Work in Progress Session

Citation:

Paula Tidwell (1996) ,"Work in Progress Session", in AP - Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 2, eds. Russel Belk and Ronald Groves, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 107.

Asia Pacific Advances in Consumer Research Volume 2, 1996      Page 107

WORK IN PROGRESS SESSION

Paula Tidwell, University of Southern Queensland, Australia

 

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECREATION AND WELLBEING

Geoffrey Soutar, Edith Cowan University

Hume Winzar, Murdoch University

Lester Johnson, University of Sydney

A study into the relationship of Canadian college students’ leisure activities and perceived health (Caldwell, Edward and Weissinger, 1992) is expanded and replicated in Australia among members of the general community.

Self rating of physical health, mental health, social health and leisure satisfaction are related to overall evaluation of satisfaction with life. These measures of health also were related to self evaluations of the level of activity in various specific recreational pursuits such as sports, hobbies, the arts and socialising. Results of the Australian study generally supported conclusions of the Canadian study, although the relative strengths of the relationships varied considerably. Results show that participation in leisure activities is beneficial from a number of perspectives. Specific types of leisure activities are associated with higher levels of perceived physical, mental and social health. Additionally, overall satisfaction with life is higher among those who are active in their leisure time.

Data for this study were analysed using a structural equation modelling framework. Different formulations of the theoretical model raise some interesting analytical issues that can also be discussed in the session.

 

BANK MARKETING: A STUDY OF THE BANKING BEHAVIOUR OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN TERTIARY STUDENTS

Gabriel Ogunmokun, University of WA

Christiane Beichert, University of WA

The importance of identifying buyer needs and providing unique solutions to those specific needs, was documented by Wills (1985). According to the marketing literature (eg Kotler, Chandler, Brown and Adam, 1994; Stanton, Miller and Layton 1994) a person’s buying behaviour is the result of the complex interplay of a series of actors including cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. In the majority of cases, the customer’s decision to buy will be based on how well the bank can address his needs (Wind, 1978).

However, apartfrom the fact that only a few studies (Heilser, 1990, Lewis, 1991; Punch 1991; Chan 1993) have focused on marketing banking services to students, it is surprising to note that most of the studies were done in overseas countries. Few attempts have been made to investigate this topic in Australia. This paper will therefore be presenting the result of a recent study in Western Australia which seeks to identify: the types of bank accounts held by the students and the banks they had their accounts with; the factors that influenced the students choice of banks; the reasons for owning an ATM card and the monthly usage rate of ATM facilities; the degree of satisfaction and the perceived usefulness of ATM facilities; and the level of importance attached to the various factors considered by students when choosing credit cards.

 

EXPLORING THE INTERACTIVE MODE IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR EDUCATION

Cathy Neal, Queensland University of Technology

This paper describes the background to the development of a computer based education project for the tutorial component of Consumer Behaviour at Queensland University of Technology as part of a Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching CAUT) grant in 1995. The strengths and weaknesses of using computer based instruction as part of a teaching strategy for this subject are described and the problems and challenges faced in combining the subject’s content and technology to produce beneficial outcomes for students in their learning and academics in their teaching strategies are addressed.

 

DETERMINATION OF THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE BUYER BEHAVIOUR OF AGRICULTURAL CHEMICALS IN THE AUSTRALIAN COTTON INDUSTRY

Kim Watson, Charles Sturt University

Paula Tidwell, University of Southern Queensland

Buyer behaviour in the agricultural chemical industry is an aspect of marketing that relies almost exclusively on extrapolation from a range of other industries. The purchase of agricultural chemicals involves a high level of consumer involvement and easily qualifies as a complex decision making process. Assael (1992) indicates that the process incorporates five phases which include need arousal, consumer information processing, brand evaluation, purchase and post purchase evaluation. These phases are not distinct but continuously interacting at various levels which result in a dynamic selection process.

The purpose of this project is to identify the key factors in the decision making process that motivate end users to purchase a particular brand of agricultural chemical within a designated product category. The Australian cotton industry has been selected as a suitable candidate due to both the high purchase frequency and total volume of agricultural chemicals utilised in the production of the crop. It is anticipated that the results from the research project will enable manufacturers to more accurately target advertising and promotional strategies to the needs of the end user. Maximising the effectiveness of advertising and promotion will generate demand for branded products from the field and minimise the ever increasing influence of agricultural distributors on buyer behaviour.

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