Social Capital In the Marketplace: The Implications of Using Social Relationships for Consumption Purposes
Open Access
Author:
Johnson, Bryan R.
Graduate Program:
Business Administration
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
June 11, 2010
Committee Members:
Bill Ross, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor William T Ross, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Margaret Grace Meloy, Committee Member Barbara Louise Gray, Committee Member Wenpin Tsai, Committee Member
Keywords:
Social Capital Marketing Relationships
Abstract:
In this dissertation, I extend and refine social capital theory by examining consumers’ use of social relationships to make purchases. The specific consequences of using social relationships in the marketplace have not been identified, classified, or elaborated in purchasing contexts. To accomplish this objective, I develop a typology of consumer social capital outcomes to represent and explicate the positive and negative consequences of using social relationships to make purchases. In so doing, I advance social capital theory in this context and link its outcomes to important marketing constructs, such as satisfaction and loyalty. Identifying these consequences and their impact on consumers’ experiences provides scholars with a conceptual foundation for studying this phenomenon in the marketing domain, while also providing practitioners with an increased capacity to conceptualize and manage these important types of relationships.
