FAMILY ROLES IN THE DECISION PROCESS OF SERVICES IN MULTIRACIAL SINGAPORE : EFFECT OF INTERPERSONAL ORIENTATION

Abstract

This research attempts to understand the relative influence of various parties (i.e. husband, wife, children and others) in the purchase decision process for family related services. It also identifies differences in the demographic characteristics of couples exercising husband dominated decision making, wife dominated decision making and those who decide matters jointly. Thirdly, it determines how spouses' interpersonal orientation - a powerful variable which indicates not only to what extent individuals are prone to influence of others, but also their innovativeness, independent judgement making and risk taking ability - affects their roles in decision making. The study also uncovers cross-cultural differences in the family roles of the three predominant ethnic groups of Singapore i.e. the Chinese, the Malays and the Indians. Three services namely housemaid, restaurant for dining on a special family occasion and child's school were studied. Results show that wives dominate decisions pertaining to housemaids and schools while husbands dominate decisions related to restaurants. The results of the study have numerous marketing implications pertaining to communication, positioning and targeting strategies. The knowledge of the decision-maker would prove useful in developing appropriate advertisements and promotional strategies. An understanding of how spouses' interpersonal orientation affects decision-making would enable marketers to adopt suitable reference group and peer pressure strategies. Since both husbands and wives are interviewed, the extent of agreement between them is calculated. This would aid future researchers in determining whether they need to interview both or only one spouse.