Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Motivation structures of blood donation: a means-end chain approach

  • Research article
  • Published:
International Journal of Health Economics and Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Understanding blood donation behaviours is pivotal to recruiting and retaining blood donors. Despite rich literature, this is the first study investigating the content and structure of motivations that underlie blood donation using a means-end chain approach. Based on soft laddering interviews with 227 respondents (31 first-time blood donors and 196 repeat blood donors) in the Klang Valley of Malaysia, we identified that their blood donation was primarily driven by the attribute ‘help people’, the consequences ‘increase blood supply’ (as perceived by first-time blood donors) and ‘indirect downstream reciprocity’ (as perceived by repeat blood donors) associated with the attribute and the belief that the consequences can lead to the fulfilment of the value ‘humanitarianism’. Understanding of such hierarchical links between motivators is crucial in developing self-relevant communications. The resultant outcomes are likely to be more effective than the traditional approaches in behavioural change.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldamiz-echevarria, C., & Aguirre-Garcia, M. S. (2014). A behavior model for blood donors and marketing strategies to retain and attract them. Revista Latino-Americana De Enfermagem,22, 467–475.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Andreoni, J. (1990). Impure altruism and donations to public goods: A theory of warm-glow giving. The Economic Journal,100, 464–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arsil, P., Li, E., & Bruwer, J. (2016). Using means-end chain analysis to reveal consumers’ motivation for buying local foods: An exploratory study. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business,18, 285–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arsil, P., Li, E., Bruwer, J., & Lyons, G. (2014). Exploring consumer motivations towards buying local fresh food products: A means-end chain approach. British Food Journal,116, 1533–1549.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bagot, K. L., Murray, A. L., & Masser, B. M. (2016). How can we improve retention of the first-time donor? A systematic review of the current evidence. Transfusion Medicine Reviews,30, 81–91.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P., & Dabholkar, P. A. (1994). Consumer recycling goals and their effect on decisions to recycle: A means-end chain analysis. Psychology and Marketing,11, 313–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bardi, A., & Schwartz, S. H. (2003). Values and behavior: Strength and structure of relations. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,29, 1207–1220.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Batson, C. D., Ahmad, N., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). Four motives for community involvement. Journal of Social Issues,58, 429–445.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bech-Larsen, T., & Nielsen, N. A. (1999). A comparison of five elicitation techniques for elicitation of attributes of low involvement products. Journal of Economic Psychology,20, 315–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bednall, T. C., & Bove, L. L. (2011). Donating blood: A meta-analytic review of self-reported motivators and deterrents. Transfusion Medicine Reviews,25, 317–334.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bednall, T. C., Bove, L. L., Cheetham, A., & Murray, A. L. (2013). A systematic review and meta-analysis of antecedents of blood donation behavior and intentions. Social Science and Medicine,96, 86–94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, N. H., Lee, C. H., & Huang, C. T. (2015). Why buy organic rice? Genetic algorithm-based fuzzy association mining rules for means-end chain data. International Journal of Consumer Studies,39, 692–707.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, A. D. A., Dekker, M., & Jongen, W. M. F. (2004). An overview of means-end theory: Potential application in consumer-oriented food product design. Trends in Food Science & Technology,15, 403–415.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R., & Ferguson, E. (2014). Defining and measuring blood donor altruism: A theoretical approach from biology, economics and psychology. Vox Sanguinis,106, 118–126.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, E., Farrell, K., & Lawrence, C. (2008). Blood donation is an act of benevolence rather than altruism. Health Psychology,27, 327–336.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Godin, G., Vézina-Im, L. A., Bélanger-Gravel, A., & Amireault, S. (2012). Efficacy of interventions promoting blood donation: A systematic review. Transfusion Medicine Reviews,26, 224–237.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grunert, K. G., & Grunert, S. C. (1995). Measuring subjective meaning structures by the laddering method: Theoretical considerations and methodological problems. International Journal of Research in Marketing,12, 209–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutman, J. (1982). A means-end chain model based on consumer categorization processes. The Journal of Marketing,46, 60–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamid, N. Z. A., Basiruddin, R., & Hassan, N. (2013). The intention to donate blood: An analysis of socio-demographic determinants. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity,3, 503–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jagel, T., Keeling, K. A., Gruber, T., Reppel, A., & Keeling, D. (2015). What drives consumers in eco-fashion? A means-end approach to building meaningful segments of green consumer types, the sustainable global marketplace (p. 88). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jalalian, M., Latiff, L., Hassan, S. T. S., Hanachi, P., & Othman, M. (2010). Development of a questionnaire for assessing factors predicting blood donation among university students: A pilot study. Southeast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health,41, 660–666.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kaciak, E., & Kushner, J. (2009). Determinants of residents’ recycling behaviour. International Business & Economics Research Journal,8, 1–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kam, W. S., Raffeal, V., & Ayob, Y. (2014). Adopting a proactive approach to blood shortages: Experience from the National Blood Centre, Malaysia. ISBT Science Series,9, 189–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klenosky, D. B. (2002). The “pull” of tourism destinations: A means-end investigation. Journal of Travel Research,40, 396–403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klenosky, D. B., Gengler, C. E., & Mulvey, M. S. (1993). Understanding the factors influencing ski destination choice: A means-end analytic approach. Consumer Behavior in Travel and Tourism,25, 59–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lagerkvist, C. J., Ngigi, M., Okello, J. J., & Karanja, N. (2012). Means-end chain approach to understanding farmers’ motivations for pesticide use in leafy vegetables: The case of kale in peri-urban Nairobi, Kenya. Crop Protection,39, 72–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leibrecht, B., Hogan, J., Luz, G., & Tobias, K. (1976). Donor and nondonor motivations. Transfusion,16, 182–189.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leppard, P., Russell, C. G., & Cox, D. N. (2004). Improving means-end-chain studies by using a ranking method to construct hierarchical value maps. Food Quality and Preference,15, 489–497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ling, L. M., Hui, T. S., Tan, A. K., & Ling, G. S. (2018). Determinants of blood donation status in Malaysia: Profiling the non-donors, occasional donors and regular donors. Kajian Malaysia,36, 43–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. H. (1971). The farther reaches of human nature. New York: Viking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masser, B. M., White, K. M., Hyde, M. K., & Terry, D. J. (2008). The psychology of blood donation: Current research and future directions. Transfusion Medicine Reviews,22, 215–233.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menvielle, L., Menvielle, W., & Tournois, N. (2014). Purchasing behavior of consumers for foreign medical services: An approach using the soft laddering method. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal,17, 264–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Blood Centre. (2017). Keistimewaan Penderma Darah, Kuala Lumpur. Retrieved January 31, 2018 from https://pdn.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=227&lang=en.

  • Niza, C., Tung, B., & Marteau, T. M. (2013). Incentivizing blood donation: Systematic review and meta-analysis to test Titmuss’ hypotheses. Health Psychology,32, 941–949.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Okello, J. J., Largerkvist, C. J., Ngigi, M. W., & Karanja, N. (2013). Means-end chain analysis explains soil fertility management decisions by peri-urban vegetable growers in Kenya. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability,12, 183–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, J. C. (1988). Theoretical foundations of means-end chains. State College: College of Business Administration, Pennsylvania State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, J. C., & Reynolds, T. J. (1983). Understanding consumers’ cognitive structures: Implications for advertising strategy. Advertising and Consumer Psychology,1, 77–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oswalt, R. M. (1977). A review of blood donor motivation and recruitment. Transfusion,17, 123–135.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pieters, R., Baumgartner, H., & Allen, D. (1995). A means-end chain approach to consumer goal structures. International Journal of Research in Marketing,12, 227–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piliavin, J. A. (1990). Why do they give the gift of life? A review of research on blood donors since 1977. Transfusion,30, 444–459.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, T. J., & Gutman, J. (1988). Laddering theory, method, analysis, and interpretation. Journal of Advertising Research,28, 11–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology,25, 1–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smeesters, D., Warlop, L., Vanden, A. P., & Ratneshwar, S. (1999). Exploring the recycling dilemma: Consumer motivation and experiences in mandatory garbage recycling programs. DTEW Research Report,9924, 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Subramaniam, S. (2015). Only 2.2% of Malaysian population donate blood. The Sun Daily. Retrieved January 15, 2018 from http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1458636.

  • Tey, Y. S., Arsil, P., Brindal, M., Shamsudin, M. N., Radam, A., Hadi, A. H. I. A., et al. (2015). A means-end chain approach to explaining the adoption of good agricultural practices certification schemes: The case of Malaysian vegetable farmers. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics,28, 977–990.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the National Blood Centre of Malaysia for providing an on-site platform for interviewers.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Yeong Sheng Tey

  2. Putra Business School, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Yeong Sheng Tey, Sook Kuan Lee & Chi Teen Teoh

  3. Department of Agricultural Technology, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, 53123, Central Java, Indonesia

    Poppy Arsil

  4. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Urrbrae, SA, 5064, Australia

    Mark Brindal

Authors
  1. Yeong Sheng Tey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Poppy Arsil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mark Brindal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sook Kuan Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chi Teen Teoh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yeong Sheng Tey.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tey, Y.S., Arsil, P., Brindal, M. et al. Motivation structures of blood donation: a means-end chain approach. Int J Health Econ Manag. 20, 41–54 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10754-019-09269-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10754-019-09269-8

Keywords

JEL Classification

Search

Navigation