Abstract:
This research
study is located in the field of consumer
behaviour. It
positions means-end theory in the
interpretivist philosophical tradition and follows a
cognitive approach to understanding purchase motivation.
The thesis
reports on the collection of empirical data to
examine the
relationship between consumer benefit and price
sensitivity as a way of extending means-end theory. The
subjects are purchasers of women's fine. fragrances _and
trainers, in the UK and Germany.
The literature review covers values
research, in which
means-end
theory is contrasted with the macro approach, and
price sensitivity, where the advantages of using the price
sensitivity mechanism are discussed.
The fieldwork is
presented as a three-part process. In the
pilot stage, constructs for laddering interviews and basic
price sensitivity data were elicited from purchasers of the
two
product categories across the two markets.. The results
of the second
stage, in-depth interviews are reported as
ı
hierarchical value
maps (produced manually) and price
sensitivity charts (produced using' Lotus 1-2-3). Stage
three involved a
large scale survey carried out in both
markets and this is then
reported along with the results of
the final
analysis (produced using SPSS).
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iii
Notwithstanding poor response rates among the German
samples, the findings support the first research
proposition that there is a relationship between consumer
benefit and. price sensitivity. The correlation results
reveal that a high level of benefit is associated with low
price sensitivity among purchasers of trainers in the UK
(with a near zero correlation recorded for the German
sample). In the case of perfume, a high level of benefit
is shown to be associated. with high price sensitivity.
Implications of the findings are discussed with reference
to both marketing theory and practice.
Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the research
design are reviewed, followed. by' the presentation of 14
items for future research.
