Psychological closure is the feeling that a life experience is complete and a part of the past (Beike, Adams, and Wirth-Beaumont 2007). While research on psychological closure primarily deals with traumatic or highly aversive life experiences, psychological closure is frequently experienced and sought after in more typical consumption settings. My dissertation extends our current knowledge about the role of psychological closure by exploring emotional, cognitive, perceptual, and behavioral implications of psychological closure across a broad range of consumer experiences. The first essay aims to demonstrate that closure makes events seem distant in time and probability through emotion. It also explores resulting consumer decisions such as warranty purchase intentions. The second essay proposes and tests how psychological closure of a consumer learning experience can lead to an abstract representation of that learning experience, and consequently a heightened sense of subjective knowledge. / text

Consumer value is an important determinant of consumers’ post-use behaviour, for example satisfaction, repeat purchase and word of mouth. The existing research mainly looks at the factors associated with the product and service providers to improve consumer value. Few studies on the role of the consumer in shaping consumer value have found consumer knowledge to be an important element in shaping consumer value. Adopting critical realism, this PhD expands this area of knowledge by investigating knowledge miscalibration (i.e., the inaccuracy in subjective knowledge) as a significant antecedent of consumer value. Most of the time, consumers’ perceptions of what they think they know (i.e., subjective knowledge) has been shown to be different from what they actually know (i.e., objective knowledge). Thus, subjective knowledge is usually inaccurate. This inaccuracy in subjective knowledge relative to objective knowledge is called knowledge miscalibration. Although the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumers’ purchasing decisions has been investigated in the consumer behaviour literature, its role in the use stage of consumption has received much less attention. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of knowledge miscalibration on product or service use, and more specifically on the value consumers derive from actually using products or services (i.e., value-in-use). In this research a critical realism paradigm is pursued, implying that reality exists in the three domains of the empirical, the actual and the real. The research starts with observing regularity in the empirical domain (i.e., consumer value) followed by imagining the causal power in the actual and the real domains (i.e., knowledge miscalibration), shaping the research question. A retroductive strategy is followed, firstly by proposing the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumer value and secondly by conceptually and empirically testing this relationship. This research conceptualises that knowledge miscalibration influences consumer value dimensions, described as efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics. It is suggested that underconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is deflated) and overconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is inflated) influence consumer value dimensions differently as they generate different consequences in use. Therefore, a conceptual model is developed that describes the effect of knowledge miscalibration (i.e., overconfidence and underconfidence) on the dimensions of consumer value. The empirical part of the research is designed by conducting a covariance-based study and an experimental investigation in order to gain both internal and external validity. The covariance-based investigation is conducted in the context of amazon.com online shopping. Knowledge miscalibration and consumer value dimensions are measured in this study. This study supports the negative effect of underconfidence on efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics and the negative effect of overconfidence on play. The experimental investigation is designed in the context of prezi.com, an online dynamic presentation creation website that enables its users to move between slides, words and images during their presentations. In this study, overconfidence and underconfidence are manipulated and their effects on the dimensions of consumer value are examined. The findings of this study show that underconfidence negatively influences efficiency, excellence and aesthetics, while overconfidence negatively impacts excellence, play and aesthetics. Overall, this PhD concludes that knowledge miscalibration negatively influences the dimensions of consumer value, with the exception of overconfidence impacting efficiency. The contradictory results of the covariance-based study observed in the experimental study can be explained through its inability to account for reciprocal relationships (i.e., where consumer value dimensions also impact knowledge miscalibration) and the existence of a third variable affecting both independent and dependent variables. Furthermore, the context of the experimental study (employing a new consumption task) is proposed to be the main reason for the lack of support for the effect of underconfidence on play.

Consumer value is an important determinant of consumers’ post-use behaviour, for example satisfaction, repeat purchase and word of mouth. The existing research mainly looks at the factors associated with the product and service providers to improve consumer value. Few studies on the role of the consumer in shaping consumer value have found consumer knowledge to be an important element in shaping consumer value. Adopting critical realism, this PhD expands this area of knowledge by investigating knowledge miscalibration (i.e., the inaccuracy in subjective knowledge) as a significant antecedent of consumer value. Most of the time, consumers’ perceptions of what they think they know (i.e., subjective knowledge) has been shown to be different from what they actually know (i.e., objective knowledge). Thus, subjective knowledge is usually inaccurate. This inaccuracy in subjective knowledge relative to objective knowledge is called knowledge miscalibration. Although the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumers’ purchasing decisions has been investigated in the consumer behaviour literature, its role in the use stage of consumption has received much less attention. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of knowledge miscalibration on product or service use, and more specifically on the value consumers derive from actually using products or services (i.e., value-in-use). In this research a critical realism paradigm is pursued, implying that reality exists in the three domains of the empirical, the actual and the real. The research starts with observing regularity in the empirical domain (i.e., consumer value) followed by imagining the causal power in the actual and the real domains (i.e., knowledge miscalibration), shaping the research question. A retroductive strategy is followed, firstly by proposing the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumer value and secondly by conceptually and empirically testing this relationship. This research conceptualises that knowledge miscalibration influences consumer value dimensions, described as efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics. It is suggested that underconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is deflated) and overconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is inflated) influence consumer value dimensions differently as they generate different consequences in use. Therefore, a conceptual model is developed that describes the effect of knowledge miscalibration (i.e., overconfidence and underconfidence) on the dimensions of consumer value. The empirical part of the research is designed by conducting a covariance-based study and an experimental investigation in order to gain both internal and external validity. The covariance-based investigation is conducted in the context of amazon.com online shopping. Knowledge miscalibration and consumer value dimensions are measured in this study. This study supports the negative effect of underconfidence on efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics and the negative effect of overconfidence on play. The experimental investigation is designed in the context of prezi.com, an online dynamic presentation creation website that enables its users to move between slides, words and images during their presentations. In this study, overconfidence and underconfidence are manipulated and their effects on the dimensions of consumer value are examined. The findings of this study show that underconfidence negatively influences efficiency, excellence and aesthetics, while overconfidence negatively impacts excellence, play and aesthetics. Overall, this PhD concludes that knowledge miscalibration negatively influences the dimensions of consumer value, with the exception of overconfidence impacting efficiency. The contradictory results of the covariance-based study observed in the experimental study can be explained through its inability to account for reciprocal relationships (i.e., where consumer value dimensions also impact knowledge miscalibration) and the existence of a third variable affecting both independent and dependent variables. Furthermore, the context of the experimental study (employing a new consumption task) is proposed to be the main reason for the lack of support for the effect of underconfidence on play.

Magister Artium - MA (Women and Gender Studies) / Women with disabilities are marginalised in many aspects of societal participation. The majority of women with disabilities in Zambia do not have access to education and this has placed them amongst the poorest of people in the country. The study focuses on the experiences of women with physical disabilities and investigates the challenges they encounter in accessing education at tertiary level. The study comes at a time when the fight for gender equality has gained momentum and aims at promoting economic participation for all members of society without discrimination on the basis of sex or disability. The study engaged ten participants from a tertiary institution in Kamwala, Lusaka. I conducted a feminist qualitative research, which focused on the experiences of 19-30 year old female students with physical disabilities. I used semi-structured interviews in order to collect the data and drew on a qualitative thematic analysis to analyse the data. All standard ethical procedures were adhered to, including anonymity and confidentiality with respect to participants. The results of the study revealed that women with disabilities were often 'othered' due to myths and misconceptions that surrounded disability especially in the African- traditional context. The study also revealed that families played a very important role in ensuring that women and young girls with disabilities had a strong self-image, strong self-esteem and a strong sense of self and ensuring that they felt included within the homes and especially when accessing education. The study further revealed that where family support was lacking, participants faced challenges in accessing education compared to participants who received such support. More so, that educational opportunities in Zambia are generally gendered with more males than females in the education system, across the multiple levels. Access to the tertiary level for this group of women is compromised because challenges in accessing education start at the lower levels and have spill over effects in to the higher levels of education. Financial challenges experienced by women with disabilities and their families also led to fewer women with disabilities being able to participate in schooling. This is because where there were limited resources within the family, women, and girls with disabilities getting an education was not an option.

No description available.

<p>QC 20120129</p>

Abstract Date: 2020/06/09 Level: Master Thesis in Business Administration, 15 credits. Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University. Authors: Yi Wei (85/01/01) &amp; Jiaying Zhu (95/10/27)  Title: Factors Affecting Consumers’ Purchase Intention towards The Smartphone of The Chinese Brands  Tutor: Professor Ulf R Andersson Keywords: Country-of-Origin, Perceived Brand Quality, Chinese Brands, Subjective Knowledge, Price Sensitivity Research Question: How do the factors of perceived brand quality on COO cues, price sensitivity, and subjective knowledge of product influence consumers’ purchase intention towards the smartphones of the Chinese brands?  Purpose: This study aims to investigate factors related to the purchase intention towards smartphone of the Chinese brands in the developed market and provide managerial suggestions for Chinese smartphone firms. Method: This empirical study is conducted by the quantitative research method with an online survey for data gathering. Conclusion: It concludes that the purchase intention of western consumers towards Chinese smartphones is positively influenced by two factors: perceived brand quality on COO cues and subjective knowledge of product. The price sensitivity has no impact on purchase intention. Therefore, the lower price strategy of smartphone should not be adopted by Chinese firms. The Focus should be on brand management to convey the superior quality performance of smartphone of Chinese brands.

The study investigated the role of knowledge (objective knowledge and subjective knowledge) and the importance of country-of-origin in female consumers’ purchasing intent of exotic crocodile leather accessories. The study was conducted across South Africa and specifically concentrated on exotic crocodile leather accessories, which is a subset category in the luxury apparel industry. Consulta Research is a professional research company and was consulted to assist with the data collection. A quantitative descriptive approach was followed by developing an electronic survey design. Data was collected by using a selfadministrated online questionnaire, which was distributed by a research company. A crosssectional study was used to conduct the research. The data was collected by means of nonprobability convenient sampling. A total of 337 questionnaires were completed. Scales from previous research studies were adapted for the purpose of this study. The questionnaire was part of a bigger study and only five sections of the questionnaire were relevant to this specific study. Descriptive and association methods were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlation and Spearman correlation were used to analyse the data by means of relationships between variables. This study attempts to differentiate between consumers’ objective and subjective knowledge of luxury leather accessories. The construct objective knowledge was theoretically divided into intrinsic-related attributes and extrinsic-related attributes of the products of investigation. The relationship between objective knowledge and purchasing intent as well as the relationship between the importance of country-of-origin information and purchasing intent of exotic crocodile leather accessories was investigated. The findings regarding exotic crocodile leather accessories showed that females’ objective and subjective knowledge is limited, did not seem to find country-of-origin information important, had a weak purchase intent, and indicated that there was statistical significance only between the female consumers’ purchasing intent and their objective knowledge regarding the intrinsicrelated attributes of exotic crocodile leather accessories. The limitations of the study are that the results are based on non-probability convenience sampling, therefore the findings cannot be generalized to the whole South Africa, or to all the exotic leather industry markets for affluent consumers. One would have liked to have approached a population group that consisted of affluent respondents with an annual household income of more than R100 000. The study’s findings can contribute to the South African exotic crocodile leather industry and specifically to retailers, manufacturers, tanneries, and marketers. The findings and conclusions drawn in this study contribute to existing theory and could serve as the basis for future research in consumer behaviour, consumer science and the luxury exotic leather industry in South Africa. / Die studie het die rol van produk-kennis (objektiewe kennis en subjektiewe kennis) en die belangrikheid van inligting aangaande land-van-oorsprong in vroulike verbruikers se koopintensie met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede ondersoek. Die studie is regoor Suid-Afrika uitgevoer, en daar is spesifiek gekonsentreer op eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede, wat ʼn sub-kategorie in die luukse klerebedryf uitmaak. Consulta Research is ʼn professionele navorsingsmaatskappy en is geraadpleeg om te help met die data-insameling. ʼn Kwantitatiewe deskriptiewe benadering is gevolg deur ʼn elektroniese opname-ontwerp te ontwikkel. Die data is ingesamel deur die gebruik van ʼn selftoegepaste aanlyn-vraelys, wat deur ʼn navorsingsmaatskappy versprei is. ʼn Dwarssneestudie is gebruik om die navorsing te doen. Die data is ingesamel deur middel van niewaarskynlikheids- gerieflikheid-steekproefneming. ʼn Totaal van 337 vraelyste is voltooi. Skale uit vorige navorsingstudies is aangepas vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie. Die vraelys het deel gevorm van ʼn groter studie en slegs vyf afdelings van die vraelys het betrekking op hierdie spesifieke studie. Pearson-korrelasie en Spearman-korrelasie is gebruik om die data deur middel van die verhoudings tussen veranderlikes te analiseer. Hierdie studie poog om te onderskei tussen die verbruikers se objektiewe en subjektiewe produk-kennis van luukse leer-produkte. Die produk wat genavors word se objektiewe kennis is teoreties onderverdeel in intrinsiek-verwante kenmerke en ekstrinsiek-verwante eienskappe. Die verhouding tussen objektiewe kennis en koopintensie, asook die verhouding tussen die belangrikheid van inligting aangaande die land-van-oorsprong en die koopintensie met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede is ondersoek. Die bevindinge met betrekking tot eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede het getoon dat vroulike verbruikers beperkte objektiewe kennis en subjektiewe kennis beskik, blykbaar nie inligting aangaande land-van-oorsprong as belangrik beskou nie, ʼn swak koopintensie het, en het aangedui dat daar statistiese beduidendheid was slegs tussen die vroulike verbruikers se koopintensie en hul objektiewe kennis aangaande die intrinsiek-verwante eienskappe van eksotiese krokodilleer-bykomstighede. Die beperkinge van die studie is dat die resultate gebaseer was op nie-waarskynlikheidsgerieflikheidsteekproefneming, wat beteken dat die bevindings nie veralgemeen kan word na die hele Suid-Afrika nie, of na al die eksotieseleer-bedryfsmarkte vir welgestelde verbruikers nie. ʼn Mens sou graag ʼn populasiegroep wou kon bestudeer wat bestaan uit welgestelde respondente met ʼn jaarlikse huishoudelike inkomste van meer as R100 000. Die studie se bevindinge kan bydra tot die Suid-Afrikaanse eksotiese krokodilleerbedryf en spesifiek vir kleinhandelaars, vervaardigers, leerlooierye, en bemarkers. Die bevindinge en gevolgtrekkings in hierdie studie dra by tot bestaande teorie en kan dien as die basis vir toekomstige navorsing in verbruikersgedrag, verbruikerswetenskappe en die luukse, eksotiese leerbedryf in Suid-Afrika. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Consumer Science / MConsumer Science / Unrestricted

Background: Money has changed many forms throughout human history. About anything has served as money, sea snails, salt, and stones. Money is valuable as long as we believe in its value and are willing to exchange this money for goods and services; it can therefore be viewed as a part of a social convention that changes forms as the way of communication evolves. One of the common trends that have been taking place in social patterns is the increasing gaps between different generations, a particular one being the decrease in financial literacy for every new generation since the silent generation. Moreover, lower levels of financial literacy have been identified with increased indebtedness, lower savings, and increased risk-taking. A negative trend taking place during a time when the economic environment is becoming increasingly complex. Something that has added to the complexity is Bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency introduced in 2008 amid the financial crisis.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore how millennials' decision-making process to use Bitcoin occurs, how the individual perception is related to trust, usefulness, and safety, and in turn, explore what affects the perception and how this is related to the decision-making process. Method: This is a qualitative paper that has followed an interpretivism research philosophy, the approach has been inductive, and data has been collected through semi-structured interviews.  Conclusion: The decision-making process is influenced by perception, which heavily depends on subjective and objective knowledge. Therefore, it is not fiat currencies, Bitcoin, or other alternatives that are changing, but the perception of which options we perceive to be trustworthy, useful, and safe is changing.

The purpose of this research was to better understand consumer knowledge, its constituents, antecedents and consequences or implications for other consumer behaviours so as to assist wine marketers and marketers of other information-intensive products with their marketing strategy development.  Wine is a complex product difficult for consumers to evaluate particularly prior to purchase but it is also a difficult product for marketers.  Wine has a very large number of both intrinsic and extrinsic attributes.  As a result of the numerous attributes and the multitude of combinations of these attributes there is a plethora of wine brands available making for a highly competitive industry and a complicated product for consumers.    Consumer knowledge affects all aspects of consumer purchasing behaviour and is thus an important phenomenon for marketers to research and understand.  Consumer knowledge also affects all aspects of the marketing strategy developed to satisfy target segments.  Marketing decision makers need to understand consumers to be able to analyze and profile segments, choose target markets and develop marketing strategies that will best align with those target markets.  Calls particularly for better understanding of different segments within the wine market provide justification for this research. The research problem was divided into three components: Consumer wine knowledge constituents, Antecedents of consumer wine knowledge and the Implications of consumer wine knowledge.  The latter component of the research problem explored the implications of consumer wine knowledge for segmentation, as well as the relationships between consumer wine knowledge and exploratory purchasing behaviour, variety-seeking behaviour and opinion leadership and opinion-seeking behaviours.  This study provides evidence of the existence of two distinct constituents of consumer knowledge i.e. what consumers know (objective knowledge) and what they think they know (subjective knowledge) and these constituents in the context of wine are significantly related.  However it is also clear that these constituents are significantly different, with different antecedents and implications for other consumer behaviours.  This study provides a visual depiction of a simplistic nomological map developed for the construct of consumer knowledge based on the studies reported in this thesis in the context of an information-intensive product such as wine.  Objective knowledge is largely driven by demographic antecedents, specifically age, gender and education while subjective knowledge is mostly driven by, or affected by consumption.  On the implications side of the map, objective knowledge significantly positively correlates with exploratory acquisition, and opinion leadership while subjective knowledge is positively related to opinion leadership and negatively to opinion-seeking behaviours.  Theoretical implications as well as recommendations for wine marketers and researchers are provided. / <p>QC 20151217</p>