The unpredictability of consumption as it relates to hospitality lies in individual differences and the ways in which people categorize purchase decisions (Teare, 1998). In order to identify the interrelationships between influences, researchers develop frameworks or models, which are intended to portray the perceived relationships and thus enrich our understanding of the consumers’ decision processes. Such models ‘Represent the often- complex array of factors (or variables) which influence consumer decision-making. In essence models seek to simulate or approx- imate as realistically as possible the complications of consumer preference, choice and purchase behaviour’ (Teare, 1998: 76).
The intention of developing models of decision processes and consumer behaviour is to attempt to identify, in a simplified Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism Series
Inevitable There are no permanent dividing lines between facts about the system, and the beliefs held about that system. Models are theories, laws, equations or beliefs which state things about the problem in hand and assist in our understanding of it
Economic The compression of the system into model form allows information to be passed, assessed and quantified, so that the ideas and beliefs contained within the model can be altered or modified at will. Thus there is a lower risk and use of resources than when experimenting with actuality
Simplification When we build a model, of necessity, we overgeneralize and simplify in order to make clear those complex areas within the task at hand. By simplification we can ensure a close examination of those parts of the system that may prove contentious, or where an improvement in existing working is required.
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manner, the relationships between factors that influence behav- iour. As Jennings and Wattam (1998: 133) argue: ‘The idea that we can adopt a view of the world, examine it and discover its characteristics is at the heart of simulation.’ Models are abstracts or simplifications of aspects of the ‘real’ world. The purpose of models is to simplify and identify aspects of decisions in order to make them more accessible for investigation. If, as an example, we consider the purchase of a meal, we first need to have some concept of what we value in a meal. We then need to identify a working definition of how we intend to judge one meal against another, for example taste, cost etc. and, having identified the criteria, we need to order these such that we can make our decision. This, in essence, is the modelling process – the act of simplifying reality in order to assist in the decision process, an activity that we are constantly engaged in from trivial decisions such as what sauce to have with our pasta, through to those decisions which fundamentally alter the way in which we interact with our environment. Models are essential to all investigations of consumer behaviour, whether they are models that consider the ways in which we structure and interpret the world or models used by researchers in order to explain the world.
Jennings and Wattam identified a number of reasons for building models or for simulating complex problems and these are indicated in Figure 3.2. Models can be developed in a number
Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism Series
Figure 3.2 Why build models?
Source: adapted from Jennings and Wattam (1998)
43 Frameworks for considering hospitality consumer decision-making
of ways, with the type of presentation being dependent on the systems we are trying to model and the purpose of the model, typically models can be constructed as:
䊉 descriptive models, which provide a qualitative description and explanation of the systems we are trying to model; in other words they can be seen as a word picture of the problem
䊉 predictive models, which are developed in order to estimate future performance, for example data collected over a period of time can be analysed to predict expected value
䊉 mechanistic models, which describe the behaviour of a system, given inputs, outputs and the transformation process
䊉 empirical models, which are generated by adding data to mathematical models, for example regression analysis or cost- benefit analysis
䊉 steady state models, which map a system’s average performance against time, for example in statistical analysis
䊉 dynamic models, which seek to represent fluctuations of per- formance with time
䊉 local models, which describe the individual sub-systems that form the model and thus the system.
䊉 global models, which describe the whole model and thus the whole system.
It is anticipated that models assist us in investigating consumer behaviour in two ways. First, they allow for description, explanation, prediction and (some would argue), ultimately, control of consumer behaviour. Second, such models assist researchers in developing more adequate hypotheses and theo- ries in respect of the relationships that influence consumer behaviour. However, as Bareham (1995: 3) suggests, ‘most models of consumer behaviour are a long way from fulfilling either of these (intentions); most models are simply descriptive’.
Such a view is supported by Swarbook and Horner (1999: 3) who suggest, ‘The problem with the academic discipline of consumer behaviour is that while many general models have been advanced, there has been little empirical research con- ducted in order to test these models against actual behaviour patterns’.
This is particularly true in the hospitality sector where research on consumer behaviour is in a very early stage of development. However, despite their limitations it is apparent models have value in aiding our understanding of hospitality consumption. For example, it is generally accepted that their use is in appreciating the variety of factors that can have an influence on what would appear to be simple consumption Hospitality, Leisure & Tourism Series
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Understanding the Hospitality Consumer
decisions. Consumer behaviour models, which are often repre- sented as elaborate flow diagrams, simplify and abstract what it is assumed happens in reality. The formulation of the model facilitates the understanding of the problem itself and gives pointers to its solution. In summary, models allow researchers to test assumptions, ideas and alterations to the problem scenario itself.