ABSTRACT
Chapters 2 to 9 have dealt separately with a number of behavioural science concepts by describing and evaluating them individually in terms o f their ability to contribute to the analysis o f consumer behaviour. Consumer research is usually undertaken with a view to the improvement of practical decision making, particularly in the sphere of marketing management, and it is seldom the case that a single variable is able to supply all of the answers that business executives require. Market development programmes and the planning and introduction of new products demand complex analyses of the dynamics of consumer choice and thus entail the understanding, measurement and prediction of numerous variables and the relationships which exist between them. Application of the behavioural sciences in marketing demands the integration of research results gathered in a wide range of investigations; and, the more we attempt to relate consumer behaviour to the practical concerns of management, the greater is our need of an overall comprehension of the activities of customers which impinge on executive decisions.
