Family
&
Family Life cycle
Azmat Ullah
Lecturer,
Dept. of Business Administration
Port City International University
What is a Family?
Family
is defined as a group of two or more people (one of whom is a
householder) related by birth, marriage or adoption and residing
together
Household:
Is a family and any unrelated person residing in the same house
and consuming food from a common kitchen at least once a day
Two types of household:
Family Household
Institutional Household e.g. Hostel
All families are households but all households are not families
Types of Family
Family of Orientation
Consist of one’s parents and elders
Provides orientation towards
Social: Religion, Politics, Economics
Emotional: Self Worth, Ambition, Love and Care
Family of Procreation
Consist of one’s spouse and children
Most important buying unit in a market
The influence of Family of Orientation decreases with Age
Types of Family
Traditional Family Types:
Married Couple:
Simplest type of family consisting of husband and wife
Nuclear Family:
Consist of Husband Wife and at least one child
Extended Family:
Consist of a nuclear family with at least one grand parent
Joint Family:
Blood relatives and their spouses with kids staying together
New Modes of Family
Blended Family:
A family in which either or both partner were previously married
Single Parent Family:
A family in which only one of the parent is present
Unmarried Family:
Parents, unmarried, but living together
Communal Family:
A group of families living together and sharing responsibility
Figure: A Simple Model of the
Socialization Process
Young
Young Person
Person
Other
Other Family
Family Friends
Friends
Members
Members
Influence
Influence More
More Basic
Basic Influence
Influence More
More
Values/Behavior
Values/Behavior Expressive
Expressive
••Moral/religious
Moral/religious principles
principles Attitudes/Behavior
Attitudes/Behavior
••Interpersonal
Interpersonal skills
skills
••Dress/grooming
Dress/grooming ••Style
Style
standards
standards ••Fashion
••Manners Fashion
Manners and
and speech
speech ••Fads
Fads
••Educational
Educational motivation
motivation ••“In/Out”
••Occupational “In/Out”
Occupational career
career ••Acceptable
goals Acceptable consumer
consumer
goals behavior
••Consumer behavior
Consumer behavior
behavior
norms
norms
Preadolescent Adolescent Teens Older
Functions of a Family
Provides Economic Well Being
Provides Emotional Support
Provides Suitable Life Style
Provides Social Relationships
Provides Morals and Ethical Values
Provides Religious Values
Provides Interpersonal Skills
Table: Eight Roles in the Family Decision-
Making Process
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Influencers Family member(s) who provide information to other
members about a product or service
Gatekeepers Family member(s) who control the flow of information
about a product or service into the family
Deciders Family member(s) with the power to determine
unilaterally or jointly whether to shop for, purchase, use,
consume, or dispose of a specific product or service
Buyers Family member(s) who make the actual purchase of a
particular product or service
Preparers Family member(s) who transform the product into a form
suitable for consumption by other family members
Users Family member(s) who use or consume a particular
product or service
Maintainers Family member(s) who service or repair the product so
that it will provide continued satisfaction.
Disposers Family member(s) who initiate or carry out the disposal or
discontinuation of a particular product or service
Household Decision Making Process
Influencer
(Children)
Communication
targeted at
Children
Initiator Decision
(Parents, Maker Purchaser
Children) (Parents, (Parents)
Children)
Communication
targeted at
Parents
User
(Parents,
Information Children)
Gathering
Identifying different purchaser-consumer
relationships
Who’s buying for whom?
Who are the principal characters?
What’s the plot for the purchase?
What can we assume?
Types of Family Decisions
Husband Dominated Decisions
Husband takes the purchase decisions
Traditionally in products like Automobiles, Alcohol, Insurance
Wife Dominated Decisions
Wife takes the purchase decisions
Traditionally in products like household maintenance items, food
and kitchen appliances
Joint Decision Making
Both husband and wife make the decision
Traditionally in School choice, living room furniture, vacations
Child Dominated Decision Making
Child makes the “final product” decision
Traditionally on children related items
Unilateral Decision Making
Taken by any member of the family
Traditionally on Personal Care items, low priced goods
These Traditional Roles are Changing
Conflict Resolution
Family Decisions are bound to create conflict
Conflicts are resolved by:
Bargaining:
Reaching a compromise on which product to buy
Impression Management:
Misrepresentation of facts in order to create favorable impressions
Use of Authority:
Claiming superior authority to resolve the conflict
Reasoning:
Using logical arguments to resolve the conflict
Playing on Emotions:
Using emotions to resolve the conflict
Additional Information:
Getting additional Data or Third Party Information
Consumer Socialization
Consumer Socialization is the process by which people
acquire skills, knowledge and attitudes relevant to their
functioning as consumers in the marketplace.
Contents of Consumer Socialization
Consumer Skills:
Skills necessary for purchase and understand
money, budgeting, product evaluation
Consumption Preferences:
Are knowledge, attitudes and values that cause
people to attach differential evaluation to
products, brands and retail outlets
Consumption Attitudes:
Are cognitive orientation towards market
place stimulus such as advertising, sales
persons, warranties etc.
Assignment
Discuss the family life cycle.
Difference between family and household.