Development and changes in consumption expenditures of the population

Abstract

TOUFAROVÁ Z., ONDRÁŠKOVÁ, K.: Development and changes in consumption expenditures of the population. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2008, LVI, No. 6, pp. 167-176 The paper deals with development and changes in consumption expenditures of population. It uses secondary data to analyze consumption expenditures of EU-25 and the Czech Republic and concetrates on changes in the expenditure groups over the period of past years. Other part of this paper is devoted to primary data analysis. Primary data were obtained in a questionnaire survey. Primary data analysis is based on statistical methods and it investigates changes in the structure of consumption expenditures of households in relation to changes in household income. By using dependency analysis the paper verifi es dependency of surveyed groups of consumption expenditures and groups of households sorted by identifi cation characteristics. Additionally, also based on the primary research, the paper tries to fi nd out the way households allocate money surplus remaining a er covering all the adequate expenses.consumer, consumer behaviour, research, dependency analysis, consumption expenditures Consumer behaviour research enables better understanding and prognostication not only of subject of purchases but also of purchasing motives and purchasing frequency (Schiff man, Kanuk;2004).Except conventional conception of consumption being only instrument of satisfaction of basic needs, Solomon (2004) identifi es another four diff erent types of consumers' activities:consumption as an experience (emotive or es-• thetic reaction to product consumption), consumption as an instrument of integration • (usa ge and consumption of the product integrates us somehow to the society), consumption as a classifi cation scale (choice of • products infl uence the way how we are perceived by our environment and how we are ranged in society), consumption as a game. •Complex purchase process involves several decisions. A decision involves a choice between two or more alternative actions. The key process in consumer decision making is the integration process by which the knowledge is combined to evaluate two or more alternatives and select one. The outcome of the integration is a choice which is a decision plan to engage in one or more behaviours. Decision-making process occurs even for the impulsive purchases. This does not mean, however, that a conscious decision-making process occurs each time purchase behaviour is performed. Some be haviours become habitual. They are based on intentions stored in memory that were formed by some past decision-making process. When activated, these formerly stored intentions infl uence behaviour and additional decision-making process may not be neces sa ry. Some behaviours are not voluntary and are largely aff ected by environmental factors. For example, product displays or aisle placement determines how consumers move through stores.Consumer decision making is viewed as a problemsolving process. We focus on consumers' goals (desired ...