Determining linkages between consumer choices in a social context and the consumer's values: a means–end approach

This paper presents a conceptual model of means–end theory. The proposed model, built on Gutman's (1982) contributions to means–end theory, consists of four conceptual categories that are linked together. The conceptual categories are context-nested consumer choices, attributes of the consumer choices, consequences and values. The discussion uses results of four cases to illustrate the conceptual categories of the proposed explanatory means–end model.