This thesis examines consumer disadvantage in the context of grocery retailing, and from the perspective of the marketing discipline. In the absence of a well developed body of academic literature on the topic, this research commences by developing a conceptual model based on a multi-disciplinary review of the consumer disadvantage literature and UK grocery retailing restructure literature. The conceptual model discerns between antecedents to disadvantage (for example, car ownership, income, and age) and manifestations of disadvantage (for example, paying higher prices, poor quality and limited range of items). The conceptual model was explored using quantitative and qualitative research approaches, namely a mail survey, a diary panel, semi-structured interviews and focus groups, and was subsequently revised in the light of the research findings. Although traditionally consumer disadvantage studies have focussed on geographical areas poorly served by retailers (,absolute disadvantage'), this research took place in an urban area of Southampton which contained a wide variety of retail provision (,relative disadvantage'). The findings reveal consumer disadvantage to be a complex phenomenon, determined by both objective (made by the researcher) and subjective (made by the individual) judgements. The mail survey and diary survey provide evidence that antecedents to disadvantage can influence the shopping behaviour of the individual, but the extent to which this results in manifestations of consumer disadvantage being experienced or perceived by an individual is subject to their expectations, preferences and interpretations of their shopping experiences.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:271056 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Woodliffe, Lucy Harriet |
| Publisher | University of the West of England, Bristol |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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