Social Collective Decision Making among Adolescents:A Review and a Revamp

This article revamps the work of Ward and Reingen (1990) to examine adolescent normative behavior in a social collective decision-making group. This is of particular importance as it will enhance an understanding of the youth market both through the social context employed here as well as the social interaction that occurs when adolescent decisions are made. Employing a diachronic qualitative methodology, this research explores collective decisions made by adolescents on a high school prom organizing committee and reveals influencing strategies (e.g., coalition formation, bargaining) as well as approaches to managing conflict and conflict resolution. A model is proposed, which examines the role of both intra- and intercoalition formation and subsequent influence on decision making. Identification of conflict resolution strategies (e.g., yielding, dominating, and disassociation), employed at different stages of preparation for this event, are recognized as having both theoretical and practical marketing managerial implications

Psychological ownership and music streaming consumption

Streaming is becoming the most common format from which people access, share and listen to music and it is suggested that such practices are indicative of a shift towards a ‘post-ownership’ economy. In the case of music, consumers may place greater value (emotional and monetary) on the physical product because of the lack of legal ownership and/or absence of perceived ownership associated with streaming. This article examines how experiences of ownership are articulated through music streaming formats via qualitative interviews and an online themed discussion group. Drawing from psychological ownership theory we identify motivations (place, identity and control), antecedents (investing the self, coming to intimately know the target, pride and controlling the target) and outcomes (loyalty, empowerment and social rewards) of psychological ownership that are evident in the consumers' experiences of music streaming. This has theoretical and managerial implications for our understanding of how consumers engage with the post-ownership economy

"GROw"ing up: tweenagers' involvement in family decision making

Practitioners in particular have noted that kids are growing older younger (KGOY) and academic research has in parallel shown that children are becoming more involved in the final stages of purchase decisions, albeit in a limited number of product categories studied. This quantitative and qualitative study examines the relatively under-researched but increasingly important tweenager market across a number of product categories and the extent to which 10-12 year olds are involved in the final stages of purchase decision making. Further to this, the paper considers whether a liberal versus traditional approach to decisions made within the family (Gender Role Orientation) affects the degree of involvement. The findings suggest that gender role orientation (GRO) is indeed a factor in family decision making but that the relationship is far from a simple one. The authors posit why perceptions of involvement are sometimes inconsistent and why some kids may not be growing older younger (KGOY) in the way previously thought but may simply believe they are more involved in purchase decision making as a consequence of parental strategies as well as the influences of media, school and peers. The authors describe the implications for marketing practitioners and academic researchers. Key Words

Investigating Community or Peer Group Influence among Early Adolescents

Having friends or being part of a friendship or peer group is a significant social achievement for adolescents and an indicator of social competence (Berndt, 1990). Whilst it has been acknowledged that child peer influence varies with age, gender and product situations, previous findings do not consider adolescent peer influence in relation to the family structure and type. This paper considers how peer groups or "communities" influence consumption of music during early adolescence and how this consumption is moderated by family type (intact, blended or single)

Resistance to Ritual Practice: Exploring Perceptions of Others

Purpose: This paper contributes to the special issue theme by exploring the perceptions of anti-consumption and resistant practices of adolescents by their peer group in the context of high school prom attendance. Originality: Possible causes for avoiding consumption have been previously considered however, as yet unexplored are how those who do not consume are perceived by their peers and how this manifests itself in relation to group affiliation, attendees’ perception of ‘self’ and social norms. Methodology/Sampling: This paper employs a mixed methods approach involving 12 in-depth interviews with those who had attended a high school prom in the last three years and open questions on a survey to adolescents. Findings: Four main perceptions of non-attendance were identified: non-choice, risk aversion, passive disengagement and intentional disengagement. Perceptions of anti-consumption and resistance will have social implications for the non-attendee/s but the extent to which non-attendance is viewed negatively will also be moderated by existing social status of the non-attendee/s. Originality/value: Possible causes for avoiding consumption have been previously considered, however, as yet unexplored are how those who do not consume are perceived by their peers and how this manifests itself in relation to group affiliation, attendees' perception of "self" and social norms

Tweenagers influence on purchase decision-making: A gender role orientation (GRO) perspective

This study examines the influence of children aged 10-12 at different stages of purchase decisions and the effect of gender role orientation on a child's involvement. The research findings are based on 101 GB families and show children to be highly involved in all stages of decision making for casual clothes and school packed lunches for themselves including the final stage. In terms of GRO, children with a more egalitarian preference consider themselves more involved in all three stages of decision making. If egalitarian values are spreading within society this would suggest that children are becoming more involved in purchase decisions. However, parents' perceptions do not always correspond with that of the child. A number of explanations for this are presented

Multiple Selves and the Relevance of the Familial Context

Adolescence is a period that allows for experimentation of new behaviours and the temporary adoption of different selves. Indeed, a number of researchers have questioned the notion of a single identity and proposed a more flexible and temporary construct (Hall 1996). If the way in which individuals express themselves is intrinsically linked to the concept of identity and sense of self, understanding how identities are formed and how this may influence consumption has significant implications for marketing. This paper considers if the concept of multiple selves is evident through adolescent music consumption and what, if any, variables facilitate in understanding the adolescent and their sense of "self". These initial exploratory findings suggest that the adolescents in this sample raised in blended and single parent families have a greater number of "selves" and invest more resources to belong to social groups

Insider Trading? Exploring Familial Intra-generational Borrowing and Sharing

This paper seeks to explore the concepts of borrowing and sharing and their relevance for our understanding of consumer socialisation. Whilst previous research has tended to focus on the parent-child dyad, this study considers the role of siblings in relation to learning. Specifically this research focused on pairs of adolescent sisters and the way in which they managed the ‘exchange processes’ within their family home. The findings suggest that borrowing and sharing are different concepts with sharing being imposed and relatively simple whilst borrowing is voluntary yet complex. Strategies learnt and employed by the sisters including covert borrowing and conflict avoidance are described. Implications for consumer behaviour, marketers and policy makers are discussed

Purchase Decision Making and the Increasing Significance of Family Types

Purpose The authors note the growing significance of different family types in the West and explore the relationship between the complexity of family relationships typified in single parent, blended and intact families and the involvement of children in purchase decisions. Originality Whilst social trends indicate that the composition of the family will continue to change, little research has been conducted on the impact of changing family structures on consumption behaviour. Methodology The quantitative research is a development based on earlier qualitative research on the three family types and large scale piloting of the questionnaire. Sampling A random sample of mothers with children aged 10-16 were contacted from the TNS Postal Access Panel. Questionnaires were only used where there were responses from both the mother and child. 524 fully completed questionnaires were used for the analysis. Findings The analysis supports the idea that where familial relationships are simpler such as in single parent homes (fewer relationships) then the involvement of the child is greater and in more complex relationships such as in blended homes (where there are step-parents and step children present) a child’s involvement may be less marked. Exceptions to the “rule” are discussed as are the theoretical and practical implications

Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving

Previous research demonstrates that consumers support firms' CSR activities, and increasingly demand socially responsible products and services. However, an implicit assumption in the extant literature is that the purchaser and the consumer of the product are the same person. The current research focuses on a unique form of socially responsible consumption behavior: gift-giving. Through 30 depth consumer interviews, we develop a typology of consumers based on whether consumers integrate CSR-related information into purchases, and whether the purchases are for themselves or for others (i.e., gifts). We find that in some instances, consumers actively avoid purchasing products from socially responsible organizations and do so with the intention of managing their impressions with the gift recipient. This is counter to previous research that suggests consumers often choose to make socially responsible consumption decisions in efforts to satisfy self-presentation concerns. In addition, the decision to engage in socially responsible consumption for oneself but not for others was motivated by a variety of factors including the role of the recipient and a concern over the credibility of socially responsible gifts. Finally, some participants who do not incorporate CSR into their own personal consumption chose gifts based on a variety of CSR activities in an effort to build awareness for socially responsible organizations