Word-of-Mouth: Influences on the Choice of Recommendation Sources

Mémoire de Maîtrise , 1998 , 81 Pages , Note: 1.3

Gestion d'entreprise - Enquête d'entreprise, Recherche opérationnelle

The idea of understanding consumer behaviour as a sequential decision-making process is one that is common in marketing (Engel et al., 1993; Wilkie, 1994; Solomon, 1993; Assael, 1992; Loudon and Della Bitta, 1993; Kotler, 1997). The decision-making process itself is presented as a logical flow of activities, working from problem recognition to purchase to post-purchase evaluation. This decision-making process is affected by a number of other more complex influences. Some of these influences relate to the wider environment in which the decision is being made while others relate to the individual who makes the decision.
The main part of this paper is divided into two chapters. Chapter 2, that follows an introduction to the work, is a theoretical one. It is a review of the literature on consumer decision-making and the individual and environmental influences on it. Emphasis is being placed on WOM communication and its role in understanding consumer behaviour. Chapter 3 focuses on the choice of WOM recommendation sources. Empirical research is presented which explores the influences on the choice over WOM recommendation sources. Finally, concluding remarks and recommendations for further research can be found in chapter 4.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Chapter 1 Introduction
• Chapter 2
  • Literature Review
  • 2.1 Consumer Decision-Making
    • 2.1.1 The Decision-Making Process
      • 2.1.1.1 Problem Recognition
      • 2.1.1.2 Information Search
      • 2.1.1.3 Evaluation of Alternatives
      • 2.1.1.4 Purchase
      • 2.1.1.5 Post-Purchase Evaluation
    • 2.1.2 Individual Influences
    • 2.1.3 Environmental Influences
      • 2.1.3.1 Culture
      • 2.1.3.2 Social Class
      • 2.1.3.3 Reference Groups
  • 2.2 Word-of-Mouth Communication
    • 2.2.1 Definition
    • 2.2.2 Scope and Significance
    • 2.2.3 Characteristics of WOM
    • 2.2.4 The Nature of WOM
      • 2.2.4.1 Types
      • 2.2.4.2 Process
      • 2.2.4.3 Conditions
      • 2.2.4.4 Motives
    • 2.2.5 WOM and the Consumer Behaviour Literature
      • 2.2.5.1 Adoption and Diffusion on Innovations
      • 2.2.5.2 Post-Purchase Decision-Making
      • 2.2.5.3 Pre-Purchase Decision-Making
• Chapter 3
  • Empirical Analysis
  • 3.1 The Model
    • 3.1.1 Recommendation Sources
    • 3.1.2 Evaluative Cues
    • 3.1.3 Task Difficulty
    • 3.1.4 Prior Knowledge
    • 3.1.5 Hypotheses
  • 3.2 Research Context
  • 3.3 Method
    • 3.3.1 Research Instrument
    • 3.3.2 Procedure
    • 3.3.3 Sample
  • 3.4 Results
  • 3.5 Discussion
  • 3.6 Limitations
• Chapter 4
  • Conclusion
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• References

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of consumer behaviour by focusing on the role of word-of-mouth (WOM) communication in the decision-making process. It specifically investigates the factors that influence the choice of WOM recommendation sources.

• Consumer decision-making process
• Individual and environmental influences on consumer behaviour
• Word-of-mouth communication and its role in consumer behaviour
• Factors influencing the choice of WOM recommendation sources
• Empirical analysis of WOM recommendation source selection

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

Chapter 1 introduces the concept of consumer behaviour as a sequential decision-making process and highlights the importance of WOM communication in shaping consumer attitudes and behaviours. It outlines the research gap in understanding the factors influencing the choice of WOM recommendation sources and sets the stage for the dissertation's objectives.

Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive review of the literature on consumer decision-making, encompassing both individual and environmental influences. It delves into the definition, scope, significance, and characteristics of WOM communication, exploring its role in various stages of the consumer decision-making process, including pre-purchase, post-purchase, and adoption and diffusion of innovations.

Chapter 3 presents an empirical analysis of the factors influencing the choice of WOM recommendation sources. It outlines the research model, hypotheses, and methodology employed in the study. The chapter also discusses the research context, data collection methods, and the results obtained from the analysis.

Schlüsselwörter

The key terms and focus themes of the text include consumer decision-making, word-of-mouth communication, recommendation sources, individual influences, environmental influences, pre-purchase decision-making, post-purchase decision-making, adoption and diffusion of innovations, empirical analysis, and research methodology.

• Université: University of Nottingham
• Note: 1.3
• Auteur: Dr. Klaus Schöfer (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 1998
• Pages: 81
• N° de catalogue: V185687
• ISBN (ebook): 9783656983156
• ISBN (Livre): 9783869430355
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: word-of-mouth, influences, choice, recommendation, sources