A Literature Review on Consumer Voluntary Disposition Essay

A Literature Review on Consumer Voluntary Disposition - Essay Example uct dominant to consumer dominant has bought such reorientation on â€Å"customer focus† (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990, p.3) requires sophisticated understanding of consumer behaviours (Nwankwo, 1995). Consequently, the field of consumer research (Belk, 1986 cited in Holb rook, 1995) becomes an increasingly important constituent to marketing discipline than ever before. According to consumer culture theory (CCT), consumer research investigates/studies â€Å"the contextual, symbolic, and experiential aspects of consumption as they unfold across a consumption cycle that includes acquisition, consumption and possession, and disposition processes and analysis of these phenomena from macro-, meso-, and micro- theoretical perspectives† (Arnould and Thompson, 2005, p.871). This topic is important because, firstly, many disposition decisions have economic consequences for both the individual and society. Some (eg., when and how to properly dispose outdated prescription drugs) even have important health and safety ramifications. Secondly, since much purchase behaviour is cyclical, a variety of marketing implications can emanate from an understanding of the disposition subprocess. Thirdly, in an age of relative scarcity in which we can no longer afford the luxury of squandering resources, understanding disposition decisions and behaviour is logically prerequisite for effective environmental conservation – environmental implication (Jacoby, 1978). The rest of this paper first examines the definition of disposition, followed by an integrative review on disposition typologies, methodological issues, and factors that determine disposition by consumers. Finally, the status of the literature and implications for future research in the area are discussed. Disposal has been defined differently by different researchers. A product will be disposed under different situations. Some will contend that as soon as an owner relinquishes the possession of an appliance, (Jacoby 1978) there is