Emergence of children as influencers in family consumption decisions – a resource theory approach

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the perception of parents regarding the role of children as influencers in family consumption decisions in India. The purpose is to support marketing practitioners in understanding the stages of children's influence in the family using the theoretical perspective of the resource theory approach.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a Web survey approach. Primary data were obtained from a sample of 180 mothers of adolescent children in the age group of 13–18 years and residing in rural and urban areas of Delhi (India) by administering a bilingual (Hindi/English) pre-tested “structured non-disguised” questionnaire designed on the Google Forms.FindingsThe findings that emerged from this study and as supported by the relative theory approach revealed that Indian parents perceive their children to exert a significant influence in family buying decisions, children's influence varies across stages of the decision-making process and the type of product and children's influence in family buying decisions is moderated by family structure but not by family size. The results of this study extend interesting and practical implications for marketing practitioners in India and by extension in other similar countries while designing and implementing marketing mix strategies in respect of goods and services meant for children/family consumption.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings that emerged from this study and as supported by the relative theory approach revealed that Indian parents perceive their children to exert significant influence in family buying decisions, children's influence varies across stages of the decision-making process and the type of product, and children's influence in family buying decisions is moderated by family structure but not by family size. Results of this study extend interesting and practical implications for marketing practitioners in India and by extension in other similar countries while designing and implementing marketing mix strategies in respect of goods and services meant for children/family consumption.Practical implicationsThe results of this study support the notion that children exert considerable influence in family buying decisions in India across products, hence constitute a viable target market for different products consumed not only by them but by other family members as well. It is, therefore, vital that marketers wishing to penetrate family and/or child product markets must identify the person in the family who is likely to be more involved in the buying process and the extent of his involvement to carve effective promotional strategies.Social implicationsThe finding that although Indian children are actively participating across various stages of the decision-making process and their influence is strongest at the purchase initiation stage has peculiar social implications whereby families may be exposed toward eco-friendly green products and sustainable ways of living through the children in rural as well as urban areas. Similarly, children were also found to be influential at the information search and evaluation stage; hence, the messages regarding social issues, gender equality and health issues, which are not yet openly discussed in Indian families, may be imparted through children for better coverage and effectiveness.Originality/valueChildren are an important part of the family; especially in the nuclear families, children are an apple of eye and central point of the discussion. The role of children in decision-making is also important because of the changing information system and modernization of the younger generation. This is an empirical study focusing on the areas not yet explored and examined in the context of a culturally distinct and emerging country in terms of the emergence of children as influencers in family consumption decisions in rural and urban Indian families.

Effects of the cachoeira caldeirão hydroelectric dam on fishing in the Araguari River, Brazilian Amazon

This study analyzes the effects of three aspects of artisanal fishing that occurred due to the construction of the Cachoeira Caldeirão dam in a community in the middle stretch of the Araguari River. Interviews were carried out with fishermen, questionnaires were applied, and field observations were made. According to fishermen, subsistence artisanal fishing for family consumption and commercial sale in Porto Grande suffered negatively after the dam, especially with the reduction of its fishing territory, limited between physical barriers and legal barriers. This scenario is aggravated by the reduction of active fishermen in fishing activities and an alteration in the fishing dynamics which poses an imminent risk to artisanal fishing, and this may cause fishing activities to disappear in a few years in the municipality of Porto Grande.

Parents displaying family consumption in Ireland

This article considers qualitative data collected from 78 parents in an Irish study on the commercialisation and sexualisation of children. It makes a distinctive contribution in showing that the framework of family display (Finch, 2007) can be productively applied to the entire field of family consumption. It shows that consumption narratives can be viewed as a tool that is used to display family – in other words, showing how family is done – to internal family members and to outsiders. While family display has been more often applied empirically with non-conventional families, its relevance for all families is reasserted by our data. Our application of the family display framework shows that middle-class parenting ideals are stretched and can become unstuck when displayed by middle-class parents, the constituency most associated with their production and propagation.

A history of early household economics: Improving the family’s contribution to industrial production and rationalizing family consumption

This article contributes to our knowledge of two early phases in the history of household economics. The first is represented by the 19th-century theory of Alfred Marshall and the second by the interwar theories of several North American consumer economists (Hazel Kyrk, Elizabeth Hoyt, and Margaret Reid). The aim is to present the analytical focus and accounts of social good that animated these phases. Since Marshall’s focus was on improving industrial production, his family economics explained how the Victorian family could improve the labour it contributed to industry. But the North American consumer economists sought to improve family consumption. Regarding ethics, 19th-century families were to cultivate an industrious and altruistic character. But the consumer economists thought families needed protection from producer fraud, along with living standards that expressed their individuality. Early household economics also accepted the gendered family form that had accompanied these developments, rejecting more ‘activist’ conceptions.

POLA PERILAKU KONSUMSI KELUARGA MUSLIM DI PERUMAHAN BUMI MADINA ASRI SURABAYA MENURUT PERSPEKTIF MAQASHID SYARIAH

The purpose of this research is to know the consumption behavior of the Muslim family from maqashid Syariah perspective to fulfill the needs of dharuriyyat, hajiyyat, and tahsiniyyat on religion, soul, intelligence, offspring, and wealth. The approach used in this research is qualitative with a descriptive strategy. In-depth interviews collected the data as primary data. This research focuses only on Muslim families who live in Bumi Madina Asri Housing in Surabaya to understand the consumption behavior of Muslim families from maqashid Syariah perspective. The result is all the Muslim families of Bumi Madina Asri Housing in Surabaya have fulfilled the needs of dharuriyyat, hajiyyat, and tahsiniyyat on maqashid Syariah aspect. However, some families still have not fulfilled the needs of hajiyyat and tahsiniyyat. Besides self-consumption, social consumption on the community of the Muslim family of Bumi Madina Asri Housing in Surabaya also has done very well. The payment of zakat, infaq and shodaqoh proves it. All the informants have given hibah, presents, and even some do waqf.Keywords: Muslim Family, Consumption Behavior, Muslim Consumer Behavior, Maqashid Syariah

Survival Strategies of City Transportation Drivers In Purwokerto Banyumas Regency

According to the Central Statistics Agency (2017), the proportion of workers in the Indonesias informal sector is 57.03 percent in 2017. One of the jobs in the informal sector is city transportation drivers. Purwokerto has a population of 263,501 people in 2017 spreading across four sub-districts. Population needs for transportation are served by city transportation. The existence of the Trans Jateng bus and the growing development of on-line transportation services have reduced consumer demand for urban transportation services. As a consequence, it had an impact on the income of city transportation drivers. This study aimed to analyze the income and consumption, the welfare of life, and survival strategies of city transportation drivers in Purwokerto in meeting their family needs. The total sample of 78 respondents was selected randomly. The analytical methods used in this study were tabulation, Average Propensity to Consume analysis, comparison between income and Decent Standar of Living in Banyumas Regency, and survival strategies using coping strategies. The results indicated that 51.3 percent of respondents had basic income smaller than other income; the basic income of 89.74 percent of respondents had not been able to meet family consumption, but based on family income, it was obtained that 69.23 percent of respondents has been able to meet family consumption; both of basic income and family income of the majority of drivers have not been able to meet a Decent Standard of Living; the survival strategies used by the respondents were active, passive, and network strategies. This study implies that the Regional Government needs to adopt a policy that supports the city transportation drivers in the form of limiting the number of on-line transportations and monitoring the red zones as well as regulating the Trans Jateng Bus lane so that it may not have a negative impact on the city transportation.

Ethical dilemmas in studying family consumption

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the types of ethical challenges and dilemmas researchers face when engaging in family consumption research. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from the concept of micro-ethics to bridge reflexivity with ethics in practice, the paper provides a reflexive account of the various ethical dilemmas encountered by two family consumption scholars during their fieldwork. Both researchers conducted qualitative research on family meals. Findings The paper reveals five types of ethical tensions that can arise when doing research on family consumption. These tensions are addressed as display, positioning, emotional, practical and consent dilemmas, all of which have ethical implications. The findings unpack these dilemmas, showing empirical and reflexive accounts of the researchers as they engage in ethics in practice. Solutions and practical strategies for dealing with these ethical tensions are provided. Originality/value Despite the growing interest in interpretive family research, there is less attention on the ethical and emotional challenges researchers face when entering the family consumption scape. As researching families involves entering an intimate area of participants’ lives, the field may be replete with tensions that may affect the researcher. This paper brings the concept of micro-ethics to family marketing literature, showing how researchers can do ethics in practice. The paper draws on reflexive accounts of two researchers’ personal experiences, showing their emotional, practical, positioning and display challenges. It also provides practical strategies for researchers to deal with dilemmas in the field.