M.Comm. (Investment Management) / It was postulated that the aim of consumer psychology as a science is to create constructs which can serve as a framework according to which consumer behaviour can be explained, predicted and influenced. The consumer decision-making process approach proves to be the most comprehensive and integrated approach to explain and predict consumer behaviour in terms of the individualised consumer. A fundamental problem, however, is that, as a result of their complexity and cognitive substructure, the models which have been designed to express this approach cannot easily be verified in practice. It was indicated that the model designed by Overton (1981) provides a way out of this dilemma. On the one hand the model relates well to existing consumer decision-making models, and on the other hand it is extremely useful from the viewpoint of the marketer, since consumers can be segmented according to two scales resulting from 'the model in terms of their cognitive orientation towards prcxiJct purchasing in general. The two scales were defined operationally as a rational and social consumer orientation respectively. The aim of this study was to obtain more information about cognitive consumer orientation. Contently, the study also aimed to promote scientific unity by integrating cognitive consumer orientation theoretically with field dependence and field independence, to provide a broader classification system from which new hypotheses could be derived. It was shOW1 that field independence and a rational consumer orientation both point to autonomous and cognitive-analytical functioning. A social-interpersonal disposition, on the other hand, underlies both field dependence and a social consumer orientation. Hierarchically, the constructs were set out with field dependence and field independence as the two general constructs, and the social and rational consumer orientations as the two consumer-specific constructs. The theoretical implications which the broader classification system has for cognitive consumer orientation were spelled out; amongst others, that it indicates that "field independent" could be substituted for the troublesome term "rational" . It was also shown what implications research of field dependence and field independence with regard to certain biographical correlates has for cognitive consumer orientation in terms of certain existing market segments. scenarios for certain demographic and socia-economic market segments, as well as for the so-called black and white consumer markets, were outlined. Recently it was found that field dependence does not occupy a bipolar position with regard to field independence in a•unitary construct, as has been traditionally accepted, but that the two are independent constructs. Consequently, the empirical study could be conducted more narrowly than the literature study to which it refers. Cognitive consumer orientation was also only tested in terms of cross-Cultural and gender differences…

This study aimed to investigate the adoption and the use of first-order retail banking product by those individuals who are classified as being low-income earners and who reside (for the purposes of employment) in urban and periurban areas. The Financial Sector Charter of 2003 stated that the improvement and consequent increase in the access to formal financial services could contribute towards sustained economic growth, development and social transformation in South Africa. The purpose of this research is to gain insight into the adoption and usage of first-order retail banking products in an effort to better understand what could be done to improve access to these services and products. A total of 140 individuals across three sectors were interviewed with regards to their adoption of, use of and perceptions of banking institutions and bank accounts in South Africa. The results, in graphic form, were analysed in order to discern similarities and / or discrepancies so that conclusions could be drawn. It was concluded that while banking institutions and bank accounts were seen in a positive light, perceptions regarding the purpose and functionality of banking institutions and bank accounts as well as the available products and their usage, came across as being the largest hindrance to first-order retail banking product adoption and usage amongst low-income individuals in the urban and peri-urban areas. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The object of the thesis was to develop a field instrument for the determination of aesthetic tastes and preferences among various social groups. The instrument has been developed for use in research on attitudes and preferences involved in the purchase of homes. The instrument was constructed as a visual attitude scale, consisting of three house photographs graduated along a social class continuum to represent the lower, middle, and upper scale categories; and will be developed on the assumption that people can consistently discriminate among house photographs on the basis of perceived social class of occupant families. The three house photographs were derived from a rating process in the field which used 60 respondents to rate a set of 30 carefully selected house photographs among three social class categories. The house photographs associated most with each of the three categories were selected to represent each social stratum in the visual attitude scale. Use of the visual attitude scale in conjunction with the Semantic Differential and open-end questions was proposed as a means to determine differences in aesthetic tastes and preferences and, also, other attitudes involved in the decision making process to buy a home. The actual utility and validity of the field instrument cannot be established here, but must be the object of further research. The study did reveal, however, a high degree of consistency of ratings by respondents from different social class backgrounds and, therefore, provided face validation for the assumptions underlying the construction of the field instrument. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

The understanding of consumer spatial behaviour, and of the forces influencing the spatial organisation of urban retail activity, can be advanced through an analysis of the processes operating at the consumer-store interface. Such an analysis can contribute to the development of models of consumer spatial behaviour which combine predictive accuracy and theoretical adequacy. A review of the literature indicates that this combination has not characterised the models previously developed in the course of retail geographic research. A model formulated in the field of consumer behaviour theory serves as the conceptual framework for analysing the process whereby a consumer forms preferences for particular stores. This process involves complex interactions at the consumer-store interface between two basic variable sets comprising consumer characteristics and store characteristics. In essence, preferences are formed as the outcome of the consumer comparing perceived store characteristics with a set of predetermined evaluative criteria. These preferences relate to the set of store characteristics which the consumer interprets as sources of satisfaction in the course of shopping experience. The measurement of consumer attitudes towards salient store characteristics provides the basis for operationalising the conceptual model of store preference formation. An empirical study was conducted to identify the structure of consumer preferences for clothing stores and to derive consumer groups consisting of individuals with relatively similar attitude profiles. Unstructured interviews with consumers served to determine a set of salient attitudinal items. These items were then incorporated within a modified Likert attitude scaling instrument, which was administered to a convenience sample group comprising undergraduate students and their parents. The data obtained was factor analysed to identify attitudinal dimensions. Ten factors were extracted which indicated that concepts such as "boutiqueness", "cheapness", "security", "convenience", "exclusiveness" and "reliability" were appropriate to describe the structure of the clothing store preferences of the sample group. Factor scores were computed for each of the respondents and a hierarchical grouping technique was used to derive six consumer groups. Interpretation of the "representative group profiles' showed that the groups could be equated with recognisable shopper types, including the 'teenage boutique' shopper, the 'bargain store' shopper, and the high class 'specialty store' shopper. The findings of this empirical study require further validation and extension in the course of additional research; nevertheless, they indicate the potential utility of attitude measurement as a basis for explaining the spatial preferences of consumers in the retail environment. This is a step towards the development of models which can adequately explain and accurately predict consumer spatial behaviour. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this thesis is to examine some projective techniques that can be used to study consumer attitudes. The measurement of attitudes is an interesting but perplexing one, mainly because of their abstract nature. Many instruments have been used, notably the direct method of questioning and the scaling techniques. These are based upon two important assumptions: (1) that the individual is aware of his attitudes and can verbalize them and (2) that the individual is willing to reveal these attitudes to an interviewer who is a total stranger. Researchers have recognized the weaknesses of these assumptions and have turned to more indirect approaches. The usefulness of projective methodology in consumer interviewing is undeniable. Their more subtle, indirect, unstructured and flexible approach overcomes some of the weaknesses found in the more direct methods. But these techniques have some limitations which have been severely criticized. The validity and scientific value of these tools are subjected to great controversy. Yet, it is not enough to list their shortcomings. It is necessary to spell out what they are invalid for and why. More research has to be done especially in comparing the responses derived from these methods which those obtained from other tools, on the same subject of inquiry and under similar circumstances. The author has relied solely on secondary data in the study. Any empirical testing of these techniques calls for a considerable amount of experience and skill in psychology and consumer behavior. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

The purpose of this investigation was to explore the relationship between the general psychological mood of the population regarding the national economy and its effect upon the level of stock market prices. It was hypothesized that there should be evidence of a positive relation between the two. In an effort to explain stock price levels several models were constructed which contained various component variables, among which were an Index of Consumer Mood, GNP, Corporate Earnings Before Tax, Money Supply and Canadian Government Long-Term Bond Interest Rates. All datum covered 38 quarters, from 3rd quarter I960 to 4th quarter 1969. From these variables five models were constructed containing three equations each. Five tests were conducted on the five individual models in which the correlations, multiple regressions and polynomial distributed lags were measured. Various tests contained data based on first differences deflated values, relative differences and combinations thereof. A final test was with the exclusion of the Consumer Mood variable in order to judge the effect its presence had made upon the accuracy of the equations. The conclusions based upon the results of the tests must initially indicate that the general psychological consumer attitude has little bearing upon the level of stock prices. Deflated money supply however, proved to be highly relevant and a valuable predictor. The total picture presented by the models is unsatisfactory, requiring either the substitution of more accurate variables or the inclusion of further data to supplant the inefficiency of the variables that were used. The components employed in the tests were both inefficient in some cases and insufficient in others. The results must only indicate areas for further investigation and refinement of the datum. Any generalization on the lack of statistical support for a relationship between consumer confidence and stock prices to the effect of consumer opinions about the economy as a whole would neither be reasonable nor justifiable at this time. / Business, Sauder School of / Finance, Division of / Graduate

Most marketers and retailers agree that the location of a particular retail outlet may be instrumental in that outlet’s sales and profits. One of the proposed solutions to this problem of retail store location is Huff's gravity model. Using Huff's gravity model as a structural guide, the major purpose of this thesis is to analyse consumer patronage behaviour within an urban grocery system so as to assist the retail grocery store location analyst. The analysis centers around those consumer patronage behaviour variables suggested by the author as being important in the consumer's decision to patronize a retail grocery outlet. The analysis will also serve as a guide to retail grocery location analysis in specific and to the possible effects of particular consumer patronage behaviour variables on retail outlets in general. Relationships are tested using simple and multiple regression analyses and t-test analysis on data collected on all grocery stores in the Lower Mainland Area of Vancouver, British Columbia. Some of the more important findings are: 1) neither the number of customer checkouts nor the number of parking spaces provided can be employed to predict sales per square foot of supermarket selling area. 2) a discount price policy will not yield greater mean sales per square foot of supermarket selling area than a retail price policy. 3) in general a combination of good internal and external appearances yields greater mean sales per square foot of supermarket selling area than a combination of low internal and external appearances. 4) in general the addition of internal and/or external facilities yields greater mean sales per square foot of supermarket selling area than those encountered before the addition or additions of such facilities. The study also indicates that in some specific cases supermarket size should be accounted for in the analysis. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Littering, giving blood, conserving energy, voter registration and wearing seatbelts serve as examples of public behaviours which governments have attempted to alter. Whether it be for purposes of controlling costs, helping other citizens, or protecting the environment, altering behavioural patterns which operate against the general well-being of society has become big business. A plethora of techniques have been employed in efforts to sway the activity patterns of people. While various approaches have been undertaken, the research focuses upon two traditions. First, an economic or behavioural approach is employed where behavioural changes are believed to be influenced most effectively by material rewards. Second, cognitive or attitudinal approaches stress that attitudes play an operative role in effecting behavioural change. Using shifts in daily patterns of energy use as an example of social behaviour, the research reported here contrasts cognitive and economic models. While the two approaches can be complementary, it also may be that under certain conditions one or the other model is most successful. Where the two models do contrast is in the predictions made about what behavioural change will result after the removal of economic incentives. Data from a large field-experiment using a multi-stage probability sample of nearly 700 Wisconsin households is analysed to examine the influence of cognitive and behavioural models of time-of-day energy usage. The objective of the experiment was to determine whether economic stimuli could be used to reduce peoples' use of peak-time energy consumption. Behavioural change in energy consumption patterns was measured by in-house meters which recorded all usage for a year prior to the introduction of special time-of-day rates; for three years while the rates were in effect; and for a sub-sample of households, the summer after the rates ended. In addition, three waves of survey data from mailed questionnaires administered prior to, during, and following the experiment allow monitoring of the development and change in attitude toward time-of-day pricing of electricity, and its influence on behaviour. In contrast to earlier published work, this analysis suggests only a minimal, independent impact of attitude on behavioural change under time-of-day electricity rates. At the conclusion of the experiment, and in the absence of any further financial rewards, households, by and large, returned to former consumption levels. Concomitant changes in attitudinal commitment occurred as well. Nevertheless, a subset of households, constituting some twenty percent of the original sample, remained highly committed to peak electricity reductions and, to a degree, maintained their prior conserving behaviours without further financial reward. Several analyses were performed in an attempt to reconcile the contradictory nature of the current findings with those of earlier research. It is argued that the apparent influence of attitude in affecting behaviour at the time the pricing incentive was in effect was exaggerated by householders substituting an attitudinal for a financial motive. Further, the influence of price on attitude formation may have been underestimated due to the curvilinear relation of price with behaviour. Evidence in support of each of these hypotheses is provided. It is concluded that, in combination with price, attitude is important to maintaining behavioural change, but that its independent influence, in this instance, is minor. At the same time, the effect of price appears less based on the size of the pricing incentive, than serving as an informational source signalling appropriate action, irrespective of the absolute financial reward. Finally, the thesis concludes with some speculations on the lessons from this experiment for other attempts to alter behavioural patterns. / Arts, Faculty of / Sociology, Department of / Graduate

This study is concerned with the relationship between consumers' social class and family status characteristics and some spatial aspects of their shopping behaviour. In the past much of our understanding of how consumers behave spatially has been derived from studies of retail structure, and thus it has to be assumed that consumers behave in the same fashion; and where studies have looked at variations in behaviour they have concentrated on differences in retail demands or differences in the single, personal attributes (e.g. income or ethnic origin) which influence behaviour. Many of these personal attributes are interrelated, and in this study two such interrelationships are identified - social class and family status. A sample survey of consumers was undertaken in Metropolitan Vancouver, Canada; and using factor analysis it is possible to identify, and measure consumers according to, three dimensions (or interrelationships) among the socio-economic and demographic attributes asked for in the survey - social class and older and younger family status (two similar dimensions result from respondents being asked to identify their children by age group). Social class and family status are then related to two aspects of consumer spatial behaviour - travel behaviour, and in particular the distance and frequency travelled to shop for various goods and secondly the specific department store and its location chosen by the consumer. It is found that the higher the social class group, the greater the frequency shopping goods were purchased and the greater the distance travelled for groceries and dress. But for goods required less frequently and/or lacking a specialty nature (furniture, appliances and footwear) the differences in distance are not significant. On the family status dimension the low group (small families, invariably older and without children) often travel significantly shorter distances than other groups; the former reside mostly in the older areas, close to major shopping centres, and/or tend to shop at the nearest centre. Department-store preference is found to vary according to area. A significant polarisation of preference by social class is seen in downtown Vancouver, but in the outer suburbs, where the same firm has decentralised to widely differing social areas, similar allegiances are not found. Different department-store firms do not attract one particular family status group more than another. Differences are, however, related to geographic location with the downtown Vancouver and suburban stores attracting a significantly higher proportion of low and medium-high group consumers respectively. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Few experiments have examined the effects of attribute processing on purchase intentions. This experiment predicts a function of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) is to process brand-name products for their attributes. Hemodynamic response was measured in bilateral PFC from 48 participants during a study task, where participants processed brand-name products using various attribute processing types (once using one attribute, twice using the same attribute, and twice using two different attributes), and during a purchase intention test, where participants chose to purchase novel or previously processed brand-name products. Analysis of variance compared differences in hemodynamic response as a function of cortical structure, Type of Processing, and task. Results demonstrated repetition suppression in the left PFC for brand-name products that were previously processed for multiple attributes. Findings suggest processing different attributes of the same brand-name product bias purchase intentions, where participants were more likely to purchase brand-name products processed for multiple attributes. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection