from consumer research (Meulenberg and van Trijp, 1996; Meulenberg
and Broens, 1996; Wierenga, 1980), risk research (Frewer et al., 1993/
94), market research (Steenkamp, 1987, 1989), product behavior
(Kramer and Twigg, 1970) and quality control (Juran, 1974). Tijskens
et al. (1994b) combined all these aspects into one theory on product
quality, product acceptance and acceptability. This theory was further
extended by Sloof et al. (1996), who used the principle of problem de-
composition to arrive at a flexible but workable system, set up primar-
ily for the purpose of modeling quality and acceptability behavior of
perishable products. The main difference from previously developed sys-
tems is that the quality of a product is decomposed in assigned quality
and acceptability as separate and distinct issues. The user/consumer as-
signs a quality to the product based on the intrinsic properties present
in the product. Consequently, this assigned quality is more or less in-
dependent of applied criteria. The assigned quality is in fact the accep-
tance of a product (see next paragraph) without reference to any criterion.
The sequence of steps taking place in the assignment of quality is
schematically represented in Figure 7.1. The consumer, with his or her
personal preference, strives for status and awareness of costs (among
others), then judges the acceptability of a product based on this assigned
quality with respect to a given situation like price and availability (see
Figures 7.2 and 7.3).
126 ACCEPTABILITY
FIGURE 7.1Quality is assigned to a product. The intrinsic properties are perceived
and evaluated and an appreciation is determined.