PhD Defence: Almira Abilova

Abstract

Many people assume that marketing exists mainly to help companies sell more. Yet Transformative Consumer Research focuses on improving consumer well-being by understanding how people make decisions in markets, workplaces, and everyday life. This dissertation contributes to that goal by examining how people interpret prices, perceive automation, and stay motivated toward their goals. The first part shows that consumers often interpret very low prices as a signal that workers were treated unfairly. These moral concerns can reduce willingness to buy, even when products are affordable. However, providing information about how products are produced, such as indicating machine production, can reduce these concerns and help consumers make choices that better align with their values and financial needs. The second part examines how people perceive the risk of job automation. Although people broadly recognize which jobs involve automatable tasks, they tend to believe that high-prestige occupations are safer than they actually are. These misperceptions may delay preparation for technological change. Improving how automation risk is communicated can help individuals make more informed career decisions and better adapt to a changing labor market. The third part shows that small changes in how time is framed can influence motivation. Focusing on how much time remains, rather than how much has passed, can strengthen motivation and help people stay committed to long-term goals such as improving health, saving money, or reducing environmental impact. Together, these findings show how subtle changes in information and communication can improve consumer decisions and support well-being across markets, workplaces, and everyday life.