ISSN NO: 0974-4274(PRINT), ISSN NO: 2582-1148(ONLINE)

  • Enlisted in UGC CARE Group - 1

  • Listed in Ulrich's Periodicals Directory

  • Indexed in J-Gate

  • Licensor for EBSCO

  • Listed in Proquest

  • Included in Google Scholar

  • Accessed in DOAJ

An Empirical Investigation of Materialism in Indian Consumers

Year 2012
Volume/Issue/Review Month Vol. - V | Issue II | July
Title An Empirical Investigation of Materialism in Indian Consumers
Authors Dr. Manit Mishra , Dr. B.B. Mishra
Broad area An Empirical Investigation of Materialism in Indian Consumers
Abstract
The paper explores the consumer value of materialism in Indian socio-cultural
milieu. The construct validity of the Richins & Dawson (1992) scale of materialistic
values is established and relationship of materialism with the constructs of
happiness, life-satisfaction, and religiosity is assessed using data collected
from 252 respondents through a self administered questionnaire. The research
methods used for analysis included MTMM approach for construct validation
and correlation analysis for assessment of relationships. The analysis revealed
that the Richins & Dawson (1992) scale has acceptable reliability, convergent
validity and discriminant validity leading to construct validation. Further, while
materialistic tendencies do not influence happiness and religiosity, it actually
enhances the life-satisfaction level. The results have utilitarian value in terms
of target market profiling, product positioning and designing of advertising
appeal.
Description The concept of the hedonic construct of materialism as an inherent constituent of lifestyle has been a profoundly dialectical construct. The issue has been of interest to a range of people – from the dilettante who have dabbled in its aura to the prophe
File
Referenceses
  • Abela, A.V. (2006). ‘Marketing and Consumption: A
  • Response to O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy.’
  • European Journal of Marketing, 40 (1/2): 5-16.
  • AC Nielsen, (2006), ‘Indian Consumers Most Optimistic:
  • Survey.’ Businessline, 22 February.
  • Ahuvia, A. C., and Wong, N. Y. (2002). ‘Personality and Values
  • based Materialism: Their Relationship and Origins.’
  • Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12 (4): 389-402.
  • Beck, S. (2003). India and Southeast Asia to 1875. World
  • Peace Communication Books: California.
  • Belk, R.W. (1983). ‘Worldly Possessions: Issues and
  • Criticisms.’ In Bagozzi, R.P. and A.M. Tybout (Eds.),
  • Advances in Consumer Research, 10: 514-519, The
  • Association for Consumer Research.
  • Belk, R.W. (1984). ‘Three Scales to Measure Constructs
  • Related to Materialism: Reliability, Validity, and
  • Relationships to Measures of Happiness.’ In Kinnear,
  • T. (Ed.), Advances in Consumer Research, 11: 291-
  • 297, The Association for Consumer Research.
  • Belk, R.W. (1985). ‘Materialism: Trait Aspects of Living in a
  • Material World.’ Journal of Consumer Research, 12:
  • 265-280.
  • Burnett, J.J. and Bush, A. J. (1986). ‘Profiling the Yuppies.’
  • Journal of Advertising Research, 26: 27-35.
  • Campbell, D.T. and Fiske, D. W. (1959). ‘Convergent and
  • Discriminant Validation by the Multitrait-Multimethod
  • Matrix.’ Psychological Bulletin, 56: 81-105.
  • Chatterjee, S. and Datta, D. (1984). An introduction to Indian
  • philosophy (8th Ed.). University of Calcutta.
  • Chattopadhyaya, D. (1993). Indian Philosophy (7th Ed.),
  • People’s Publishing House, New Delhi.
  • Converse, P. and Robinson, J. (1965). The Use of Time in
  • American Society. Chicago: Aldine.
  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). ‘The Costs and Benefits of
  • Consuming.’ Journal of Consumer Research, 27: 267-
  • 272.
  • De Anggelis, T. (2004). ‘Consumerism and its Discontents.’
  • American Psychological Association Monitor, 35 (6): 52.
  • Diener, E. (2000). ‘Subjective Well-Being: The Science of
  • Happiness.’ American Psychologist, 55 (1): 34-43.
  • Gurin, G., Veroff, J., and Feld, S. (1960). Americans View
  • Their Mental Health. New York: Basic Books.
  • Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences: Comparing
  • Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations
  • Across Nations. New Delhi: SAGE.
  • Kasser, T. (2002). The High Price of Materialism. Cambridge.
  • MA: MIT Press.
  • Myers, D. G. (2000). ‘The Funds, Friends, and Faith of Happy
  • People.’ American Psychologist, 55 (1): 56-67.
  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd Ed.). New
  • York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
  • O’Shaughnessy, J. and O’Shaughnessy, N. J. (2002).
  • ‘Marketing, the Consumer Society and Hedonism.’
  • European Journal of Marketing, 36 (5/6): 524-547.
  • Peter, J.P. (1981). ‘Construct Validity: A Review of Basic
  • Issues and Marketing Practices.’ Journal of Marketing
  • Research, 18: 133-145.
  • 22 Srusti Management Review, Vol -V, Issue - II, July-2012
  • Prabhupada, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. (1995). Teachings
  • of Lord Chaitanya: The Golden Avatar, The
  • Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
  • Radhakrishnan, S. (2006). The Bhagvadgita (24th
  • Impression). Harper Collins Publishers.
  • Richins, M. (1987). ‘Media, Materialism, and Human
  • Happiness.’ Advances in Consumer Research, 14: 352-
  • 356.
  • Richins, M.L. and Dawson, S. (1992). ‘A Consumer Values
  • Orientation for Materialism and its Measurement: Scale
  • Development and Validation.’ Journal of Consumer
  • Research, 19: 303-316.
  • Rindfleisch, A., Burroughs, J. E. and Denton, F. (1997).
  • ‘Family Structure, Materialism, and Compulsive
  • Consumption.’ Journal of Consumer Research, 23: 312-
  • 325.
  • Ruekert, R.W. and Churchill Jr., G. A. (1984). ‘Reliability and
  • Validity of Alternative Measures of Channel Member
  • Satisfaction.’ Journal of Marketing Research, 21: 226-
  • 233.
  • Schiffman, L. G. and Kanuk, L. L. (2005), Consumer Behavior
  • (8th Ed.). PHI.
  • Sullivan, J.L. and Feldman, S. (1979). Multiple Indicators:
  • An Introduction. Sage University paper series on
  • Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, Sage
  • Publications.
  • The Knowledge Company. (2006). ‘Indian Luxury Goods
  • Buyers Set to Treble by 2010.’ The Hindu Businessline,
  • 24 (February).
  • Wilkes, R.E., Burnett, J. J., and Howell, R. D. (1986). ‘On the
  • Meaning and Measurement of Religiosity in Consumer
  • Research.’ Journal of the Academy of Marketing
  • Science. 14: 47-56.