Abstract
Although social scientists have identified diverse behavioral patterns among children from dissimilarly structured families, scholars have progressed little in relating modern family processes to consumption-related decisions. Based on gaps and limitations identified in a review of the existing consumer decision-making literature, this study examines how children influence family consumption decision-making in single-mother families and posits a conceptual framework that integrates normative resource exchange theory with existing consumer decision-making model theory. The implications for a better understanding of processes rather than prevalent outcome-oriented focus for future research purposes are also discussed.
PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
The scholarly and popular literature has established that (1) children influence family decision-making for both own-use and family-use products and services, (2) the influence mechanisms and dynamics differ markedly by family structure, and (3) single-mother families are proliferating in western societies. Nonetheless, social scientists often overlook decision-making processes in single-mother families. Each single-mother intra-family structure—such as unmarried partner, live-in grandparent(s), or stepparent with or without stepsibling(s)—warrants further scrutiny. During the last few decades, social scientists have applied various social science theories to understand children’s influence in family decision-making. By shifting from the prevalent outcome-oriented perspective to a process-oriented perspective and accounting for possible deviations from prevalent norms, these scientists may better capture the resources, interactions, and norms of single-mother families’ consumer decision-making processes. The proposed conceptual perspective and related propositions will facilitate this effort.
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Sarita Ray Chaudhury
Sarita Ray Chaudhury is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Humboldt State University, a California State University campus located in Arcata, California, USA. Sarita’s research involves understanding the cultural meanings of consumer behaviour, with multiple journal and book chapter publications on these topics.
Michael Hyman
Michael Hyman is Distinguished Achievement Professor of Marketing at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. His more than 95 academic journal articles, 60 conference papers, 4 co-authored/co-edited books, attest to his writing compulsion. He has served on 16 editorial review boards and as a journal co-editor. Currently, he is a Journal of Business Ethicssection editor and a Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice associate editor. His research interests include marketing theory, marketing ethics, consumer response to advertising, survey research methods, and philosophical analyses in marketing.