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Goodall 1991). Choice then consists in an evaluation and selection process where the different
alternatives in the consideration set are compared with each another on an alternative- or an
attribute-basis.
Process models (e.g. Mathieson and Wall 1982;Van Raaij and Francken 1984; van Raaij 1986;
Moutinho 1987; Goodall 1988; Middleton 1994) do not pay as much attention to the structural
relationships between input and output as to the mental processes that underlie DM. In the
process approach to DM, the focus is not on decision in itself but rather on the way consumers
come to have cognitive and affective judgements, intentions, commitments prior to arriving at a
fi nal decision (Abelson and Levi 1985). Most process models are sequential as they suggest an
evolution of plans and decisions through different stages. These typically are: problem
identifi cation, information search, evaluation of alternatives, choice and post-choice processes.
In contrast with both micro-economic and cognitive models, interpretive frameworks are not
concerned with
how holidaymakers should
but on
how they actually make
decisions. The personal,
social and cultural context of DM is taken into account to present a more naturalistic and
experiential view of the consumer. DM is much more than a formalized multistage process. This
results in alternative sets of propositions and frameworks of DM that include variables and
hypotheses (such as low involvement or passive information search) that are not taken into
account in the conventional models. In addition to the contributions of Woodside and McDonald
(1994) and Teare (1994), Decrop (2006) has developed an integrative framework of tourist DM
on the basis of a longitudinal qualitative study of Belgian holidaymakers (
Figure 19.1
).
This
model fi rst introduces three levels of decisions (generic, modal and specifi c decisions; see below)
and lists a series of 15 items that may be involved in the holiday DM process. A distinction is then
made between three types of factors that may infl uence holiday decisions and the variables
involved in the DM process, i.e. personal, interpersonal and environmental factors.
As suggested by
Figure 19.1
,
environmental factors such as culture or the geo-political
context are structural conditions on which the holidaymaker has no control. They enclose the
other (personal and interpersonal) factors. Primary personal factors include the basic individual
demographic and psychological features that may have an impact on secondary personal factors
such as the individual resources (money, time, cognition), motives and involvement, and the
travel experience. These personal factors then intertwine in the dynamics of group DM as most
holiday decisions are made together with other people, rather than on an individual basis.
Interpersonal factors such as group interaction, consensus and confl ict management, or
distribution of roles are likely to direct holiday judgments and decisions.
A multi-level approach to decision-making
Most of the time, DM models are presented horizontally, considering the different steps
consumers follow from 'need recognition' to 'purchase' and 'post-purchase' processes. A funnel-
like procedure is proposed in which choices are narrowed down among comparable alternatives
through cognitive, affective, and behavioural (CAB) stages (Payne, Bettman and Johnson 1997;
Shafi r, Simonson and Tversky 1997). Such a sequence is typical of the structural and process
models described in the previous section. In a conceptual paper, Decrop and Kozak (2006)
suggest that in order to investigate consumers' DM processes more thoroughly, a vertical and a
transversal perspective to the horizontal dimension should be added (see
Figure 19.2
below). The
vertical perspective consists of looking at how plans and decisions are made in multiple product
levels simultaneously. Indeed it often happens that consumer choices arise within a series of
product-related decisions where some decisions condition (or are conditioned by) the others.
The transversal perspective is related to how plans and decisions are made socially. This is to take
