Joural of Consumer’s purchase decision

Factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City
Karunia Setyowati Suroto 1, 2 Zaenal Fanani and Bambang Ali Nugroho1 1) Postgraduate Program, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Brawijaya. Jl. Veteran No. 1, Malang 65145, Indonesia 2) Tribhuwana Tunggadewi University, Jl. Telaga Warna, Tlogomas, Malang 65141, Indonesia

Abstract : Various brands of formula milk offered by many companies make mothers having under five year old children difficult to make decision to buy formula milk. The purposes of this study were to analyze the simultaneous and partial effects of culture, social, personal, psychological, product and price variables on buying decision of formula milk, and to analyze the variables having dominant influence on the purchasing decisions of formula milk at Malang City. This study was conducted at Lowokwaru, Kedungkandang, Blimbing, Sukun and Klojen Districts of Malang City from November to December 2012. The method used for this study was an explanatory survey method using questionnaires to collect data from 120 mothers having under five year old children consuming formula milk that were selected by an accidental sampling method. Data of respondents were measured using Likert Scale that ranged from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). A multiple linear regression model was used to predict the effects of culture, social, personal, psychological, product and price variables on purchasing decision. The results showed that the six variables simultaneously affected significantly the purchasing decision of formula milk at Malang City. The six variables contributed 83.5% of the variation in formula milk purchasing decision. Partially, culture, social, personal, psychological, and product variables positively influenced the purchasing decisions of formula milk, while price variables did not significantly influence the purchasing decision of formula milk. Culture variable was the most dominant variable influencing purchasing decision of formula milk. Keywords - formula milk, consumer, behaviour, purchase decision I. INTRODUCTION The increasing number of births in the city of Malang has led to the increasing demand for child formula milk. This is an opportunity for many companies to expand the market. The marketing concept aims to give satisfaction to the desires and needs of consumers. With so many companies offering various brands of infant milk formula, the mothers are faced with a variety of choices that make them difficult to make purchase decisions [1]. This happens because the consumers basically try to get the goods to meet their needs with a better level of satisfaction [2]. The process of consumer decision-making in general, includes five stages, i.e. introduction of need, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase and purchase evaluation [3]. Consumer behavior can be defined as activities related to acquiring, consuming, and get rid of the goods or services, which also includes the decision-making process preceding and after the event took place [3]. Factors that influence consumer buying behavior may include culture, social, personal and psychological [4]. It has been reported that factors related to the selection of formula + (AA and DHA) by mothers of children under five year old at Medan Johor District good knowledge formula, advertising and information from health workers [5]. Results of research conducted by Mahendrasari [6] suggested that cultural, social and personal factors influence consumer decisions in the purchase of infant formula milk at Tiara Gods Supermarket Denpasar. In an effort to improve marketing performances at the target markets, the company often uses the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion) as a marketing device [7]. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of culture, social, personal, psychological, product and price factors, either simultaneously or partially, on the buying decision of formula milk for children in the city of Malang. II. Methods 2.1.Time and location This study was conducted at Lowokwaru, Kedungkandang, Sukun, Blimbing and Klojen Districts of Malang in November to December 2012. The method used was an explanatory research method to explain the causal causal relationship between the tested variables [8]. Factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City www.iosrjournals.org 96 | Page 2.2.Sampling Samples employed for this study were selected accidently using an accidental sampling method because of the large population, limited time available, and cost. Accidental sampling is sampling technique based on chance, that anyone who by chance met with investigators can be used as a sample [8]. One hundred and twenty mothers from Lowokwaru, Kedungkandang, Sukun, Blimbing and Klojen, Malang were selected as samples for this study. The selected mothers regularly bought formula milk for their under-five-year old children. 2.3.Data Collection The primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires to the respondents, i.e. mothers having underfive-year old children. The data were measured using a Likert scale in a closed question with answer choices starting from the lowest intensity to the highest [9]. Possible answers to these questions were, strongly disagree (score 1), agree (score 2), neutral (score 3), agree (score 4), and strongly agree (score 5). The secondary data were obtained from scientific reports and documents from related institutions. The observed variables consisted of culture = X1 (environment, halal certification, social class), social = X2 (reference groups, family, friends, coworkers), personal = X3 (age, occupation, personality), psychological = X4 (motivation, perception, memory), product = X5 (brand, packaging design, collateral halal, calcium and fat), price = X6 (brand, price compliance, pieces), and purchasing decision = Y (problem control , information search, evaluation, variation, behaviour). Validity of the questionnaire measured the product moment correlation formula. If the probability of the correlation results of less than 0.05 (5%), then the instrument is declared invalid, and vice versa if the probability of the correlation results of more than 0.05 (5%) declared invalid. Reliability was measured by Cronbach alpha formula (α). An instrument can be said to be reliable if it has a reliability coefficient of 0.6 (60%) or more [10]. 2.4.Classical Assumption Test Detection of multicollinearity in the regression model was reviewed based on the value of tolerance and VIF (Variance Inflation Factor). If the tolerance values> 0.1 or VIF value> 10 then the multicollinearity is not detected [11]. Homoscedasticity was detected by looking at whether the presence or absence of a particular pattern on a graph the data processing on the X-axis and Y-axis X was predicted residuals (Y-Y real prediction). If there is no clear pattern, then there is homoscedasticity. Test for normality was conducted through the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. If Sig. (P)> 0.05 then the data are normally distributed, otherwise if Sig. (P) <0.05 then the data are not normally distributed. 2.5.Multiple Linear Regression Analysis In this study, a multiple linear regression model was used to predict the influence of independent variables (X) consisting of culture (X1), social (X2), personal (X3), psychological (X4), product (X5) and price (X6), on the dependent variable (Y), i.e. the purchasing buying decision of formula milk for under-five-year old children in the city of Malang. The formula are as follows [12]: Y = a +b1X1+b2X2+b3X3+b4X4+b5X5+b6X6 (unstandardized) Y = b1X1+b2X2+b3X3+b4X4+b5X5+b6X6 (standardized) where: Y = the purchase decision, a = constant, b = regression coefficient, X1 = culture, X2 = social, X3 = personal, X4 = psychological, X5 = product, X6 = price, e = error. The influence of independent variables to the dependent variable was evaluated using the value of R2 . If the value of R2 is close to 100% then all the independent variables contribute to almost all of the information needed to predict the dependent variable. The simultaneous influence of culture (X1), social (X2), personal (X3), psychological (X4), product (X5) and price (X6) on purchasing decision of formula milk (Y) was tested using Ftest at p < 0.05. The partial influence of each of the six independent variable on purchasing decision of formula milk was tested using T-test at p <0.05. III. Results And Discussion 3.1.Profile of Respondents Age of respondents ranged from 22 years to 42 years. The largest frequency (33% respondents) was observed at the age of 26-30 years old (Fig. 1). This suggests that at the age range of 26-30 years old mothers are more objective than at other age ranges in searching information about the product or service that interests them. Age of the respondent’s child ranged from 1 month to 60 months, with the largest number (95%) was observed at the range of 1-5 years (Fig.1). This suggests that under-five-year old children require supplementary food to support their growth. Based on the education level of respondents, the majority (48%) of respondents Factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City www.iosrjournals.org 97 | Page had a bachelor of education degree. Consumer’s education is closely connected with the knowledge of a good in terms of quality and benefits. Most respondents (73%) had side jobs such as opening stores and online businesses. The side jobs made respondents to have extra income to help their families and less dependent on the husband's income. There were 54 respondents (45%) having income between Rp. 1 million to Rp. 2 millions per-month (Fig.1). This suggests that the level of income in the city of Malang is quite good, so that the community can continue to strive to meet their needs which in turn affecting the quantity of goods demanded. Expenditure of 54 respondents (45%) to purchase formula milk in a month amounted to more than Rp. 400.000, whereas there were only 18 respondents (15%) spent less than Rp. 100.000 per month for formula milk. Figure 1. Profile of respondents 3.2.Validity and reliability of research instrument Results of validity test using Product Moment Correlation showed that significance values for all X and Y variables were 0.000 (<0.05) indicating that the instrument used to collect the data was valid. The Cronbach alpha values for the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6 and Y variables were 0.756, 0.920, 0.635, 0.771, 0.853, 0.710, and 0.634, respectively. As the Cronbach alpha values were all greater than 0.6, the instrument used to collect the data was reliable. 3.3.Multicollinearity, homoscedasticity, and normality tests Results of classical assumption tests showed that there was no multicollinearity detected in the regression model used for this study. The VIF values for all independent variables were 4.596, 4.530, 1.588, 4.211, 1.761, and 3.772, with tolerance values of 0.218, 0.221, 0.630, 0.237, 0.568, and 0265, for the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5 and X6, respectively. The occurrence of a random distribution of all values indicated that the regression model used in this study was homoscedasticity. The test One-Sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov showed that Asymp.Sig. (2-tailed) of Unstandardized Predicted Value was 0.262 or a sign. p> 0.05. This indicated that the residual data had a normal distribution. Factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City www.iosrjournals.org 98 | Page 3.4.The influence of culture, social, personal, psychological, product and price factors on purchase decision of formula milk The result of multiple linear regression analysis showed that the F calculated value of 101,68 is greater than the F table of 2.175 (df1 -6, df2 = 113; α = 5%), with the significance value of 0.000 which is smaller than 0.05. This indicates that the social, culture, personal, psychological, product and price factors simultaneously influenced the buying decision of formula milk. Considering the value of the coefficient of determination (R2 ) of 0.835 (Table 1), it can be stated that the six variables contributed 83.5% to the variation of purchase decision of formula milk, while the remaining 16.5% seemed to be determined by other factors that were not included in the analysis model. By employing the standardized coefficients (Table 1), the linear regression model is Y = 0.601X1 + 0.184X2 + 0.070X3 + 0.264X4 + 0.059X5 - 0.095X6. Table 1. Multiple Linear Regression Analysis Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. B Std. Error Beta (Constant) 0.272 0.192 1.415 0.160 X1 0.594 0.079 0.601 7.533 0.000 X2 0.102 0.044 0.184 2.327 0.022 X3 0.057 0.038 0.070 1.484 0.141 X4 0.199 0.058 0.264 3.457 0.001 X5 0.037 0.031 0.059 1.199 0.233 X6 -0.068 0.052 -0.095 -1.315 0.191 R 2 0,844 Adjusted R2 0,835 F calculated 101.683 Sig F Change 0,000 The coefficients of culture (X1), social (X2), personal (X3), psychological (X4), and product (X5) variables are all positive. This indicates that the five variables have direct relationships with purchasing decision process. Increasing culture, social, personal, psychological and product values will enhance the buying decision process. On the other hand, the negative coefficient value of the price variable (X6) indicates that the increase in price will decrease the purchasing decision process of formula milk. As the coefficient value of the culture (b1) variable is greater than other five variable coefficients, it can be stated that the culture variable is the dominant factor influencing purchase decision of formula milk. 3.5.Implications of Study Culture variable includes religion, occupation, education and income. Based on the Schiffman Kanuk theory, elements of culture that strongly determine decision-making process are the values of tradition or persistent belief that contribute to a particular personal behavior in a community. The Schiffman Kanuk theory also explains that socially consumers will seek opinions or information from others to be used as a guideline in selecting new products to be consumed, especially when the new products are rarely available in the market. Psychological variable that consists of motivation, perception, learning and memory, can bring the consumer to interact with the surrounding social environments to recognize feelings, collect and analyze some information, formulate ideas, opinions, and take action. Purchasing decision can also be influenced by personal characteristics that comprising age, occupation, economic condition, lifestyle, and personality and buyer’s selfconcept [4]. The positive influence of product variable on the purchasing decision of formula milk is basically associated with consumer’s satisfaction to own and consume their needs [7]. Although the price variable in this study did not significantly affect the purchasing decision process, this variable cannot be ignored so that mothers can choose the right infant formula milk for their children. IV. Conclusion Culture, social, personal, psychological, product and price variables simultaneously influenced the purchasing decision process of formula milk in Malang City. Partially, however, price variable did not significantly influenced purchasing decision of formula milk. Culture was the dominant variable influencing purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City. Factors influencing consumer’s purchase decision of formula milk in Malang City www.iosrjournals.org 99 | Page Acknowledgements This study was partly supported by Tribhuwana Tunggadewi University of Malang. Many thanks are due to official staff of Lowokwaru, Sukun, Kedungkandang, Klojen and Blimbing Districts for their valuable assistance and supports. References [1]. B. Swastha, B, Modern marketing management (Liberty: Yogyakarta, 1990). [2]. J.D. Horna, M. Smale, and M. Von Oppen, M, Farmer willingness to pay for seed-related information: rice varieties in Nigeria and Benin. Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(06), pages 799-825, December 2007. [3]. R. Blackwell, D. Miniard, W. Paul, and J.F. Engel, Concumer Behavior (Harcourt College Publishers, Ohio, USA. 2001, 570 p). [4]. P. Kotler, Marketing Management (Prentice Hall, 11 edition, 2002) [5]. E. Nasution, Factors relating to Selection of Formula Milk + (AA and DHA) by Mothers having under five year old children at Medan Johor District. A research report of the University of North Sumatera, 2004. [6]. T.M. Mahendrasari, Influence of Culture, Social and Personal factors on purchasing decision at Tiara Dewata Supermarket Denpasar. A research report of the Universitas of Brawijaya, 2010. [7]. P. Kotler, G. Armstrong, V. Wong, and J.A. Saunders, Principle of Marketing (Pearson Education, Prentice Hall, USA, 2008, 1020 pages). [8]. M. Singarimbun, and S. Effendi, Methods of Survey Research (PT. Kencana Prenada Media Group. Jakarta, 2005). [9]. B. Simamora, A guideline for Consumer Behaviour Research (Gramedia Pustaka Utama. Jakarta, 2004). [10]. U. Sekaran, Research Methods for Business. The University of Indonesia, 2004. [11]. I. Ghozali, and A. Fuad, Structural Equation Modelling, Teori, Konsep dan Aplikasi. A research report, Diponegoro University, Indonesia, 2005. [12]. Sugiyono, Methodology of Business Research (CV. Alfabeta, Bandung, 2010).

TRANSLATE

LATAR BELAKANG

Meningkatnya jumlah kelahiran di Kota Malang telah menyebabkan meningkatnya permintaan untuk anak susu formula. Ini adalah kesempatan bagi banyak perusahaan untuk memperluas pasar. Konsep pemasaran bertujuan untuk memberikan kepuasan kepada keinginan dan kebutuhan konsumen. Dengan begitu banyak perusahaan yang menawarkan berbagai merek susu formula bayi, ibu dihadapkan dengan berbagai pilihan yang membuat mereka sulit untuk melakukan pembelian keputusan .Hal ini terjadi karena konsumen pada dasarnya mencoba untuk mendapatkan barang untuk memenuhi kebutuhan mereka dengan tingkat yang lebih baik dari kepuasan . Proses pengambilan keputusan konsumen pada umumnya, meliputi lima tahap, yaitu pengenalan kebutuhan, pencarian informasi, evaluasi alternatif, pembelian dan evaluasi pembelian. Perilaku konsumen dapat didefinisikan sebagai aktivitas yang berkaitan dengan memperoleh, mengkonsumsi, dan menyingkirkan barang atau jasa, yang juga termasuk proses pengambilan keputusan sebelumnya dan setelah acara berlangsung . Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi konsumen perilaku membeli mungkin termasuk budaya, sosial, pribadi dan psikologis. Telah dilaporkan bahwa faktor-faktor terkait dengan pemilihan rumus + (AA dan DHA) oleh ibu dari anak-anak di bawah lima tahun di Medan Johor District pengetahuan yang baik rumus, iklan dan informasi dari petugas kesehatan . Hasil penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Mahendrasari  menyatakan bahwa faktor budaya, sosial dan pribadi mempengaruhi keputusan konsumen dalam pembelian susu formula bayi di Tiara Dewata Supermarket Denpasar. Dalam sebuah upaya untuk meningkatkan kinerja pemasaran di pasar sasaran, perusahaan sering menggunakan bauran pemasaran (produk, harga, tempat, promosi) sebagai perangkat pemasaran . Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis efek budaya, sosial, pribadi, psikologis, produk dan faktor harga, baik secara simultan maupun parsial, pada keputusan pembelian susu formula untuk anak-anak di kota Malang.

METODE

Waktu  dan lokasi

Penelitian ini dilakukan di Lowokwaru, Kedungkandang, Sukun, Blimbing dan Klojen Kabupaten Malang pada bulan November hingga Desember 2012. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode penelitian penjelasan untuk menjelaskan hubungan kausal kausal antara variabel yang diuji.Faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan pembelian konsumen susu formula di Kota Malang

Contoh

Sampel yang digunakan untuk penelitian ini dipilih sengaja menggunakan metode accidental sampling karena populasi yang besar, waktu yang terbatas yang tersedia, dan biaya. Accidental sampling adalah teknik pengambilan sampel berdasarkan kebetulan, bahwa siapa saja yang secara kebetulan bertemu dengan peneliti dapat digunakan sebagai sampel . Seratus dan dua puluh ibu dari Lowokwaru, Kedungkandang, Sukun, Blimbing dan Klojen, Malang dipilih sebagai sampel untuk penelitian ini. Ibu yang dipilih secara teratur membeli susu formula untuk mereka berusia di bawah lima tahun anak-anak.

Data Koleksi

Data primer diperoleh dengan menyebarkan kuesioner kepada responden, ibu yaitu memiliki balita tahun anak-anak berusia. Data diukur dengan menggunakan skala Likert dalam pertanyaan tertutup dengan pilihan jawaban mulai dari intensitas terendah ke tertinggi . Mungkin jawaban atas pertanyaan ini adalah, sangat tidak setuju (skor 1), setuju (skor 2), netral (skor 3), setuju (skor 4), dan sangat setuju (skor 5). Data sekunder diperoleh dari laporan ilmiah dan dokumen dari instansi terkait. Variabel yang diamati terdiri budaya = X1 (lingkungan, sertifikasi halal, kelas sosial), sosial = X2 (kelompok referensi, keluarga, teman, rekan kerja), personal = X3 (usia, pekerjaan, kepribadian), psikologis = X4 (motivasi, persepsi, memori), produk = X5 (merek, desain kemasan, jaminan halal, kalsium dan lemak), harga = X6 (merek, kepatuhan harga, buah), dan keputusan pembelian = Y (kontrol masalah, pencarian informasi, evaluasi, variasi, perilaku). Validitas kuesioner diukur dengan rumus korelasi product moment. Jika probabilitas dari Hasil korelasi kurang dari 0,05 (5%), maka instrumen dinyatakan valid, dan sebaliknya jika probabilitas hasil korelasi lebih dari 0,05 (5%) dinyatakan tidak berlaku. Keandalan diukur dengan Rumus alpha cronbach (α). Instrumen dapat dikatakan handal jika memiliki koefisien reliabilitas 0,6 (60%) atau lebih.

KESIMPULAN

Budaya, sosial, pribadi, psikologis, produk dan harga variabel secara simultan mempengaruhi .Proses keputusan pembelian susu formula di Kota Malang. Secara parsial, namun, variabel harga tidak secara signifikan mempengaruhi keputusan pembelian susu formula. Budaya adalah variabel yang mempengaruhi dominan keputusan pembelian susu formula di Kota Malang.

SUMBER : http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol9-issue3/M0939599.pdf

Journa of Customer Satisfaction

CAN SERVICE QUALITY, TRUST, AND CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION ENGENDER CUSTOMERS LOYALTY?
By Mohammad Muzahid Akbar1 and Noorjahan Parvez2
ABSTRACT
This research has proposed a conceptual framework to investigate the effects
of customers’ perceived service quality, trust, and customer satisfaction on customer
loyalty. To test the conceptual framework, structural equation modeling (SEM) has
been used to analyze the data collected from 304 customers of a major private telecommunication
company operating in Bangladesh. The results of the study indicate
that trust and customer satisfaction are significantly and positively related to customer
loyalty. Customer satisfaction has found to be an important mediator between
perceived service quality and customer loyalty. A clear understanding of the postulated
relationships among the studied variables might encourage the mobile service
provider(s) to figure out appropriate course of action to win customers’ trust by
providing better services in order to create a loyal customer base.
Introduction
In the past three decades, due to liberalization
and privatization the entire telecommunications
industry has become a dynamic
service industry subject to increasing competition
with huge growth potential (Graack,
1996). In recent years, in some Asian countries
the number of mobile subscribers even
passed the number of fixed-line subscribers
(Fink, Matto, & Rathindran, 2003).
Hence, the strategic behavior of telecommunications
companies has attracted so
much attention in recent years, both in the
academic literature and in the popular press.
In Bangladesh the scenario is not much different
as its socioeconomic profile offers the
industry a tremendous opportunity to expand.
_________________________
1Mohammad Muzahid Akbar received his MBA from Lahore University of Management
Science (LUMS) and Master of Commerce (Accounting) from University of Dhaka, Dhaka. He
is currently working as a Senior Lecturer (Marketing and Management) in the School of Business
in the Independent University, Bangladesh.
2Noorjahan Parvez received her BBA and MBA (Marketing) from Independent University,
Bangladesh (IUB). She is currently working as a Research and Development Officer in the
School of Business, Independent University, Bangladesh.
24 ABAC Journal Vol. 29, No. 1 (January-April 2009, pp.24-38)
Currently the number of telecommunications
companies operating Bangladesh is
six (five private and one state-owned); but
the aggressive competition has forced the
incumbent telecommunications companies or
mobile operators to reconfigure their strategy
and business to sustain or improve their
competitive advantage.
In this emerging market customers are
not that loyal to one particular private
telecommunication company. Hence, the
major private telecommunication companies
forced to consider how to create a
loyal customer base that will not be
eroded even in the face of fierce competition.
Therefore, the these telecommunication
companies must realize the necessity
of studying and understanding
various antecedents (viz. service quality,
switching cost, trust, corporate image,
and customer satisfaction) of the customer
loyalty which might help them to
develop a loyal customer base (Sharp &
Sharp, 1997).
As reported in the relevant literature
high quality service helps to generate
customer satisfaction, customer loyalty,
and growth of market share by soliciting
new customers, and improved productivity
and financial performance (Lewis,
1993; Andereson, Fornell, & Lehmann,
1994). Hackl, Scharitzer, and Zuba
(2000) had substantiated the point by
adding that customer satisfaction is a prerequisite
of customer retention and loyalty.
Corbitt, Thanasankit, and Yi (2003)
have investigated the effect of trust on
customer loyalty in telecommunication
sector and found trust has a strong effect
on customer loyalty.
The objective of this study is to analyze
a conceptual framework empirically that
considers the interrelationships of customers’
perceived service quality, trust, and customer
satisfaction and customer loyalty in
the context of a group of customers of a
major private telecommunication company
in Bangladesh.
Review of Literature
Service Quality
Traditionally, service quality has been
conceptualized as the difference between
customer expectations regarding a service
to be received and perceptions of the
service being received (Grönroos, 2001;
Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988).
In some earlier studies, service quality
has been referred as the extent to which
a service meets customers’ needs or expectations
(Lewis & Mitchell, 1990;
Dotchin & Oakland, 1994). It is also conceptualized
as the consumer’s overall
impression of the relative inferiority or
superiority of the services (Zeithaml,
Berry, & Parasuraman, 1990).
Service Quality Dimensions
Parasuraman et al. (1988) identified five
dimensions of service quality (viz. reliability,
responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and
tangibles) that link specific service characteristics
to consumers’ expectations.
(a) Tangibles - physical facilities, equipment
and appearance of personnel;
(b) Empathy - caring, individualized
attention;
(c) Assurance - knowledge and cour-
Can Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Engender Customers Loyalty?
25
tesy of employees and their ability to convey
trust and confidence;
(d) Reliability - ability to perform the
promised service dependably and accurately;
and
(e) Responsiveness - willingness to
help customers and provide prompt service.
After a comprehensive review of service
quality studies, Asubonteng,
McCleary, and Swan (1996) concluded
that the number of service quality dimensions
varies in different industries. For
example, Kettinger and Lee (1994) identified
four dimensions in a study of information
systems (IS) quality, which did
not have tangible dimension. Cronin and
Taylor (1992) developed a one-factor
measurement instrument instead of the
five-factor measures proposed by
Parasuraman et al. (1988).
Besides SERVQUAL, Sureshchandar,
Rajendran, and Anantharaman
(2003) have identified five factors of service
quality from the customers’ perspective.
Those are: a) Core service or service
product, b) Human element of service
delivery, c) Systematization of service
delivery: non- human element, d)
Tangibles of service, and e) Social responsibility.
After a close inspection it
could be safely concluded that the newly
defined construct of service quality by
Sureshchandar et al. (2003) has some
resemblance with the definition provided
by Parasuraman et al. (1988). For this
study the researchers have employed the
five dimensions of service quality proposed
by Parasuraman et al. (1988).
Trust
In business trust is viewed as one of the
most relevant antecedents of stable and
collaborative relationships. Researchers had
established that trust is essential for building
and maintaining long-term relationships
(Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt, & Camerer, 1998;
Singh & Sirdeshmukh, 2000). Morgan and
Hunt (1994) stated that trust exists only
when one party has confidence in an exchange
partner’s reliability and integrity.
While defining trust Moorman, Deshpande,
and Zaltman (1993) referred to the willingness
to rely on an exchange partner in whom
one has confidence. According to Lau and
Lee (1999), if one party trusts another party
that eventually engenders positive behavioral
intentions towards the second party.
From Anderson and Narus (1990) it can
be safely deduced that if one party believes
that the actions of the other party will bring
positive outcomes to the first party, trust can
be developed. Doney and Cannon (1997)
added that the concerned party also must
have the ability to continue to meet its obligations
towards its customers within the
cost-benefits relationship; so, the customer
should not only foresee the positive outcomes
but also believe that these positive
outcomes will continue in the future. The
definition provided by Morgan and Hunt
(1994) has been used for this study.
Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is a well known
and established concept in several areas like
marketing, consumer research, economic
psychology, welfare-economics, and economics.
Mohammad Muzahid Akbar and Noorjahan Parvez
26
The most common interpretations obtained
from various authors reflect the notion
that satisfaction is a feeling which results
from a process of evaluating what has
been received against what was expected,
including the purchase decision itself and the
needs and wants associated with the purchase
(Armstrong & Kotler, 1996). Bitner
& Zeithaml (2003) stated that satisfaction
is the customers’ evaluation of a product or
service in terms of whether that product or
service has met their needs and expectations.
According to Boselie, Hesselink, and
Wiele (2002) satisfaction is a positive, affective
state resulting from the appraisal of
all aspects of a party’s working relationship
with another. The definition provided by
Boselie et al. (2002) has been used for this
study.
Customer Loyalty
As identified by the researchers that
customer loyalty as a construct is comprised
of both customers’ attitudes and behaviors.
Customers’ attitudinal component represents
notions like: repurchase intention or
purchasing additional products or services
from the same company, willingness of recommending
the company to others, demonstration
of such commitment to the company
by exhibiting a resistance to switching
to another competitor (Cronin & Taylor,
1992; Narayandas, 1996; Prus & Brandt,
1995), and willingness to pay a price premium
(Zeithaml, Berry, & Parasuraman,
1996). On the other hand, the behavioral
aspect of customer loyalty represents- actual
repeat purchase of products or services
that includes purchasing more and different
products or services from the same company,
recommending the company to others,
and reflecting a long-term choice probability
for the brand (Feick, Lee, & Lee,
2001). It can be concluded that customer
loyalty expresses an intended behavior related
to the product or service or to the
company. Pearson (1996) has defined customer
loyalty as the mind set of the customers
who hold favorable attitudes toward a
company, commit to repurchase the
company’s product/service, and recommend
the product/service to others. The
researchers have used the definition of
Pearson (1996) for this study.
Relationship between Service quality
and Customer Satisfaction
Over the past few years there has been
a heightened emphasis on service quality
and customer satisfaction in business and
academia alike. Sureshchandar et al, (2003)
identified that strong relationships exist between
service quality and customer satisfaction
while emphasizing that these two are
conceptually distinct constructs from the
customers’ point of view.
Spreng and Mackoy (1996) also
showed that service quality leads to customer
satisfaction while working on the
model developed by Oliver (1997). In a
recent study conducted by Ribbink et.al
(2004) revealed that this relationship also
exists in the e-commerce industry. Consistent
with these findings, the researchers
have hypothesized the following:
Hypothesis 1: Customers’ perceived
service quality has a positive effect on
customer satisfaction.
Can Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Engender Customers Loyalty?
27
Relationship between Service quality
and Customer Loyalty
In various studies the relationship between
service quality and customer preference
loyalty had been examined (Boulding,
Kalra, Staelin, & Zeithaml, 1993; Cronin
& Taylor, 1992). In their study Cronin and
Taylor (1992) focused solely on repurchase
intentions, whereas Boulding et al. (1993)
focused on the elements of repurchasing as
well as the willingness to recommend. In the
study by Cronin and Taylor service quality
did not appear to have a significant (positive)
effect on repurchase intentions (in contrast
to the significant positive impact of satisfaction
on repurchase intention), whereas
Boulding et al. (1993) found positive relationships
between service quality and repurchase
intentions and willingness to recommend.
Therefore, following hypothesis has
been proposed:
Hypothesis 2: Customers’ perceived
service quality has a positive effect on
customer loyalty.
Relationship between Trust and Customer
Loyalty
A number of researchers have advocated
that trust is fundamental in developing
customer loyalty (Moorman,
Deshpande, & Zaltman, 1993; Morgan &
Hunt, 1994). The importance of trust in explaining
loyalty is also supported by authors
like Lim and Razzaque (1997), Garbarino
and Johnson (1999), Chaudhuri and
Holbrook (2001), Singh and Sirdeshmukh
(2000), and Sirdeshmukh, Singh, and Sabol
(2002). However, in a market with suitable
alternatives lack of trust might lead to negative
loyalty. Corbitt, Thanasankit, and Yi
(2003) have pointed out that a strong positive
effect of trust on customer loyalty in case
of telecommunications sector. Therefore,
following hypothesis has been formulated:
Hypothesis 3: Trust has a positive effect
on customer loyalty.
Relationship between Customer Satisfaction
and Customer Loyalty
Several authors have found a positive
correlation between customer satisfaction
and loyalty (Anderson & Sullivan, 1993;
Bolton & Drew, 1991; Fornell, 1992).
Numerous studies in the service sector have
also empirically validated the link between
satisfaction and behavioral intentions such
as customer retention and word of mouth
(Anderson & Sullivan, 1993; Bansal & Taylor,
1999; Cronin & Taylor, 2000). Hart and
Johnson (1999) have added that one of the
conditions of true customer loyalty is total
satisfaction. Hence, the researchers have hypothesized
the following:
Hypothesis 4: Customer satisfaction
has a positive effect on customer loyalty.
Conceptual Framework
Based on the literature review, a twolevel
analysis has been employed to draw
causal inferences regarding the postulated
relationship among the studied variables.
The first level investigated whether customer
satisfaction has been mediating the relationship
between customers’ perceived service
quality and customer loyalty, and the direct
relationship between trust and customer loyalty.
At the second level, the researchers
Mohammad Muzahid Akbar and Noorjahan Parvez
28
have tried to investigate both direct and
mediated (indirect) relationship between
customers’ perceived service quality, and
customer loyalty where customer satisfaction
has been identified as a mediating variable,
and also the direct relationship between
trust and customer loyalty.
Figure 1: Hypothesized model 1 with results
Figure 2: Hypothesized model 2 with results
Methodology
Sample
Data have been collected from 304 subscribes/
customers of a major private telecommunication
company of Bangladesh and
the response rate was 90%. The average
age of the respondents was 29 years. 59 %
respondents were male and 41 % were female.
Measures
Structured questionnaires comprised of
four sections have been used to collect data.
For all of these variables the previous researchers
used 5 points Likert scale. Therefore,
the researchers have also used 5 points
Likert scale to measure all of these variables.
Service quality has been measured by using
21 items developed by Zeithaml, Berry, and
Parasuraman (1996). This scale of service
quality has reported reliability ranging from
0.75- 0.93.
The trust has been measured by using 5
items adapted from Morgan and Hunt
(1994) and the reported reliability is 0.86.
Customer satisfaction has been measured
by using 3 items adopted from the American
Customer Satisfaction Index study
(NQRC, 1995) and Feick, Lee, and Lee
(2001), and the reported reliability of this
scale is above 0.77. The customer loyalty
has been measured by using 5 items developed
by Narayandas (1996), and the reported
reliability of this scale is above 0.88.
Data Analysis
To assess direct and indirect relationships
among the studied variables the researchers
have followed a two-step procedure
using confirmatory factor analysis and
structural equation modeling (Anderson &
Gerbing, 1988). Amos 5.0 has been used
to perform these analyses.
Can Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Engender Customers Loyalty?
29
In the Model 1 of Table I all paths from
the service quality to customer satisfaction
have been examined. The paths from customer
satisfaction to customer loyalty, and
trust to customer loyalty have also been
examined. In Model 2 all paths from perceived
service quality to customer loyalty,
paths from perceived service quality to customer
loyalty as mediated through customer
satisfaction, and trust to customer loyalty
have been examined.
Results
Descriptive Statistics and Correlations
Matrix
The Descriptive statistics and the Reliability
coefficients of the studied variables
are presented in Table II. The reliability coefficient
or alphas for the different constructs
were computed using the reliability procedure
in SPSS (version 12.0). The reliabilities
of all the constructs used in this study found
to be above the standard set by Nunnally
(1978), which is 0.50-0.60.
Table I: Summary of Theoretical Models
Model Theoretical Models
Model 1 Paths from customers’ perceived service quality to customer satisfaction;
customer satisfaction, and trust to customer loyalty.
Model 2 Paths from customers’ perceived service quality to customer satisfaction,
and customer loyalty; customer satisfaction, and trust to customer
loyalty.
Table II: Reliability Coefficient and Descriptive Statistics of Customers’ Perceived
Service Quality (Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy, Tangibility),
Trust, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty
Scales Number of Alpha M SD
items
Reliability 5 0.73 4.30 0.46
Responsiveness 3 0.60 4.34 0.49
Assurance 4 0.67 4.32 0.49
Empathy 4 0.75 4.28 0.60
Tangibility 5 0.69 4.35 0.45
Trust 5 0.53 4.41 0.32
Customer satisfaction 3 0.53 4.35 0.43
Customer Loyalty 5 0.69 4.53 0.39
Note: n = 304
Mohammad Muzahid Akbar and Noorjahan Parvez
30
Mean scores have been computed by
equally weighting the mean scores of all the
items. On a five-point scale, the mean scores
of customers’ perceived service quality of
that private telecommunication company
range from 4.28- 4.35 indicate that customers’
perceive that quality of service being
offered by the mobile service provider is
quite high. The mean score of trust is 4.41
(sd = 0.53), which suggests that the customers
find the service provider trustworthy.
The mean score of customer satisfaction
is 4.35 (sd = 0.43) implies that the customers
of the private telecommunication
company are highly satisfied. The mean
score of customer loyalty is 4.53 (sd =
0.39). Apparently it seems that the customers
are very loyal to the service provider.
The bivariate correlation procedure has
been subject to two tailed tests of statistical
significance at two different levels- highly
significant (p<.01) and significant (p<.05).
Correlation Matrix presented in Table III
support all hypothesized positive relationships
among the studied variables with high
statistical significance. The variables significantly
(statistically) and positively correlated
with reliability were customer satisfaction (r
= 0.40, p< .01), and customer loyalty (r =
0.24, p< .01). Responsiveness is found to
be significantly and positively correlated
with customer satisfaction (r = 0.29, p<
.01), and customer loyalty (r = 0.35, p<
.01).
Table III: Correlation Matrix for Service quality (Reliability, Responsiveness,
Assurance, Empathy, and Tangibility), Trust, Customer satisfaction,
and Customer loyalty
REL RES ASSU EMP TAN TRU CUS_SAT CUS_LOY
REL - .51** .46** .51** .48** .15** .40** .24**
RES - .54** .64** .48** .23** .29** .35**
ASSU - .64** .45** .11* .21** .19**
EMP - .55** .12* .23** .22**
TAN - .13* .32** .26**
TRU - .14* .31**
CUS_SAT - .48**
CUS_LOY -
Note: *p < .05, **p < .01.
Can Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Engender Customers Loyalty?
31
Assurance has been found to be significantly
and positively correlated with customer
satisfaction (r = 0.21, p< .01), and
customer loyalty (r = 0.19, p< .01). Empathy
is found to be significantly and positively
correlated with customer satisfaction (r =
0.23, p< .01), and customer loyalty (r =
0.22, p< .01). Tangibility is found to be significantly
and positively correlated with customer
satisfaction (r = 0.32, p< .01), and
customer loyalty (r = 0.26, p< .01). Trust
has been found to be positively and significantly
correlated with customer loyalty (r =
0.31, p< .01). Customer satisfaction, and
customer loyalty are found to be positively
and significantly correlated (r = 0.48, p<
.01).
Confirmatory Factor Analyses
The Comparative Fit Index (CFI), and
Goodness of Fit Index (GFI; Hair, Anderson,
Tatham, & Black, 2003), Normed Fit
Index (NFI), and Root Mean Square Error
of Approximation (RMSEA; Steiger, 1990)
have been used in judging the model fit. The
Comparative Fit Index is a recommended
index of overall fit (Gebring & Anderson,
1993), Goodness of Fit Index measures the
fitness of a model compare to another model
(Hair, Anderson, Tatham, & Black, 2003),
Normed Fit Index measures the proportion
by which a model is improved in terms of
fit compared to the base model (Hair,
Anderson, Tatham, & Black, 2003), and
RMSEA provides information in terms of
discrepancy per degree of freedom for a
model (Steiger, 1990). As suggested in the
literature (Bollen, Long, & Scott, 1993;
Joreskog & Sorbom, 1993; Kline, 1998)
model fit should be assessed by employing
several indices. The accepted thresholds for
these indices are ÷2/df ratio should be less
than 3; the values of GFI, RFI, NFI, and
CFI should be greater than 0.90; and
RMSEA is recommended to be up to 0.05,
and acceptable up to 0.08 (Gefen, Straub,
& Boudreau, 2000; Hair, Anderson,
Tatham, & Black, 2003).
Table IV: Summery of Results of Measurement Models
÷2 df ÷2/df CFI NFI GFI RMSEA
Model 1 17.03 6 2.83 0.987 0.980 0.987 0.076
Model 2 1.396 1 1.396 1.00 0.998 0.999 0.035
Note: RMSEA = root mean square error of approximation; GFI = Goodness-of-Fit
Index; NFI= Normed Fit Index; CFI = Comparative Fit Index
Structural Equation Analysis
Table IV shows that the results of measurement
models to test the hypothesis with
regard to model paths. The first model has
examined the causal links of customers’ perceived
service quality and customer loyalty
as mediated through customer satisfaction,
and it has also examined the relationship between
trust and customer loyalty (÷2 =
17.03, df = 6). Afterwards, this model has
been compared with another model which
has examined both the direct and mediated
(indirect) causal links between customers’
perceived service quality and customer loyalty
mediated by customer satisfaction be-
Mohammad Muzahid Akbar and Noorjahan Parvez
32
sides examining the direct relationship between
trust and customer loyalty (÷2 =
1.396, df = 1). The results show that the
second model fits the data better. The
changes or improvements in ÷2/ df (2.83 to
1.396); NFI, GFI, and CFI (0.980, 0.987,
and 0.987 to 0.998, 0.999, and 1.00 respectively);
and RMSEA (0.076 to 0.035)
reflect this insight.
Path Analysis
Considering the pattern of significance
for the parameters estimated in Model 1,
only reliability has been found to be significantly
related to customer satisfaction in the
hypothesized direction. Moreover, customer
satisfaction and trust are significantly related
to customer loyalty.
In case of model 2, no significant relationships
have been found in the identified
paths among responsiveness, assurance,
empathy, and tangibility and customer satisfaction,
and customer loyalty although
some of the relationships are found to be in
the hypothesized directions. However, reliability
and customer satisfaction are found
to be significantly related. In addition, customer
satisfaction and trust are found to be
significantly related to customer loyalty in
the hypothesized direction.
Table V: Standardized Path Coefficients for the Models
Path Model 1 Model 2
rel g cus_sat .31*** .31***
res g cus_sat .12 .12
assu g cus_sat -.02 -.02
emp g cus_sat -.09 -.09
tan g cus_sat .17 .17
rel g cus_loy -.07
res g cus_loy .21
assu g cus_loy -.01
emp g cus_loy -.01
tan g cus_loy .05
tru g cus_loy .24*** .21***
cus_sat g cus_loy .45*** .41***
Note- *** p< .001
Can Service Quality, Trust, and Customer Satisfaction Engender Customers Loyalty?
33
Discussion
The present study is noteworthy for a
special reason. As to the knowledge of the
researchers no such study has been done
previously on the subscribers of any telecommunication
company in Bangladesh to
examine whether customers’ perceived service
quality, trust, and customer satisfaction
can engender customer loyalty. Specially, the
researchers have tried to investigate whether
the postulated causal relationships among
the studied variables vary in two measurement
models for the same group of subscribers.
Researchers hope that such study might
induce the mobile service providers to calk
out appropriate course of action to create a
loyal customer base by ensuring judicious
use of valuable marketing resources. Data
supported the proposed model 2, where
direct paths from customers’ perceived service
quality and trust to customer loyalty;
and indirect paths from customers’ perceived
service quality to customer loyalty as mediated
through customer satisfaction have
been examined.
In general, the results have supported
most of the hypothesized relationships.
Customer satisfaction performs an important
mediating role between service
quality and customer loyalty is supported
by this research. Hence, the management
should primarily focus on customer satisfaction
for which service quality is an
important antecedent. Because the impact
of perceived service quality on preference
loyalty is considerably strong
leading to a more favorable disposition
towards the service provider and increased
commitment to re-patronize.
Customer satisfaction alone can not
achieve the objective of creating a loyal customer
base. In both models trust has come
out to be an important antecedent of customer
loyalty. While determining the imperatives
of ‘how to win customers’ trust’ the
service provider(s) must focus on both
present and future time frame. The construct
of trust contains belief in the brand or company,
which provides the customers an assurance
of positive outcomes not only for
the present but also for the future. As illustrated
in the literature, the customers must
be led to believe that the company will not
behave opportunistically for sake of its own
interest; otherwise they will switch their allegiance.
The findings of this study have to be interpreted
considering few limitations.
First, data were collected only from the
subscribers of one private telecommunication
company; so the results might not
hold true for other telecommunication
companies. Second, data collection was
is limited to the subscribers of that private
telecommunication company who
live in Dhaka metropolitan area; so the
findings should not be generalized for all
the subscribers of the entire country.
Third, the current study was a cross-sectional
study but to determine the causal
paths of the studied variables a longitudinal
study would have been more appropriate
(Poon, 2004). In addition, the
current study not being an experimental
one it was not possible to eliminate or
withhold the influence of unidentified
and undesired extraneous variables from
the study. Hence, future researchers
might consider the recommended studies to
draw causal inferences more confidently and
safely. Finally, theoretically other variables
Mohammad Muzahid Akbar and Noorjahan Parvez
34
like price perception, corporate image,
switching cost etc. influence customer loyalty,
and including such variable(s) in the
study would have made the research models
more robust and interesting. In future
research additional variables should be incorporated.
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TRANSLATE

LATAR BELAKANG

 Dalam tiga dekade terakhir, karena liberalisasi dan privatisasi seluruh telekomunikasi industri telah menjadi dinamis subjek industri jasa untuk meningkatkan persaingan dengan potensi pertumbuhan yang besar (Graack, 1996). Dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, di beberapa negara Asia jumlah pelanggan mobile bahkan melewati jumlah pelanggan fixed-line (Fink, Matto, & Rathindran, 2003). Oleh karena itu, perilaku strategis telekomunikasi perusahaan telah menarik begitu banyak perhatian dalam beberapa tahun terakhir, baik diliteratur akademis dan dalam pers populer. Di Bangladesh skenario tidak jauh berbeda sebagai profil sosial ekonomi yang menawarkan industri kesempatan yang luar biasa untuk memperluas.

TUJUAN

Berdasarkan tinjauan literatur, tingkat dua analisis telah digunakan untuk menarik kesimpulan kausal mengenai didalilkan hubungan antar variabel yang diteliti. Tingkat pertama menyelidiki apakah pelanggan Kepuasan telah memediasi hubungan antara layanan pelanggan yang dirasakan kualitas dan loyalitas pelanggan, dan langsung hubungan antara kepercayaan dan loyalitas pelanggan. Pada tingkat kedua, para peneliti Mohammad Muzahid Akbar dan Noorjahan Parveztelah mencoba untuk menyelidiki  baik langsung dandimediasi (tidak langsung) hubungan antara persepsi kualitas layanan pelanggan, dan loyalitas pelanggan di mana kepuasan pelanggan telah diidentifikasi sebagai variabel mediasi,dan juga hubungan langsung antarakepercayaan dan loyalitas pelanggan.

METODE

contoh

Data telah dikumpulkan dari 304 berlangganan /pelanggan dari telekomunikasi swasta besar Perusahaan Bangladesh dan tingkat respon adalah 90%. Rata-rata usia responden adalah 29 tahun. 59% responden adalah laki-laki dan 41% adalah perempuan. Dalam Model 1 dari Tabel I semua jalur dari kualitas pelayanan untuk kepuasan pelanggan telah diperiksa. Jalur dari pelanggan kepuasan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan, dan kepercayaan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan juga telah diperiksa. Dalam Model 2 semua jalur dari yang dirasakan kualitas pelayanan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan, jalur dari kualitas pelayanan yang dirasakan pelanggan loyalitas sebagai dimediasi melalui pelanggan kepuasan, dan kepercayaan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan telah diperiksa.

KESIMPULAN

 Penelitian ini dicatat untuk alasan khusus. Seperti pengetahuan tentang peneliti tidak ada studi tersebut telah dilakukan sebelumnya pada pelanggan telekomunikasi setiap perusahaan di Bangladesh untuk memeriksa apakah layanan pelanggan yang dirasakan kualitas, kepercayaan, dan kepuasan pelanggan dapat menimbulkan loyalitas pelanggan. Khususnya, peneliti telah mencoba untuk menyelidiki apakah hubungan kausal yang didalilkan antara variabel yang diteliti bervariasi dalam dua pengukuran model untuk kelompok yang sama pelanggan. Para peneliti berharap bahwa kekuatan studi tersebut menginduksi penyedia layanan mobile untuk CaLK out tindakan yang tepat untuk membuat setia basis pelanggan dengan memastikan bijaksana penggunaan sumber daya yang berharga pemasaran. Data mendukung usulan model 2, di mana jalur langsung dari layanan pelanggan yang dirasakan kualitas dan kepercayaan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan; dan jalur tidak langsung dari pelanggan dirasakan kualitas pelayanan terhadap loyalitas pelanggan sebagai dimediasi melalui kepuasan pelanggan memiliki diperiksa. Secara umum, hasil telah mendukung sebagian besar hubungan hipotesis. Kepuasan pelanggan melakukan yang penting mediasi peran antara layanan kualitas dan loyalitas pelanggan didukung oleh penelitian ini. Oleh karena itu, manajemen terutama harus fokus pada kepuasan pelanggan yang kualitas pelayanan merupakan yang penting. Karena dampaknya layanan kualitas yang dirasakan pada preferensi Loyalitas jauh kuat mengarah ke disposisi yang lebih menguntungkan terhadap penyedia layanan dan meningkatkan komitmen untuk kembali menggurui. Kepuasan pelanggan saja tidak bisa mencapai tujuan menciptakan pelanggan setia dasar. Dalam kedua model kepercayaan telah datang keluar menjadi anteseden penting dari pelanggan loyalitas. Sementara penentuan imperative 'bagaimana untuk memenangkan pelanggan' kepercayaan 'yang penyedia layanan (s) harus fokus pada kedua sekarang dan masa depan kerangka waktu. Konstruk kepercayaan mengandung kepercayaan merek atau perusahaan, yang menyediakan pelanggan jaminan dari hasil positif tidak hanya untuk saat ini tetapi juga untuk masa depan. Seperti digambarkan dalam literatur, pelanggan harus akan dituntun untuk percaya bahwa perusahaan tidak akan berperilaku oportunis untuk kepentingan sendiri bunga; jika tidak mereka akan beralih kesetiaan mereka. Temuan penelitian ini harus ditafsirkan mempertimbangkan beberapa keterbatasan. Pertama, data dikumpulkan hanya dari pelanggan telekomunikasi swasta satu perusahaan; sehingga hasilnya mungkin tidak berlaku untuk telekomunikasi lainnya perusahaan. Kedua, pengumpulan data adalah terbatas pada pelanggan yang pribadi perusahaan telekomunikasi yang tinggal di Dhaka wilayah metropolitan; jadi Temuan tidak boleh digeneralisasi untuk semua pelanggan dari seluruh negeri. Ketiga, penelitian ini adalah cross-sectional belajar tetapi untuk menentukan kausal yang jalur dari variabel yang diteliti longitudinal Penelitian akan menjadi lebih tepat (Poon, 2004). Selain itu penelitian ini tidak menjadi eksperimental satu itu tidak mungkin untuk menghilangkan atau menahan pengaruh tak dikenal dan variabel asing yang tidak diinginkan dari pembelajaran. Oleh karena itu, para peneliti masa depan mungkin mempertimbangkan studi dianjurkan untuk menarik kesimpulan kausal lebih percaya diri dan aman. Variabel Akhirnya, secara teoritis lainnya Mohammad Muzahid Akbar dan Noorjahan Parvez seperti persepsi harga, citra perusahaan, beralih biaya dll pengaruh loyalitas pelanggan, dan termasuk variabel seperti (s) di Penelitian akan membuat model penelitian  lebih kuat dan menarik. Di masa depan penelitian variabel tambahan harus dimasukkan.

SUMBER:http://www.journal.au.edu/abac_journal/2009/jan09/article02_JanApr2009.pdf

Jurnal Of Consumer Behaviour

Consumer Buying Behaviour – A Literature Review A
. Abdul Brosekhan M.B.A.1, (Ph.D.), Dr. C. Muthu Velayutham, M.B.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
2 1Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Mohamed Sathak Engineering College,Kilakarai, Ramanathapuram - 623 806. 2Associate Professor, Director DODE, Anna University Coimbatore, Coimbatore - 641 047. Abstract: In Present Marketing Scenario, the Study of Consumer Behavior has become essential. Consumers are the kings of markets. Without consumers no business organization can run. All the activities of the business concerns end with consumers and consumer satisfaction. Customer behavior study is based on consumer buying behavior, with the customer playing the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Consumer buying behaviour has become an integral part of strategic market planning. In order to develop a framework for the study consumer behaviour it is helpful to begin by considering the evolution of the field of consumer research and the different paradigms of thought that have influenced the discipline. As described in this article, a set of dimensions can be identified in the literature, which can be used to characterize and differentiate, the various perspectives on consumer research. It is argued that consumer behaviour itself emerged as a distinct field of study during the 1960s; and is characterized by two broad paradigms, the positivist and the non-positivist. The positivist paradigm encompasses the economic, behavioural, cognitive, motivational / trait / attitudinal, and situational perspectives; these perspectives are referred to as the traditional perspectives as they pre-date the development of the non-positivist paradigm. The positivist paradigm, which is still the dominant paradigm, emphasizes the supremacy of human reason and that there is a single, objective truth that can be discovered by science. The opposing, non-positivist paradigm, envelops the interpretive and postmodern perspectives, which have emerged more recently during the period post-1980 to date. The rational view and the ideology of a homogenous social culture and thereby deny the complex social and cultural world in which consumers live. The traditional, positivist perspective takes a very utilitarian approach to the benefits from consumption. While the non-positivist perspectives place much greater emphasis on the symbolic dimensions of choice. The objective of non-positivist research endeavour is to achieve a better understanding of consumer behaviour with no specific intent to influence consumer processes. This article aims to identify different streams of thought that could guide future consumer research. Keywords: Consumer Buying Behaviour, Traditional Perspectives, Rational Perspectives, Cognitive, Traits, Conventional, Attitudinal, Situational, Positivist Paradigm, Non-Positivist Paradigm.
I. INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
Consumer behaviour has been always of great interest to marketers. The knowledge of consumer behavior helps the marketer to understand how consumers think, feel and select from alternatives like products, brands and the like and how the consumers are influenced by their environment, the reference groups, family, and salespersons and so on. A consumer‟s buying behavior is influenced by cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. Most of these factors are uncontrollable and beyond the hands of marketers but they have to be considered while trying to understand the complex behavior of the consumers. Consumer is the study “of the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use, or dispose of products, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy needs and desires” (Solomon 1995, 7). In the marketing context, the term „consumer ‟ refers not only to the act of purchase itself, but also to patterns of aggregate buying which include pre-purchase and post-purchase activities. Pre-purchase activity might consist of the growing awareness of a need or want, and a search for and evaluation of information about the products and brands that might satisfy it. Post-purchase activities include the evaluation of the purchased item in use and the reduction of any anxiety which accompanies the purchase of expensive and infrequently-bought items. Each of these has implications for purchase and repurchase and they are amenable in differing degrees to marketer influence (Foxall 1987). Engel, et al. (1986, 5) define consumer behaviour as “those acts of individuals directly involved in obtaining, using, and disposing of economic goods and services, including the decision processes that precede and determine these acts”. Simple observation provides limited insight into the complex nature of consumer choice and researchers have increasingly sought the more sophisticated concepts and methods of investigation provided by behavioural sciences in order to understand, predict, and possibly control consumer behaviour more effectively.
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Psychology, social psychology, and sociology are the disciplines most widely employed in this endeavour which has become a substantial academic industry in its own right. This article presents a review of the literature, in the field of consumer buying behaviour. The first section, describes, the importance of various factors including lifestyle and its impact on the consumer buying behavior. The second section describes the dominant, positivistic consumer perspectives. The third section, presents a methodological and analytical overview of the traditional perspectives. The remainder of this section is devoted to presenting the highlights of the debate between the recent non-positivist perspectives and the traditional positivist-based approaches. This discussion surrounds the issues of fundamental assumptions and techniques of analysis of various alternative modes of enquiry. The main purpose of this article is to identify different streams of thought that could help and guide for future consumer researchers. CONSUMER PERSONALITY FACTORS There are two factors mainly influencing the consumers for decision making: Risk aversion and innovativeness. Risk aversion is a measure of how much consumers need to be certain and sure of what they are purchasing (Donthu and Gilliland, 1996).Highly risk adverse consumers need to be very certain about what they are buying. Whereas less risk adverse consumers can tolerate some risk and uncertainty in their purchases. The second variable, innovativeness, is a global measure which captures the degree to which consumers are willing to take chances and experiment with new ways of doing things (Donthu and Gilliand, 1996).The shopping motivation literature is abound with various measures of individual characteristics (e.g., innovative, venturesome, cosmopolitan, variety seeking), therefore, innovativeness and risk aversion were included in this study to capture several of these traits. Measures by Donthu and Gilliland (1996) were used to measure innovativeness and risk aversion. CONSUMER PERCEPTION FACTORS Perception is a mental process, whereby an individual selects data or information from the environment, organizes it and then draws significance or meaning from it. PERCEIVED FIT Perceived fit is an attitudinal measure of how appropriate a certain channel of distribution is for a specific product .Morrison and Roberts (1998) found that consumer‟s perception of the fit between a service/product and a channel is very influential in determining whether they will consider using that channel for a specific service. In fact, perceived fit was found to be more important than consumer‟s preferences for the distribution method or service. QUALITY It is our aim to provide the best product for the consumer and we believe that if the products have quality the consumer will pay the price, says Amal Pramanic, regional business director. Oral-B PACKAGING Packaging establishes a direct link with the consumers at the point of purchase as it can very well change the perceptions they have for a particular brand. A product has to draw the attention of the consumers through an outstanding packaging design. Earlier packaging was considered only a container to put a product in, but today, research in to the right packaging is beginning at the product development stage itself. Packaging innovation has been at the heart of Dabur‟s attempt to rap with the urban consumers. It spends large sums annually on packaging research. -“We have been laying emphasis on aesthetics, shelf appeal and convenience for consumer‟” says Deepak Manchandra, manager packaging development.
II. PROMOTION
The greatest challenge faced by companies today is holding and increasing their market share and value. This is always a strenuous exercise and one of the tools for the same is marketing. There is no specific game rule available for using these marketing tools .The reason is: each promotional tool has its own characteristics. FAMILIARITY WITH A CHANNEL Consumer‟s familiarity with a channel is a measure of the general experience they have with purchasing products through specific channels (i.e.. catalog, internet, and bricks-and-mortar retailer). Through frequent use consumers should become accustomed to using the channel which reduces their apprehension and anxiety in purchasing products through the channel.
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BRAND AWARENESS According to Rossiter and Prey (1987), brand awareness precedes all other steps in the buying process. A brand attitude cannot be performed, unless a consumer is aware of the brand. In memory theory, brand awareness is positioned as a vital first step in building the bundle of associations which are attached to the brand in memory (Stokes, 1985). FAMILY INFLUENCE A family exerts a complex influence on the behaviors of its members. Prior family influence research has focused on intergenerational rather than intergenerational influence in consumer generationalisation. As has been compellingly demonstrated, parents influence children. Yet, consumption domains clearly exist where sibling efforts may also be exerted. SHOPPING MOTIVES Shopping motives are defined as consumer‟s wants and needs as they relate to outlets at which to shop. Two groups of motives, functional and nonfunctional, have been proposed by Sheth (1983). Functional motives are associated with time, place, and possession needs and refer to rational aspects of channel choice. Whereas non-functional motives related to social and emotional reasons for patronage. The functional motives included: convenience, price comparison, merchandise assortment. The nonfunctional motives entail: recreation.
III. THE TRADITIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON CONSUMER RESEARCH
This section outlines the perspectives that emerged during the traditional-positivist era in consumer research. Thus, a brief discussion on the early models of buyer behaviour, proposed by economists is presented, followed by a discussion on each of the traditional perspectives in consumer research that emerged thereafter. These are the behavioural, cognitive, trait, motivational, attitudinal, and situational viewpoints. Overall, the objective of this section is to outline the features and the central arguments of each of these perspectives. While a detailed analytical review of the paradigms is presented in section two, at this stage it is worth noting, that the traditional perspectives while diverse with respect to the many aspects of consumer behaviour they investigate, are fundamentally similar in terms of their philosophical and methodological bases for undertaking the examination of consumer issues. That is, they are built on the common foundations of “rationalism” and share allegiance to the principles of a single traditional, positivist-based approach to consumer research.
IV. THE RATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
The economists were the first to dominate model building, in the area of buying behaviour. The early economic view considered consumer behavior in terms of a single act of purchase itself, and post-purchase reactions. Economic theory holds that purchasing decisions are the result of largely “rational” and conscious economic calculations. Thus, the individual buyer seeks to spend his income on those goods that will deliver the most utility (satisfaction) according to his tastes and relative prices. The antecedents of this view can be traced back to Adam Smith (1776). Alfred Marshall (1890) consolidated the classical and neoclassical traditions in economics, into a refined theoretical framework which came to be known as the theory of marginal utility. His theoretical work aimed to simplify assumptions and thereby examine the effects of changes in single variables (e.g., price) holding all other variables constant. While economic models such as the Marshallian theory of “marginal-utility” are useful to the extent that they provide behavioural hypotheses (e.g., the lower the price of a product the higher the sales), the validity of these hypotheses does not rest on whether all individuals act as calculating machines in making their purchasing decisions. For example, Eva Muller (1954) reported a study where only one-fourth of the consumers in her sample bought with any substantial degree of deliberation. The Marshallian model ignores the fundamental question of how product and brand preferences are formed. Several studies have identified the impacts of price differentials on consumers‟ brand preferences; changes in product cues on demand variations; changes in price on demand sensitivity; and scarcity on consumer choice behaviour amongst many others (Lewis et al. 1995).
V. THE BEHAVIOURAL PERSPECTIVE
As mentioned above, in contrast to the economic view which underscores the importance of internal mental processes in consumer decision making, the behavioural perspective emphasizes the role of external environmental factors in the process of learning, which it is argued causes behaviour. Thus, the behaviourists approach the consumer, as a “black box” and thereby assume that consumer behaviour is a conditioned response to external events. The behavioural perspective therefore focuses on external environmental cues (such as advertising) that stimulate consumer response through learning. The strategic emphasis, of the behavioural modification theories, for example, are to devise a set of expanded behaviour modification techniques (e.g.,
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respondent conditioning; operant conditioning; vicarious learning etc.) that can be used to influence, modify, and control consumer behaviour (Peter and Nord 1982). While a number of researchers have proposed models to study learning principles e.g., Thorndike (1911); Watson and Rayner (1920), this view is represented by two major approaches to learning: classical conditioning and instrumental learning. Classical conditioning occurs when a stimulus that elicits a response is paired with another stimulus that initially does not elicit a response on its own. Over time, this second stimulus causes a similar response because it is associated with the first stimulus. The theory of classical conditioning is rooted in Pavlov‟s research on digestion in animals. Pavlov induced classically conditioned learning by pairing a neutral stimulus (a bell) with a stimulus known to cause a salivation response in dogs (dried meat powder). The powder was an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) because it was naturally capable of causing the response. Over time, the bell became a conditioned stimulus (CS) resulting in a conditioned response (CR). Thus, conditioned effects are more likely to occur after the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli have been paired a number of times. The basic form of classical conditioning demonstrated by Pavlov primarily applies to responses controlled by the autonomic (e.g., salivation) and nervous (e.g., eyeblink) systems. That is, it focuses on visual and olfactory cues that induce hunger or thirst. When these cues are consistently paired with conditioned stimuli, such as brand names, consumers may learn to be hungry or thirsty, when later exposed to brand cues. Classical conditioning can have similar effects for more complex reactions. Even a credit card becomes a conditioned cue that triggers greater spending, especially since it is a stimulus that is presented only in situations where consumers are spending money. People learn that they can make larger purchases when using credit cards, and they also have been found to leave larger tips than they do when using cash (Feinberg 1986).
VI. THE COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
In contrast to behavioural theories of learning, the cognitive perspective stresses the role of information processing in consumer decision making. This perspective views people as problem solvers who actively use information from the world around them to master their environment. However, much debate surrounds the issue of whether or when people are actually aware of these learning processes. On the one hand, there is some evidence for the existence of unconscious procedural knowledge. That is, people apparently do process at least some information in an automatic, passive way, which is a condition that has been termed mindlessness (Langer 1983). Nonetheless, many modern theorists are beginning to regard some instances of conditioning as cognitive processes, especially where expectations are formed about the linkages between stimuli and responses. Studies using masking effects, wherein it is difficult for subjects to learn CS/UCS associations, show substantial reductions in conditioning (Allen and Madden 1985). The information processing theory (or cognitive theory) is central to the variety of hierarchy of effect models which, as Barry and Howard (1990, 121) explain, posit that consumers go through a “variety of stages, namely cognitive, affective, and conative, in responding to advertising, and other marketing messages”. Accordingly, “the dominant pattern of relationship between the three stages is that cognition (thought) precedes both affect (feeling) and conation (behaviour)” (Marsden and Littler 1998, 7). The most widely accepted position that opposes behaviourism is that thought and feeling can produce change in action directly. This is cognitivism; in its strongest form it suggests that attitudes control behaviour, and reinforcement only acts by changing attitudes. Overall, the implication for marketing strategy is that - “Consumers must be exposed to information [e.g., advertising] if it is to influence their behaviour” (Sternthal and Craig 1982, 314). In addition, the cognitive theories have been criticized for assuming that individuals are complex information processing entities. Nevertheless, the problem solving perspective has tended to dominate the field of consumer research. And as discussed next, decision making models that have governed consumer theory, are in fact based on the fundamentals of the cognitive principle.
VII. CONSUMER DECISION MAKING MODELS
The three major „comprehensive‟ models for consumer decision making were proposed by Nicosia 1966; Engel et al. 1968; and Howard and Sheth 1969. These attempt to trace the psychological state of individual consumers from the point at which they become aware of the possibility of satisfying a material need by purchasing and consuming a product to their final evaluation of the consequences of having done so. Engel et al., (1986) suggest that high involvement with a product results in an extended problem solving process which starts with problem recognition, followed by an information search, alternative evaluation, purchase, and post purchase activities. This process is aided by an active information processing sequence involving exposure, attention, comprehension, yielding/acceptance, and retention. The choice determined by the outcome of the information process-aided decision sequence may have satisfying or dissonant outcomes: Festinger (1957) first introduced the theory of cognitive dissonance for the consumer, which influence future purchasing. Engel and Blackwell (1982) also point out that environmental influences may affect the decision sequence acting on the
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consumer‟s motivation and intention, and that unpredictable factors (such as non-availability of the desired brand or insufficient funds) may result in modification of the actual choice made by a consumer. This model assumes that observed consumer behaviour is preceded by intrapersonal psychological states and events (attitudeintention- purchase sequence). Moreover, the model depicts these psychological events as outputs of the processing of information, taking for granted that consumers seek and use information as part of their rational problem solving and decision making processes.
VIII. THE PERSONALITY PERSPECTIVE
As noted above, some purchases have more personal relevance than others. While this partly reflects on factors such as price, it also bears on the way in which some products enhance the consumer‟s self concept i.e., possessions are considered to reflect on a consumer‟s image of him or herself. Mead (1934) used the role concept in his explanation of the social and individual nature of persons. The dramaturgical perspective on consumer behaviour views people much like actors who play different roles (Goffman 1959). Goffman (1959) introduced the concept a „managed situation‟, the idea that people manage the impression that others have of them by the way they present themselves. In the presence of others, the actor is seen to organize his activity in order to express an impression that he wishes to convey. The object of the study of role theory is to increase understanding of role enactment of individuals in social settings, so as to understand and predict behaviour. Marketing‟s interest in the study of personality derives from the possibility that, in spite their uniqueness as individuals, members of groups and aggregates may possess a given trait or type in common with each other e.g., extraversion (Eysenck and Eysenck 1975); such groupings (typologies) might then become the basis of separate market segments and justify special marketing action. Personality in general is understood as a concept which accounts for the apparent consistencies and regularities of behaviour over time and across a variety of situations (Pervin 1984). As such, personality constructs explain those aspects of behaviour which are relatively stable across situations and, as a result, are predictive of future behaviour. Personality has also been understood as the „unique way in which traits, attitudes, aptitudes, etc. are organized in an individual‟ (Marx and Hillix 1979) and this draws attention to the ways in which individuals differ from one another through the peculiar configuration of traits and other characteristics each possesses. While individuals might not always be uniform and predictable in their patterns of choice in different situations, it might be possible to make sense of and to forecast the general reactions of broadly-defined groups and classes of purchasers. As discussed next, it is this concept of consumer general behavioural response patterns that forms the basis for marketing‟s personality based segmentation strategies.
IX. THE MOTIVATIONAL PERSPECTIVE AND PSYCHOGRAPHICS
The possibility of using measures of personality to guide marketing action, for example in segmenting markets psychographically, tailoring new brands to the susceptibilities of innovative consumers, and repositioning mature brands, has encouraged a large volume of research. Few significant relationships, which would be of interest to marketing managers resulted from the research which concentrated upon the search for links between aspects of consumer choice (such as brand selection) and highly specific personality traits (such as sociability). However, the investigation of personality types, broad bundles of complementary traits which describe an individual‟s general pattern of behavioural response has shown more promise in the quest to describe and predict consumer behaviour. Thus, the success of personality research is also partly attributed to the simultaneous widespread dissatisfaction with psychoanalytical techniques of motivational research.
The first attempts to apply Fruedian and neo-Feudian (e.g., Horney and Adler) concepts, were made in the 1950s, when a perspective known as motivational research was developed. Ernest Ditcher advocated the use of psychoanalytical techniques to uncover hidden motivations (e.g., to understand the deeper meanings of products and advertisements). He strongly argued that people could not be asked why they did what they did directly, because most of the time they did not know. Ditcher‟s ideology of “truth-is-in-the-subconscious”, behind his in-depth interviews was muchcriticized by traditional statistical researchers who called such motivational research a “pseudo science” (e.g., Politz) (Piirto 1991). Perhaps the most persistent problem with motivational research was that it failed one of the cardinal rules of scientific methods - replicability. Two researchers could draw two totally different conclusions from the same interview, because motivational research was so dependent upon individual interpretation. Thus, the widespread dissatisfaction with simple demographics and disenchantment with motivational research, coupled with the increasing accessibility of computers gave many researchers the raw material needed to measure the quantitative elements of personality traits, motivations, and psychological attributes (e.g., Yankelovich 1958). As consumer researchers were increasingly influenced by psychology (e.g., ego concepts such as selfesteem) and sociology (e.g., social status and social character, for example the Riesman model), in their attempts to understand the changing nature of consumer values (which offered potential benefits to market segmentation); simultaneously, a wider emphasis on
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typologies also emerged such as benefit segmentation (Haley 1972), lifestyle or Activities, Interests, and Opinions, or AIOs (Wells and Tigert 1971), and psychographics e.g., VALs.
X. THE ATTITUDINAL PERSPECTIVE
Attitudes are predispositions felt by buyers before they enter the buying process. The buying process itself is a learning experience and can lead to a change in attitudes (Politz 1958). Thus, attitudes do not automatically guarantee all types of behaviour. They are really the product of social forces interacting with the individual‟s unique temperament and abilities. Thus, as discussed above, social influences determine some but not all of the behavioural variations in people. Two individuals subject to the same influences are not likely to have identical attitudes, although these attitudes will probably converge at more points than those of two strangers selected at random. Most researchers agree that an attitude has three components: affect, behaviour, and cognition. Affect refers to the way a consumer feels about an attitude object, behaviour involves the person‟s intentions to do something with regard to an attitude object, and finally, cognition refers to the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object. While all three components of an attitude are important, their relative importance will vary depending upon the consumer‟s level of motivation with regard to the attitude object. Attitude researchers have developed the concept of a hierarchy of effects to explain the relative impact of the three components. Each hierarchy specifies that a fixed sequence of steps occur en route to an attitude. According to the theory of cognitive information processing, attitudes are formed in the order of beliefs, affect, and behaviour. Attitudes based on behavioural learning follow the beliefs, behaviour, and affect sequence. And finally, attitudes formed based on the experiential hierarchy follow the affect, behaviour, and beliefs route. A consumer who is highly involved with a product category and who perceives a high level of product differentiation between alternatives will follow the cognitive hierarchy (beliefs-affect-behaviour). From the marketers perspective the sequence of attitude formation is pertinent from a communications point of view. Accordingly, here, a marketer will first attempt to create Attention, then Interest and Desire, and finally Action (AIDA). Thus, from a strategic point of view, Multi-attribute attitude models, such as the Fishbein (1983) model, have proved useful in specifying the different elements that work together to influence people‟s evaluations of attitude objects and ultimately predict consumer attitudes; products or services may be composed of many attributes, or qualities, some of which may be more important than others to particular people. Also a person‟s decision to act on his or her attitude is affected by other factors, such as whether it is felt that buying a product would be met with approval by friends and family. The complexity of attitudes is underscored by multi-attribute attitude models, in which sets of beliefs and evaluations are identified and combined to predict an overall attitude.
XI. THE SITUATIONAL INFLUENCE PERSPECTIVE
A situation is defined by factors over and above the characteristics of a person and product. For example, as explained below, situational effects may be behavioural (e.g., entertaining friends), experiential, or perceptual (e.g., being depressed or being pressed for time) (Kakkar and Lutz 1981). According to the behavioural influence perspective of low involvement decision situations, consumer decision making is a learned response to environmental cues, as when a person decides to buy something on impulse that is prompted as a “surprise special” in a store. According to this approach, then marketers must concentrate on assessing the characteristics of the environment, such as the physical surroundings and product placement, that influence members of that target market. For example, pointof- purchase stimuli (such as product samples) are particularly useful in inducing impulse purchases. The experiential perspective stresses the gestalt, or totality, of the product or service. The principles based on the work of Gestalt psychology (Koffka 1935) maintain that people derive meaning from the totality of a set of stimuli, rather than from any individual stimulus. Here consumers may be highly involved in a decision, but may not lend themselves to the rational approach. Marketers focus on measuring consumers‟ affective responses to products or services and develop offerings that elicit appropriate subjective reactions and employ effective symbolism. Situational effects can also be perceptual i.e., there could be a number of ways in which mood can influence purchase decisions. For example, stress can impair information processing and problem solving abilities. In addition, time poverty can impact buying decisions. An individual‟s priorities determine his or her timestyle (Feldman and Hornik 1981).
XII. THE POSITIVIST PERSPECTIVE
The traditional positivist approach is established on the premise that consumers are largely rational, stable, and knowable entities. The positivist philosophical stance is characterized by an emphasis on scientific observation and testing. The objective of this type of research is therefore, to observe empirical facts and to establish generalizable laws that can used to predict and control behaviour. The outcome of the positivist pursuit
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is directed toward advancing the overall goals of marketing practice. The positivist perspective therefore assumes that a single reality exists; events in the world can be objectively measured; and the causes of behaviour can be identified, manipulated, and predicted. Thus, the basis of the traditional perspectives is that consumer behavior is controlled by forces which operate largely beyond the control of consumers themselves (Anderson 1983). Accordingly, change is not something which consumers do for themselves, rather it is a result of something that is done to them by some internal (e.g., trait) or external (environmental) force over which they have little or no control (O‟Shaughnessy 1985). For example, the behavioural perspective suggests that consumer behaviour is largely determined, or conditioned, by external environmental stimuli (Bagozzi 1980). This static nature of consumer behaviour, is further reinforced by the assumption that consumers are “motivated primarily or exclusively to reduce tensions and maintain an internal state of equilibrium” (Hjelle and Ziegler 1992, 19). It is assumed therefore, that consumers strive to maintain stability. As Firat et al. (1995, 43-44) observe - “Consumer behavior theories believe in consistency and orderliness of consumer behaviour…Thus, the general assumption has been that if and when informed about such characteristics of the consumer [cognitive responses, conditioned responses, personality traits etc.], some meaningful prediction of their actions can be achieved”. The traditional perspectives therefore, assume a highly “reactive” or passive consumer. For instance, the behavioural perspective assumes that consumers lack a conscious self reflective ability and as a result can be totally controlled and manipulated by marketers through environmental engineering (Foxall 1997; Hudson and Murray 1986; Rose et al. 1990). Finally, the adoption of the traditional-positivist approach, the dominant paradigm in consumer research, has proved quintessential to the creation of applied consumer knowledge and accordingly the evolution of marketing practice. The more recent non-positivist perspectives, however, aim to redress some of the criticisms of the traditional approaches, as discussed next.
XIII. THE NON-POSITIVIST PERSPECTIVES
In contrast to the traditional perspectives, the interpretive and postmodern perspectives of consumer behaviour attribute consumers with the capacity to “proactively” assign meaning to and represent their environments rather than just passively respond to them (Hirschman 1986; Calder and Tybout 1987). The interpretive perspective for example suggests, that behaviour is channeled by the content and structure of consumers‟ subjective meaning systems (Holbrook 1995). As O‟Shaughnessy and Holbrook (1988, 206) explain - “From an interpretivist point of view, actions like buying are not simply matters of rational calculation with consumers computing up the pros and cons of objective facts, but rather are matters involving felt expectations as to how the consumption episode will be personally experienced.” Thus consumers behave and make decisions by reference to the internal (psycho) logic of their subjective meaning systems. The focus of inquiry of the interpretive and postmodern perspectives therefore becomes, consumers‟ “subjective” meanings and language or discourses7 (Buttle 1989; Firat 1992; Hirschman 1985). Brown (1995b, 295), asserts however, that the interpretive perspective is different from the postmodern perspective in marketing because the former „presupposes an autonomous human subject, the free-thinking, self conscious individual.‟ For example, humanistic and phenomenological perspectives conceive the individual consumer as „a unified, coherent and rational agent who is the author of his or her own experience and meaning; therefore, analogous to the traditional conjecture, the interpretive paradigm also assumes that there is some pre-given natural essence of consumers (Slife and Williams 1995). In addition, whilst the interpretive paradigm stresses the experiential side of consumer behaviour such as “fantasies, feelings and fun” (Holbrook and Hirschman 1982), it suggests that consumers construct coherent and consistent representations, or subjective maps, of the world in order to make it more meaningful and predictable (Burrell and Morgan 1979). Moreover, these subjective maps are assumed to be intersubjective, which means that they are shared and understood by most people in society (Buttle 1990). In contrast, the postmodern perspective argues that there is no fixed or pre-given essences residing inside consumers that make them behave the way they do (Brown 1995a; Firat et al. 1994). Rather, self-identity and subjectivity are assumed to be constituted by particular forms of language, or discourses, which in turn are mediated by the consumer‟s social interactions (Foster 1983). Thus, identity is said to be constantly in flux and “changing” depending upon with whom the consumer is consuming, in what circumstances they are consuming, and for what purposes (Burr 1995). The postmodern perspective of consumer behaviour firmly points to the fragmentary and fluid nature of consumers‟ self-identity. Firat et al. (1995, 44) contend, that consumers „frequently change their self-concepts, character, values‟ and often subscribe to „multiple and often highly contradictory value systems, lifestyles, etc., without feeling inconsistent or improper‟. Thus, the postmodern perspective places great emphasis on the creativity, autonomy, and power of consumers to define and change themselves and the world in which they live through different patterns of consumption and lifestyles (Brown 1995).
The non-positivistic perspectives (particularly postmodernism) question and criticize modernism‟s claims on philosophical, cultural, and empirical grounds. Firat and Venkatesh (1995, 240) argue that,
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“modernism reduces the world into simple dichotomous categories of consumer/producer, male/female and so on. Postmodernism (as does interpretivism) regards these dichotomies as unsuccessful historical attempts to legitimize partial truths.” In sum, it can be argued that the new perspectives may legitimately be classified as part of the non-positivist movement, which acknowledge the social, complex, and often irrational and unpredictable nature of consumer behaviour. This view focuses on not just the process of buying, but gives equal significance to the experiential and meaningful aspects, which under pin consumption.
XIV. CONCLUSION
Conditions of competition are changing rapidly today and companies that strategize and react to these changes promptly and quickly are the most successful. Due to technological developments, physical differences of products have decreased. Differentiation should be made on the meanings products bear instead of on their physical features. A successful brand differentiation can be possible by building personality. Thanks to brand personality, consumer sees brand as friend since it provides him with emotional benefits. Overall, it is argued that the study of consumer behaviour is rapidly evolving as researchers recognize and implement new techniques and transdisciplinary perspectives to understand the nature of purchase and consumption behaviour. This wider view attempts to study consumer behaviour in the light of rapidly evolving lifestyles, values, priorities, and social contexts. Various theories on consumer research were not tested empirically until the middle twentieth century. The distinctly practical emphasis awaited development of the field of marketing in the business curriculum. In particular the buying process of consumer behaviour is of more importance to marketing practitioners than the consumption process. From a practitioner‟s perspective consumer research is pertinent so as to enable him to understand changing consumer needs, wants, and motivations and thereby devise the most appropriate mix for his market. Then, to the marketer the dynamic nature of consumer behaviour implies rapid product development, changing communications, and distribution strategies in order to be more effective. It is this (marketing) concept, as articulated by several marketing scholars (e.g., Alderson 1965; Bagozzi 1975; Kotler 1972; Kotler and Levy 1969) that captures many of the more essential characteristics of modern marketing which has tended to dominate thinking in the field. Those whose research motivation is consumer influence largely embrace the research paradigm of positivism in which rigorous empirical techniques are used to discover generalizable explanations and laws. Consumer decision making processes and behavioural outcomes are studied to bring about prediction and change (Ozanne and Hudson 1989). However, the arena of consumer research goes far beyond the managerial perspective, when primary focus is placed on consumption. Holbrook and Hirschman (1982), among others, strongly advocate that the purchase decision is only a small component in the constellation of events involved in the consumption experience. Holbrook (1987) suggests that consumer researchers must expand their view to examine “all facets of the value potentially provided when some living organism acquires, uses, or disposes of any product that might achieve a goal, fulfill a need, or satisfy a want.” The decision process then assumes secondary importance as compared with consumption. This broadened perspective has been recently reflected in the literature, as published research focuses on the subjective aspects of the consumption experience, such as hedonic consumption. Research methodology moves beyond positivism to naturalism (ethnography, semiotics, literary criticism, and historicism) in order to achieve a broader understanding of the impact of consumption on the consumer without any particular intent to change or influence the process. While some outcomes may be significant to marketing practice the overall goal of such research endeavour is to achieve better understanding of consumer behaviour. REFERENCES
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[4]. Allen, C.T. and Madden, T.J. (1985), “A Closer Look at Classical Conditioning”, Journal of Consumer Research, 12, December, pp. 301- 315.
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[5]. AMA Task Force on the Development of Marketing Thought (1988), “Developing, disseminating, and utilizing marketing knowledge”, Journal of Marketing, 52, pp. 1-25.
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TRANSLATE

LATAR BELAKANG

Perilaku konsumen selalu menarik bagi pemasar. Pengetahuan konsumen tentang perilaku membantu pemasar untuk memahami bagaimana konsumen berpikir, merasa dan memilih dari alternatif seperti produk,merek dan sejenisnya dan bagaimana konsumen dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan mereka, kelompok referensi, keluarga, penjual dan sebagainya. "perilaku pembelian dipengaruhi oleh budaya, sosial, pribadi dan faktor psikologis. Sebagian besar faktor-faktor ini tak terkendali dan di luar tangan pemasar tetapi mereka memiliki pertimbangan ketika mencoba untuk memahami perilaku kompleks dari konsumen. Konsumen adalah studi "dari proses yang terlibat ketika individu atau kelompok memilih, membeli, menggunakan, atau membuang produk, jasa, ide, atau pengalaman untuk memenuhi kebutuhan dan keinginan "(Solomon 1995, 7). Dalam konteks pemasaran, istilah "konsumen" mengacu tidak hanya pada tindakan pembelian itu sendiri, tetapi juga untuk pola pembelian agregat yang meliputi pra-pembelian dan kegiatan pasca pembelian. Kegiatan pra-pembelian mungkin terdiri dari meningkatnya kesadaran dari kebutuhan atau inginkan, dan pencarian serta evaluasi informasi tentang produk dan merek yang mungkin itu memuaskan.sedangkan Kegiatan  Pasca pembelian meliputi evaluasi dari item yang dibeli dalam penggunaan dan pengurangan kecemasan setiap yang menyertai pembelian barang-barang mahal dan jarang dibeli. Masing-masing memiliki implikasi untuk melakukan pembelian dan pembelian kembali ,mereka setuju dalam perbedaan derajat pengaruh marketer (Foxall 1987). Engel, et al. (1986, 5) mendefinisikan perilaku konsumen sebagai "tindakan-tindakan individu yang terlibat secara langsung dalam memperoleh, menggunakan, dan membuang barang dan jasa ekonomi, termasuk proses keputusan yang mendahului dan menentukan tindakan ini ". Pengamatan sederhana memberikan wawasan yang terbatas dalam sifat kompleks dari pilihan konsumen dan peneliti telah semakin dicari konsep yang lebih canggih dan metode penyelidikan yang disediakan oleh ilmu perilaku untuk memahami, memprediksi, dan mungkin mengontrol perilaku konsumen secara lebih efektif. Psikologi, psikologi sosial, dan sosiologi yang disiplin paling banyak digunakan dalam usaha ini yang telah menjadi industri akademis substansial dalam dirinya sendiri. Artikel ini menyajikan tinjauan literatur, di bidang perilaku pembelian konsumen. Bagian pertama,menjelaskan, pentingnya berbagai faktor termasuk gaya hidup dan dampaknya terhadap perilaku pembelian konsumen. Bagian kedua menjelaskan dominan, perspektif konsumen positivistik. Bagian ketiga, menyajikan Sekilas metodologis dan analitis dari perspektif tradisional. Sisa dari bagian ini dikhususkan menyajikan highlights dari perdebatan antara perspektif non-positivis terbaru dan tradisional pendekatan berbasis positivis. Diskusi ini mengelilingi isu asumsi dan teknik dasar analisis berbagai modus alternatif penyelidikan. Tujuan utama dari artikel ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi aliran yang berbeda pemikiran yang dapat membantu dan membimbing bagi para peneliti konsumen masa depan.

METODE

Para ekonom yang pertama untuk mendominasi pembentukan model, di bidang perilaku membeli. Awal Tampilan ekonomi dianggap perilaku konsumen dalam hal satu tindakan pembelian itu sendiri, dan pasca-pembelianreaksi. Teori ekonomi menyatakan bahwa keputusan pembelian merupakan hasil dari sebagian besar "rasional" dan sadar perhitungan ekonomi. Dengan demikian, pembeli individu berusaha untuk menghabiskan penghasilannya pada barang-barang yang akan memberikan kebanyakan utilitas (kepuasan) sesuai dengan selera dan harga relatif. Anteseden dari pandangan ini dapat ditelusurikembali ke Adam Smith (1776). Alfred Marshall (1.890) konsolidasi tradisi klasik dan neoklasik di ekonomi, dalam kerangka teori halus yang kemudian dikenal sebagai teori utilitas marjinal. Dia pekerjaan teoritis bertujuan untuk menyederhanakan asumsi dan dengan demikian meneliti efek dari perubahan variabel tunggal (misalnya, harga) memegang semua variabel lain konstan. Sementara model ekonomi seperti teori Marshallian dari "Marginal-utilitas" berguna sejauh bahwa mereka menyediakan hipotesis perilaku (misalnya, harga yang lebih rendah dari produk yang lebih tinggi penjualan), validitas hipotesis ini tidak beristirahat pada apakah semua individu bertindak sebagai mesin hitung dalam membuat keputusan pembelian mereka. Misalnya, Eva Muller (1954) melaporkan sebuah studi dimana hanya seperempat dari konsumen dalam sampel nya dibeli dengan tingkat substansial musyawarah. The Model Marshallian mengabaikan pertanyaan mendasar tentang bagaimana produk dan merek preferensi terbentuk. Beberapa Studi telah mengidentifikasi dampak dari perbedaan harga pada konsumen "preferensi merek; perubahan produk isyarat pada variasi permintaan; perubahan harga pada sensitivitas permintaan; dan kelangkaan pada perilaku pilihan konsumen antara banyak lainnya (Lewis et al. 1995).

Kondisi persaingan yang berubah dengan cepat hari ini dan perusahaan yang menyusun strategi dan bereaksi terhadap ini perubahan segera dan cepat adalah yang paling sukses. Karena perkembangan teknologi, perbedaan fisik produk menurun. Diferensiasi harus dilakukan pada arti produk menanggung bukan pada mereka fitur fisik. Sebuah diferensiasi merek yang sukses dapat menjadi mungkin dengan membangun kepribadian. Berkat merek kepribadian, konsumen melihat merek sebagai teman karena memberikan dia dengan manfaat emosional.

Secara keseluruhan, ia berpendapat bahwa studi tentang perilaku konsumen yang berkembang pesat sebagai peneliti mengenalidan menerapkan teknik-teknik baru dan perspektif transdisciplinary untuk memahami sifat pembelian dan perilaku konsumsi. Pandangan yang lebih luas ini mencoba untuk mempelajari perilaku konsumen dalam terang yang berkembang pesatgaya hidup, nilai-nilai, prioritas, dan konteks sosial. Berbagai teori tentang riset konsumen tidak diuji empiris sampai abad kedua puluh tengah. Penekanan jelas praktis ditunggu pengembangan bidang pemasaran dalam kurikulum bisnis. Khususnya proses pembelian dari perilaku konsumen adalah lebih pentingnya praktisi pemasaran dari proses konsumsi. Dari seorang praktisi "s perspektif konsumen .Penelitian ini relevan sehingga memungkinkan dia untuk memahami perubahan kebutuhan konsumen, keinginan, dan motivasi dan demikian merancang campuran yang paling tepat untuk pasar nya. Kemudian, untuk pemasar sifat dinamis dari konsumen perilaku menyiratkan perkembangan pesat produk, mengubah komunikasi, dan strategi distribusi untuk menjadi lebih efektif. Hal ini ini (marketing) konsep, seperti disampaikan oleh beberapa ulama pemasaran (misalnya, Alderson 1965; Bagozzi 1975; Kotler 1972; Kotler dan Levy 1969) yang menangkap banyak yang lebih penting karakteristik pemasaran modern yang cenderung mendominasi pemikiran di lapangan. Mereka yang penelitiannya

KESIMPULAN

motivasi adalah pengaruh konsumen sebagian besar menganut paradigma penelitian positivisme yang ketat teknik empiris digunakan untuk menemukan penjelasan digeneralisasikan dan hukum. Pengambilan keputusan konsumen proses dan hasil perilaku yang dipelajari untuk membawa prediksi dan perubahan (Ozanne dan Hudson 1989). Namun, arena riset konsumen jauh melampaui perspektif manajerial, ketika Fokus ditempatkan  pada konsumsi. Holbrook dan Hirschman (1982),sangat mendukung bahwa keputusan pembelian hanya komponen kecil dalam konstelasi peristiwa yang terlibat dalam konsumsi pengalaman. Holbrook (1987) menunjukkan bahwa peneliti konsumen harus memperluas pandangan mereka untuk memeriksa "semua aspek dari nilai potensial tersedia ketika beberapa organisme hidup memperoleh, menggunakan, atau khotbah dari setiap produk yang mungkin mencapai suatu tujuan, memenuhi kebutuhan, atau memuaskan keinginan. "Proses keputusan kemudian mengasumsikan kepentingan sekunder dibandingkan dengan konsumsi. Perspektif memperluas ini baru-baru ini tercermin dalam literatur, sebagai penelitian yang dipublikasikan berfokus pada aspek subjektif dari pengalaman konsumsi, seperti hedonis konsumsi. Metodologi penelitian bergerak melampaui positivisme ke naturalisme (etnografi, semiotika, sastra kritik, dan historisisme) untuk mencapai pemahaman yang lebih luas tentang dampak konsumsi pada konsumen tanpa maksud tertentu untuk mengubah atau mempengaruhi proses. Sementara beberapa hasil mungkin signifikan untuk praktik pemasaran tujuan keseluruhan usaha penelitian tersebut adalah untuk mencapai pemahaman yang lebih baik perilaku konsumen.