دانلود رایگان مقاله مشارکت مصرف کننده در طراحی و اجرای مراحل تولید

ABSTRACT

Psychological responses of consumers to specific stages of self-production activities are investigated in four studies. Findings reveal that consumer participation in the realization stage (physical production) enhances affective commitment to the product. However, physical production without opportunity to express choice or creativity during the production process does not change the symbolic meaning of the product (how self-expressive it is) and, therefore, does not result in identification with the product. Participation during the design stage (input-specification) enhances identification, leading to affective commitment, which in turn enhances evaluation of the self-made product. Finally, engaging consumers in both the realization and design stages of the production process does not create value for consumers over and above the main effects created by a high level of participation in either stage.

7. Limitations and future research

Our research presents several other interesting questions that have considerable practical implications. For example, personality variables (i.e., creativity, liking to work with one's hands) may moderate the value created through different stages of production and are domains ripe for exploration. Consumers who enjoy working with their hands and expressing themselves through physical labor may identify with self-made products even if they only participate in the realization stage, since manual labor is part of their self-identity. Our studies involved university students who may have higher needs for cognition than many non-students and may value design more than assembly or customized construction opportunities. Hence, design participation may have been relatively more important for our population and may add more value than craftsmanship or manual effort.