Consumer Voluntary Disposition - Research Proposal Example

Introduction There has been many studies on consumer research which mainly dealt with consumer behaviour but disposition have been rarely discussed. Consumer behaviour can be defined as the "acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods, services, time and ideas by decision making units.” (Jacoby, Berning, and Dietvorst, 1977, p.22). Consumer behaviour is a discipline to itself and is not subdicipline to any other groups like marketing, advertising, sociology, business, governments or consumers. Belk (1986, p. 423): The changing trend of consumerism from product dominant to consumer dominant has bought such reorientation on “customer focus” (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990, p.3) requires sophisticated understanding of consumer behaviours (Nwankwo, 1995). Consequently, the field of consumer research (Belk, 1986 cited in Holb rook, 1995) becomes an increasingly important constituent to marketing discipline than ever before. Scope of Study: According to consumer culture theory (CCT), consumer research investigates/studies “the contextual, symbolic, and experiential aspects of consumption as they unfold across a consumption cycle that includes acquisition, consumption and possession, and disposition processes and analysis of these phenomena from macro-, meso-, and micro- theoretical perspectives” (Arnould and Thompson, 2005, p.871). Importance of study: This topic is important because, firstly, many disposition decisions have economic consequences for both the individual and society. Some (eg., when and how to properly dispose outdated prescription drugs) even have important health and safety ramifications. Secondly, since much purchase behaviour is cyclical, a variety of marketing implications can emanate from an understanding of the disposition subprocess. Thirdly, in an age of relative scarcity in which we can no longer afford the luxury of squandering resources, understanding disposition decisions and behaviour is logically prerequisite for effective environmental conservation – environmental implication (Jacoby, 1978). Objectives The rest of this paper first examines the definition of disposition, followed by an integrative review on disposition typologies, methodological issues, and factors that determine disposition by consumers. Finally, the status of the literature and implications for future research in the area are discussed. Evaluations Disposal has been defined differently by different researchers. A product will be disposed under different situations. Some will contend that as soon as an owner relinquishes the possession of an appliance, (Jacoby 1978) there is disposition. Thus it defines disposal as the action taken, by the owner when he decides to replace an appliance regardless of the motive. For example, if the, households primary refrigerator is replaced by a new refrigerator, the old refrigerator is considered as "disposed" even though it may be retained in the basement. Thus disposal decision is a disposal/replacement decision. So it is narrowly referred as the act of “getting rid-off” (Jacoby, Berning, and Dietvorst, 1977). While in another study it has a broader definition as a process of “detachment from self”. (Melissa & Melanie, p 34). Death is an example to explain the process, where it contains the two components; the physical and the emotional detachment. While other group of researchers view disposition narrowly as actions toward an object, while another group of researchers view disposition more widely as a process taking into account “the inextricable and dynamic interplay between development of self and material possessions [so that the] subtle nuances will not remain hidden behind the seemingly mundane and uneventful act of disposition” (Roster, 2001, p.429-430). For instance, one group of researchers regard disposition as an act (eg., Jacoby et al., 1977; Burke, Conn, and Lutz, 1978; DeBell and Dardis, 1979; Price, Arnould, and Curasi, 2000), while another group of researchers treat disposition as a process (eg., Hanson, 1980; Young and Wallendorf, 1989; Boyd and McConocha, 1996; Hibbert, Horner, Tagg, 2005; Lastovicka and Fernandez, 2005; Shelton and Peters, 2006). Within these two broad categories/clusters, further variance exists. Price et al. (2000) defined disposition as “acts inspired….for…extension of the self” (p.196). Likewise, while Hanson (1980) defined disposition process as resembling the information processing model that encompass the stages of problem recognition, search evaluation, disposition decision, and post-disposition outcomes, Young and Wallendorf (1989) defined disposition as the process of emotional and physical detachment from self. Lastovicka and Fernandez (2005) adopted their view. In contrast, Shelton and Peters (2006) defined disposition as the process that alter a person’s self-concept by allowing him or her to further incorporate an identity into, rather than separate it from, his or her self-concept” (,p.207). Roster (2001) defined disposition as the process of “dispossession” (p.425). But Boyd and McConocha (1996) defined disposition as the “process of resource management” (p.219). Hibbert, Horner, and Tagg (2005) defined disposition as the process of moving ownership of goods. Jacoby states that there are three choices with the customer when he makes the decision of disposition; 1. Keep the product; 2. Permanently dispose of it; 3. Temporarily dispose of it; (Jacoby, p22). In his study he searches why people dispose off their belongings. Why people acquire new products when the existing one is working satisfactorily? Some common answers he got was; receiving new ones as gifts, receiving the new product as a gift, or purchasing the new product for oneself, because; It had features which the old one did not (e.g., the date or second hand on wrist watches).It didnt fit in with the changing environment (e.g., the old refrigerator was the wrong style and colour for the new home). (Jacoby, p22) What factors influence the disposition choice the consumer makes? 1. Psychological characteristics of the decision maker: personality, attitudes, emotions, perception, learning, creativity, intelligence, social class, level of risk tolerance, peer pressure, social conscience, etc. 2. Factors intrinsic to the product: condition, age, size, style, value, colour, and power source of the product, technological innovations, adaptability, reliability, durability, initial cost, and replacement cost, etc. 3. Situational factors extrinsic to the product: finances, storage space, urgency, fashion changes, circumstances of acquisition (gift vs. purchase), functional use, economics (demand and supply), legal considerations (giving to avoid taxes), etc. These three categories help assist in speculating about disposition decisions and behaviour; and it does provide with a framework for developing and structuring hypotheses. P26 Of the articles reviewed, it was found that the type of disposed possession examined can be categorised as tangible or intangible, normal or special, which yields four product types. In the category of tangible normal, products examined include commonly purchased durable goods (Jacoby et al., 1977); “items are of moderate value, in usable condition, and have no sentimental value” (Harrell and McConocha, 1992, p.404); washing machines, refrigerator, clothing, cutlery, crockery etc. In the category of intangible normal, products examined include information (Olshavsky, 1985), place, time, periods, and events (Young and Wallendorf, 1989), In the category of intangible special, products examined include place of residence, job (Young, 1991, p.38), relationship (McAlexander, 1991). Subject characteristics – In terms of age, current literatures have covered the disposition behaviour of adolescents (Wooten, 2006), middle-aged adults, and old consumers (Price, Arnould, and Curasi, 2000). While most of these are confined to a specific age group, for example, Price et al. (2000) examined older consumer’s disposition of special possessions within familial context, while Wooten studied adolescent disposition of possessions in a social context under ridicule, there are some studies that investigate disposition behaviour along the age continuum in a single study. However, the results differ from each other making the literature finding inconclusive. The study conducted by Burke, Conn, and Lutz (1978) to find the consumer product disposition behaviour found out that the young people tend to discard product often than older group. (Cited in Hanson, 1980, p.51).Even taking into account product type factors (special versus normal), the results are still mixed. Even within the same study, the results are inconclusive. In Harrell and McConocha (1992), results were found that the tendency to keep was negatively related to age (meaning the younger you are the more likely you are to keep), which is contradictory with the finding that the tendency to throw way is also negatively associated with age (meaning the younger you are the more likely you are to throw things away). Understanding of children’s disposition behaviour is important because children are increasingly key consumers in today’ society, high power consumers…”aadolescents acquire consumption information from influential others” (David, p 195). In addition, it contributes to knowledge of symbolic consumption by shedding light on efforts to make sense of objects and the types of people who possess them. Given this rationale, future research on this area is required to close this knowledge gap. Several studies have looked into the situational effects on consumer behaviour (eg. Belk). From a micro perspective, situations that has been explored include everyday life (DeBell and Dardis, 1979), role transitions (Young, 1991), divorce (McAlexander, 1991), family legancy (Price, Arnould and Curasi, 2000), economic crisis (Green et al., 2001), AIDS illness (Kates, 2001), ridicule (Wooten, 2006), tattoo removal (Shelton and Peters, 2006), a wide opportunity exists for exploration of disposition in other contexts, such as party. Researchers can also explore in terms of whether and how people’s disposition behaviour differs between private and public context, and the implications for this. From a macro perspective, all of the literatures examined are confined in American/European context. Only one examined emerging economy/Asian country that of Thailand. “The study has also suggested the possibility of relationships between shocks at the macroeconomic level and behavioural reactions emanating from cultural forces in the affected societies.” (Robert, Rujirutana and Tasman, p 58). This turmoil lead them to CBS (Car Boot Sale) participation, which they were previously not aware of. Methodological Issues Upon the articles examined related to disposition, only 3 studies were found to have used quantitative method, all the others used qualitative method. This methodological strategy has both strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, the utilization of qualitative methodology through interviews, questionnaires can be effective when considering the areas covered. In terms of weaknesses, though generalization and validity is not applicable as a valid criticism for individual studies, when examine the body of literature as a whole; this appears to be a weakness as the results are restricted to the context and sample examined. If the findings cannot be extrapolated to other context, the usefulness of the implications is significantly curtailed. Conclusion: Status of the Literature and Future Research Consumer voluntary disposition is not a widely discussed topic in consumer research. “Consumer research is a vital and maturing field of inquiry, not because it has steadily advanced toward a singular body of theory but rather because it can generate and sustain multiple theoretical conversations, each speaking to distinctive theoretical questions.” (Eric. J. Arnould & Craig .J. Thompson, P. 876). Consumer disposition has been differently defined by different researchers, so theoretically it defines voluntary disposition as a process entailing action to achieve some goal. There are many factors that influence disposition behaviours including the consumer’s characteristics. The various studies related to disposition were examined here. This study’s findings suggest that disposition provides a similar means of achieving the freedom of exercising choices by the customers. …. “it is perhaps the psychological impact that is imparted by the final severance of the relationship between an object and its possessor through the act of disposition that captures the true meaning and richness of this final stage of consumption in the lives of consumers.” (Catherine A. Roster, p. 430). Read More