ISSN 2029-7017 print/ISSN 2029-7025 online Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues www.lka.lt/index.php/lt/217049/ ISSN 2029-7017/ISSN 2029-7025 online 2012 Volume 2(2): 19–30 http://dx.doi.org/10.9770/jssi.2012.2.2(2) Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania World Institute for Engineering and Technology Education University of Salford A Greater Manchester University The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE AS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FACET Ida Ercsey Széchenyi István University, Hungary E-mail: ercsey@sze.hu Received 25 July 2012; accepted 20 September 2012 Abstract. he objective of this article is to explore how roles the perceived value of the cultural activities in the evaluation of the consumers’ quality of life. First, we study the perceived value comparing two main approaches to the conceptualization of the perceived value. Next, we look over the quality of life studies in the cultural industry. We carried out a qualitative study among adult consumers in a Hungarian Region. Based on our results we explored the main components of the quality of life by subjective evaluation. We found that functional expression appears clearly against the emotional ones in the evaluation of the perceived value related to the cultural activities. Keywords: Subjective quality of life, sustainable development, cultural activities, perceived value. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Ercsey, I. 2012. Perceived quality of life as sustainable development facet, Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues 2(2): 19-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.9770/jssi.2012.2.2(2) JEL Classiications: O10, D1. 1. Introduction he quality of life marketing is deined as market- ing practice designed to enhance the well-being of consumers while preserving the well-being of the irm’s other stakeholders (Sirgy 2001). Quality of life as well can be perceived as sustainable development facet (Dudzevičiūtė 2012; Grybaitė, Tvaronavičienė 2008; Tvaronavičienė et al. 2009; Lankauskienė, Tvaronavičienė 2012). he quality of life construct has been applied to the consumption of products thus there is little emphasis on services in the mar- keting literature quality of life (Lee and Sirgy 2004). In the area of the health psychology was examined the subjective quality of life of people experiencing serious health concerns. he authors found that pig- mentation disorder mainly caused self-consciousness, afected social, leisure activities, and daily routines. Huszka (2010) examined the pupils (13-25 ages) mental healthy and health-behaviour in his study in Hungary. Dagger and Sweeney (2006) explored the relationship between the service quality, the service satisfaction and the oncology patients’ quality of life and behavioural intentions. Our study extends the ield to the examination of the quality of life in a non-health context by evaluation the inluence of the cultural activities on the consumers’ quality of life. Providing value to the consumers is relevant to the business organizations, the society, and the consum- ers. From the consumer’s point of view, they can appreciate the economic beneits (Peterson 1995), obtaining a service better adapted to their needs, or additional services (Gwinner et al. 1998; Rust et al. 2000). Another type of beneits to the consumers is the social beneits arisen from establishing a relation- ship. Previous studies have shown that keeping a con- sumer can be up to ten times cheaper than attracting a new one (Heskett et al. 1990), so companies have to make eforts retaining the consumers, attempt- ing to minimise their migration. At the same time, the customers who are satisied with the relationship generate a trust (Goodwin and Gremler 1996). he irst step for this consists of knowing what perceived value really is, how customers form their valuations,