The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt. By Teresa A. Sullivan, Elizabeth Warren and Jay Lawrence Westbrook. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2000. xviii + 380 pp. $35.00 (cloth); $17.95 (paper). In the business section of the Boston Globe on August 25, 2001, a first page headline dramatically suggested that "Bankruptcy filings on track to beat '98 record." The article went on to report that after two years of slight declines the number of Americans declaring bankruptcy rose almost 25% between April and June of this year, putting 2001 on track to break the record set in 1998 of 1.4 million bankruptcy filings. This rather shocking prediction would not come as a surprise to the authors of The Fragile Middle Class who have spent the last twenty years carefully tracing and studying the progress of bankruptcy filings and analyzing what they have to say about the economic viability and vulnerability of the American middle class. This team of authors brings to this task an interesting array of professional skills. Teresa Sullivan is Vice President and Graduate Dean and Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas in Austin. Elizabeth Warren is Professor of Law at Harvard and Jay Westbrook is Chair of Business Law at the University of Texas School of Law. The authors received an award from the American Bar Association for their previous work on the subject: As We Forgive Our Debtors: Bankruptcy and Consumer Credit in America (Oxford University Press, 1989). Their present work represents an ongoing analysis of data gathered from expanded sources. I am not an economist, demographer, or statistician, but one can immediately recognize and appreciate the exhaustive scholarly care that permeates every aspect of their methodology and presentation. (see especially Appendix 1, Data Used in This Study). They examine the data from every imaginable angle and their findings are always meticulously based on the statistical evidence. The first portion of the book presents the depth and breadth of the problem, which they see not only as a serious economic problem but as a "barometer of social change" (pp. 14, 15). Having outlined the basic issues, they turn to the work of deconstruction, attacking the prevalent notion of what type of person ends up in bankruptcy court. I have to admit that I had fallen prey to certain cultural stereotypes, believing that most folk who find themselves applying for bankruptcy come from the ranks of either the fiscally irresponsible, who thoughtlessly expose themselves to unnecessary financial risks, or the ethically challenged, who use the system to skillfully evade creditors while protecting their ill-gotten assets. The portrait of the petitioner for bankruptcy that emerges from this study is one that shatters all such prejudices, presenting us with case studies of men and women who could easily stand on both sides of the altar rail in countless Episcopal churches. The issues, values, and problems that frame these stories are ones that we encounter daily in our own lives as well as those of our parishioners, students, and colleagues. …

The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt

The purpose of the current research is to understand the influence of normative beliefs, age, and gender on online shopping attributes and consequently on consumers' online shopping behavior. Data was collected through mall intercept technique in three cities of India (Delhi, Noida, and Gurgaon). Indian consumers' attitude toward online shopping being “convenient” is determined by their “perceived usefulness” and “ease of use” of the Web site. Online shopping behavior is moderated by normative beliefs and gender. Consumers' attitude toward online shopping differs across age categories and a Web site's “ease of use” attribute. The findings can enable online retailers to improve consumers' perceptions toward a Web site's “convenience” attribute. Online retailers targeting Indian consumers should make the Web sites user friendly and easy to understand.

Attracting Shoppers to Shop Online-Challenges and Opportunities for the Indian Retail Sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the moderating influence of Multi‐item List of Value (MILOV) on credit card attributes, age, and gender in credit use among Indian customers. The research examines the impact of “lifestyle” variables (convenience, use patterns, and status) on credit card use.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through mall intercept technique in six metropolitan cities of India. A self‐administered questionnaire was distributed to customers visiting the malls.Findings – Use and convenience emerged as the major determinants of credit card use among Indian customers. Use, convenience, and status attributes were moderated by “sense of belonging” and “sense of fulfilment” dimensions of MILOV. Young customers were likely to use credit cards.Research limitations/implications – The study does not examine the influence of customer income, occupation, and education on credit card use, as many customers were not willing to disclose the information. These demographic...

Factors affecting credit card use in India

Purpose: This study aims to examine the factors that influence credit card misuse among working adults in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The relationship among self-esteem, materialism, impulsive buying, budget constraint, compulsive buying and credit card misuse are explored in this study. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 186 questionnaires was collected via convenience sampling from credit card users of working adults in Malaysia. A structural equation model that assesses the relationship between the proposed variables is tested using AMOS 20. Findings: The findings reveal that budget constraints, impulsive buying and materialism have a statistically significant influence on compulsive buying. In terms of credit card misuse, it is influenced negatively by self-esteem while positively by compulsive buying.

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Compulsive buying and credit card misuse among credit card holders: The roles of self-esteem, materialism, impulsive buying and budget constraint

The influence of consumer ethnocentrism on purchase of domestic wine: application of the extended Theory of Planned Behaviour.

Purpose – Despite the spread in usage and ownership of credit cards, few studies have examined its effect on consumer debt in developing nations. The main purpose of this paper is to understand consumers' attitude and spending behavior using credit cards.Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Malaysia. Based on an extensive review of literature, a model is developed to identify the psychographic factors that influence the consumer attitudes toward using credit cards.Findings – The paper found support for some of the theoretical expectations and lends support to some of the earlier deviations reported in the literature.Practical implications – The findings are likely to be important to banks and financial institutions issuing credit cards, as they help managers to have a better understanding of cardholders in Malaysia and their attitude and behavior toward usage of credit cards.Originality/value – This paper makes a valuable contribution given the fact that...

Malaysian consumers' credit card usage behavior

Purpose of this Paper - Despite the spread in usage and ownership of credit cards, few studies have examined its affect on consumer debt in developing nations. The main purpose of this study is to understand consumers' attitude and spending behavior using credit cards.Design/Methodology/Approach - This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Malaysia. Based on an extensive review of literature, a model is developed to identify the psychographic factors that influence the consumer attitudes towards using credit cards.Findings - This study found support to some of the theoretical expectations and lend support to some of the earlier deviations reported in the literature.Practical Implications - The findings are likely to be important to banks and financial institutions issuing credit cards as it helps managers' to have a better understanding of cardholders in Malaysia and their attitude and behaviour towards usage of credit card.What is Original/Value of Paper - This paper makes a valuable contribution given the fact that there is a dearth of empirical studies of this nature focusing on Malaysia.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID2653577_code811236.pdf?abstractid=2653577&mirid=1&type=2

Hasbalaila Alias

Papers

Malaysian consumers' credit card usage behavior

Malaysian Consumer’s Credit Card Usage Behavior