1. Article – The homeless in America: An examination of possessions and consumption
behaviors
Authors-Ronal Paul Hill and Mark Stamey
Purpose – An ethnographic study to understand the survival tactics and consumer
behavior of the homeless people in America.
2. The ethnographic research was conducted to examine the consumption behavior of the
homeless to understand what kinds of possessions were significant, how they were
acquired, and their associated meanings for them. Guest, Namey and Mitchell (2013)
consider three elements to be important in a participant observation study, namely,
conducting observation in situ, building a rapport with the participants, and spending
adequate time in interaction. The two authors, trained in sociology and consumer
behavior, met all three requirements in their research. Various sources such as direct
observations, conversations, photographs, videotapes, field notes and other such on-site
interaction methods were employed to collect data. The outcomes revealed a sense of
community within the homeless, fear of being attacked as a basis for mistrust, and a
conscious pattern of choices in their living situation. Their intriguing consumer patterns
are necessary not for their survival but also to provide a sense of self and identity. An
ethnographic research was the best approach to get such a rich and thick description of
the homeless that served the purpose of the study.
3. Qualitative findings can add credibility to an inductive argument or deductive reasoning
to substantiate the findings of evidence-based practices. They cannot directly infer
causality but can explain the research context and variables better (Kozleski, 2017).

+13062052269

info@desklib.com

The homeless in America: An examination of possessions and consumption behaviors

Contribute Materials