Elizabeth B. Goldsmith

Innovative Consumers and Market Mavens

Consumer researchers describe two types of consumers they term “the consumer innovator” and “the market maven.” The former are eager buyers of new products; the second are especially knowledgeable about shopping and buying. The present study examined the relationship between these two constructs as part of a nomological network analysis. We used data from 204 student consumers to test hypothesized relationships among scores on the market maven scale and a measure of innovativeness with opinion leadership, price sensitivity, and self-reports of time and money spent shopping. The analysis showed positive correlations among the measures, but there is clear evidence that the consumer innovator and market maven concepts are separate and distinct. The measure of consumer innovativeness predicted the behavioral criteria better than the market maven scale did. Both concepts may be important to retail managers as they develop strategies for new products.

Buying apparel over the Internet

Tests ten hypotheses describing characteristics that distinguish consumers who have purchased apparel online from those who have not. A sample of 263 men and 303 women students completed a survey that measured their online and offline buying behavior, attitudes and predispositions. The results showed that the 99 online apparel buyers had more online buying experience in general. Online buyers did not differ from non‐buyers in their belief in how cheap buying online is, in their overall enjoyment of shopping, or in how often they bought clothing by any means. The demographic variables of age, sex and race were unrelated to online apparel buying. A further analysis showed that the online buyers used the Internet more hours per week and were more likely to buy online in the future than non‐buyers. The findings are consistent with previous studies of consumer Internet behavior and with consumer theory and provide guidance for e‐commerce apparel strategies.

Gender Differences in Perceived and Real Knowledge of Financial Investments

The purpose of this study was to compare men and women on two concepts, self-perceived knowledge or what one thinks one knows about some topic and real or actual knowledge of that topic. A survey of 457 students showed that the men (n = 234) claimed to know more about financial investments than the women (n = 223) and also scored higher than the women on a test of real investment knowledge. About the same proportions of both sexes reported current ownership of savings accounts, stocks, and bonds, but men reported more plans to own stocks and bonds than women.

An Empirical Analysis of the Home Economics Research Journal.

This research was undertaken to determine the nature and scope of the Home Economics Research Journal through an analysis of information provided in articles about the authors, funding sources, topics, and citations. A census was taken of all the university affiliations of authors and article topics, 1972–1980. For the citation and funding source analysis, the years 1974, 1977, and 1980 were selected for examination. The sample consisted of 1,793 citations, 210 authors, and 106 articles. Results indicated that most articles had one or two authors and that authors were predominantly female. During the years 1972–1980, the most common article topic area was clothing and textiles followed by food, nutrition and dietetics, and home economics education. The universities with twenty or more HERJ authors between 1972 and 1980 were Iowa State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Missouri–Columbia. In the three sampled years, thirty percent of the articles had stated funding sources, with the most usual sources being colleges and universities or the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The mean number of citations was 16.9 over the three years studied, with a general trend towards lengthier citation listings. In regard to citations, books were used the most with journals cited next often with a trend in successive years towards more use of journals. A rank ordering of most used journals reveals the lack of compactness in home economics and the wide variety of reading and research interests of home economists.

Stress, fatigue, and social support in the work and family context.

Research examining the interrelationship between work and family has escalated in the last fifteen years due to the increasing number of women in the workforce and the changing and evolving nature of balancing personal and work responsibilities. Debate rages over whether work and family are inevitably in conflict or whether they can peacefully co-exist or even enhance each other. This review of literature focuses on three aspects of the work and family interchange: stress, fatigue, and the role of social support as a stress reducer. Theories and research results are presented along with trends, questions to consider, and implications for future research.

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF OVERLAP OF INNOVATIVENESS

A survey of 457 students showed very little overlap between innovativeness regarding restaurants and fashion, thereby substantiating the empirical generalization that innovativeness is domain-specific.

Fashion innovativeness and materialism

The purpose of the study described here was to investigate the relationship between materialism and fashion innovativeness in two consumer societies, the US and South Korea. The data came from surveys of 259 US student consumers and 225 South Korean student consumers. Correlation and regression analysis tested the hypotheses. Materialism was positively associated in both samples of consumers with fashion innovativeness at the total scale level and with most of the subdimensions of both scales, but only the centrality, happiness and attractiveness subscales were positively related to fashion innovativeness in the regression analysis, suggesting that these are the dominant motivators. Although the findings are limited to the countries and measures used, they imply that fashion innovativeness is positively associated with at least some aspects of materialism. We can surmise that some consumers satisfy aspects of their materialistic needs by purchasing fashionable clothing. Marketers of new fashion can enhance the appeal of their products by stressing materialistic themes, such as centrality, happiness and attractiveness, in their promotions. Cross-cultural marketing efforts may be similar in this regard. The study is original in that there are very few studies of materialism, a powerful influence on a variety of consumer behaviors and fashion innovativeness. None compare countries; none use the newer Kasser Aspiration Index to measure materialism; and few examine subscale relationships.

Most Prolific Authors in the Home Economics Research Journal and the Journal of Home Economics: A Decade Review

Most prolific authors in the Home Economics Research Journal and the Journal of Home Economics were rank ordered by the number of articles published and were surveyed by questionnaire in order to obtain background information about them and also to determine what has motivated them to publish. In addition, authors were asked to respond to a replication request to determine their will ingness to aid other researchers. Most prolific authors were defined as those authors with three or more published articles in either journal between Sep tember 1972-September 1982. Surprisingly no one author had this many articles in both journals during this decade. Most of the authors have Ph.D. degrees which were obtained at least 11 years ago from a variety of universities. Most are currently employed as college professors or administrators or a com bination of both. Graduate school training, colleagues, and employers were chief motivators. Authors, for the most part, responded positively to replication re quests.

Dogmatism and Self-Esteem: Further Evidence

Researchers interested in discovering the motivational bases of authoritarianism have isolated the negative relationship between self-esteem and dogmatism as one possible source. Previous research has shown low self-esteem associated with high dogmatism. This study replicates the finding successfully using different tests and a different population of students.

Work Efficiency and Motivation

Work efficiency and motivation have been prime subjects in management studies for over a century. Organizations want to increase both. Employees seek equity, fulfillment, and satisfaction. Their perspectives merge as organizations recognize they need employees who are motivated and efficient, challenged but not stressed to the point of making errors or bad judgments in times of accelerated change. Respecting diversity, planning, and goal-setting are keys to managerial success.