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Consumers' Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: an Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study

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Consumers' Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: an Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2017 Consumers' Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: An Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study Kranti K. Dugar University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Gerontology Commons, Marketing Commons, Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Social Statistics Commons, and the Statistics and Probability Commons Recommended Citation Dugar, Kranti K., "Consumers' Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: An Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1304. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1304 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Consumers’ Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: An Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Morgridge College of Education University of Denver In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Kranti K. Dugar June 2017 Advisor: Dr. Kathy E. Green ©Copyright by Kranti K. Dugar 2017 All Rights Reserved Author: Kranti K. Dugar Title: Consumers’ Perceptions of Voluntary and Involuntary Deconsumption: An Exploratory Sequential Scale Development Study Advisor: Dr. Kathy E. Green Degree Date: June 2017 Abstract This exploratory sequential mixed methods study of scale development was conducted among baby boomers in the United States to render conceptual clarity to the concepts of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption, to explore deconsumption behavior under the tenets of the attribution theory of motivation, and to examine the components, structures, uses, and measurement properties of scales of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption. It was also an attempt to reiterate the importance of the baby boomer segment(s) for marketing practitioners based on growth, economic viability, and the power of influence, and to establish a deep understanding of the deconsumption processes, which could enable marketers to devise strategies to pre-emptively avoid, pro- actively influence, and/or reactively mitigate deconsumption outcomes. The critical incident in a relationship context (CIRC) technique was used in conjunction with grounded theory approach in the qualitative phase (study 1); and survey research, principal components analysis, and Rasch analysis were used in the quantitative phase (study 2). Behavioral process theories of the experience of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption were posited; and motivations and consequences of both types of deconsumption were discussed. The differences in the experience of deconsumption based on variables such as deconsumption type (voluntary and involuntary), gender (male and female), and baby boomer type (trailing- and leading-edge) were explained as well. Subscales of voluntary deconsumption included four components, i.e., elevated state of purpose, social agency and activism, non-materialism, and acceptance of life ii circumstances. Subscales of involuntary deconsumption included three components, i.e., victim mentality, materialism, and non-acceptance of life circumstances. Finally, the unidimensionality, appropriate scale use, invariance, and levels of validity and reliability of all the subscales of voluntary and involuntary deconsumption were tested, and reported as acceptable and appropriate. In conclusion, the implications of the results for theory, research methodology, and practice were discussed, and recommendations for future research inquiry were made. Keywords: deconsumption; voluntary deconsumption; involuntary deconsumption; attribution theory of motivation; materialism; corporate social responsibility (CSR); non-materialism; victim mentality; mixed methods; scale development; critical incident in a relationship context (CIRC) technique; consumer behavior; grounded theory; Rasch analysis; Baby Boomers; United States iii Acknowledgments Dedicated to Lt. Mr. Jatanlal Dugar, and to Dr. E. Stanly Godbold, Jr. – one father taken away, and another bestowed upon me. My gratitude to the members of my committee, who believed in me more than I believed in myself. A special mention to Dr. Kathy Green, who taught me the value of persistence, to Nick Cutforth, who always maintained I could write with more brevity, and infused soul into my qualitative work, and to Dr. Don Bacon, whose marketing insights rendered spirit and purpose to this dissertation. I was fortunate to have the maternal grandparents (in India) and the paternal grandparents (in the U.S.) that I did. I am more convinced now than I ever was that the only reason I wanted to study the elderly was because of your presence (and later, absence) in my life. My sincere gratitude to all my teachers, mentors, and professors – from childhood to present day – for teaching me the valuable lessons. I’ve kept them. To my mother, I want to say a simple thank you. A special shout out to my colleagues (especially the ‘Thursday Seminarians’) for putting up with my eccentricities, and cushioning my blows with poetry. Lots of love to Neetu, Sang, Rupa, Narsi, and Nair for taking (and sometimes faking) interest in my work. To my study participants – your patience and insights form the core of my work. Thanks to my research assistant, Molly Logic, to the meticulous editing skills of my colleague, Jeri Weiser, to the unwavering support of my boss, Dr. Kristy Lauver, and to the inspiration that my beloved students provided. In the end, to my Mississippi family, for everything and more. Dad, you were a child prodigy, and now, you are a senior double doctorate, for my degree really is yours. This is my drive beyond pain. This is my miracle mile. For a detailed version of these acknowledgements, please see Appendix L. iv Table of Contents Chapter One: Introduction and Review of the Literature .............................................1 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................4 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................4 Purpose Statement ....................................................................................................5 Self-Positioning..............................................................................................................5 Bracketing ................................................................................................................5 Philosophical Worldview and Theoretical Foundation............................................8 Research Questions ......................................................................................................10 Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................11 Conceptual Domain of Deconsumption and Related Terms ..................................12 Deconsumption (DC) .............................................................................................20 Overview of Consumption ...............................................................................20 The Consumer Decision-Making Process .................................................21 Brand Relationships and Consumption/Deconsumption .................................25 Deconsumption (DC) .......................................................................................27 Anti-Consumption (AC) ............................................................................28 Anti-Commercial Consumer Rebellion (ACR) ........................................33 Voluntary Simplicity (VS) .........................................................................34 Consumer Resistance (CR) ........................................................................40 Socially Responsible Consumption (SRC) ................................................43 The Link Between CSR and SRC ....................................................................44 Demarketing (DM).....................................................................................46 Attribution Theory .....................................................................................48 Application of Attribution Theory of Motivation to Deconsumption .............52 Attribution Theory, Power, and Empowerment ...............................................57 Theoretical Facets of Deconsumption .......................................................59 Baby Boomers and Deconsumption...........................................................61 Proportional Growth in the Baby Boomer Population in USA........................61 An Overview of Baby Boomers’ Consumption ...............................................65 Critical Incident in a Relationship Context (CIRC) Technique .............................68 Gaps in the Literature.............................................................................................71 Theoretical Gaps and Opportunities ................................................................71 Opportunities for Marketing Practitioners .......................................................77 Definitions..............................................................................................................78
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