UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

PS 3403
A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH FOR A
SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

Topic: Problem Statement for Consumer Behavior in Brunei

Submitted by:
Waste Busters Group

Winnie Tan (06P0171)

Hjh Hazrina (06P0158)
Nur Liyana (02B1061)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Tables and Figures

1. PROBLEM STATEMENTS
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Objectives
1.3 Scope of Study and Limitation

2. INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS

2.1 Methodology
2.1.1 Survey Forms
2.1.2 Interview
2.1.3 Internet Resources

3. FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY

4. CONCLUSION
1. PROBLEM STATEMENTS
1.1 INTRODUCTION

Shopping plays an important role in every Bruneian’s life and their economy in the
millennium. Although Brunei is a small country, it imports a wide range of consumer
goods as well as manufactures its own products to cater the needs and wants of the people
in the country.

Apparently, most of the time we go shopping is to satisfy our needs. However, there are
certain times that we go shopping just to make us feel more contented. Too much
shopping could be a problem and in fact it is already a problem that has been stretched on
for several years now. Further on in the report, it can be seen that most of the purchases
would have gone to waste by neglect and the pursuit to be “in” with the latest trends.

1.2 OBJECTIVES

This survey focuses on the Consumer Spending Behaviour in Negara Brunei Darussalam.
There are several objectives, which are needed to be taken into consideration in carrying
out this survey. All these objectives are mentioned as follows:-

1. To find out which income group have spent most per month.
2. To identify the consumer total spending, by age.
3. To identify whether the consumers create their own spending plan, by
gender.
4. To investigate how successful is the consumers monthly spending plan.
5. To examine whether the Bruneians have a bigger spending power than
other countries.
6. To investigate the terms of payment on these selected luxury items, by
gender.
7. To examine the different methods of disposing selected luxury items.
8. To investigate the reasons for disposal, by gender.
 1.3 SCOPE OF STUDY AND LIMITATIONS
We use the public to carry out our survey. Our limitations are some of the
respondents failed to return the survey forms, some of them simply answer the survey
forms without actually understand the questions and lastly, the investigation had to be
carried out in a limited amount of time.

2. INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS

2.1 METHODOLOGY

This report is the first to explore the Consumer Spending Behaviour in Negara Brunei
Darussalam. It is based on a survey of 117 respondents: 47 males and 70 females. In this
project, we only focused on consumer spending behaviour on certain luxury items such as
Automotive Accessories and Customizations, Electronics, Appliances, Apparels and
Accessories, Sports Goods and Computers and Networking, as well as how they dispose
these items.

We have used a variety of tools such as questionnaires, interviews and internet resources
to identify the problems of overspending and the lack of knowledge on how and where to
dispose their unwanted items.

2.1.1 QUESTIONNAIRES

Our initial step was to prepare a survey form and to get approval from our lecturer (See
Appendix 1). We managed to give out 117 survey forms. After collecting all the survey
 forms, we gathered the information and analysis it in graph forms. As a result of this, it
enables us to obtain useful information that could assist us in identifying our problems.
2.1.2 INTERVIEWS

Interviews were carried out while distributing the survey forms in order to give more
information on their spending and disposal habits.

2.1.3 INTERNET RESOURCES

From the internet, we are able to retrieve more information, which could assist us in our
project.

3. FINDINGS FROM THE SURVEY

The survey asked the respondents to estimate their total spending based on their income
per month. When aggregated across the information in the survey, we derive that low
income group spent mostly between $500 below. Middle and high income groups are
spread out in their spending throughout the month. (Refer to Figure 1)

Monthly Income vs Total monthly Spending

12
Below $500
10 10
10 $500 - $1000
9
$1000 - $1500
8 7 $1500 - $2000
$2000 - $2500
Consumers

6 55 $2500 - $3000
4 4 4 4 4 $3000 - $3500
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 $3500 - $4000
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 $4000 - $4500
2 1 1 11 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 $4500 - $5000
Above $5000
0
Below $100 $100-$500 $500-$1000 $1000-$1500 $1500-$2000 $2000-$2500 $2500-$3000 Above $3000
 Figure 1

Figure 2 shows that the age group of 20-30 years old spent mostly between $100-$500.
This age group makes up mainly of UBD students. 20 Consumers who are between the
ages of 30-40 years old spent frequently between $500 - $1500 and 10 consumers who
are 40 years & above spent above $3000 per month.

Comparison between Age group & Total Spending

16 14
14
No. of Consumers

12 10 10 10 10-20 yrs
10 8 8 20-30 yrs
8 7
30-40 yrs
6 5
4 4 4 44 4 4 above 40 yrs
4 3
2 2 2 2 2 2
2 1 1

Above
$1000 -

$1500 -

$2000 -

$2500 -
$100 -

$500 -
Below

$3000
$1000
$100

$2000

$2500

$3000
$1500
$500

Total Spending

Figure 2

From the figures below, it can be seen that eventhough 52% of the consumers out of 117
respondents created their own monthly spending plan but 50% of it is unsuccessful.

Gender vs Spending Plan Gender vs Spending Opinion

40
40 36 36
34 35
35
30
No. of Consumers

30 26
25 23
25 22
Consumers

25 22
MALE
YES 20
20 FEMALE
NO 15
15
10 8
10
5 2
5
0
0
Always very In Between Not successful at all
MALE FEMALE successful

Figure 3 Figure 4
50.4% of the respondents agreed that Bruneians have a bigger spending power than other
countries whereas 3% of them disagreed on this matter.

Comparison between Gender & Opinion on Brunei

spending power with other countries

40 37
No of Consumers

35
30
25 22
Male
20
15 Female
15 11 11
10
10 6
5 2 2 1
0
Strongly Agree I don't Disagree Strongly
Agree know Disagree

Figure 5

From figure 6, it can be seen that majority of them prefer to spend on items by using
cash.

Gender vs Terms of Payment

45 42
40
Consumer

35
30 25
25 Male
20 Female
14
15 11 12
9
10
5 1 2 1
0
Cash Credit Cash & Take a All three
Card Credit loan
Card

Figure 6
From these 3 figures below, we able to derive that most people prefer to store their
unused automotives accessories, sports goods and computers in the storeroom.

Automotives

5% Storeroom
3%
1% Everyw here else in the house
26% Garage Sales
14%
Donate to charity
Trade-in
Sell to f riends
8%
Give to f riends/relatives
10% Throw aw ay
2% Dump it in the river
16%
Reuse
13% 2%
Recycle

Figure 7 (a)

Sports Goods
1%
5% Storeroom
Everyw here else in the house
9%
30% Garage Sales
Donate to charity
Trade-in
16%
Sell to f riends
Give to f riends/relatives

6% Throw aw ay
Dump it in the river
2% 21% Reuse
4%
6% Recycle

Figure 7 (b)
 Computers
2%
3% Storeroom
Everyw here else in the house
4%
28% Garage Sales
Donate to charity
22%
Trade-in
Sell to f riends
Give to f riends/relatives
Throw aw ay
12% 14% Dump it in the river
Reuse
8% 3%
Recycle
4%

Figure 7 (c)
Figure 7 (d) shows 18% of the respondents stored their unused electronics in their
storeroom and 19% of them placed them everywhere else in the house. 13% of them
trade in their electronics to the shops and 12% sells it to their friends.

Electronics

Storeroom
6% 3%
18% Everyw here else in the house
9% Garage Sales
Donate to charity
Trade-in

15% Sell to f riends

19% Give to f riends/relatives
Throw aw ay
3% Dump it in the river
12%
Reuse
13% 2%
Recycle

Figure 7 (d)

In the figure below, it shows that most of the people preferred to throw away their
appliances.
 Appliances

1%
Storeroom
6% Everyw here else in the house
20%
Garage Sales
Donate to charity
Trade-in
Sell to f riends
40% 15% Give to f riends/relatives
Throw aw ay
2% Dump it in the river
1% 2% Reuse
8%
Recycle
5%

Figure 7 (e)

We are able to observe from figure 7 (f) that 32% of the respondents prefer to give the
apparels and accessories to their friends or relatives and 21% of them give the items away
to the charity.

Apparels & Accessories

3%
Storeroom
6% 12% Everyw here else in the house
7%
Garage Sales
Donate to charity
15%
Trade-in
Sell to f riends
Give to friends/relatives
3%
32% Throw aw ay
Dump it in the river
21% Reuse
1% Recycle

Figure 7 (f)

Figure 8 shows that 73 of the respondents dispose of their items because it is broken, 63
of them dispose due to outgrown of the apparels and only one of them dispose because it
does not meet their household needs.
 Gender vs Reasons of Disposal
Male
50
46 Female
45
40
40
No of Consumers

35
30 27
25 24
21
20 19
16
15 13

10 9
6
5
1
0
Broken Outdated Got bored Outgrow n Not enough Others
w ith it storage
space

Figure 8

5. CONCLUSION

In conclusion, our have derived from our findings that there is overspend amongst the
age groups 20-30 years and above 40 years. We have also found that most of the
respondents are unaware of the places where they can recycle their unused or
unwanted items instead of just storing it away, which takes up a lot of space.