TABLE OF CONTENTS The models outlined in this section frequently assume a rational and formal process to decision making that is typically displayed as a flow diagram. As we shall see, these models can be criticized for these very reasons, but they are useful in attempting to describe the process and influences. Figure 4.4 reproduces one of the generic models related to consumer decision making. The model based on the seminal work of Engel, Kollat, and Blackwell (EKB) is said to be a descriptive rather than a predictive model (Williams, 2002). However, it was developed to consider the purchase of high-risk purchases and as such is applicable to timeshare decision making.
The EKB model commences with a recognition of a need and motivation. Stage 1: Motivation and Need suggests that the decision process first requires this recognition of need and desire to do something about it. Later, Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1995) recognized that a range of individual and environmental influences was likely to affect recognition of need and the willingness to do something about it. Individual influences starting with consumers' knowledge of the timeshare product, their motivation, attitudes, beliefs and values, lifestyle and demographics, and the like, impact on recognition of a need to explore timeshare. Similarly, environmental influences such as culture, social class, family and friends, and shared views about timeshare impact on the evaluation of the need. The knowledge dimension, at both an individual...
