Advanced Consumer Behavior - Critical Analysis of Cdp Models
The purpose of this report is to examine consumer behavior within the hospitality industry, with a particular focus on investigating the consumer decision process models. Given the postmodern and fragmented nature of consumer behavior, the author intends to determine whether the consumer decision process models are vague and attempt to be all encompassing by reviewing examples of consumption within hospitality industry.
Interesting as it seems, readers and the author of this report have something in common. They are all consumers. They all think about purchasing things, they talk about purchasing goods and services and they do purchase and use products and services. They also consume to say something about themselves to others, or even to themselves. A brief idea of consumer behavior: Gabbott and Hogg (1998, cited in Williams, 2002) suggested consumer behavior is any behavior involved in the course of buying, using and disposing of products. The definition has been commented by Williams (2002) to be too vague and of least practical use. However it has reinforced the fact that consumer behavior is a difficult concept to describe and the importance of emotional involvement. Horner and Swarbrook (1996:4) defined consumer behavior as “the study of why people buy the product they do, and how they make the decision”. Then again the definition is only limited to exchanges of products. Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (1995) has provided a better understanding for consumer behavior, referring it to activities which directly involve decision processes prior and after stages of obtaining, consuming and disposing products. In the modern society, a phenomenon of hyperconsumption occurs commonly, where people are getting obsessed with consumption. This happens especially in western society, where consumption is said to have defined the society (Ritzer, 1999). Miles (1998) has associated city centers with consumption sites, people’s homes become place of worship for the religion
Interesting as it seems, readers and the author of this report have something in common. They are all consumers. They all think about purchasing things, they talk about purchasing goods and services and they do purchase and use products and services. They also consume to say something about themselves to others, or even to themselves. A brief idea of consumer behavior: Gabbott and Hogg (1998, cited in Williams, 2002) suggested consumer behavior is any behavior involved in the course of buying, using and disposing of products. The definition has been commented by Williams (2002) to be too vague and of least practical use. However it has reinforced the fact that consumer behavior is a difficult concept to describe and the importance of emotional involvement. Horner and Swarbrook (1996:4) defined consumer behavior as “the study of why people buy the product they do, and how they make the decision”. Then again the definition is only limited to exchanges of products. Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (1995) has provided a better understanding for consumer behavior, referring it to activities which directly involve decision processes prior and after stages of obtaining, consuming and disposing products. In the modern society, a phenomenon of hyperconsumption occurs commonly, where people are getting obsessed with consumption. This happens especially in western society, where consumption is said to have defined the society (Ritzer, 1999). Miles (1998) has associated city centers with consumption sites, people’s homes become place of worship for the religion