M.B.A. / The question then arises is there not perhaps a fourth level of economic value as a result of engineering experiences for customers, and in being truly customer centric? The aim of this dissertation is to develop a model to understand the economic value in customer centric business models that engineer customer experiences through understanding customer behaviour. The aim is to: • To review current and proposed customer centric business models in various published literature in order to develop a collaborative customer centric business model. • To review literature and secondary sources to understand and discuss the economical benefits that can be derived from a customer centric business model and customer experiences. • To review customer attrition and acquisition data in contrast to customer management strategies in order to understand the economical benefit related to strategy. • To conduct an informal study using existing and proposed experiences and interactions by a variety of consumers in order to assist with the development of a customer centric business model and understand the benefits various experiences may have on the economical value to the organization.

Although research on consumer evaluation/perception of attribute quality is extensive, few have investigated the factors influencing perception of credence qualities, qualities that cannot be determined immediately after product use. Two sets of credence qualities were identified, those that can be determined through the acquisition of expert information and those that are determinable only through the passage of time after product use. Using a home banking service as the experimental context, subjects used the service by requesting a specified transaction to be carried out. They learnt how accurate it was carried out either immediately or a simulated one month after using the service. It was found that how soon subjects received information about its transactional accuracy influenced their evaluation/perception of its credence qualities that are related to the passage of time (e.g. security of personal access code and confidentiality of financial record) but not those that were not related to the passage of time but could be determined through the acquisition of expert information (e.g., sophistication of computer language used). As predicted, subjects who learnt a month later that their requested transaction was accurately carried out rated security and confidentiality higher than those who received the same information but immediately after use. Those who experienced an inaccurate service rated such qualities significantly lower when they learnt of its inaccuracy a month later than immediately after use. No difference in perception was found for credence qualities that are determinable through an expert and not over time. The results suggest that similarity between the known and perceived attribute qualities in terms of whether they are revealed over time or independently of time (such as through expert information) is a major influence on consumer's evaluation/perception of credence qualities. Theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications arising from this research are furnished. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

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Please read the abstract in the 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Consumer Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

Wong, Yee Na. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-77). / Abstract and appendix also in Chinese. / Abstract (English) --- p.i / Abstract (Chinese) --- p.ii / Acknowledgment --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.iv / List of Tables --- p.vi / List of Figures --- p.vii / INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / THEORETICAL BACKGROUND --- p.2 / Psychological Distance as Determinant of Basis for Evaluations --- p.2 / Feelings as Information --- p.8 / Construal Fit Effect and Consumers' Evaluations --- p.14 / When Feeling Right is Called into Question --- p.20 / OVERVIEW OF STUDIES --- p.23 / STUDY 1 --- p.25 / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.25 / Method --- p.25 / Results and Discussion --- p.27 / Main Study --- p.27 / Method --- p.27 / Results and Discussion --- p.29 / STUDY 2 --- p.34 / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.34 / Method --- p.34 / Results and Discussion --- p.35 / Main Study --- p.36 / Method --- p.36 / Results and Discussion --- p.38 / STUDY 3 --- p.4S / Pretest: Stimuli Development --- p.46 / Method --- p.46 / Results and Discussion --- p.47 / Main Study --- p.48 / Method --- p.48 / Results and Discussion --- p.51 / GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.59 / Construal Fit and Psychological Distance --- p.61 / Construal Fit and Persuasion --- p.62 / Managerial Contributions --- p.64 / Limitations and Future Research --- p.65 / CONCLUSION --- p.69 / REFERENCES --- p.70 / APPENDIX --- p.78

Materialism has long been a subject of interest to researchers. More negative than positive consequences have been reported from studies on the lifestyles of materialists. For example, increased consumer and credit card debt, shrinking saving rates, increased number of consumers filing for bankruptcy, lower levels of life satisfaction and the depletion of natural resources are reported to be emanating from the increasing levels of materialism in societies. It is thus important to investigate the factors that can be implicated for the growth of materialism. Most of the studies attempt to explain materialism at a given point in time in isolation of the events people have experienced in their early life or childhood. Realizing that this practice is a shortcoming in consumer research, there is a call that consumer behaviour, such as materialism, be studied as a function of past life experiences using the life-course approach. While few studies have applied this approach to understanding materialism, little is known about the psychological processes that link childhood family structure to materialism. It is against this background that this study used the life-course approach to study how childhood family structure affects materialism through psychological processes of perceived family resources (tangible and intangible), perceived stress from the disruptive family events, and money attitudes of Generation Y South Africans. The study also assessed the moderating role of money attitudes on the relationship between childhood family experiences and materialism. Money attitude dimensions of status, achievement, worry, security and budget were introduced to broaden the life-course study of materialism because they are reported to begin in childhood, to remain in adulthood and they function in the background of every behavioural intention and action. Generation Y (commonly reported to be born between 1977 and 1994) were the subject of this study, because the literature reviewed revealed that these emerging consumers are not only numerous (about 30 percent of South Africans are Generation Y), have considerable influence and spending power, but most have been raised in disrupted single-parent/income families. With reports from family sociologists on the outcomes of divorce and single-parenthood (for example, stress, inadequate family resources, and low self-esteem) questions were raised as to how these outcomes would affect Generation Y money attitudes and materialistic values. Ten hypotheses were formulated to empirically answer the research questions. Using quantitative methodologies based on the nature of the research questions and problems, data were collected through online questionnaire from 826 business undergraduate students from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan and Western Cape Universities. University-aged respondents were appropriate for this study since they are ideally suited to remember their past family circumstances and must have already formed consumption habits, attitudes and values at their age. The first research problem was to evaluate how two of the life-course theoretical perspectives (i.e., family resources and stress) selected for this study would explain the materialistic values of Generation Y South Africans raised in non-intact (did not live with both biological parents before 18th birthday) and intact (lived with both biological parents before 18th birthday) family structures through the money attitudes adopted. The results showed that even though a significant difference in perceived family resources (both tangible and intangible) and stress was found between subjects raised in non-intact (or disrupted) and intact families, the difference in materialism as a whole was not significant. In terms of the three materialistic values of success, happiness and centrality, subjects raised in disrupted families significantly scored higher in the happiness dimension. For the money attitude dimensions of status, achievement, worry, budget and security they significantly scored higher in the worry money attitude. Results of the correlation analyses showed that perceived decrease in tangible (food, clothing and pocket money) family resources was a childhood factor that affected later worry money attitude to significantly and positively influence all of the three materialistic values. Perceived decreases in intangible family resources (for example, love and emotional support) negatively affected the symbolic money attitudes of status and worry, which in turn, positively affected only the happiness dimension of materialism. Perceived increase in stress positively affected all of the symbolic money attitudes of status, worry and achievement. These, in turn, positively influenced only the success and happiness materialistic values. The second research problem was based on an assessment of the moderating role of money attitudes on the childhood family experiences to materialism relationship. Using hierarchical regression analyses, it was found that only the achievement and worry money attitude dimensions moderated the family resources to materialism relationship. This means that when subjects hold higher worry and achievement money attitudes, an increase in family resources (tangible and intangible) will have less effect in reducing materialistic tendencies. For the stress to materialism relationship, only the worry money attitude dimension had a moderating effect, meaning that when higher worry money attitude is held, an increase in stress from family disruptions would have a greater effect in increasing materialistic tendencies. None of the five money attitude dimensions did, however, moderate the childhood family structure to materialism relationship. The results of this study do not only have theoretical implications, but also provide valuable information to consumer-interest groups, banks and retailers, especially in terms of the money attitudes of Generation Y consumers in South Africa.

Waiting for service is common in many purchase situations. As such, it is important to understand how consumers react to waiting. Only then can appropriate actions be taken to reduce any aversive aspects of waiting and alleviate any negative consequences that may result from the wait. This research focused on how consumers react to waiting for service. Specifically, three reactions were examined: (1) consumers' perceptions of wait aversiveness, and the circumstances under which consumers found waiting aversive or unpleasant, (2) consumers' perceptions of felt duration, and the circumstances under which waits were felt to be longer than they actually were, and (3) the resulting service evaluations, in particular, the extent to which, and the circumstances under which waits impacted on consumers' evaluations of: (a) punctuality of service, (b) overall service quality and (c) other service attributes. A model of a consumer's wait experience was proposed and used as a framework to examine these three issues. A quasi-experimental setting involving delays in passenger airline travel was chosen for the empirical study. Delayed passengers were questioned regarding their perceptions of wait aversiveness and duration. In addition, their pre-boarding feelings and responses on flight service evaluations were compared to those of nondelayed passengers. The results of the empirical test suggest that perceptions of wait aversiveness were associated with: perceived airline control over the wait, higher perceived consequences of waiting, such as inconvenience and financial costs, and higher levels of affective costs such as annoyance, anger, frustration, uncertainty, boredom, uneasiness and helplessness. Many of these costs increased as the actual wait duration and time pressures increased, and as the degree to which time was "filled" decreased. Longer felt duration was associated with longer actual durations and increased wait aversivenness. The results also suggest that waiting did affect consumers' overall evaluations of service, their evaluations of specific service attributes and the relative importance of these attributes in predicting the overall evaluation. Implications for management and directions for further research were then discussed. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In a global era of growing consumer economies, retailers rely extensively on the exploitation of consumers’ personal and behavioural information, in order to successfully execute and sustain their business models and strategic objectives. The gathering and mining of consumers’ personal and behavioural information represent tremendous potential in the application of relationship marketing tactics, towards consumer intimacy, and ultimately towards competitive advantage. However, in their quest to understand consumers better, retailers need to be acutely aware of consumers’ views regarding the gathering and use of their personal and behavioural information, in order to derive the associated benefits whilst mitigating the risk of alienating consumers. To this end, the main objective of this research assignment was to understand the thoughts and feelings of a selected sample of retail consumers, regarding the use of their personal and behavioural information in relationship marketing tactics. The research aim was achieved through a qualitative exploration of the thoughts and feelings of thirty millennial retail consumers who shared their individual views in written format and small group interviews. Cognitive mapping was used as the central technique for the coding and interpretation of written and interview data, depicting the central themes of consumer rationale, as well as the causal relationships of the concepts, which influenced their sentiment and decisions. The insights produced by the cognitive mappings were triangulated using additional techniques of sentiment analysis and word frequency analysis. The combination of research techniques produced robust overarching insights of universal value, coupled with insights of specific subtleties alluding to consumer groups with differentiated engagement needs. Universal insights included strong negative sentiment whenever consumer participants considered the possibility that retailers with whom they engage on the basis of their personal information could potentially share such personal information with third-party entities outside of their explicit or implicit relationship with a particular trusted retailer. Similarly, the personally intrusive nature of telemarketing as an engagement and communication channel was met with universal disdain at every mention thereof, clearly eliminating it as a viable channel for any retailer who would seek to build and sustain trusted consumer relationships. The sample of participants revealed four broad groups of millennial consumers, each with different preferences of engagement with retailers. The majority of the participants across two groups recognised a conditional and transactional basis for exchanging varying degrees of personal information for a variety of derived benefits. A small group of participants indicated a clear preference towards avoiding engagement on a personal basis and sharing of personal information with retailers. A similarly small group of participants exhibited general openness and willingness to engage retailers and share personal and behavioural information with little restraint or concern. The insights derived from this research assignment provide a solid foundational exploration for future research on the specific and related topics, whilst the application of the cognitive mapping technique provided profound multi-dimensional insights. Businesses stand to gain potential material benefit through the careful consideration of the terms of engagement with their consumers, as provided through the universal and specific insights of this research assignment.

The primary aim of this thesis is to apply chaos theory to consumer behaviour research. Chaos theory is essentially a theory of time series. The specific focus is product choice consumption behaviour. The conceptual basis for the work is taken from a theory thus far developed entirely outwith the topic focus of consumer research and marketing. The concepts and methods developed by chaos theorists in the natural sciences and some social and behavioural sciences are synthesised with concepts and methods from consumer research. The objective is to both shed light on the consumption process and explore the potential of chaos theory in this field. Ultimately the work attempts to address the question of whether consumer behaviour can be 'chaotic' as described by chaos theory.In order to facilitate these objectives a diary study was conducted using sixty respondents. They were required to record their consumption of branded products for a period of three months. Five product categories were used with informants recording consumption of only one product type (twelve informants in each group). The product groups were as follows: soft drinks; savoury snacks; beer; chocolate snacks and packaged yoghurts and desserts. The data was coded and analysed by methods selected prior to data capture: weighted time series, spectral analysis and phase space analysis. One of the principal findings of the research was that distinctive forms of behaviour were identifiable within the data set as a whole from which a five-fold typology is proposed. However the complexity and individuality of the forms was marked despite this apparent typology. The spectral analysis shows little evidence of regular or periodic patterned behaviour; the series are essentially aperiodic. The phase space analysis reinforces and enhances the analysis of the weighted time series and suggests the series tend more towards chaos than ordered behaviour. The series obey certain 'rules' (i.e. they are 'randomised' but not random) consistent with the existence of determnistic chaos. Moreover they appear globally stable and locally unstable. These findings have a number of implications for various areas of consumer research (e.g. varety seeking, loyalty and other aspects of consumption) and successfully extend the application of chaos theory to another area of human behaviour research.

Chan, Ka Yan Elisa. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-106). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) --- p.ii / ABSTRACT (CHINESE) --- p.iv / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vi / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.viii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.xi / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.xii / LIST OF APPENDICE --- p.xii / Chapter CHAPTER ONE --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Overview of Research Objectives --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Outline of the Current Study --- p.2 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Defining “Experience´ح in Consumption --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Experience-rich Consumption --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3 --- Consumer Value --- p.8 / Chapter 2.4 --- Models and Scales of Consumer Value --- p.11 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- Typology of Consumer Value by Holbrook (1999) --- p.11 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- The Theory of Consumption Value --- p.12 / Chapter 2.4.3 --- Consumer Perceived Value --- p.16 / Chapter 2.4.4 --- Experiential Value Scale (EVS) --- p.17 / Chapter 2.5 --- Summary of Literature Review --- p.19 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- OBJECTIVES OF THE CURRENT STUDY --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1 --- First Objective of this Research --- p.22 / Chapter 3.2 --- Second Objective of this Research --- p.22 / Chapter 3.3 --- Third Objective of this Research --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- CONCEPTUALIZATION OF EXPERIENTIAL VALUE --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1 --- Exploring the Components of Experience --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Psychology Literature: Everyday Life Experience --- p.25 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Stimulus-Organism-Response Framework --- p.26 / Chapter 4.2 --- Dimensionality of Experiential Value --- p.27 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Emotional Value --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Intellectual Value --- p.30 / Chapter 4.3 --- Dimensional Relation Between Emotional and Intellectual Value --- p.33 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE --- DEVELOPING THE EXPERIENTIAL VALUE SCALE --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1 --- Study 1: Item Generation and Selection --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Literature Review --- p.35 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Focus Group --- p.37 / Chapter 5.2 --- Study 2: Item Reduction and Dimensionality of the Scale --- p.38 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Scale Purification with Exploratory Factor Analysis --- p.39 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Initial Confirmatory Factor Analysis --- p.42 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Scale Reliability and Validity --- p.42 / Chapter 5.3 --- Study 3: Convergent and Discriminant Validity Analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Method --- p.43 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Results --- p.44 / Chapter CHAPTER SIX --- CONCEPTUAL MODEL TESTING --- p.50 / Chapter 6.1 --- Study 4: The Antecedents and Consequents of Experiential Value --- p.51 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- Subjective Well-Being --- p.52 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Method --- p.53 / Chapter 6.1.2.1 --- Dependent Measures --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3 --- Results and Discussion --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3.1 --- Discriminant Validity of Constructs --- p.54 / Chapter 6.1.3.2 --- Overall Model Results --- p.55 / Chapter 6.1.3.3 --- Equivalence Across Religious Group --- p.56 / Chapter 6.2 --- Study 5: Using Experiential Value to Predict Consumer Behavior and the Moderating Effect of Experience Context --- p.57 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- "Experiential Values, Consumer Trust, and Loyalty" --- p.57 / Chapter 6.2.2 --- The Moderating Effect of Shopping Context --- p.59 / Chapter 6.2.3 --- Method --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2.3.1 --- Dependent Measures --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2.4 --- Results and Discussion --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.4.1 --- Discriminant Validity of Constructs --- p.62 / Chapter 6.2.4.2 --- Overall Model Results --- p.63 / Chapter 6.2.4.3 --- Moderation Model Results --- p.63 / Chapter CHAPTER SEVEN --- GENERAL DISCUSSION AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATION --- p.65 / Chapter 7.1 --- Theoretical Contribution --- p.66 / Chapter 7.2 --- Managerial Implication --- p.68 / Chapter 7.3 --- Limitations and Future Research --- p.71 / REFERENCES --- p.99