SoM Working and Occasional Papers
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Browsing SoM Working and Occasional Papers by Publisher "Cranfield School of Mangement"
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Item Open Access Consumer theory:Some considerations of a behavioural analysis of choice(Cranfield School of Mangement, 1987) Foxall, Gordon R.The dominant paradigm for consumer research in the context of marketing is "cognitive information processing'. The fundamental assumption of this frame of reference is that observable behaviour is necessarily preceded by intrapersonal mental events which also so serve to explain that behaviour. So strongly entrenched is this paradigm that models of consumer choice derived within it readily accommodate critical viewpoints, absorb and assimilate even antithetical models of man such as that presented by radical behaviourism. Behaviourism has been misinterpreted and misrepresented by consumer researchers who have adopted a cognitively-based mode of explanation to the -exclusion of all others. This paper raises the question of how scientific progress is possible in consumer psychology, given the preeminence of this explanatory mode. It argues that cognitive information processing explanations should be subjected deliberately and systematically to a rigorous critique based upon the contrasting assumptions about the causes of behaviour which are found in alternative perspectives. Particular attention is drawn to the potential contribution which radical behaviourism might make in this respect and its role is illustrated through discussion of the explanation of consumer innovativeness.Item Open Access Modelling the effect of buyer power on the margins of commodity plastics(Cranfield School of Mangement, 1983) Cowley, P.R.In the last decade, large sectors of the chemical and plastics industries in the USA and West Europe have suffered drastic declines in price and gross margin during periods of low utilisation of industry capacity.This paper shows that the major changes in gross margin observed for some commodity plastics can be modelled successfully in terms of the balance between buyer power and seller power. These industries have visibility of prices and industry occupacity and comparable concentrations of sellers and important buyers. The modelling follows Burgess(this journal 1981) in expressing buyer and seler power as simple functions of buyer and seller concentrations, industry occpacity and 'cohesion' between sellers. This work provides a first practical test of this new approach. It is shown that the model fits the observed data best if the 'cohesion' declines as occupacity declines. The explanatory power using only three variables is extra-ordinarily good. It is suggested that the approach would be useful in understanding the behaviour of other 'near-commodity', capital-intensive businesses, and in helping to distinguish between those businesses where margins are likely to remain relatively stable and those which might face drastically declining magins if the industry occupacity declines or new entrants change the balance between sellers and buyers.Item Open Access Optimal advertising:Adstock and beyond(Cranfield School of Mangement, 1986) Driver, John C.; Foxall, Gordon R.Decision-makers are frequently exhorted to employ `scientific' budgeting techniques based on the marginal logic of formal economic analysis; some have claimed success in this regard. Yet survey data continue to reveal that most managers in practice use various combinations of ad hoc and, at best, quasi-systematic methods of budget determination. This paper examines the theoretical basis of the prescribed marginal approach and argues that it is generally incapable of implementation given unresolved specification problems in the incorporation of measures of cumulative advertising effect and the behavioural definition of the advertising process.Item Open Access Relationship marketing: The six markets framework(Cranfield School of Mangement, 1993-11) Payne, AdrianThe emergence of relationship marketing in the 1980s has been not so much a discovery, but a rediscovery of an approach which has long formed the cornerstone of many successful businesses. This approach emphasises the development and enhancement of relationships over the customer life cycle rather than new customer acquisition. Despite the increasing recognition of the importance of retention of existing customers, relatively little effort has been directed at developing frameworks and analytical tools to help achieve this. However, recently research activity has focused on the critical activities and issues that need to be managed in order for organisations to achieve increased performance and success in the marketplace through relationship marketing.Item Open Access The role of attitudinal, normative and control beliefs in drink choice behaviour(Cranfield School of Mangement, 1995) Thompson, Keith E.; Thompson, Nicholas J.; Hill, Roy W.Between 1985 and 1990 consumption of low alcohol and alcohol free beer grew at an annual rate of 100%. Yet expectations of a large and expanding market into 1990's were not fulfilled, partly because of economic downturn. As the economy recovers some brewers are anticipating renewed growth. This paper reports an application of reasoned action theory to the roles of attitudes, norms, behavioural control and habit in predicting behavourial intention in respect of alcohol free beer, in the very different market environment of the 1990's. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire posted to 400 households, yielding 78 usable responses. Unexpectedly, not getting drunk was not found to be an important predictor of intention. instead, behavioural intention was chiefly determined by beliefs concerning taste and health. Normative influences, especailly friends for non-users, family for users, were secondary predictors. Neither perceived behavioural control or habit were found to add to the predicitive power of the model. Some suggestions for the practical application of the findings are made.