Carol Kaufman-Scarborough

Time management and polychronicity

The goals of this investigation are to identify behaviors and attitudes that are predictive of an individual’s polychronic or monochronic time use, relating these findings to individuals’ time management approaches. A modified polychronic attitude indicator (PAI3) scale is used as the overall measure of monochronic/polychronic tendencies. A series of potential predictor variables from the “structure” portion of the FAST scale, items related to the time structure questionnaire, and other items based on literature synthesis and researcher judgment were used. A stepwise multiple regression analysis resulted in an eight‐predictor variable solution. It was concluded that polychronicity is related to different aspects of time management; recommendations are given for future study and for application in the workplace.

E‐shopping in a multiple channel environment

In the present study, the authors propose a segmentation schema based on patterns of e‐browsing and e‐purchasing. We examine self‐reports of browsing and purchasing using five specific non‐store channels: the Internet, television infomercials, advertising that accompanies regular television programming, television shopping channels, and print catalogs. Our findings indicate that shoppers who browse and/or purchase on the Internet differ in their use of multi‐channel options related to their perceptions of convenience. Some shoppers clearly want to purchase in the store setting and reject multiple forms of non‐store shopping. Others like to browse various non‐store media and have extended their browsing to the Internet, yet maintain their loyalty to in‐store purchases. Retailers who attempt to “convert” such shoppers to Internet‐only purchasing may alienate the shoppers who rely on the Internet solely for information.

Time Use and the Impact of Technology

Times have changed. The distinctions between work time and household time are no longer limited by the constraints of physical space. Indeed, the boundaries of time and space between the home and the outside world have been blurred by home computers, faxes, email, pagers, and other technologies, bringing home into the workplace and work into the home space. The purpose of this manuscript is to re-examine the time–space relationship as new patterns of time use are necessitated by home workspaces. My particular interest lies in proposing and developing a conceptual schema that helps researchers to examine the intra-household time interactions that result when workspaces are integrated within the home space. In the present study, I develop a set of research propositions and a conceptual framework for analytical use.

Asian‐American consumers as a unique market segment: fact or fallacy?

The Asian‐American consumer group is thought to be the fastest‐growing market in the USA. Asian‐Americans are thought to be well‐educated, generally affluent, and geographically concentrated. However, significant cultural and language differences among Asian subgroups are often overlooked. These include patterns of information gathering, use of promotional media, and methods of household decision making. This article presents a comparative marketing examination of the similarities and differences among five of the largest Asian‐American groups and develops implications for marketing strategies.

Understanding markets as online public places: Insights from consumers with visual impairments

More than 20% of the U.S. population is composed of people with disabilities. When such people interact with certain marketplaces, such as commercial Web sites, some become “consumers with constraints,” and others become liberated, experiencing the freedom to search for information independently for the first time. While accessibility in physical stores is mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act, commercial Web sites do not fall under its jurisdiction, because they are not considered “public places.” This research challenges this view and examines whether actual consumers interpret Web sites as public places. The authors examine this question in the context of experiences of consumers with visual impairments in online shopping. The authors apply the concepts of consumer normalcy and consumer vulnerability to the technology acceptance model as theoretical lenses through which to interpret this context. The findings form the basis for recommendations to policy makers to develop and enforce standards for Web site accessibility and to the marketplace to create a level playing field for people with visual impairments.

Polychronic tendency analysis: a new approach to understanding women's shopping behaviors

Consumer researchers have long known that some shoppers prefer to combine errands on their shopping trips, while others tend to focus on one errand at a time. However, there was no published evidence that similar behaviors occur within a specific shopping situation. Proposes that polychronic tendency analysis (PTA) can provide insights that explain such behaviors. Self‐reports were used to examine adult womens general polychronic tendency and to contrast this with reported polychronic tendencies when shopping for groceries and shopping for clothing to be worn at work. Three strong‐fitting, theoretically sound constructs consisting of multiple simultaneous activity and activity‐changing items were constructed using a structural equation modeling approach. The general, grocery shopping, and clothing shopping models differed from one another. This showed that women have different time use tendencies in different shopping situations. Also demonstrates how situation‐specific survey instruments and the resulta...

Sharing the Experience of Mobility-Disabled Consumers Building Understanding through the Use of Ethnographic Research Methods

The ten-year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stimulated discussions regarding its effectiveness in bringing full-market access to persons with disabilities. The picture is mixed, revealing that the ADAs architectural mandates do not fully address the physical and emotional needs of disabled consumers. In the present article, the author develops a framework representing how mobility-disabled consumers experience and manage their behaviors in the retail environment. That framework is used to identify whether store designs can “disable” persons with mobility impairments by implementing architectural choices that assume able-bodied customers. In addition, aspects of the disabled persons experiences in negotiating a consumer identity in retail environments is examined. One study examines observations made while simulating a disability. A second study considers observations made while partnered with a disabled person. The findings generate insights into the psychological and interpersonal barriers that the ADA does not address under a strictly architectural approach.

Retailers’ perceptions of the Americans with Disabilities Act: suggestions for low‐cost, high‐impact accommodations for disabled shoppers

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ushered in an era of puzzling, sometimes confounding regulations for retailers. While the mandated changes were welcomed by disability advocate groups and by consumers at large, retailers have been uneven in their implementation and enactment of the ADA’s actual requirements. The present research reports on a study in which a cross‐section of retailers were interviewed concerning their understanding and their actions following the ADA’s implementation. The study examined anticipated differences among retail awareness of and compliance with the ADA at the local versus the regional or national levels. It was expected and found that national and regional chains have a corporate policy enforced by local management, while locally‐owned retailers interpret and develop their own reactions to the ADA. The level of formality, level of accommodation, and amount of investment differ by available resources of each retailer and the ability to effectively manipulate shopping access. Our findings suggest that retailers can choose to implement low‐cost, high impact accommodations which involve simple readjustments of their existing policies. A critical look at problems and solutions suggests that a no‐surprise, high‐respect environment can be achieved with minimal expense to retailers.

Accessible advertising for visually‐disabled persons: the case of color‐deficient consumers

Successful advertising must attract attention, communicate clearly, and ideally be memorable for optimum impact. The basic processes of encoding and decoding underlie successful communication, but advertisers often neglect to test for accessibility by visually‐disabled persons. The present paper will present a framework for detecting information‐processing problems and illustrate the use of this framework by analyzing the responses of color‐deficient consumers.

Seeing Through the Eyes of the Color-Deficient Shopper: Consumer Issues for Public Policy

The need for understandable consumer information is critical in todays complex shopping environment. New sources of information emerge on almost a daily basis, yet portions of many messages go unnoticed or are misunderstood. Many persons have impaired or limited perceptual abilities as part of congenital or illness-related conditions, yet their specific experiences, problems, and needs have been infrequently addressed. In the present study, the author examines color-deficient vision and its impacts upon consumer emotions, enjoyment, efficiency, and safety-related aspects of shopping, product use, and advertising comprehension. The responses of actual color-deficient shoppers are examined for common problems, and implications are given for public policy.