presence of financial rewards, respondents’ task size, and the price elicitation approach. Implications for price awareness research are discussed. Hooman Estelami is an assistant professor of marketing and codirector of the Pricing Center at the Graduate School of Business, Fordham University. His research has been published in, among others, theJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science, theJournal of Service Research, theJournal of Product and Brand Management, theJournal of Marketing Theory and Practice, theJournal of Consumer Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior, theJournal of Professional Services Marketing, theJournal of Business in Developing Nations. Donald R. Lehmann is George E. Warren professor of marketing at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University. His research has been published in theJournal of Marketing Research, theJournal of Marketing, Marketing Science, theJournal of Business Research, theJournal of Retailing, theJournal of Product Innovation Management, Management Science, Marketing Letters, and elsewhere. He has written numerous books related to marketing research and marketing management.