Berg et al. (2000) investigate the influences of attitudes, social norms, perceived control and underlying beliefs on 11 to 15-year-old Swedish children’s breakfast choices of milk and bread. The questionnaire is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, evaluating intentions, attitudes, beliefs, relatively. The children are also asked to fill in a 7-day record of breakfast food. The result reveals that intentions are influenced by attitudes, perceptions of significant others’ preferences, and perceived control. Berg et al. also find that perception of the parents’ consumption of the specific food plays an important role in children’s preferences.
Hearty et al. (2007) also use a 7-day food record to estimate attitudes toward healthy eating. The result reveals that females, increasing age, higher social class and education, nonsmokers, lower body-weights and increased recreational activity are linked to a lower odds ratio for having a negative attitude toward their healthy eating behavior. An increased intake of breakfast cereals, vegetables, fruit and poultry dishes
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are associated with decreased odds ratio for negative attitude toward their healthy eating behavior. It is concluded that attitude or motivation toward eating healthily was related to dietary and lifestyle behavior.
Brug et al. (1995) study psychosocial determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption based on the ASE model of attitudes, social influence and self-efficacy.
It is concluded that nutrition education aimed at stimulating fruit and vegetable consumption should focus especially on changing attitudes and self-efficacy expectations.
Lozano et al.’s experiment (1999) investigates whether hunger influences attitudes toward common food items. Participants are asked to rate their attitudes toward food when they are either hungry or not hungry. Results reveal that participants rate food more positively when hungry than not hungry. Moreover, attitudes toward high-fat foods change more than those toward low-fat foods.
Stunkard and Messick (1985) describe the construction of the new 51-item eating questionnaire measuring the three factors. The population is faced with the spectrum from extreme dietary restraint to extreme lack of restrain. As a result, three stable factors emerge: cognitive restraint of eating, disinhibition and hunger.
Tuorila and Pangborn (1988) complete a questionnaire, in which 100 American females’ beliefs, evaluations, liking and consumption (frequency, intention, etc) of high-fat foods are measured. The frame is based on the model of reasoned action.
Principal component analysis for beliefs reveals factors related to pleasantness/benefits, to health and weight concern and to the functionality of the foods. In multiple regression analysis, liking, and secondly concern with weight, come out as the dominant predictors of consumption of the measured high-fat foods, while social factors here play only a minor role.
Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ)
The motivation questions toward breakfast of present study are based on Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Steptoe et al. (1995) describe the development of a multidimensional measure of motives related to food choice- the so-called Food Choice Questionnaire developed through factor analysis. Factor analysis is a statistical approach that can be used to analyze interrelationships among a large number of variables and to explain these variables in terms of their common underlying dimensions (Hair et al., 2006). The objective is to find a way of condensing the information contained in a number of original variables into a smaller set of factors with a minimal loss of information. In Steptoe et al.’s research, nine factors emerge within 36 items, and are labeled health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity and ethical concern.
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Table 3-1
Food choice questionnaire-36 items and 9 factors It is important to me that the food I eat on a typical day:
Factor 1- Health
1. Contains a lot a vitamins and minerals 2. Keeps me healthy
3. Is nutritious 4. Is high in protein
5. Is good for my skin/teeth/hair/nails etc 6. Is high in fiber and roughage
Factor 2- Mood
7. Helps me cope with stress 8. Helps me cope with life 9. Helps me relax
10. Keeps me awake/alert 11. Cheers me up
12. Makes me feel good Factor 3- Convenience 13. Is easy to prepare
14. Can be cooked very simply 15. Take no time to prepare
16. Can be bought in shops close to where I live or work 17. Is easily available in shops and supermarkets
Factor 4- Sensory Appeal 18. Smells nice
19. Looks nice
20. Has a pleasant texture 21. Tastes good
Factor 5- Natural Content 22. Contains no addictives 23. Contains natural ingredients 24. Contains no artificial ingredients Factor 6- Price
25. Is not expensive 26. Is cheap
27. Is good value for money Factor 7- Weight Control 28. Is low in calories
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29. Helps me control my weight 30. Is low in fat
34. Comes from countries I approve of politically 35. Has the country of origin clearly marked
36. Is packaged in an environmentally friendly way
The assessment of different factors within the same measure allows direct comparisons to be made about the relative importance of parameters such as health, price, sensory appeal and convenience.
Questionnaire Design
Marketing scholars have developed a stage model of the buying decision process (Kotler & Keller, 2005). Consumers pass through five stages: problem/need recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase decision, and post-purchase behavior.
Figure 3-2
Five-stage model of buying decision process
Accordingly, in the decision-making process of RTE cereal purchase, this research presents firstly consumers’ breakfast choice factors as the phase of “need recognition” for RTE cereal, which is only among various alternatives of breakfast food. After recognizing their needs, customers will go through a process of information search, and that is why the source of information regarding food choice is investigated in the questionnaire. Thirdly, in the phase of evaluation of alternatives, consumer motivation to consume RTE cereal is explored, and meanwhile respondents who never choose RTE cereal for breakfast are asked about their reasons for rejection.
Finally, purchase decision deals with the real buying action, which can be predicted by AIDA model. The “AIDA” model shows a similar pattern: Attention→ Interest→
Desire→ Action. This suggests marketer elicit consumers’ intention to purchase their products through creating consumers’ attention, generating their interests, and
need
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developing their desires to purchase. Based on this popular model, participants are faced with multiple choice to select respectively the most impressive brand (attention), the most favorable one (interest), and the most desirable one (desire).
The following figure describes the research process of the questionnaire:
Figure 3-3 Research Process
The approach taken in this survey begins with an examination of motivational factors governing breakfast-buying decisions which serve as basic needs to purchase RTE cereal for breakfast. Because information search forms the boundaries of breakfast alternatives, it is decided to be the next. Then, after the alternative range is set up, consumers make decision after evaluating each choice. In this phase, RTE cereal may be chosen or abandoned, generating a need to examine why some
Need recognition:
the extent of the importance of each breakfast choice factor
Information search:
the extent of the importance of each information source
Evaluation of alternatives:
factors that motivate consumers to purchase
Evaluation of alternatives:
factors that stop consumers from purchase
Suggestions of how to maintain and augment the advantages
Suggestions of how to eliminate and cure the disadvantages
Adoption of RTE cereal
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consumers are willing to accept RTE cereal while some are not. Finally, based on a thorough analysis of the factors presented above, the present research is aimed at presenting some workable suggestions to strengthen Kellogg’s competitive advantage, in that the ultimate goal is to persuade consumers into buying Kellogg’s RTE cereal.
The major questions of the questionnaire are measured on five-point Lickert scale, allowing participants to choose from one to five- “strongly disagree” to
“strongly agree”. It is relatively straightforward to understand and is in common usage: a statement is made and the respondents indicate the degree to which they agree/disagree with it. Participants are asked which of the five rating shown below:
Numerical Value 1 2 3 4 5 strongly disagree no comment agree strongly
disagree agree The questionnaire is roughly divided into three bodies. The first part is the given importance of consumption motivation related to FCQ each prefaced by: “It is important to me that the breakfast I eat on a typical day”. Although nine factors had been proved to emerge in a FCQ, the statements are not categorized on the questionnaire.
The second part distinguishes participants into two different groups. The third part is for consumers who are buying or had bought RTE cereal, asking them the relative importance of buying factors when selecting RTE cereal. The fourth part is for those who have never consumed RTE cereal, asking them reasons why they do not buy RTE cereal. In order to understand from which source most consumers collect information regarding RTE cereal or food, the interviewees are asked to evaluate the relative importance of their information sources.
The last part enquires about respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, including questions on age, sex, income education, marriage, residence, etc, which serve as independent variables in examining their impact on breakfast and RTE cereal consumption motivation,.
Section 4 Analytical Methods