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Ward, Philippa 
ORCID: 0000-0002-4971-8908
(2013)
Situational factors in consumption experiences.
PhD thesis, University of Gloucestershire.
Abstract
This thesis is a reflective account and (re)examination of a corpus of publications created as part of my actions as an academic and researcher. The articles presented concern consumers' interpretations of situational factors in consumption experience, and the influence of these factors on their subsequent psychological and behavioural outcomes. The reflective element considers my evolving philosophical position, which at present can be best described as a combination of pragmatism and Umwelt theory. It also reevaluates, as a form of discourse, the relationship of the researcher as writer to the text created: where there is both a product - 'the text' - and a process of social interaction including the processes of production and interpretation [or consumption]. The (re)examination of articles locates them as part of the broader theoretical debates in the area of 'situation' - highlighting the distinctive position adopted in the assumptions underlying the work presented; the larger number of situational factors incorporated in each article than is the norm, and, the selection of situational sub-factors as the basis of concern that have received less attention in the literature. The thesis concludes by examining the contributions derived from the publications presented. The specific themes that the articles address can be grouped into: perceived risk, the presence of others, ambient scent, visual merchandising and gift giving - all underresearched within the work of situational factors in consumer experiences. The underlying approach used within the articles to conceptualize the nature of the consumer experience and of situation is underrepresented in the field - which tends to a more objective and neopositivist approach. The work here represents the view that situations are interpreted holistically, on the basis of the stimuli present. This interpreted situation leads to psychological processes and responses that then generate behavioural outcomes. This approach is evident in some of the wider research on situational factors - particularly that based on environmental psychology - but is limited in work that draws on other discipline bases. Given these issues, the articles have made a significant and original contribution to the knowledge base. They have also provided a range of managerial recommendations and applied commentaries that have sought to influence practice as well as theory.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | PhD by publication By publication. A print copy of this thesis is available for reference use only. | |||||||||
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Consumption; Consumer behaviour; Services marketing; Situational factors | |||||||||
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| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business > HF5410 Marketing | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Business, Computing and Social Sciences | |||||||||
| Depositing User: | Susan Turner | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 17 Dec 2021 12:24 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 17 Dec 2021 14:32 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/10484 |
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