Attitudinal Variables Research Articles

Factors impacting consumer purchase behaviour for pharmaceutical products

ABSTRACTUnderstanding of the factors consumer consider, while purchasing and repurchasing over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products, will be of great help to the marketers. Identified factors can be used to position the products in the direct-to-consumer advertising. The research is an exploratory in the nature. It is based on the primary data. Primary data are collected via questionnaire. Three hundred respondents participated in the study. The respondents are from Metro and A class city and B class city. There were 100 respondents each from Mumbai, Nashik, and Pimpalgaon. Respondents are selected on a random basis. Factors influencing the consumer purchase behaviour are analysed on quantitative and qualitative features. It was observed that five factors – influencers, reliability, awareness, corporate image, and promotion – are responsible for the purchase of OTC pharmaceutical products. Medicinal factors, aesthetics, and producer’ image also have a major influence on purchase of the OTC pharmaceutical products. However, there is variance in the role of factors among the three cities. In this study, we tried to incorporate the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen I. Attitudes, personality, and behavior. Homewood (IL): Dorsey Press; 1988) and extension of the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen I, Fishbein M. The prediction of behavior from attitudinal and normative variables. J Exp Soc Psychol. 1970;6:466–487. DOI:10.1016/0022-1031(70)90057-0) to develop and predict consumer behaviour using factor analysis.

Immigrant perceptions of the police

A notable limitation among existing studies on immigrant perceptions of the police is the lack of a guiding theoretical framework in data analyses. This article delineates the theoretical perspectives that may explain group differential views on the police between immigrants and non-immigrants, and among immigrant groups. In particular, we formulate a new conceptual framework for classifying these theories. Theories are first organized by the two sources of influence that immigrant attitudes toward the police are subject to: universal factors that tend to shape all residents’ attitudes toward the police, and group-specific factors that apply only to foreign-born individuals. Then within both universal and immigrant-specific factors, there are four subcategories of demographic, experiential, structural, and attitudinal variables. Recommendations for future research are included.

Academic Achievement in Physics-Chemistry: The Predictive Effect of Attitudes and Reasoning Abilities.

Science education plays a critical role as political priority due to its fundamental importance in engaging students to pursue technological careers considered essential in modern societies, in order to face scientific development challenges. High-level achievement on science education and positive attitudes toward science constitutes a crucial challenge for formal education. Several studies indicate close relationships between students’ attitudes, cognitive abilities, and academic achievement. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of student’s attitudes toward the school discipline of Physics and Chemistry and their reasoning abilities on academic achievement on that school subject, among Portuguese 9th grade students using the data collected during the Project Academic Performance and Development: a longitudinal study on the effects of school transitions in Portuguese students (PTDC/CPE-CED/104884/2008). The participants were 470 students (267 girls – 56.8% and 203 boys – 43.2%), aged 14–16 years old (μ = 14.3 ± 0.58). The attitude data were collected using the Attitude toward Physics-Chemistry Questionnaire (ATPCQ) and, the Reasoning Test Battery (RTB) was used to assess the students reasoning abilities. Achievement was measured using the students’ quarterly (9-week) grades in the physics and chemistry subject. The relationships between the attitude dimensions toward Physics-chemistry and the reasoning dimensions and achievement in each of the three school terms were assessed by multiple regression stepwise analyses and standardized regression coefficients (β), calculated with IBM SPSS Statistics 21 software. Both variables studied proved to be significant predictor variables of school achievement. The models obtained from the use of both variables were always stronger accounting for higher proportions of student’s grade variations. The results show that ATPCQ and RTB had a significantly positive relationship with student’s achievement in Physics-chemistry, indicating that both attitudinal and cognitive variables should be taken into account on science education as well as in educative intervention.

Effect of perception and attitudinal variables on mode choice behavior: A case study of Indian city, Agartala

Attitudes and perceptions play a significant role in the individual’s selection of a travel mode. In the developing cities of India, socioeconomic characteristics vary significantly among the trip makers and subsequently the perception towards various travel modes. In this study, variables such as the comfort and flexibility offered by different travel modes were used to estimate an Integrated Choice and Latent Variable (ICLV) model for understanding the effect of latent variables on mode choice behavior. With a model estimated using 561 work trip data collected from Agartala city, located in the North East part of India, we found that the comfort and flexibility influence the individual’s choice of mode. The results obtained from the ICLV model support the hypothesis that the effect of attitude and perception is important in mode choice behavior and useful for transportation planners and policy makers.

Evolutionary and Social Cognitive Models of Jealousy: A Population-Representative Study

Jealousy is a cause of relationship difficulties and failure. Evolutionary models propose that men are more jealous about sexual infidelity than emotional infidelity, and women are more jealous in response to emotional infidelity. In contrast, social cognitive models propose that jealousy is influenced by social and cultural factors. The 3 aims of the study reported here were use a hypothetical jealousy-evoking scenario to explore: (1) sex differences in responses in a large population representative sample; (2) how heterosexual adults’ responses varied according to demographic variables, sexual history, and attitudes toward infidelity; (3) how sexual identity influenced responses. Population-representative sample of 20,093 Australian residents aged 16–69. Data were weighted to match the population described in the national census. Telephone interviews covered various aspects of sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, and sexual health. Within this, interviewees responded to a validated hypothetical jealousy-evoking scenario. There was some support for the evolutionary model among heterosexual respondents: women were more likely to than men to report that emotional infidelity would be more distressing or upsetting than sexual infidelity. However, among some age groups results opposite to those proposed by the evolutionary model were found. In relation to the second aim, a range of demographic, experiential, and attitudinal variables other than sex were also significantly related to heterosexual adults’ responses to the hypothetical scenario. In relation to the third aim, the analyses revealed sex differences opposite to those predicted by evolutionary models.

Patient factors in decision-making for orthopaedic surgery: a prospective analysis

Background: Previous research on surgical decision-making is inconsistent regarding the relative importance of patient and surgeon preferences for treatment. Few studies have related clinical indicators and patients’ inherent attitudes to subsequent physician recommendations and treatment decisions. In this study we evaluated the influence of a patient’s baseline attitudes and clinical factors on the patient’s intention for surgery, the physician’s recommendation about surgery, and ultimate surgical decision-making. Methods: Patients with musculoskeletal pain (N=202) were assessed for clinical indicators of surgery and attitudinal variables before their initial surgical consultation. Logistic regressions analyzed how baseline variables subsequently predicted surgeon’s recommendations and whether or not the patient had surgery, and compared the relative importance of the predictors. We also examined which variables predicted adherence to surgeon’s recommendations. Results: Higher baseline pain, disability, knowledge of risks, and family encouragement for surgery positively predicted the patient’s intention to have surgery, which, in turn, was the strongest predictor of the surgeon’s recommendation. Both surgeon’s recommendation and patient’s baseline intention for surgery jointly predicted final treatment decisions. In addition, patient’s intention for surgery was the only predictor of whether or not patients adhered to their surgeon’s recommendation. Conclusions: Patients may form strong opinions about surgery before consulting a surgeon, and these opinions impact the physician’s recommendation and ultimate treatment decisions, sometimes leading patients to act inconsistently with their surgeon’s recommendation. These findings help clarify the influence that patients have in treatment decision-making and highlight the importance of recognizing the critical role of patients’ backgrounds in elective surgery.

Preference-based segmentation: A study of dish preferences among Vietnamese teenagers

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the usefulness of prefer-ence-based segmentation in understanding food-related behavior among Vietnamese teenagers. A sample of 413 teenagers in second-ary and high schools in three different regions is used. Their prefer-ences for 36 common Vietnamese dishes are evaluated. Four seg-ments based on their preferences are identified, including food likers (29%), poultry dislikers (27%), seafood dislikers (19%), and pork dislikers (25%). Differences between segments are profiled by a di-verse set of variables including consumption frequencies, food choice motives, attitudinal variables, and socio-demographic varia-bles. Dish preferences appear to be an appropriate basis for segmen-tation of Vietnamese adolescents. The differences found across the clusters for the differentiating variables can provide the basis for developing marketing strategies to target different segments, and also theoretical and practical implications are accordingly discussed.

The Relationship between Organizational Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Nurses (Examining the Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment, Organizational Trust, and Job Satisfaction

Introduction: Justice has been recognized as the pivot of different organizational research, that the designation of the causal pattern involving the most important variables associated with it was the main objective of the present study. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive-survey study. The statistical population consisted of all nurses of Imam Khomeini hospital in Urmia (n= 420), of which 201 nurses were selected by using Morgan’s table and by random sampling method. The instruments included questionnaires of organizational justice, organizational commitment, organizational trust, job satisfaction, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior whose reliability and validity were confirmed. The structural equations model method was used to analyze the data. Results:The results showed there was a positive and significant relationship between justice perception with organizational commitment, organizational trust, and job satisfaction. In addition, the mediating role of organizational commitment and trust was acknowledged in the relationship between justice and citizenship behavior in the model; however, the mediating role of satisfaction was not fitted in the relationship between justice and citizenship. Conclusion: According the research results that there was a positive and significant relationship between perception of justice with organizational commitment, organizational trust, and job satisfaction, paying attention to organizational justice for improving the staff’s organizational citizenship behavior is critical and indicates the distinct position of this variable in improving all attitudinal and behavioral variables and consequently in the hospital employees’ performance.

Preventing Adolescent Substance Use Through an Evidence-Based Program: Effects of the Italian Adaptation of Life Skills Training.

Evidence-based preventive interventions for adolescent substance use, violence, and mental health issues are increasingly being adapted and disseminated internationally. In the present paper, we report the results of an effectiveness study that was part of a comprehensive initiative by a coalition of health promotion organizations in the Lombardy region of Italy to select, culturally adapt, implement, evaluate, and sustain an evidence-based drug abuse prevention program developed in the USA. Findings are presented from a large-scale effectiveness study of the Life Skills Training prevention program among over 3000 students attending 55 middle schools in Italy. The prevention program taught drug refusal skills, antidrug norms, personal self-management skills, and general social skills. Relative to comparison group students, students who received the prevention program were less likely to initiate smoking at the post-test and 2-year follow-up, and less likely to initiate weekly drunkenness at the 1-year follow-up. The program had direct positive effects on several cognitive, attitudinal, and skill variables believed to play a protective role in adolescent substance use. The findings from this study show that a drug abuse prevention program originally designed for adolescents in the USA is effective in a sample of Italian youth when a rigorous and systematic approach to cultural adaptation is followed that incorporates the input of multiple stakeholders.

Hispanics’ Behavioral Intentions Toward Energy Conservation: The Role of Sociodemographic, Informational, and Attitudinal Variables

ObjectivesThis study is aimed at examining energy‐related behavioral intention among Hispanics in the United States. It examines the role of nationality and geographic location, as well as informational and attitudinal factors.MethodThe study used survey data from the University of Texas at Austin Energy Poll. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and regressions analysis.ResultsResults show that Hispanics overall in the West had higher levels of intention to save energy than those in any other region, while there is no clear pattern indicating that intentions to save energy were linked to Hispanics' ethnic groups. Besides information dissemination and various measures of environmental concern, belief and interest were strongly related to energy‐related behavioral intentions.ConclusionsFindings contribute to the understanding of Hispanics’ energy behaviors, concluding that environmentalism and information dissemination are important predictors of behavioral intention within the Hispanic population.

Consumer Research with Big Data: Applications from the Food Demand Survey (FooDS)

In three separate studies based on data from the Food Demand Survey (FooDS), which has been conducted monthly for over three years, this paper explores heterogeneity in preference across consumers in traditional demand systems, heterogeneity in preferences over time in choice experiments, and the tail of the distribution for a particular food consumption pattern—vegetarianism. Results show that elasticities of demand for food at home and food away from home vary widely across different groups of consumers defined by a priori cluster analysis based on demographic and attitudinal variables. Results from a choice experiment are found to depend on when the experiment was conducted and on the market prices prevailing at the time of the survey. Given the large sample of consumers observed over time, there is sufficient data to demographically characterize a small portion of the population—vegetarians—using traditional logit models and a machine learning method ‐ a classifications tree.

An online skin cancer risk-reduction intervention for young adults: Mechanisms of effects.

The study's purpose was to investigate moderator, implementation, and mediator variables related to the efficacy of UV4.me, an Internet intervention that decreased ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure and increased skin protection behaviors among young adults. A total of 965 18-25 year olds at risk for skin cancer were recruited nationally online. Participants were randomized to an experimental website (UV4.me), a control website, or assessment only. Participant characteristics (moderators), engagement with and perceptions of interventions (implementation measures), and exposure and protection attitudinal variables (mediators) were assessed. Linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted. Intervention effects on skin protection were greater for participants with a family history of skin cancer (p = .01). Intervention effects on UV exposure were greater among recent indoor tanners (p = .04). Improvements in skin protection (but not UV exposure) were associated with perceiving the interventions as satisfying or helpful (ps < .01). The experimental group had better outcomes if they completed more modules (ps < .01) or set more behavioral goals (ps < .01). Knowledge and exposure decisional balance mediated intervention effects for UV exposure (ps < .05), and protection decisional balance, self-efficacy, and intentions mediated intervention effects for protection (ps < .05). The experimental intervention was more efficacious for certain high risk groups. The more individuals liked and engaged with the interventions (e.g., by setting goals), the better their outcomes. Mediation results inform theory about change mechanisms and differed by behavioral outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record

Betting exclusively for private labels: Could it have negative consequences for retailers?

Abstract Private labels have experienced significant growth in Spain in recent years. The size and composition of product assortments has been impacted by the development of own retail brands, in many cases discarding national brands. Some retailers experienced problems arising from these decisions, being forced to reintroduce some of these brands, suggesting the need to have extensive knowledge about the expected consequences of these decisions on brand management, both in terms of volume of sales and image. In this paper, we analyze the relationship between different consumer attitudinal variables and a number of variables related to consumer perception of the store and purchasing behavior, in assortments composed exclusively of private labels. By means of an experiment based on an online survey, the model's causal relationships are established using structural equations to conclude that the image of stores that only offer their own brand is mainly configured by price consciousness and the attitude toward the private label. The private label purchase intention is strongly influenced by the store image and a favorable attitude toward the brand, and loyalty strategies should be aimed at securing a clear perception of providing real value.

Savings and Retirement Expectations: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

The study aims to find empirical support to retirement saving decisions in the context of Saudi Arabia. We tested the impact of some demographic, financial and attitudinal variables on the propensity to plan. The results show that male, with high education level, and who is working for government sector is less likely to save for retirement. When demographic factors are controlled, a risk taker exhibiting high confidence level and with strong focus on investments is also found to be less prone to have a saving plan. In the workplace, pull factors are associated with greater involvement in retirement planning.

Confidence in Government and Attitudes toward Bribery: A Country-Cluster Analysis of Demographic and Religiosity Perspectives

In this study, we try to classify the countries by the levels of confidence in government and attitudes toward accepting bribery by using the data of the sixth wave (2010–2014) of the World Values Survey (WVS). We are also interested in which demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables affect each class of countries. For these purposes cluster analysis, linear regression analysis, and ordered logistic regression analysis were used. The study found that countries could be grouped into two clusters which had varying levels of opposition to bribe taking and confidence in government. Another finding was that certain demographic, attitudinal, and religiosity variables that were significant in one cluster might not be significant in another cluster.

Demographics, attitudes, and technology readiness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the cross-cultural validity of the Technology Readiness Index (TRI) (Parasuraman, 2000) and explore how demographics and attitudinal variables may help to explain adoption and use of technology-based products and services.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on surveys conducted with probabilistic samples from two culturally distant countries, the USA and Chile.FindingsResults support the TRI’s cross-cultural validity. They also suggest that demographic variables do matter when explaining people’s willingness to adopt new technology, with education being the most consistent predictor. Moreover, some of the findings seem to challenge the attitude-behavior consistency implied by conventional theory – while attitudinal variables are better predictors of pro-technological behavior in the USA, with technology-related insecurity being the most important of four attitudinal dimensions included in the analysis, demographic variables perform as better predictors in Chile, with educational level outperforming age and gender.Originality/valueThis is the first-ever cross-cultural test of the TRI using actual consumer samples from two culturally very different countries.

An intra-cultural study on accounting students' and practitioners' perceptions of accountants and accounting in Vietnam

This study focuses on the images (perceptions) of accountants and accounting in Vietnam. The first objective of the study is to compare the perceptions of the three groups of respondents, including first- and fourth-year accounting students and practising accountants. It was revealed that the respondents' perceptions differed in 12 out of the 17 traits of accountants, and four out of the six characteristics of accounting. Fourth year students held the least favourable images, while practitioners were the most positive evaluators. The images of the accountants were positively perceived, while those of the accounting profession only received neutral evaluations. The second objective of the study is to verify the relationships between perceptions of accountants/accounting and other demographic and attitudinal variables. Using the data gathered from the practising accountant sample, the analysis revealed that the respondents' perceptions could be significantly affected by their sex, education and position on the one hand, and could significantly influence their intention on the other. Implications for accounting education in Vietnam are discussed based on these findings.

The Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) Assessment 2: Demographic, Academic and Attitudinal Variables as Predictors of Quantitative Ability

In this article, we explore the ability of demographic and attitudinal variables to predict student scores on the Quantitative Reasoning for College Science (QuaRCS) Assessment. Variables measured by the assessment include: students' academic choices and plans, attitudes and perceptions regarding mathematics, self-reported effort level, and basic demographics such as age, race/ethnicity, gender and disability status. As in previously published numeracy studies, we find significant score deviations according to gender, race/ethnicity, and disability status; however, the effect size of these correlations pale in comparison to the effect size of affective/attitudinal variables on QuaRCS score. A large number of variables with significant effects on QuaRCS score make the data well-suited to dimension reduction, and Factor Analyses reveal that a majority of affective variables can be collapsed into three underlying factors, which we call numerical self-efficacy, numerical relevancy and academic maturity. These three composite variables alone account for 32.4% of the variance in QuaRCS score. Two additional affective variables - self-reported effort and calculator usage – add 15.9% to the regression model. Together, these five variables account for nearly half of the variance in QuaRCS score. In contrast, academic and basic demographic variables, account for only 0.3% and 0.1% of the remainder, respectively. Furthermore, most demographic variables (including race and gender) do not have a significant effect on the regression model once affective variables have been accounted for.

An intra-cultural study on accounting students' and practitioners' perceptions of accountants and accounting in Vietnam

This study focuses on the images (perceptions) of accountants and accounting in Vietnam. The first objective of the study is to compare the perceptions of the three groups of respondents, including first- and fourth-year accounting students and practising accountants. It was revealed that the respondents' perceptions differed in 12 out of the 17 traits of accountants, and four out of the six characteristics of accounting. Fourth year students held the least favourable images, while practitioners were the most positive evaluators. The images of the accountants were positively perceived, while those of the accounting profession only received neutral evaluations. The second objective of the study is to verify the relationships between perceptions of accountants/accounting and other demographic and attitudinal variables. Using the data gathered from the practising accountant sample, the analysis revealed that the respondents' perceptions could be significantly affected by their sex, education and position on the one hand, and could significantly influence their intention on the other. Implications for accounting education in Vietnam are discussed based on these findings.

Consumption of organic food products: an emerging market perspective

The study was conducted by using a well-structured survey instrument designed to measure attitude, lifestyle and buying patterns of lead organic consumers. Non-probability convenience sampling approach was used to arrive at a total sample of 358 organic consumers. Exploratory factor analysis of the attitudinal and lifestyle related variables under study revealed the existence of five distinct factors. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the factors ranged from 0.63 to 0.857. Based on the grouped variables, the five factors were named as: health consciousness: cognitive component; health consciousness: behavioural component; environmental concerns; health over price and normative influence. The saved factors were then used to arrive at a three-cluster solution, namely, socially concerned; health conscious and environmental concerned consumer segments. Further the cluster analysis was validated through a discriminant analysis with 99.4% accuracy. Occupation, marital status and education had a significant association with the segment composition.