Title: Role of private and social self-congruence in consumer's purchase intentions - Pakistani vs. Omani market

Authors: Sayed Ahmad M. Sarwary; Iffat S. Chaudhry

Addresses: Management Sciences Department, SZABIST Islamabad, Pakistan ' College of Business Administration, A'Sharqiyah University, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract: The current empirical research investigates the impact of individual's self-concept on his/her purchase intention in Pakistani vs. Omani market. Both actual and ideal states, of ones private and social self-concept and their congruence to brand personality, were selected as the independent variables in the investigation. The impact of the actual self-congruence, ideal self-congruence, actual social self-congruence and ideal social self-congruence was assessed on consumer's purchase intentions. The quantitative research approach was selected along with survey strategy to achieve the study objectives. Self-administered online questionnaires were designed to collect data from consumers residing in capital cities of Pakistan and Oman. Regression analysis results supported the study hypotheses confirming the overall significant positive relationship of all the four dimensions of individual's self-concept and his/her purchase decisions. However, the impact of self-concept in purchase willingness remained significantly different among the consumers from both the regions. The study findings have implication for researchers and practitioners.

Keywords: actual self-congruence; ASC; ideal self-congruence; ISC; actual social self-image; ideal social self-image; purchase intentions; Pakistan; Oman; consumer behaviour; brand personality; self-concept.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2015.073572

Middle East Journal of Management, 2015 Vol.2 No.4, pp.312 - 329

Received: 21 Sep 2015
Accepted: 24 Sep 2015
Published online: 12 Dec 2015 *

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