GROUNDED THEORY OF FLORIDA AQUARIUM RETAILERS’ ACCEPTANCE OF THE GLOFISH By BRIAN PEDDIE A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2008 1 © 2008 Brian Peddie 2 To my wife, Susannah, in memory of her father, Phillip Herndon. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my supervisory committee, my wife Susannah, my parents, Edward and Pat, and the ornamental fish retailers who participated in the study. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................4 LIST OF TABLES...........................................................................................................................9 LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................10 GLOSSARY OF TERMS..............................................................................................................11 ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................15 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...........................................................................................21 Statement of Purpose and Research Questions.......................................................................21 Research Questions .........................................................................................................21 Qualitative Methods: Grounded Theory..........................................................................22 Grounded Theory Styles..................................................................................................23 Statement of Purpose.......................................................................................................24 Sampling.................................................................................................................................24 Implementation.......................................................................................................................25 Strengths and Weaknesses......................................................................................................27 Research Design: Quality, Reliability, and Validity ..............................................................28 Ethical Considerations and Publication Concerns..................................................................29 3 LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................31 Qualitative Research...............................................................................................................31 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................................31 The Challenge of Social Scientific Research ..................................................................33 Qualitative Research Issues.............................................................................................36 Grounded Theory.............................................................................................................36 Present Theories......................................................................................................................42 Sociocultural and Cognitive Science Theories................................................................47 Theory of Reasoned Action.............................................................................................51 Decision-Making Theories ..............................................................................................53 Diffusion of Innovation Theories ....................................................................................56 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................58 4 RESULTS...............................................................................................................................64 Interview 1 (Pilot): The Early Adopter...................................................................................65 5 Overview .........................................................................................................................65 Location...........................................................................................................................66 Emergent Themes............................................................................................................66 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................68 Interview 2: The Well Informed Employee............................................................................70 Overview .........................................................................................................................70 Emergent Themes............................................................................................................71 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................75 Interview 3: The Aquarium Manufacturer..............................................................................77 Overview .........................................................................................................................77 Developing Families........................................................................................................78 “Playing God.”...................................................................................................... 78 Ethics..................................................................................................................... 79 Product attributes .................................................................................................. 80 Invasive species—Environmental degradation..................................................... 81 Regulation............................................................................................................. 82 Public awareness................................................................................................... 82 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................83 Interview 4: The Laconic Employee.......................................................................................84 Overview .........................................................................................................................84 Families ...........................................................................................................................85 Painted fish............................................................................................................ 85 Product attributes .................................................................................................. 86 Ethics..................................................................................................................... 88 Comparative Analysis .....................................................................................................89 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................90 Interview 5: The Marine Enthusiast ......................................................................................91 Overview .........................................................................................................................91 Product Attributes Family ...............................................................................................93 Ethics Family...................................................................................................................93 Jurassic Park Effect Family.............................................................................................95 Regulation........................................................................................................................96 Comparative Analysis .....................................................................................................97 Interview 6: The Flamboyant GloFish™ Lover .....................................................................98 Overview .........................................................................................................................98 Product Attributes Family ...............................................................................................99 Ethics Family.................................................................................................................100 Jurassic Park Effect Family...........................................................................................101 Comparative Analysis ...................................................................................................102 Interview 7: The Centrist......................................................................................................103 Overview .......................................................................................................................103