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| When consumers choose to restrict their options : Influence of concrete and abstract regret on choice set size preference | |||
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| Author | Bulbul, Cenk | ||
| ISBN/ISSN | 9780549211334 | ||
| Broad Subject |
Management Psychology | ||
| Summary | The desire to minimize regret is one of the primary drivers of consumer decisions. Consumers' persistent preference for larger assortments may be mistaken for a failure to minimize regret, because they often feel regretful and dissatisfied as a result of choosing from such an abundance of options. In this dissertation, I propose that consumers do aim to minimize regret in their assortment choices, but the way in which they do so depends on the type of regret they are anticipating. While the anticipation of concrete regret (i.e., the vivid feeling of kicking yourself for having made the wrong choice) leads consumers to restrict their options, the anticipation of abstract regret (i.e., the painful longing for missing better opportunities vis-a-vis the chosen option) encourages consumers to keep their options open. Across seven studies, I demonstrate how subtle changes in the decision environment can influence consumers' assortment preferences by changing the nature of the regret they are anticipating. This dissertation contributes not only to choice literature by helping to explain a unique antecedent of preference for assortment size but also to regret and affect literature by identifying different experiences of regret. Furthermore, this work has significant managerial applications for the building of retail environments especially for online offerings where the number of options that can be offered to consumers grows almost exponentially day by day. | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Warning: Use of the files is restricted to purposes of research and education only. Other uses and excessive downloading are strictly prohibited. Violators will lose library privileges, face disciplinary actions and may be prosecuted. | |||
| Available at : | |||
| Click to access the dissertation via PQDT | |||
| Authorized remote access from |
Current HKU staff and students (HKUVPN access) Current HKU staff and students (EZproxy access) Circle of Friends | ||
| Format | E-theses | ||
| Location | Web Mounted | ||