scholarly journals What is materialism? Testing two dominant perspectives on materialism in the marketing literature

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srikant Manchiraju ◽  
Zlatan Krizan

Abstract Materialism is defined as the importance an individual attaches to worldly possessions, which has been considered as an important construct in consumer behavior and marketing literature. There are two dominant perspectives on individual materialism in the marketing literature that focus on (1) personality traits or (2) individual personal values. However, several scholars have questioned the aforementioned materialism conceptualizations. Therefore, the present study directly compares the constructs of personality materialism and value materialism. Structural equation modeling was employed to address the following issues: (1) what are the key conceptual dimensions of materialism, (2) how much do they overlap, and (3) what is their discriminant validity in predicting outcomes linked to materialism. We suggest these two dominant perspectives on individual materialism are two distinct constructs, as they shared only 21 percent of common variance. Furthermore, we stress the multi-faceted nature of materialism, with an emphasis on future research directions related to materialism in marketing.

Author(s):  
Surajit Bag

The application of multivariate techniques is mainly to expand the researchers explanatory ability and statistical efficiency. The first generation analytical techniques share a common limitation i.e. each technique can examine only a single relationship at a time. Structural Equation Modeling, an extension of several multivariate techniques is the technique popularly used today can examine a series of dependence relationships simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to provide a short review on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) being used in social sciences research. A comprehensive literature review of article appearing in top journals is conducted in order to identify how often SEM theory is used. Also the key SEM steps have been provided offering potential researchers with a theoretical supported systematic approach that simplify the multiple options with performing SEM.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Harisur Rahman Howladar ◽  
Md. Sahidur Rahman

The main purpose of the study is to know the practices of servant leadership (SL) in the context of Bangladesh. Specifically, the study explores the fitness of SL constructs in a developing country like Bangladesh. Data were collected using SL scale developed by Van Dierendonck and Nuijten from 432 respondents working in the different branches of private commercial banks of Bangladesh. The convenience sampling technique was used for selecting the respondents. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied for analyzing the data. It was revealed that SL is partially practices in the context of Bangladesh. All the constructs of SL are well fit with little modification in empowerment and forgiveness. The main implication of the study is that the SL has crossed the cultural applicability even in developing countries like Bangladesh, which has a cultural difference with any other Western country. The study also pointed out limitations and future research directions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Spagnoli ◽  
Carmela Buono ◽  
Liliya Scafuri Kovalchuk ◽  
Gennaro Cordasco ◽  
Anna Esposito

The current study aims at examining the relationship between the perfectionism two-factor model (i.e., concerns and strivings) and burnout dimensions measured by using the BAT (Burnout Assessment Tool) through a longitudinal study. A two-wave cross-lagged study was conducted using path analysis in SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) of 191 workers. Results confirmed the predictive role of perfectionistic concerns on the burnout dimensions, whereas perfectionistic strivings were not significantly related, suggesting that perfectionism should be monitored by employers and clinicians to prevent employee burnout. Limitations and future research directions are envisaged.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Boo Ho Voon ◽  
Karen Meng Koon Kueh ◽  
Mohd Zawawi Mohd Zafian

A customer-perceived quality service has been widely used towards enhancing the customers’ satisfaction and loyalty. The same situation is also applicable for the online services; in an increased use of websites as a channel for information presentation and provision of other services. Hence, the website service quality perceptions of users need to be understood so as to be managed more effectively. The key dimension of this study is to identify the website service quality through the qualitative and quantitative approaches. The website quality theories, focus groups and survey results generate numerous dimensions and items for the understanding and measuring the website service quality of various public-listed companies in Malaysia, particularly from the users’ viewpoint. The laboratory-based method obtains data from the external users’ websites whereas mail surveys aims to gather the views from the organizations’ website. These two approaches use to obtain the perceptual data for further quantitative analysis. Based on the Reliability and Factor Analysis as well as Structural Equation Modeling, there are six valid and reliable dimensions of website service quality identified, namely: Assurance, Tangibles, Content Quality, Technical Quality, Organisation Information, and Address. The implications and future research directions will be also discussed in the following sections of this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-248
Author(s):  
Alvaro Sicilia ◽  
Manuel Alcaraz-Ibáñez ◽  
Delia C. Dumitru ◽  
Adrian Paterna ◽  
Mark D. Griffiths

Fitness-related self-conscious emotions (SCEs) have been proposed as antecedents of exercise addiction (EA). However, the potential mechanisms underlying such a relationship remain unexplored. The present study examined the relationship between fitness-related SCEs and risk of EA, as well as the mediating role of passion for exercise. A total of 296 male runners (M = 40.35 years, SD = 10.69) completed a survey assessing weekly exercise frequency/hours, fitness-related SCEs, passion for exercise, and the risk of EA. The relationships between the study variables were examined using structural equation modeling. After controlling for age and weekly exercise frequency/hours, fitness-related SCEs of shame, guilt, and hubristic pride were positively associated with risk of EA. However, while guilt had direct effects on risk of EA, shame and hubristic pride showed indirect effects via obsessive passion. The results of the study are discussed, and some practical implications and future research directions are presented.


2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viren Swami ◽  
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic ◽  
Khairul Mastor ◽  
Fatin Hazwani Siran ◽  
Mohammad Mohsein Mohammad Said ◽  
...  

The present study examined conceptual issues surrounding celebrity worship in a Malay-speaking population. In total, 512 Malay and 269 Chinese participants from Malaysia indicated who their favorite celebrity was and completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) as well as a range of demographic items. Results showed that the majority of Malay and Chinese participants selected pop stars and movie stars as their favourite celebrities, mirroring findings in Western settings. In addition, exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution of the CAS that was consistent with previous studies conducted in the West. Structural equation modeling further revealed that participant’s age was negatively associated with celebrity worship and that self-rated attractiveness was positively associated with celebrity worship. Overall, the present results suggest that celebrity worship in Malaysia may be driven by market and media forces, and future research may well be guided by use of the CAS.


Author(s):  
Muftawu Dzang Alhassan ◽  
Ibrahim Osman Adam

The advent of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has enabled the rise of ride-sharing services allowing individuals to access and request rides at a reasonably lower fee and their convenience thereby disrupting the delivery of traditional taxi services. Despite the promise of this sector, Information Systems (IS) research indicates a dearth of research examining the post-adoption behaviour of individuals in this sector. Furthermore, the concentration of studies in the developed world where the ride-sharing economy is more advanced has created an aperture of studies in the developing world. Relying on data from 133 respondents of ride-sharing services in Ghana and the Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory, we develop and analyze a model using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to understand the effects of gratification, trust, and platform quality on the continuance use of ride-sharing services. Our findings revealed that enjoyment, integrative benefits, trust, and platform quality significantly influence satisfaction. Furthermore, satisfaction was found to positively influence the continuance use intention of ride-sharing services. The moderating effects of education and user experience showed support for some relationships. Our findings, provide valuable insights into the post-adoption behaviour of users in the ride-sharing economy and offer some implications and future research directions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 52-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tathagata Ghosh ◽  
Venu Gopal Rao

This study aims to examine effects of consumer confusion proneness on two consumer behavior variables, word of mouth and buying decision, in a confusion prone product market like smartphone and mobile applications (app). Additionally, the study examines the moderating influence of a personality trait variable pertinent to information processing – need for cognition, on the afore-mentioned relationships. Data were collected via a survey from 254 post-graduate students and analyzed with the help of structural equation modeling with a partial least square (PLS) approach using SmartPLS 2.0. Research findings indicate that the dimensions of consumer confusion proneness behave differently in terms of their linkages with consumer behavior. Further, as expected, consumers' need for cognition also play a major moderating role which helps to fathom the concept of consume confusion in the context of mobile and smartphone applications. Academic and managerial implications as well as scope for future research are also discussed.


Author(s):  
Arthur Ong Buenavista ◽  

This study investigated the relationships among managerial leadership, transformational leadership, and performance of school administrators of Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Covariance-Based SEM (CB-SEM), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with its default Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) were used to test the hypothesized model that managerial leadership covary transformational leadership which were both related to the school administrators’ performance. Results revealed that of the eight alternative models, two equivalent models, one model generates every probability distribution that can be generated by another model, Model B3 and Model D3 were generated, got the smallest Alkaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayes Information Criterion (BIC) indicating that both models had relatively better fit. Model B3 and Model D3 have the same degrees of freedom but feature a different configuration of paths among the same variables. However, of the two equivalent models, model B3 was rejected due to discriminant validity concerns while model D3 passed both measurement model and structural model, model D3 was confirmed and retained. As contribution to the fields of education, management and leadership, the researcher confirmed and recommends, through CB-SEM using CFA with its default MLE, the Managerial Leadership and Performance as fully mediated by Transformational Leadership Model.


Author(s):  
Shanthi Bavani V. Raja Mohan ◽  
Sajad Rezaei

While there have been an increasing number of researches done on branding and consumer behavior especially on brand personality, social status and vanity and its influence on purchase intention, there are little researches that focus on the influence of all these factors collectively on Apps purchase intention. In addition, the fact that the influence of some factors will vary from country to country could not be ignored. This chapter conceptually argues that brand personality, social status, and physical vanity are important in building luxury fashion branded Apps. While brand personality and luxury fashion branded Apps as an internal factor plays an important role in deciphering if it has an influence on an individual's Apps purchase intention for luxury fashion brands; therefore, it is important to look into how external factors have an influence on an individual. The theoretical and future research directions are discussed.


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