Anderson School of Management Theses & Dissertations

Publication Date

5-13-1971

Abstract

An attitude is the predisposition of an individual to evaluate some symbol or object or aspect of his world in a favorable or unfavorable manner. Attitudes are developed during a process of interaction with the environment and they usually show an evaluative personal reaction. Consumer attitudes toward an individual firm develop in the context of this interaction. The firm by its actions in the administration of its business aids the consumer in his formation of attitudes toward that firm. Objective methods of observation were employed to identify user attitudes toward three mortuaries in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The data was statistically analyzed to determine each mortuary's attitude profile and also if there were any significant differences among the profiles. The semantic differential was the primary measuring instrument employed in this study. Ten bipolar adjective pair scales were used in appraising the attitudes of thirty randomly-selected customers from each of the three participating mortuaries. The rating scales were previously verified as measuring the evaluative, potency and activity factors which underlie connotative attitudes. The customer ratings of each of the mortuaries were compared, evaluated and analyzed. The hypotheses were tested by means of the analysis of variance technique. The following conclusions may be drawn from the research findings:

1. The consumer attitudes toward each of the participating mortuaries are very similar. This fact cannot be generalized to all mortuaries in the Albuquerque area because of the existence of cultural and other differences among the consumer clientele.

2. The consumer attitudes toward the participating mortuaries are generally positive. The two most pronounced deviations from the "ideal" mortuary are concerned with the size of the establishment and the speed with which business is being conducted.

3. Age, annual family income, religion and frequency of church attendance have no significant bearing on the consumers' attitudes toward the participating mortuaries.

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

Anderson School of Management

First Committee Member

Howard Vivian Finston

Second Committee Member

Daniel Michael Slate

Third Committee Member

William Stanley Peters

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