A Consumer Choice Theory Incorporating Behavioral and Spiritual Wisdom

A consumer makes choices by following a certain paradigm, a system for organizing his thinking based on norms that are determined by certain norm-setters or role models. Widespread societal ills such as depression and suicide seem to correlate with certain types of consumer behavior. However, current consumer choice theories don＇t appear to be effective in evaluating epidemiology research. This study compares existing consumer choice paradigms and introduces the linguistic paradigm as a framework for studying the organization of human thinking. The linguistic paradigm is based on the nature of human language and on spiritual wisdom. The paradigm is implemented to generate models （process templates） for the analysis of selected consumer choice issues. The potential effectiveness of these models in analyzing consumer behavior is discussed.     

Clustering and compatibility between tourism attractions

Cumulative attraction or compatibility is a powerful factor in locational decisions of retail outlets, but it has received little attention in the tourism literature. Existing studies largely ignore the impact of spatial and thematic clustering on compatibility between tourism businesses. This research questions whether and how spatial and thematic clustering are related to tourist movements between visitor attractions. The study in Cornwall, England, is based on in‐depth interviews with tourist attraction managers and key informants, complemented by a survey of 435 tourists. It provides insights into the relationship between the nature of the tourism product, spatial clustering and tourism behaviour. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.