Means-end Chain Analysis Research Articles

The Influence of Consumers’ Perceived Risks towards Eco-Design Packaging upon the Purchasing Decision Process: An Exploratory Study

Drawing on the means–end chain method, this exploratory study attempts to provide a better understanding of consumers’ perceived risks towards eco-design packaging and its effects on consumers’ purchasing decisions. This study makes divers contributions in terms of theory, methodology, and policy making. Firstly, this study provides better comprehension for the concept of “eco-design packaging” by combining an industrial perspective (i.e., a life-cycle assessment: LCA) with a consumer perspective (i.e., consumer perceptions). The findings reveal the gap between consumers’ perceptions and the LCA results towards eco-design packaging. Secondly, this study offers an alternative perspective on consumers’ reactions towards eco-design packaging through exploring the “risks” instead of “benefits” examined to inspire package innovation. This study identified five perceived risks (functional, physical, financial, life-standard, and socio-environmental risks). Thirdly, this study illustrates the benefit of using the means–end chain analysis (MEC) framework to explore consumers’ reactions and purchasing behaviors towards sustainable products. Lastly, this study offers several actionable suggestions to managers, packaging designers, and policy makers.

A spectrum of indigenous tourism experiences as revealed through means-end chain analysis

Ethnic culture is the special attraction of indigenous tourism, and exotic culture plays different roles in tourists' experiences, reflecting distinctive meanings and values. This study examines the complexity and hierarchical nature of tourists’ experiences at indigenous sites and deconstructs experience patterns using a means-end chain approach. Fifty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted and used to construct hierarchical value maps. Three sets of indigenous tourism experiences are identified: enjoying nature and a simple lifestyle, participating in indigenous activities, and experiencing ethnic culture. Two value-led gains are derived: happiness and enrichment. An experience spectrum is proposed from self-oriented, through self and others, to others-oriented, reflecting different orientations of pursuits that are expressed through experiencing indigenous tourism in various ways.

Being driven autonomously – A qualitative study to elicit consumers’ overarching motivational structures

Autonomous driving is a cornerstone of the automotive industry’s strategy to meet future mobility needs of consumers. Despite being essential for successful adoption, consumers’ motives regarding fully autonomous vehicles remain unclear. By collecting data from 25 in-depth laddering interviews in Germany and applying means-end chain analysis, we qualitatively explore the overarching motivational structures underlying consumers’ perception of autonomous driving with Level 5 automation. The results show three overarching motives: self-fulfillment, security and responsibility. Self-fulfillment relates to the meaningful utilization of disposable driving time for enhancing career success, nurturing social connections, and enhancing one’s quality of life. Security includes the desire for improvements in personal integrity and the fear of insufficient safety while driving fully autonomously. Responsibility expresses the longing to behave in a responsible manner and the fear of accountability for the actions of autonomous vehicles. Contrary to previous findings, the loss of driving pleasure, environmental, and ethical concerns have only secondary relevance. Considering these motivational patterns, we draw implications for managers and policy makers to facilitate market penetration and support a successful adoption of autonomous driving vehicles.

Tourists' motives for gamified technology use

Game-related technologies have been discussed as a promising means for tourists' co-creation of meaningful experiences. However, little is known about tourists' underlying motivations for using gamified technologies. This study explores tourists' motives for engaging with gamified technology during a pleasure vacation. By employing a qualitative laddering technique based on the rationale of the means-end chain analysis, this study explores tourists' desired end values in using gamified features on a destination-related mobile app. The results show that gamified features help tourists to achieve several superior motivational goals and foster their interactions within the vacation destination. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of motivational affordances of gamified technology and the underlying causality of why people use gamified technology.

수단-목적 사슬(MEC)이론을 적용한 스페인 산티아고 순례길 도보여행자의 가치비교분석 : 종교 여부를 기준으로

The purpose of this study is to investigate the motivations, expectations, and results for individual travelers who plan to travel to pilgrimage way of St. James in Spain and to find out the characteristics of walking tours by connecting the ultimate value pursued by the walking traveler using means-end chain analysis. It would be compared the perceptions of non-believers and Catholics who have a religion with the purpose of pilgrimage. The following conclusions are shown. The attributes of visiting the pilgrimage way of St. James were 'Natural scenery', 'Opportunity for speculation', 'Historical experience' and so on. Consequences was raised 'Confidence' and 'Relaxation & Rejuvenation' wanted to enjoy life. Finally, it was found that pursuing the values of 'individual happiness', 'peacefulness', and 'self-satisfaction'. In comparison with Catholic believers, the pilgrimage way of St. James was combined with walking tours and Catholic pilgrimages to find 'personal happiness' and 'mindful peacefulness' at the same time.

Housing preferences and strategies of Javanese migrants in Jakarta

As the center of development growth, Jakarta has been flooded with massive migration from all over the country, especially Java. With the limited skill to compete in the formal economy sector and soaring house price, living in limited size house becomes the plausible solution for the Javanese migrants. This reality bite serves a severe mismatch between the culture-based housing preferences and available rooms in the occupied house. In order to minimize the mismatch, the migrants deliver various meticulous strategies by utilizing the available resources. This paper examines the housing preferences of Javanese migrants in Jakarta and their strategy to minimize the mismatch between the housing preferences and the occupied houses. Qualitative method and means-end chain analysis are conducted to reveal the housing preferences based on Javanese culture, the delivered strategies, and their connections. The respondent selection encompasses low-cost apartment and high-density slum settlements to represent the common housing type of low-skilled migrants in Jakarta. The result demonstrates that the anchored spirit of togetherness in housing preferences takes form in their unique strategies beyond physical boundaries and materiality.

Producer’s Self-Declared Wind Energy ECO-Labeling Consequences on the Market: A Canadian Case Study

The demand for environmental labels is increasingly becoming important for consumers to differentiate products and to make an informed choice. This study reports the findings of a business case study in Nova Scotia (Canada) that demonstrates how renewable wind energy and wind labeling can extend the competitive advantage of a producer. By using qualitative case study techniques, the study generates evidence which suggests on the firm level that wind energy and labelling influences competitive advantage of firms, can dictate a premium price, can differentiate products, yet achieve a low-cost advantage. Wind labels also have the potential to drive the supply chain’s environmental value to the consumer as the end user by requiring the distribution chain to follow good environmental practices. On the consumer level, in terms of label information, whereby product qualities cannot be evaluated by a search prior to purchase or by experience after purchase, eco-friendliness of the product can take predominance. Not all consumers will buy eco-friendly eggs; instead, there are other factors that drive consumers, such as their opinions towards wind technology, consumer psychographics, personality, and other behavioural determinants and, hence, attract a strong niche market. Finally, for the trust in labels, though the producer does not have third party accreditation, the labels work for them, through the means-end chain analysis where egoistic and altruistic intentions persuade environmental behaviour. As such, this study highlights the probability that in principle, there appears to be an opportunity for wind labelling to be successful; in practice, wind labelling is bound to attract a particular niche market through differentiation strategies.

Motivations and cognitive models associated with decentralized seed multiplication

PurposeThe sustainability of decentralized seed producers established to enhance farmers’ access to seed of newly introduced biofortified crops is a major challenge. Understanding what motivates the multipliers of clonally propagated crops to engage in seed multiplication is critical for enhancing access to improved seed varieties. The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure and content of mental models associated with the decision to engage in biofortified sweetpotato vine multiplication as a business.Design/methodology/approachThe study focused on decentralized vine multipliers from Kenya and Ethiopia. These were stratified by orientation toward nutrition or commercial value addition. A total of 45 multipliers were interviewed. Means-end chain (MEC) analysis combined with laddering technique was used to generate mental constructs multipliers relate with the decision to engage in biofortified sweetpotato vine multiplication.FindingsThe structure and content of mental models of biofortified sweetpotato vine multipliers supporting nutrition-focused interventions and those supporting commercial value-addition sweetpotato interventions are different. Nutrition-focused multipliers are driven by the benefits of good health, while commercial value-addition interventions are driven by the benefit of making “more money.” The content and structure of mental models are also country/region specific.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has demonstrated that decision to engage in community seed production business is driven not only by the desire to make profits but, equally importantly, by personal and societal (social) factors. It has also discussed the limitations of current analysis and future research areas.Originality/valueThis study is the first to apply MES analysis to assess how decision to invest in seed multiplication business is affected farmers’ personal values and other psychosocial factors.

Motivation-based segmentation of local food in urban cities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the motives of urban consumers when purchasing local food products using means-end chain (MEC) analysis and second, to introduce an alternative approach to segment the market based on consumers’ motivation using decision segmentation analysis (DSA). Design/methodology/approach DSA was used as advanced segmentation procedure of hierarchy value maps (HVMs) produced by MEC analysis. Findings The findings suggest that there are two main segments of local food consumers in urban Indonesia: value-for-money and health benefits. The value-for-money segment is dominant when making local food purchasing. Research limitations/implications This study sample is not representative of local food consumers in urban Indonesia as only three urban cities were interviewed. Practical implications An understanding of the motivation-based segmentation of local food in urban cities is a useful tool in order to reinforce and attract local food consumers to consume more locally grown food. Originality/value This study reveals the motivation-based segmentation of local food in urban cities in Indonesia.

Combining means-end chain analysis and goal-priming to analyze Tanzanian farmers’ motivations to invest in quality seed of new potato varieties

PurposePotato is a major food staple in Africa, but its production is constrained by poor quality of seed. A recent private–public partnership in Tanzania resulted in introduction of new higher yielding varieties. The purpose of this paper is to examine smallholder farmers’ motivations to invest in the purchase of quality seed of new potato varieties, and if the motivational structure differs by gender.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used means-end chain (MEC) theory combined with goal priming, and laddering interviews on randomly sampled participants (n=45) of an experimental auction conducted among smallholder farmers in Tanzania. The auction was designed to goal-prime respondents on benefits of quality seed. The mental constructs obtained were grouped into attributes, consequences and values, and MECAnalyst software used to generate hierarchical value maps.FindingsFarmers invest in quality seed of a new variety to increase yields, hence income, and also to pursue personal life goals (values) or meet psychosocial needs. The structure of mental constructs associated with the decision to invest in quality seed of a new variety differ by gender.Research limitations/implicationsThe study focused on only two new varieties, hence not robust to all new potato varieties. Results need to be tested under different socioeconomic contexts. Furthermore, the MEC approach does not allow for control of other variables that likely influence farmer adoption decision-making process. Future studies should be designed to tackle these limitations.Practical implicationsInvestment in quality seed of new variety is driven by monetary goals and psychosocial factors, and some of these factors differ between male and female farmers.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore drivers of farmers’ decision to use quality seed of a new variety using MEC analysis, and role psychosocial factors play.

Farmers’ intrinsic values for adopting climate-smart practices in Kenya: empirical evidence from a means-end chain analysis

This study assesses intrinsic values and motivations farmers have for adopting various climate-smart agricultural practices in Kenya. The qualitative method of laddering was employed as an interview technique, and means-end chain analysis was used for hierarchical mapping in order to depict farmers’ decision-making processes concerning the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices as well as their envisioned goals and values underpinning these actions. The findings show that farmers decided on measures that improved farm productivity, food security and household income. The study highlights that an irreconcilable conflict between values exists due to changing climate conditions. It will be difficult for women attached to conservative values to pursue achievement or benevolence values. Similarly, male-differentiated values suggest a need for a trade-off of their self-enhancement values that oppose universalism values related to environmental sustainability and welfare for all. The findings call for the design of climate change policies and adaptation interventions that take into account farmers’ fundamental values and their gendered preferences.

Exploring the Influence of Differentiated Nutrition Information on Consumers’ Mental Models Regarding Foods from Edible Insects: A Means-End Chain Analysis

ABSTRACTThis study used a field experiment and means-end chain analysis to examine the effects of positive and perceived negative nutrition information on the households’ motivations to consume insect-based foods. It used a random sample of households drawn from rural communities in Kenya. The study found that provision of nutrition information on benefits of edible insects and perceived negative aspects of insect-based foods influences participants’ perceptions of insect-based foods and hence acceptance. We also found that tasting real products influenced the nature of mental constructs. The results provide marketers of edible insects with potential marketing messages for promotion.

Using Means-end Chain Analysis to Reveal Consumers’ Motivation for Buying Local Foods: An Exploratory Study

This article utilizes and discusses specific aspects of Means-End Chain (MEC) analysis for understanding the motives of Indonesian consumers when they purchase local food. The MEC theory is used as a measure of the attributes, consequences, and values of locally produced products, involving specific aspects of this theory, namely the laddering methods of administration, the content analysis procedure, and constructing and interpreting a Hierarchy Value Map (HVM). The results of the study indicate that the MEC approach is a powerful method to reveal consumers’ motivation for buying local foods, when associated with the various cultural groupings identified by the study, particular between the Javanese and non-Javanese consumers. This study offers a practical implication and source of knowledge for other future studies and policies in terms of: (a) A new approach for understanding the motives behind the purchase of local foods by Indonesian consumers, and (b) developing new categories of attributes, consequences and values for local food.

Using means-end chain analysis to reveal consumers' motivation for buying local foods: An exploratory study

This article utilizes and discusses specific aspects of Means-End Chain (MEC) analysis for understanding of the motives of Indonesian consumers who are involved in purchasing local foods. The MEC theory is used as a measure of attributes, consequences, and values of locally produced products involving specific aspects of this theory namely laddering methods of administration, content analysis procedure, constructing and interpreting Hierarchy Value Map (HVM). The results of the study indicate that MEC approach is a powerful method to reveal consumer motivation of local foods when associated with the various cultural groupings identified by the study particular between Javanese and Non-Javanese consumers. This study offers a practical implication and source of knowledge for other future studies and policies in term of (a) a new approach for understanding the motives behind purchasing local foods for Indonesia consumers, and (b) developing new categories of attributes, consequences and values of local foods.

Exploring associations between young adults’ facebook use and psychological well-being: A goal hierarchy approach

There is scant research on the broader outcomes of IT in users’ life contexts beyond adoption. This study uses a goal hierarchy approach to deepen our understanding of the relationship between the use of Facebook and psychological well-being (PWB) in young adults. The study applies a mixed-method design that combines means-end analysis and regression analysis to examine data collected from laddering interviews with 161 Facebook users. The means-end chain analysis provided knowledge of the hierarchical goal structure in Facebook (i.e., activities→mediated goals→ultimate goals). Regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between the ultimate goals of Facebook use (e.g., psychological stability, belongingness) and the dimensions of PWB (e.g., self-acceptance, autonomy). The findings explain the significant association of Facebook use with well-being and the dual outcomes of enjoyment (positive in SNS; negative in users’ lives). Prior research focused on relationships among abstract factors, but this study delivers a more specific and nuanced explanation of user behavior on SNSs by providing knowledge of how specific Facebook activities relate to goals and PWB.

A Means-End Chain Approach to Explaining the Adoption of Good Agricultural Practices Certification Schemes: The Case of Malaysian Vegetable Farmers

Good agricultural practices (GAP) certification schemes have been promoted to enhance agricultural sustainability. This study seeks to explain the adoption of GAP certification schemes through an analysis of the role of personal values in guiding such choice. It is a departure from approaches taken in previous studies in the area. Through the laddering interview technique of means-end chain analysis, a hierarchical value map was systematically schematized to illustrate the relationship between adoption of GAP (attributes), outcomes (consequences), and personal values driving the choice. The personal values identified in this study cluster under the headings of “better life”, “religious responsibility”, “healthy life”, and “responsible farmer”. Amongst these, the main evidence (pathways) pointed to the desire to have “better life” through the enhanced financial position that is perceived to arise as a consequence of GAP adoption as being of primary importance. These findings suggest that, while profit is not the sole end driver of adoptive behavior, GAP certification schemes have to be seen as lucrative and to enhance the goals of achieving core personal values. Other empirical information in this study also has significant policy implications. It is a key finding of this paper that effective promotions of GAP should be tailored and targeted at specific segments of the farmer population.

Exploring the Meaning of College Students' Leisure Activity: Means-end Chain Analysis of Social Network Game Playing

Social network games (SNGs), a rapidly growing online game genre, are built and played on social network sites. SNGs provide an online world for enjoying leisure time and interpersonal communication, and an increasing numbers of college students are involved in such game-playing as a leisure time activity. Despite the popularity, relatively few studies have been conducted to investigate the nature of game players, especially the meaning of such leisure time behavior by college students. This paper's aim was to explore a subjective meaning structure of online social network game play. The means-end chain model was used to link attributes of SNGs to the underlying values of game playing as a leisure activity. The results revealed two emerging end-values: the need for bridging and a sense of belonging. This study sheds light on the meaning of college students' leisure activities when playing social network games.

Gender differences in the meanings associated with food hazards: A means-end chain analysis

It is a common finding that men compared to women are less concerned about food hazards and technologies. While previous literature analyzed determinants such as trust in public actors in order to explain gender differences in food risk perception, a systematic analysis of women’s and men’s cognitions (associations) and emotions (feelings) is lacking. This study focuses on the very first associations and the deeper motives and values that women and men link to three potential food hazards: mycotoxins, pesticides and irradiation. Means-end chain theory was applied and in-depth laddering interviews were conducted with 34 women and 35 men in Munich, Germany. The results reveal that food hazards threaten self-centered and socio-altruistic values of men and women alike and that ‘care for others’ is not only a motive for women.

Buying Motives for Anabolic Supplements – An Analysis among German Recreational Athletes

The objective of this exploratory study was to gain first insights into the motives of recreational athletes for buying and consuming anabolic supplements. For this purpose we conducted a qualitative study among young males in Germany between April and May 2012. We used the means-end chain analysis as a methodological approach – a common qualitative research method to uncover buying motives through special in-depth interviews called “laddering”. The sample consisted of n=21 male recreational athletes aged from 21 to 28, all of whom engaged in resistance sports and miscellaneous other disciplines. The findings suggest that the economical use of resources, strive for appreciation amongst peers and by the opposite sex and reducing the risk of ineffective training are likely buying motives for this group.

Assessment of consumers' perception and cognition toward table grape consumption in China

Purpose – The paper aims to understand consumers' perception and cognition toward table grapes, which focuses on the most important attributes, consumption consequences and personal values of grape consumption and the relations among them. Design/methodology/approach – The study related grape consumption with consumers based on Means-end chain analysis. The data were gathered with both laddering interviews (n=37) and questionnaire survey returned by 843 individuals in 31 provinces of China. The data were firstly processed by SPSS software and descriptive statistics was adopted to evaluate consumers' awareness. Furthermore, MECanalyst software was opted for, to construct the hierarchical relations of table grape consumption. Findings – The findings are that consumers consume grapes based on their functional cognition and sensory perception. The quality-orientated characters are deemed to be the most important grape attributes, healthy and practical function are the main expected benefits and desired values in table grape consumption. Practical implications – The findings can provide some implications to producers, administers and operators in the grape industry and inspire them to design products that will better satisfy consumers. Stakeholders in grape industries should take measures to inform consumers of grape benefits so as to increase grape consumption and expand the market. Originality/value – The paper fulfils the combinations of laddering interview and structured questionnaire to conduct the large-scale samples survey about consumers' perception based on MEC analysis. Findings from this study reinforce the importance of research into the relationship between products and consumers.