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8 J. Consumer Pol'y 1 (1985)

handle is hein.journals/jrncpy8 and id is 1 raw text is: Articles Gunter Silberer The Impact of Comparative Product Testing upon Consumers. Selected Findings of a Research Project ABSTRACT. The paper presents some of the main results of a research project dealing with consumer product testing in the Federal Republic of Germany. They concern the use and impact of product test information among consumers (effects on industry and trade are dealt with in a companion paper, Raffee & Fritz, 1984). The analysis is based on the as- sumption that the consumer product test has to accomplish a broad set of tasks. On the basis of these tasks and the different empirical results some propositions for the policy of product test institutions are formulated. In the past, several research studies have dealt with the comparative consumer product test (e.g., Kaas & Tolle, 1981; Silberer, 1979b; Thorelli, Becker, & Engledow, 1975; Thorelli & Thorelli, 1974; Tolle, 1983). The project to be reported here concerned the use and the effects of product test information emanating from the German testing institution Stiftung Warentest upon industry, retailers, and consumers. The purpose was to provide a basis for recommendations concerning the future policy of product test institutions. This paper reports the results of our studies in the consumer sphere. Only selected results and recommendations can be presented here; a more detailed report can be found in Silberer and Raffee (1984b). The results of our studies in industry and retailing are published separately, both in this journal and elsewhere (Fritz, 1984; Raffee & Fritz, 1984; Raffee & Silberer, 1984). THE TASKS OF CONSUMER PRODUCT TESTING. A NORMATIVE FRAME OF REFERENCE The main purpose of our research was to analyze relevant effects of comparative product test information upon the buying decisions of consumers who use such test information. This required a delinea- tion of the tasks or goals of consumer product tests. In so doing, we had to keep in mind that the tests are carried out by an institution, Stiftung Warentest, which receives subsidies from the Federal Govern- ment (Silberer, 1979a). Journal of Consumer Policy 8 (1985) 1-27. 0342-5843/85.10 © 1985 by D. Reidel Publishing Company

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