| Author: | Tam, Sheung Andrew |
| Title: | An empirical investigation of self-concept and Ajzen's theory of plannedbehavior for automobile purchase intention |
| Degree: | D.B.A. |
| Year: | 1999 |
| Subject: | Automobiles -- Purchasing -- China -- Hong Kong -- Decision making Automobiles -- Purchasing -- China -- Decision making Consumer behavior -- China -- Hong Kong Consumer behavior -- China Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of Management |
| Pages: | xi, 171 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Although cognition and emotion have traditionally been regarded as two bipolar elements, yet I contend that in real life scenarios, these two contradictory elements do blend together. The complex relationship between cognition and emotion has offered many challenges to theorists trying to understand what really triggers purchase decisions: Is it cognitive evaluation, pure emotion or a mixture of the two? On this subject, numerous studies have been done to empirically test the effects of cognition, but few have focused on emotion. This might be because emotion is difficult to measure due to its volatile nature. Self-concept, a blend of cognition and emotion, is more stable. Therefore, I use self-concept, an emotion-laden construct, to examine the role of emotion in the decision to purchase an automobile. I hypothesize that self-concept will have direct and moderating effects on purchase intention. The test was done by augmenting Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior to include self-concept. The moderating effect of geographical region, which depicted cultural differences between Hong Kong and Mainland China, was also tested. The sampling frame for this research consisted of potential car buyers who visited Mazda Showrooms or Mazda Road Shows in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Personal interviews were conducted on the spot. Five hundred questionnaires were completed (Hong Kong: 300 questionnaires; Mainland China: 200 questionnaires). Factor analysis was used to condense the number of factors. It was then followed by a multiple (moderated) hierarchical regression analysis to test the hypotheses. The results show that self-concept does have direct and moderating effects on purchase intention, and geographical region also exerts moderating effects on purchase decision. As depicted by the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991), attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were important determinants of purchase intention. However, the regression analysis of this research indicated that subjective norm did not influence purchase intention. This finding contradicts what Ajzen (1991) proposed. The managerial implications of these research findings are discussed, and suggestions for future research are made. This study makes several contributions to academicians and marketing practitioners. It provides empirical evidence for the direct and moderating effects of self-concept on purchase intention. It augments the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) by adding self-concept and geographical region to the framework. This implies that future direction of advertising and promotional activities for high-involvement product, such as automobiles, can be substantiated by more reliable surveyed data. Managers can use this as a reference to make their advertising and promotional campaigns more appealing to consumers. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b15001258.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 4.69 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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