The effect of consumers' personal values and attitudes towards appliance retailers' complaint handling on their complaint behaviour

Abstract

Consumer complaint behaviour research in transitional and emerging countries, including South Africa, is still in its infancy stage. The vast changes to the South African consumer landscape along with the socio-political changes and the multicultural population's ongoing cultural changes necessitate the monitoring of changes in personal values. However, very little research has been done in South Africa regarding consumers' personal values. The effect of personal values on complaint behaviour in a South African context has also not yet been explored. As an extension of the social adaptation theory, several researchers have proposed a value-attitude-behaviour (VAB) hierarchy model (Homer & Kahle, 1988; Cai & Shannon, 2012) in order to explain the relationship between values and behaviour. The model proposes that causality flows from abstract values, through mid-range attitudes, to specific behaviours (Homer & Kahle, 1988; Hayley, Zinkiewicz & Hardiman, 2014); that is, values influence behaviour indirectly through attitudes. While the VAB model has been confirmed in a variety of consumer behaviour contexts, it has not yet been explored in a South African complaint behaviour context. This study therefore used social adaptation theory and the VAB model as theoretical framework to determine the effect of consumers' personal values and attitudes towards appliance retailers' complaint handling on their consumer complaint behaviour in the South African context. In addition, the relationships between demographic variables and personal values and also between demographic variables and consumer complaint behaviour were explored. A survey was administered to consumers who were dissatisfied with the performance of a major household appliance within a four-year memory recall period. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire measuring personal values with Kahle's (1983) List of Values (LOV) and attitudes toward appliance retailers' complaint handling, using an adapted version of Keng, Richmond and Han's (1995) "Attitudes toward businesses" scale. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling were employed in Tshwane, a major metropolitan area of South Africa, which generated 361 usable questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis revealed three value dimensions, namely (1) Harmony and Respect, (2) Hedonism and (3) Achievement. Results of the Pearson correlation analysis showed that higher valuing of any one of the three value dimensions lead to more negative attitudes towards appliance retailers' complaint handling. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that more negative attitudes towards appliance retailers' complaint handling lead to a decreased likelihood of engaging in public complaint behaviour. Moreover, ANOVA revealed relationships between specific personal value dimensions and gender, age and population group. The study has implications for marketers, policy makers, appliance retailers and consumer protection organisations.

Navorsing oor verbruikers se klagte-gedrag in opkomende lande, insluitend Suid-Afrika, is nie baie ver gevorder nie. Die omvattende veranderende Suid-Afrikaanse verbruikerslandskap, tesame met die volgehoue sosio-politieke veranderinge en die kulturele veranderinge in die multikulturele polulasie, noodsaak die monitering van veranderinge in verbruikers se waardes. Daar bestaan egter baie min navorsing in Suid-Afrika oor verbruikers se persoonlike waardes. Voorts is die effek van persoonlike waardes op klagte-gedrag nog nie in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks ondersoek nie. Verskeie navorsers stel voor dat die waarde-houding-gedrag-hiërargiemodel, wat uit sosiale aanpassingsteorie spruit, gebruik moet word om die verhouding tussen waardes en gedrag te verstaan. Die model stel dat oorsaaklikheid vanaf abstrakte waardes, deur houdings, na spesifieke gedrag vloei (Homer & Kahle, 1988; Hayley et al., 2014). Dit wil sê, waardes beïnvloed gedrag indirek deur houdings. Terwyl die waarde-houding-gedrag-model in 'n verskeidenheid klagte-gedrag-kontekste bevestig is, is dit nog nie in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse klagte-gedrag-konteks ondersoek nie. Gevolglik is die sosiale aanpassingsteorie en die waarde-houding-gedrag-model as teoretiese raamwerk in hierdie studie toegepas om die effek van verbruikers se persoonlike waardes en houdings teenoor kleinhandelaars se klagte-hantering op hulle klagte-gedrag in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te bepaal. Die verwantskappe tussen verbruikers se demografiese veranderlikes en hulle persoonlike waardes, en tussen demografiese veranderlikes en klagte-gedrag is ook verken. 'n Opname is onder verbruikers wat ontevrede was met die werksverrigting van hulle groot huishoudelike toerusting oor 'n vier-jaar-herroepingstydperk gedoen. Data is deur 'n selfgeadministreerde vraelys ingesamel waarin persoonlike waardes met Kahle (1983) se List of Values (LOV) en houdings teenoor kleinhandelaars se klagte-hantering met 'n aangepaste weergawe van Keng et al. (1995) se "Houdings teenoor besighede"-skaal gemeet is. Geriefsteekproefneming en sneeubalsteekproefneming, wat 361 bruikbare vraelyste opgelewer het, is in Tswane, 'n groot metropolitaanse gebied in Suid-Afrika, onderneem. Verkennende faktoranalise het drie waardedimensies, naamlik (1) Harmonie en Respek, (2) Hedonisme en (3) Prestasie, opgelewer. Die Pearsonkorrelasie-analise se resultate toon dat 'n toename in belangrikheid in enige van die drie waardedimensies tot 'n meer negatiewe houding teenoor kleinhandelaars se klagte-hantering lei. Voorts dui die resultate van die multinomiese logistiese regressie-analise daarop dat 'n toename in verbruikers se negatiewe houding teenoor kleinhandelaars se klagte-hantering tot 'n afname lei in hul geneigdheid tot publieke klagte-gedrag. Die resultate van die ANOVA-analise toon verder dat daar verwantskappe tussen spesifieke persoonlike waardes en geslag, ouderdom en populasiegroep bestaan. Die studie het implikasies vir bemarkers, beleidmakers, kleinhandelaars en verbruikersbeskerming-organisasies.