The relationship between attitude and behavior: an empirical study in China
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
ISSN: 1355-5855
Article publication date: 27 March 2009
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of attitude towards behavior, subject norm and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on a Chinese subject's evaluation of a tertiary education program.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a 3 (country‐of‐origin) by 2 (location) between‐group factorial design. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is used as a framework to understand the intentions of the Chinese subjects concerning their enrollment in an offshore program.
Findings
Results show that a subject's attitude towards behavior, subject norm and PBC had a significantly positive relationship with the subjects' enrollment intentions irrespective of the country‐of‐origin (COO) of an education program. However, results also indicate that the significance of the three components on enrollment intention is contingent on which country the offshore program is from.
Practical implications
The findings of this study can help foreign education institutions develop a good understanding of the education market in China.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies that have adopted the TPB, the widely used psychology theory, in the Chinese context.
Keywords
Citation
Li, J., Mizerski, D., Lee, A. and Liu, F. (2009), "The relationship between attitude and behavior: an empirical study in China", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1108/13555850910950059
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited