ABSTRACT

Higher level values and principles are typically incorporated into traditional decision theory indirectly as preferences over various outcomes rather than directly as independent constructs (Connolly, 1996). In consumer decision research, the focus is primarily on product attributes such as price, obvious indicators of quality, objective product features, and situational factors. The linkages between an individual’s central values, the related goals, and subsequent plans, strategies and actions seldom receive attention in those studies. In fact, value-laden situations are typically avoided in consumer research for fear of interjecting the chaos of individual differences or increasing various response bias problems in the design.