Adolescents’ role in family decision-making for services in India

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the involvement of adolescents in family vacation and dining out on the basis of the type of family. Also, the purpose of this paper is to refine the Scanzoni’s sex role orientation scale (SSRS) in the Indian context. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from adolescents in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (states in India). The response rate is 44.88 per cent. Sex role orientation was measured using the Scanzoni’s SSRS. Findings There is a decline in the involvement of adolescents through the major decision-making stages for both the services, family vacation and dining out. There is no significant difference in the involvement of adolescents in dual-income and single-income families for a vacation and dining out, except that the children from dual-income families are more involved in destination selection for a vacation. Also, the adolescents in modern families are significantly involved in the sub-decision stages, spending and selection of travel agent. Practical implications The marketers should advertise the vacation destinations to adolescent children in dual-earning families. Also, the travel agencies should design their promotion strategies so as to appeal to the adolescent children with modern attitudes. While catering to the needs of a family, travel agencies must present their services in a way that appeals to adolescents in modern families. Also, this aspect must be taken care of in all the pricing strategies and promotions for the modern families. Originality/value Despite the large number of studies in various Western countries in this area, few studies investigate adolescent influence in family decision-making in India. The present study takes into account the type of family, single income or dual income (on the basis of the employment of parents) and traditional or modern (on the basis of gender role orientation).

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“…A total of 726 fully completed questionnaires from the surveyed was reached, which is a larger sample than most past researchers presented (Al-Zu'bi 2016, Ashraf and Khan 2016, Ali et al 2013, Chikweche et al 2012, Chitakunye 2012, Mangleburg et al 1999, Darley and Lim 1986.…”

“…In line with most past studies on household purchases, the present investigation used a convenience sample (Al-Zu'bi 2016, Ashraf and Khan 2016, Ali et al 2013, Chikweche et al 2012, Chitakunye 2012.…”

“…Niemczyk (2015) in his study on holidays decisions, concluded that adolescents have some say in the final decision solely in the case of domestic holidays, but they do not participate in that phase when it is concerned holidays more planned and abroad. Ashraf and Khan (2016) found an adolescent "decline in the involvement may be because family vacation is a high-budget decision and parents might be more involved in the final decision-making stage" (Ashraf and Khan 2016: 396). However, Baía (2018) found adolescents actually revealed an active participation on that service decision.…”

“…Ahuja and Walker (1994) found that children in single-parent families seem to have more influence on the purchasing decision process than their peers in traditional families (Caruana and Vassallo, 2003, Mangleburg et al 1999, Ahuja 1993, Darley and Lim 1986, Ekstrom et al 1987. For Ashraf and Khan (2016), Lackman and Lanasa (1993) and Ekstrom et al (1987), the rise in single-parent families have led to an increase in the say adolescents have in family purchase decisions. Thus: H7: The adolescents will be perceived as having more influence on family purchases if they live in single-parent families than if they live in traditional families.…”

“…Given the limited research on the adolescent"s influence on family buying decisions, several authors refer to the need to deepen the study of this phenomenon (Kaur andSingh 2006, Commuri andGentry 2000). Adolescents have increasingly become the focus of both research and companies (Ashraf and Khan, 2016, Mau et al 2016, Goswami and Khan 2015, Srivastava 2015. The efforts made by adolescents in family purchases have increased nowadays (Sondhi and Basu 2014, Singh and Nayak 2014, Chitakunye 2012, Kaur and Medury 2011.…”