Academic literature on the topic 'Ethical consumer behaviour'

Purpose Consumer ethics in Asia has attracted attention from marketing scholars and practitioners. Ethical beliefs and judgements have been predominantly investigated within this area. Recent research argues for consumer ethics to be measured in terms of behaviours rather than attitudinal judgements, due to a potential pitfall of attitudinal scales, which researchers often refer to as an attitude–behaviour gap. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensions of ethically minded consumer behaviour (EMCB) in an Asian emerging market context. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 316 Vietnamese consumers was conducted to investigate their ethically minded behaviours. Findings The SEM analyses reveal a significant impact of long-term orientation on EMCB, whereas spirituality has no impact. Collectivism, attitude to ethically minded consumption and subjective norms are found to influence the dimensions of EMCB. Age, income and job levels have effects on EMCB dimensions, but gender, surprisingly, has no effect. Practical implications The study can be beneficial to businesses and policy makers in Vietnam or any similar Asian markets, especially in encouraging people to engage with ethical consumption. Furthermore, it provides practitioners in Vietnam with a measurement instrument that can be used to profile and segment consumers. Originality/value This is among the first studies utilising and examining EMCB, especially in Vietnam where research into consumer ethics is scant. It contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a greater understanding of the impact of personal characteristics and cultural environment on consumer ethics, being measured by the EMCB scale which has taken into account the consumption choices. Furthermore, this study adds further validation to the EMCB scale.

Purpose The plague of unethical practices in global businesses has sparked much research on the role of ethics in today’s business and society. One of the most effective tools to understand consumers’ motivation and behaviour is segmentation. Hence, the purpose of this study is segment ethical consumers based on consumer-ethics variables (i.e. actively benefiting, passively benefiting, questionable behaviour, no-harm, recycling and doing good). Design/methodology/approach Using a sample from the general population in Australia (N = 517), a TwoStep cluster analysis was conducted using baseline consumer ethics psychographic measures. The analysis resulted in three distinct segments: “The Good Samaritans”, “The Mainstream Ethical Consumers” and “The Unethical Consumers”. Findings The results clearly reveal that segments do exist among consumers in regards to their ethical beliefs. The study shows that a large percentage of consumers are ethical, there is also a segment consisting of unethical consumers. Research limitations/implications The study shows that only a small percentage of consumers are highly ethical (i.e. The Good Samaritans). This shows an opportunity for educators and public policy makers to push the “Mainstream Ethical Consumers” to become the “Good Samaritans”. The Good Samaritans are consumers who will go above and beyond to be ethical and more likely to do good toward the society. Practical implications Unethical consumers comprise a unique segment where researchers, educators and public policy makers need to focus on when addressing unethical consumer behaviour in the society. Originality/value This is one of the first few studies to segment consumers based on the consumer ethics scales. By understanding different segments within consumers, the results of this study will assist researchers, managers and public policy makers address unethical behaviour in society.

Purpose Various studies showed that unethical behaviours committed by consumers occur more frequently than may be expected. People have stolen from a shop at some time in their life and remained silent, people walk out of a grocery store have stolen something from the store and employees have stolen from their workplace. Why seemingly good people do bad things and vice versa? What factors contribute to this discrepancy? Hence, the purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to examine the impact of ethical ideology on self-control and guilt proneness; second, to examine the roles of self-control and guilt proneness in consumer ethical decision making; and finally, to explore the mediating effects of self-control and guilt proneness on the relationship between consumer ideology and ethical decision making. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected a non-probability sample using a cross-sectional online survey of adult consumers across Australia wide. The sampling frame was from a pre-recruited online panel company Permissioncorp. Consumers were introduced to the study in relation to their beliefs in general consumer ethics behaviours. The response rate for the survey invite was 17.9 per cent, with a final sample size of 311 consumers out of 3,246 that were invited to participate based on the these screening criteria, i.e. their country of birth (Australia only), gender, age group, and state in which they reside to ensure representation across these groups. Findings The results showed that idealism was a positive determinant of guilt proneness and self-control, whereas relativistic individuals were less prone to guilt and less able to control their behaviour. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between self-control and unethical consumer behaviour. Finally, both self-control and guilt proneness had an indirect mediating effect on the relationship between ethical ideology and consumer behaviour. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to explore the interactions between ethical ideology, self-control, guilt proneness, and consumer ethics.

Recycling has imparted meaningful experience and perceived value from individual’s recycling activities. Consumer perceived value (CPV) is important in defining consumers’ experience that connects with one’s goals, inclinations and mental models; perceived valuable and beneficial, thus motivate sustainable behavior. This study sought to understand how ethical consumer perceived value (ECPV) influences the sustaining of recycling behavior. Nine interviews were conducted at The Federal Territory of Putrajaya for this interpretive study. It identifies two taxonomies of ethical perceived value (EPV) in individual’s sustainable recycling experience. First, ethically desirable value (EDV) taxonomy (six drivers), second, spiritual/religious value taxonomy (three drivers). This paper concludes with the value-map taxonomy of ECPV on Recycling to guide in mapping a strategic social marketing practice in Malaysia’s government policy to motivate good social conduct among individual and society.

This article proposes a new and original measurement scale for consumers’ ethical sensitivity (CES). Usually measured using scenarios, ethical sensitivity appears as a fundamental variable in understanding consumers’ ethical behaviour. In this study, we propose an alternative definition and a new scale for ethical sensitivity. We use a series of qualitative and quantitative studies and analyse construct validity, that is, content, convergent and discriminant validities. The results indicate that ethical sensitivity is a better predictor of ethical consumption behaviour when measured by our new scale than by a scenario. Implications are outlined for academics and professionals looking to better understand the relationship between consumer ethics and consumption behaviour.

Discussion towards an understanding about ethical and social responsible corporate behaviours has increased over last two decades. Both marketers and academicians emphasize the interest of the topic. Developed research has been focusing the understanding of a few organizational practices, but consumer’s dyad of the problem calls for further investigation. This work presents some of the main theoretical contributions about consumer ethics, emphasizing the way how purchase attitude may be influenced by consumers’ perceptions about firms’ behaviour. The study aims to fill two important gaps in the burgeoning literature on marketing ethics: by looking at the consumer side of the marketing exchange dyad, and comparing consumer perspectives on ethics across cultures. As such, levels of consumer ethical awareness and expectations, and their impact on purchasing behaviours are measured in the contexts of Portugal and Cape Verde, one of its former colonies in Africa. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were developed.

Purpose The purpose of this research paper was the study of an affluent Islamic market, going through a rapid economic and social transformation, from an ethical consumption perspective. More specifically, impact of environmentalism, consumption ethics, fair trade attitude and materialism was investigated on the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers. Design/methodology/approach A research framework was put together after consulting relevant literature, Islamic scholars and Islamic marketers. The developed research framework was tested in the Islamic State of Qatar. As an outcome of an online questionnaire-based survey targeting Muslim (Qatari) consumers in a public university, 243 usable questionnaires were collected. After reliability and validity checks, AMOS SPSS 20 was used to conduct structural equation modelling analysis on the collected data. Findings The results showed consumption ethics, environmentalism and fair trade attitude as significant determinants of ethical consumption behaviour. There was an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour. The findings suggested that most Muslim consumers within this affluent market showed an interest in ethical consumption. However, an insignificant association between materialism and ethical consumption behaviour implied that even though Muslim consumers demonstrated ethical consumption behaviour, they were not anti-materialism. The outcome suggests that due to the high levels of affluence among Muslim consumers, it is possible that they may be practising ethical and materialistic consumption simultaneously. Practical implications This research should assist marketers in understanding the ethical consumption behaviour of Muslim consumers who are faced with ethical and materialistic consumption options within an affluent Islamic market. Originality/value The research should add to the body of consumer behaviour knowledge, as it provides an insight into the consumption behaviour of Muslims who are facing social and religious ideology conflicts which makes their ethical consumption behaviours more sophisticated.

Consumption is an essential everyday process. By very nature, it is a means of expressing our moral identities and an outlet for ethical obligations. In more recent years, ethical aspects of consumption have come under greater scrutiny with the emergence of ethical consumption discourses, and are currently associated with a range of consumer behaviours and responsible business practices. To this end, religion is an undeniably powerful and concurrently the most successful marketing force that can shape the ethical behaviour, yet under-investigated in consumption practices despite Corporate Socially Responsibility provoked ethical behaviour. Ethical consumption practices are regularly characterised as consumption activities that avoid harm to other people, animals or the environment where basic Buddhist teachings become more pertinent and practiced in Buddhist communities. This study conceptualises the importance of religious beliefs in ethical consumer behaviour and through researcher introspection methodology, the study empirically explore whether and how ethical consumerism is reflected through Five Precepts of Buddhism [i.e. (1) abstain from taking life, (2) abstain from stealing, (3) abstain from sexual misconduct, (4) abstain from false speech, and (5) abstain from intoxicants that cloud the mind]. The study contributes to the theory and teaching in the marketing discipline by linking how religious beliefs enhance ethical consumerism that remains largely unexplored.

Ethics is one of significant and at the same time indispensable aspects of operations by contemporary organisations. It should constitute the benchmark for the direction of actions both inside the organisation and within its external relations. The evaluation of marketing actions, addressed first of all to consumers, should facilitate the resolution of decision-related problems as well as prevent their arising. The research was aimed at recognising the respondents’ opinion on the contemporary marketing practice towards the customer. Based on the applied dependency method and primary data the respondents’ opinion on the contemporary practice of marketing towards the customer is presented in the article. The research results confirm the thesis that the ethical behaviour is beneficial for companies since the consumers choose products offered by the companies being in compliance with the principles of ethics and values recognized by the purchaser. One should remember that the ethical behaviour does not simply consist in avoidance of evil acts. The marketing specialist following the ethical code of conduct recognises that the position held by him/ her in the society also signifies certain commitments. Key words: consumer attitude, ethics, marketing.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) constructs, which include economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities, on the intended buying behaviour of Malaysian consumers. The study also aims to investigate the perceived value of whether the consumers considered an organisation’s CSR initiatives before deciding any purchase of products or services. Design/methodology/approach An online Google form survey successfully obtained 295 usable responses through a snowballing and networking approach. Statistical analyses such as Pearson correlation, ANOVA and standard multiple regression were used to examine the correlation and the strength of relationship, as well as the prediction between the CSR attributes and their impact on consumer buying behaviour. Findings The results represented a significant positive association between all the four constructs (social, ethical, legal and philanthropic) and consumer intended buying behaviour. These constructs also significantly contributed to the prediction of consumer behaviour towards the CSR initiatives. Conversely, the demographic profile of consumers had no effect on the relationship between CSR and consumer buying behaviour. Research limitations/implications Examining basic concepts of CSR awareness and understanding might add to the flavour and rigour of this study, which future research should consider. The positivist approach of the current research could be supplemented with a more interactive qualitative in-depth study investigating why and how consumers behave. Practical implications The implication for Malaysian companies is that it is imperative for their long-term survival that a strategic view, rather than just a tactical, reactive or operational view, is taken of their CSR activities. Furthermore, it will help organisations to confidently predict positive intentions towards the sales of goods and services. Originality/value The outcome of this study has filled the CSR lacuna in the context of a developing country, as well as adding new insights into the influence and perceived value of CSR on intended consumer buying behaviour. Consumers, irrespective of their age and background, are getting wiser and cautious in purchasing products from companies which are CSR-oriented, in particular, in relation to social, legal, ethical and philanthropic perspectives.

Fairtrade is one way to reach sustainable development in emerging countries, for example South America and Africa. Lately, Fairtrade has become highlighted and popular. This has led to studies on consumers’ view on Fairtrade, for instance in Belgium and America. Among the previous studies, the ethical consumer has been identified. At the moment, there is no research done in Sweden on who the Swedish Ethical Consumer is, regarding purchases of Fairtrade coffee. Therefore, with this thesis we want to fill the research gap on identifying the Swedish Ethical Consumer and which factors that influence him or her in the purchase decision. The study was performed on Swedish coffee consumers on Facebook. Different factors such as consumer related, environmental related, and product related, are measured to see if there is any relationship between these factors and how they influence the Swedish Ethical Consumer. With help from a snowball sampling technique and a self-administrated survey, 111 answers were collected. From that, we could identify the Swedish Ethical Consumer, given this sample. The result showed that product and demographics seemed to be the most affecting factors on ethical consumer behaviour. For this sample, brand (taste) of the product was by far the most popular product related factor to consider when buying coffee. From the environmental factors, the demographics were of greatest matter. Attitudes and knowledge were the most important consumer related factors. It seems like a majority of the respondents who think that Fairtrade is important (attitudes) also do buy Fairtrade coffee. Also, the respondents who possess much information (knowledge) about it tend to buy it. This study contributes to fill the gap in the lack of studies of Swedish Ethical Consumer behaviour. The conclusions can be used as a guideline and tool for companies to brand a new product. It could also be helpful for organisations to provide more information about Fairtrade to the consumers.

Consumers are becoming more socially conscious in their purchasing behaviours (Freestone & McGoldrick, 2008), and for some it is becoming a more salient aspect of buying criteria (Memery et al., 2005). Individuals‟ conceptions of themselves can influence behaviour (Aquino et al., 2009). An on-line experiment demonstrated the importance of consumers' ethical self-identity (ESI) in the mental processing of socially conscious consumer decisions. Findings reveal not only how individuals process decisions, but how they react to external stimuli. This study categorizes consumers into three levels of ESI, and shows differences and similarities between them. Individuals who feel an ethical orientation is part of their core self-identity were more inclined to mentally consult upon their previous behaviours when considering their current choice. Additional findings indicate that an assimilation effect took place; priming the environment led to more environmental purchase intentions (Herr, 1989). This study provides important insight into socially conscious consumer behaviour.
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This thesis explores the process of ethical fashion purchasing through a qualitative research approach, to find insights to improve the provision and purchasing of socially responsible fashion on the UK high street. This was achieved through the investigation of both the consumers that purchase womens wear at a mid market level, but also the retailers who provide the merchandise. The relationship between these two parties was explored, with the communication methods also being investigated. Furthermore, the influence the communication of retailer Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) messages had on the final purchasing behaviour was also a key research area. This distinctive two-sided perspective was utilised to contribute to the creation of new knowledge in the area of ethical fashion purchasing behaviour, and consequently provide new perceptions of how positive, social changes can occur in the fashion industry. Much of the previous ethical fashion purchasing research has been criticized for several reasons including methodological weaknesses, survey instruments potentially overstating the importance of ethical issues, as well as participants having little to no incentive to answer truthfully (Auger and Devinney, 2007). As a result, researchers in this field have suggested that broader, more rigorous data collection tools need to be developed in order to advance this area of research (Dickson, 2011). With this in mind, a mixed method or bricolage approach (Kincheloe and Berry, 2004) was used to not only overcome the methodological issues identified, but to also address the knowledge gaps in a creative and innovative way (Bremner and Yee, 2011). As a consequence of using this approach, the interplay of data collection and analysis has resulted in an iterative process throughout the research undertaken. This iterative nature facilitated a five-stage data collection process, which included an ethnographic style case study with a major high street retailer, a consumer focus group and additional retailer, semistructured interviews. Between each of the five research stages, analysis and reflection took place, facilitating the development of the next data collection method. When addressing the study’s over-arching question: what influences ethical fashion purchasing, several factors were identified from both a consumer and a retailer perspective. It was found that whilst consumers do have a certain level of knowledge regarding social issues in the garment supply chain, they rarely implement this knowledge during their purchasing behaviour. The retailers surveyed, being evidenced in several of the additional interviews with CSR representatives, also identified this. However this lack of cohesion between consumer intentions and actual behaviour was found to be heavily influenced by the communication of CSR information from retailers to their customers. As a result, consumers were found to have a lack of understanding of social issues within the garment supply chain. Thus, it was concluded that the contribution to knowledge that this work makes is that an increase of retailer CSR communication, will aid in the development of a relationship between the consumer and supplier to increase connectivity, understanding and empathy, in order to influence ethical fashion purchasing. However, it is paramount that this CSR information is delivered in a simple way, in order for it to be understood by consumers. This was identified as an important factor due to a fundamental misunderstanding found in consumer understanding of the term ethical, and distinguishing this from closely related sustainable connotations. The approach and methodology utilised in this study was designed to address the problems identified in a new and innovative way, in order to lead to a series of new insights. The study of both the retailer and consumer simultaneously and the utilisation of creative methods attempted to provide a unique approach in dealing with the methodological issues previously mentioned. Due to the nature of the research, it has in the past been approached from a business or marketing perspective, however this study used creative skills and tools commonly used in design research. The value of this research has been evidenced in a results table, where the problems identified were addressed through a series of incremental stages towards change. These have been broken down into long and short-term changes, with the aim to gradually move the industry towards a more socially responsible future.

Background: Makeup has become the fastest‐growing beauty category in the last years, partly due to the effects of the digitalisation, and the growing importance conferred upon the digital image. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the business practices behind the goods they buy, and the impact of their purchases on the environment, and the human and animal welfare. However, not always ethical intentions are translated into purchases. This gap between the intention and the actual behaviour, also known as “I-B gap”, has been researched within the sectors of food or clothing; however, it remains unexplored in the case of makeup. Purpose: This thesis aims to explore the main reasons leading to the I-B gap in reference to ethical makeup. Method: An exploratory qualitative study based on 14 semi-structured interviews was conducted among European millennial females. Conclusions: The yawning gap existing between intention and behaviour towards ethical makeup is shown in this paper, as well as the factors that explain it. Despite the positive overall attitude and intention of the sample towards such products, the general lack of awareness associated with the ethical makeup is evidenced. Furthermore, the store environment, ranging from the products display and visibility, to the customer service, and the samples’ trial availability, exert a major influence on purchase. In addition, the brand or product attachment may play a crucial role in the final purchase decision. More specifically, this research reveals that consumers appeared to remain loyal towards makeup products that they are already satisfied and familiar with. These aspects seem to represent a challenge to overcome by ethical makeup companies, since above the ethical credentials, customers value other aspects such as the effectiveness, the suitability of the product with the skin type, the quality-price balance, the availability or the variety.

This study comprises what triggers ethical consumption, based on personality archetypes. It has been conducted through semi-structured interviews. The respondents were students at Linnaeus University in the ages of 20-27. The personality archetypes were mapped through a conceptual model, based on the foundations of a personality; ego or social, with tendencies of having freedom or order characteristics. The respondent’s ethical behaviour was mapped in a conceptual model, then analysed in accordance with existing personalities. The results show differences in what triggers consumers’ behaviour in ethical consumption and that the individual’s personality determines to what extent.

Purpose Ethical elaboration is an aspect of product involvement and this research examines the relationship between involvement and ethical consumption providing a more holistic understanding of ethical decision-­making. This paper identifies antecedents of both low and high involvement ethical product decision-­making at farmers’ markets, and with sustainable and energy efficient features in the housing market, respectively. Design/methodology/approach These aims are achieved through semi-­structured and in-­depth interviews with consumers and sellers of ethical products across low and high involvement domains. Findings The empirical investigation reveals new insights into the constructs considered when purchasing high involvement ethical products. Barriers are discussed and findings examine the relationships between trust, information, ethical motivation and signalling. Research implications A research process framework for the study of ethical decision-­making is presented, demonstrating that constructs are approached differently between involvement levels. A conceptual model providing steps for transferring knowledge gained from the research to practice is also developed. Practical implications This research aids in the dispersion of information among stakeholders so that sustainability and energy efficiency can be part of the standard real estate conversation. Social implications Sustainability and energy efficiency (SEE) housing is seen as a niche market and this research will help alter the behaviour of the stakeholders in order to incentivise consumers to change their purchase patterns to include SEE features. Originality/value Most of the work on ethical consumption deals with low-­involvement products. This study addresses high-­involvement ethical consumption within the housing market through a qualitative approach.

Influencer marketing has an unethical side that was important for us to talk about. Thisstudy’s objective was to understand how impactful it was regarding the consumer and how itcould be really bad for a company to use this type of marketing in an unethical way. Theresearch then permitted us to investigate, see and understand consumer’s point of view onthis topic, especially thanks to the interviews that were conducted. The findings were varied,but most of the people that were asked about it were positive about the fact that unethicalpromotions impacted their behavior towards the brands in a bad way. This is the reason whycompanies must choose wisely the influencers they chose to use to promote their brands onsocial media. Indeed, as their name suggests, they influence their followers. That is thereason why they must be ethically correct.

The relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consumer attitudes has been investigated in previous research; however, empirically there is no studies deliberate the role of consumer ethics in order to achieve the CSR, that is, to achieve greater CSR, there is a need to be accompanied with consumer ethics. Therefore, the emergence of consumer ethical behaviour has brought a new perspective to determining the influences of CSR on consumer attitudes. Based on The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Vitell-Hunt theory, this study aims to examine the link between CSR and consumer ethical behaviour, and its influences on consumer attitudes. In order to address the aim, this study explores the relationship between CSR from the philanthropic perspective, and consumers' ethical behaviour. It also determines the extent to which CSR affects brand trust and consumer affective behavioural attitudes. Finally, it examines the role of consumers' ethical behaviour in influencing consumers' attitudes alongside CSR. To address these objectives, this study adopted positivism research philosophy, using a quantitative survey method. The data were collected from consumers who make purchases from the retail sector in the UK. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on the previous literature. Then, 500 questionnaires were distributed, of which 350 were completed and used for the final analysis. Multivariate analysis was employed, with the questionnaires analysed using a covariance-based structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The findings reveal that as hypothesized, CSR 'philanthropy' is significantly associated with consumer ethical behaviour; however, this study reveals a negative relationship between them. This study also hypothesized that philanthropic retailers have an influence on (a) consumer affective attitudes and (b) consumer behavioural attitudes. This study does not support the hypothesized relationship between philanthropy and (a) consumer affective attitudes or (b) consumer behavioural attitudes. However, the study identifies a positive relationship between philanthropy and brand trust. Consumers' ethical behaviour is not statistically significantly related to brand trust or consumer affective attitudes. However, the relationship between consumer ethical behaviour and consumer behavioural attitudes is found to be statistically significant. Moreover, the study demonstrates a positive relationship between brand trust and consumer behavioural attitudes, and that consumer affective attitudes mediate this relationship. This study offers a number of theoretical contributions to the literature on CSR and consumer ethics. First, the important contribution lies in the attempt to explore the relationship between CSR and consumers' ethical behaviour. This study unexpectedly, discovers the negative relationship between CSR and consumers' ethical behaviour. The possible explanation is that when consumers perceive the company to behave philanthropically, they are less likely to evaluate themselves as ethical because they may attribute their ethical behaviour to the company's perceived philanthropic behaviours. This study further highlights the positive relationship between consumers' ethical behaviour and their behavioural attitude. The second contribution lies in the relationship between CSR and consumers' responses. In line with previous studies (e.g. Willmott 2003; Hustvedt 2014; Singh et al. 2012), this study concurs that CSR positively affects consumers' brand trust. However, the relationship between CSR and consumers' attitudes is not statistically significant. Instead, this study highlights the important role of brand trust; that is, based on this finding, brand trust is the key driver of both consumers' affective and behaviour attitudes. Third, this study discovers the partially mediating role of consumers' affective attitude on the link between brand trust and behavioural attitude; which seems to be an essential sub-process regulating the effect of brand trust on consumer behavioural attitudes. This study also has practical implications. Firstly, retailers are recommended to effectively communicate their philanthropic activities to consumers in order to enhance their brand trust. It is particularly important that they also aim at influencing consumers' trust in their brand because it is the brand trust that would positively affect their purchasing decision. The final recommendation is that management should focus their CSR communication on the ethical consumer segment because ethical consumers show strong intention to purchase from a socially responsible company.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to evaluate the usage behaviour of legal and illegal digital music services on the internet and derive a theoretical model that includes the determinants for these behaviours. Based on this model, hidden heterogeneity will be examined amongst the sample population to extract different user-groups with similar attitudes, perceptions and behaviours and to derive and describe these different customer segments of digital music consumers. Design/methodology/approach: A theoretical framework has been developed through a synthesis of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Unified Theory of Usage and Acceptance of Technology (UTAUT) and ethical decision making theories. A structured self- completion online-questionnaire has been conducted in Germany and Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) has been applied to analyse and validate the theoretical model. Hidden heterogeneity has been analysed using the Finite Mixture (FIMIX) algorithm for PLS-SEM to derive three different customer segments amongst the sample population. Findings: The cause-and-effect model has been proven valid and has revealed the most important antecedents of the usage of legal vs. illegal digital music services on the internet: performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, habit and usage behaviour, perceived risks and benefits, and attitudes including moral and ethical considerations. Besides this, three different segments of customers have been identified, which show different values, opinions and behaviours with the other segments, but homogeneous within the segments. The segments are: Legal Power-Users, Digital Laggards and Young Indifferents. Practical implications: The cause-and-effect model and the three customer segments inform practice for a better understanding of the digital music customer and provide important inputs for the development of new products and services, positioning of the services and communication strategies for current and future services as well as policy makers. Originality/value: Two research gaps have been closed: (1) newer legal digital music services have hardly been examined in the literature and (2) only student samples have been used in digital piracy studies. This study is the first to fill both gaps in expanding the scope explicitly to legal vs. illegal services and to a sample population beyond students. The synthesis of theoretical models to a more comprehensive model to understand the usage and determinants of digital music services has been created. The identification of the three customer segments with the FIMIX algorithm and their real-life description is a contribution to practice, knowledge and methodology. Additionally the research shows, that the evaluation of hidden heterogeneity enriches the pure SEM-analysis, has even improved the evaluation of the overall model and should be a new standard for future SEM-research.

Textil- och modeindustrin har på senare tid uppmärksammats i allt större utsträckning för att vara en ohållbar bransch och som följd av problemen har en rad etiska modevarumärken lanserats. De tar hänsyn till påverkan på miljö och människorna i produktionen, varför deras produkter kallas etiskt mode. De varumärken och de butiker som säljer etiskt mode har kunder som tar hänsyn till etiska aspekter i sitt köpbeslut, så kallade etiska konsumenter.Senaste decenniet har forskning på etiskt mode genomförts, men då framförallt på den vanliga konsumenten. Då forskning på svenska etiska konsumenter är begränsad har författarna till den här uppsatsen funnit det intressant att se närmare på dem. Tidigare forskning på etiska konsumenter har uppmärksammat ett gap mellan de etiska konsumenternas attityd mot etiskt mode och deras faktiska konsumentbeteende, ett attityd-beteendegap. De etiska konsumenterna har som intention att handla etiska kläder men gör det inte alltid.Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att förstå, beskriva och förklara vad som styr den svenska etiska konsumentens val att handla eller att inte handla etiska modekläder i syfte att öka förståelsen för hur företag kan minska det nu rådande attityd- beteendegapet.För att uppfylla syftet har en studie med en kvalitativ ansats genomförts. Syftet är inte att svara på några frågor eller göra någon form av generalisering, utan hellre att förstå meningen bakom den undersökta gruppen etiska konsumenters beteende. För empiriinsamlingen har fokusgrupper och ostrukturerade intervjuer använts som metod. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats med hjälp av relevant bakgrundinformation, litteratur på ämnet, tidigare forskning och teorier om konsumentbeteende, specifikt etiskt konsumentbeteende.Utkomsten från empirin visar på att de etiska konsumenterna kännetecknas av att vara empatiska och att bry sig mer om sin omgivnings välmående än sin egna ekonomiska vinning. Deras intentioner är att handla etiska kläder, dock stärker den här studien tidigare forskning som visat på att etiska konsumenter inte alltid handlar efter deras etiska intentioner. För etiska konsumenter liksom vanliga konsumenter är pris och design faktorer som spelar in på deras köpbeslut. Den kvalitativa studien pekar på att den etiska konsumenten handlar etiska produkter när de matchar dennes behov och när det finns ett intresse för produkten i sig.Mängden kunskap om problemen i produktionen ökar chansen att konsumenten handlar etiskt men saknas tillgänglig information om produkterna och återförsäljare så finns det en risk att den etiska konsumenten väljer andra produkter framför etiska produkter. Företagen måste inse vikten av att göra sig tillgängliga och sina produkter attraktiva. Studien tyder på att företag, både med och utan etiska koncept, måste ha god kännedom om sina kunder. Även den etiska konsumenten har olika behov beroende av var den befinner sig i livet. Produkterna och marknadsföring av dem bör följaktligen anpassas till den aktuella situationen.The textile and fashion industry increasingly gain attention for not being a sustainable industry. As a result a range of fashion brands have been launched. They consider the impact on the environment and people within the production, why the products from these producers are called ethical fashion. The brands and the stores offering ethical fashion have customers who consider ethical aspects when they buy clothes, so called ethical consumers.Since research on Swedish ethical consumers is limited the authors of this thesis found it interesting to take a closer look at them. Previous research has noticed a gap between the ethical consumers’ attitude towards ethical fashion and their actual consumer behaviour, an attitude-behaviour gap.The purpose of this thesis is to understand, describe and explain what directs the Swedish ethical consumer's choice to buy or not to buy ethical fashion clothes, in order to increase the understanding of how companies can reduce the existing attitude- behaviour gap.A study with a qualitative approach has been carried out. The aim was not to be able to give answers or make any generalization, instead to understand the meaning behind the group of ethical consumers whose behaviour have been studied. For the gathering of empirical data, focus groups and unstructured interviews have been used as method. The empirical data has been analyzed using relevant background information, literature on the topic, previous research and theories about consumer behaviour, specifically ethical consumer behaviour.The outcome from the empirical data indicates that ethical consumers are characterized by being empathetic and to care more about the well-being of their environment than their personal financial gain. Their intentions are to buy ethical clothes, however this study support previous studies which have shown that ethical consumers not always act according to their ethical intentions. For ethical consumers, just like regular consumers, price and design are factors that have impact on their buying decisions. This qualitative study indicates that the ethical consumer buy ethical products when the products match their needs and when they have an interest in the product itself. The quantity of knowledge about the ethical problems increases the chance that the consumer will buy ethical products, but if information about the products and the retailers is not available there is a risk that the ethical consumer chooses other products instead of ethical ones. It is essential for companies to realize the importance of being available and making their products attractive. The study suggests that companies, both with and without ethical concepts, need to have good knowledge about their customers. Also the ethical consumers have different needs depending on where in life they are. The products and how marketing is used on them must therefore be adjusted accordingly to this.
Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

The CAP support is mostly focused on the technological modernization of farms, linked with production intensification, and weakly focused on the farms prosperity and resilience. As a result farmers and managers of agricultural companies are only a slightly motivated to produce added value and high quality food products, to use short food supply chains addressing constantly changing consumer needs, or to pay much attention on issues related to climate change. The paper findings are based on the Lithuanian case study carried out as a part of the international research project “Rethinking the links between farm modernization, rural development and resilience in a world of increasing demands and finite resources” (RETHINK). The Lithuanian case study was determining farmers’ behaviour and causal factors in decision-making. The research based on the positive research paradigm, case study, content and descriptive analysis, empirical study methods (answers of two groups of experts experts-professionals and experts-farmers), logical and systematical reasoning, graphic presentation, abstracts and other methods. The present paper is examining the impact of political factors on prosperity and resilience on farms and agricultural companies. The political factors have the highest impact for prosperity of the farms and agricultural companies in Lithuania (as compared to the technical – entrepreneurial, ethical - social factors, and intangible values). The support from the EU and the national funds is not fully in line with the current concept of farms’ modernization and agricultural innovation. The public policy influence on the competitiveness of the agricultural sector is more strengthening than weakening. The results show the main elements that farmers believe should be included in the new concept of rural prosperity, as well as the main strategies adopted to reach prosperity divided into the five sub dimensions: development of the rural social infrastructure and implementation of information technologies; strong self-governance, social awareness and partnership; high culture of life and communication; rural employment and job creation in rural areas, population welfare; economic and social viability, ecology and environmental security of the countryside.

Rapid technology development and easy access to virtual space was directly proportional to the proliferation of multiple categories of network users and consumers. This contemporary reality has contributed to the emergence of the illusion of unrestricted accessibility of the online environment and the permissiveness of expression “no matter what”. The cyberspace draws a thin line between freedom of expression and violation of behavioural norms toward others. In order to mitigate the behaviours that transcend ethical boundaries, a series of basic conditions of use and restrictions have been legislated (mainly crimes related to threats and illegal content shared in the virtual world) which do not include all the situations encountered in practice. Given the cyberspace dimension, prevalent in most civilized areas of the planet, as a means and method of intercultural communication, ethical standards should be standardized and applied uniformly. This research paper is an attempt to objectively address the issues of standards and ethical values on the Web, with reference to cyber terrorism, groups of organized crime, hacktivism and states’ implication and responsibility. The main hypothesis of the research emphasizes that the information society requires the creation and enforcement of new laws, because it coexists in a completely new environment - the Network. Referring to the Network links, it is a fact that it cannot be kept safer against unauthorized access, without the application of adequate security measures and techniques. This research paper aims to shed the light on the dangers and threats that challenges the information society thought cyberspace.

The elements and mechanics introduced by the games are accepted for the gameplay, in a context different from the game one. Researchers find great potential in its implementation, but also take into account the need for training and building a code of ethics in its planning and implementation. Extremely vulnerable are the groups of vegetable growers, producers of fruits, herbs, spices, etc., who face new challenges related to the need to reach quickly and in a very short period of time to a large number of consumers in order to maintain a competitive price. This requires the use of new approaches to communication and motivation of desired behaviour by consumers. By playing games, some of the difficulties can be overcome, but without state support it is possible to deepen other problems, which will lead to the bankruptcy of young unfortified businesses. The purpose of the report is to indicate the possibilities of gamification to increase the commitment to the activities of domestic producers, solidarity with their efforts through awareness of the importance of consuming food products produced with minimal or no harmful preparations, encouraging the frequency of buying from a manufacturer or site, and other. Gaming can be an extremely powerful tool that should be used to motivate behaviour that joins a common cause - maintaining and restoring small and medium-sized businesses engaged in the agricultural sector.

The enduring issues regarding codes and standards for consumer products and corporate behavior are discussed in this paper. It has been frequently asserted that the adherence of a product to a recognized government or private standard ensures that the product has a minimal level of safety, and that said product is therefore presumably non-defective. The agencies which promulgate these codes and standards are ostensibly impartial and informed, and have the public’s best interests in mind. This conviction is undoubtedly true in some instances, but is also unquestionably false in others. The issues regarding codes and standards and their impact upon products and the trusting public include, but are not limited to, asymmetric information, cost concerns, ethics, foreseeable misuses, non-alignment of interests, and technological advancements after the standards were adopted. In short, the adherence to the letter, rather than the spirit, of individual codes and standards is a manifestation of the Principal-Agent conflict, in which the agent, acting on behalf of the principal, has a different set of incentives than does the principal. This conflict and the underlying issues listed above are discussed. Case studies of numerous products with possible, known, and unforeseen adverse impacts upon public health and safety will be used as illustrations of products that were within the letter of the code or standard, but manifestly defective.

Attention to safety and health are of ever-increasing priority to industrial organizations. Good Safety is demanded by stockholders, employees, and the community while increasing injury costs provide additional motivation for safety and health excellence. Safety has always been a strong corporate value of DuPont and a vital part of its culture. As a result, DuPont has become a benchmark in safety and health performance. Since 1990, DuPont has re-engineered itself to meet global competition and address future vision. In the new re-engineered organizational structures, DuPont has also had to re-engineer its safety management systems. A special Discovery Team was chartered by DuPont senior management to determine the “best practices’ for safety and health being used in DuPont best-performing sites. A summary of the findings is presented, and five of the practices are discussed. Excellence in safety and health management is more important today than ever. Public awareness, federal and state regulations, and enlightened management have resulted in a widespread conviction that all employees have the right to work in an environment that will not adversely affect their safety and health. In DuPont, we believe that excellence in safety and health is necessary to achieve global competitiveness, maintain employee loyalty, and be an accepted member of the communities in which we make, handle, use, and transport products. Safety can also be the “catalyst” to achieving excellence in other important business parameters. The organizational and communication skills developed by management, individuals, and teams in safety can be directly applied to other company initiatives. As we look into the 21st Century, we must also recognize that new organizational structures (flatter with empowered teams) will require new safety management techniques and systems in order to maintain continuous improvement in safety performance. Injury costs, which have risen dramatically in the past twenty years, provide another incentive for safety and health excellence. Shown in the Figure 1, injury costs have increased even after correcting for inflation. Many companies have found these costs to be an “invisible drain” on earnings and profitability. In some organizations, significant initiatives have been launched to better manage the workers’ compensation systems. We have found that the ultimate solution is to prevent injuries and incidents before they occur. A globally-respected company, DuPont is regarded as a well-managed, extremely ethical firm that is the benchmark in industrial safety performance. Like many other companies, DuPont has re-engineered itself and downsized its operations since 1985. Through these changes, we have maintained dedication to our principles and developed new techniques to manage in these organizational environments. As a diversified company, our operations involve chemical process facilities, production line operations, field activities, and sales and distribution of materials. Our customer base is almost entirely industrial and yet we still maintain a high level of consumer awareness and positive perception. The DuPont concern for safety dates back to the early 1800s and the first days of the company. In 1802 E.I. DuPont, a Frenchman, began manufacturing quality grade explosives to fill America’s growing need to build roads, clear fields, increase mining output, and protect its recently won independence. Because explosives production is such a hazardous industry, DuPont recognized and accepted the need for an effective safety effort. The building walls of the first powder mill near Wilmington, Delaware, were built three stones thick on three sides. The back remained open to the Brandywine River to direct any explosive forces away from other buildings and employees. To set the safety example, DuPont also built his home and the homes of his managers next to the powder yard. An effective safety program was a necessity. It represented the first defense against instant corporate liquidation. Safety needs more than a well-designed plant, however. In 1811, work rules were posted in the mill to guide employee work habits. Though not nearly as sophisticated as the safety standards of today, they did introduce an important basic concept — that safety must be a line management responsibility. Later, DuPont introduced an employee health program and hired a company doctor. An early step taken in 1912 was the keeping of safety statistics, approximately 60 years before the federal requirement to do so. We had a visible measure of our safety performance and were determined that we were going to improve it. When the nation entered World War I, the DuPont Company supplied 40 percent of the explosives used by the Allied Forces, more than 1.5 billion pounds. To accomplish this task, over 30,000 new employees were hired and trained to build and operate many plants. Among these facilities was the largest smokeless powder plant the world had ever seen. The new plant was producing granulated powder in a record 116 days after ground breaking. The trends on the safety performance chart reflect the problems that a large new work force can pose until the employees fully accept the company’s safety philosophy. The first arrow reflects the World War I scale-up, and the second arrow represents rapid diversification into new businesses during the 1920s. These instances of significant deterioration in safety performance reinforced DuPont’s commitment to reduce the unsafe acts that were causing 96 percent of our injuries. Only 4 percent of injuries result from unsafe conditions or equipment — the remainder result from the unsafe acts of people. This is an important concept if we are to focus our attention on reducing injuries and incidents within the work environment. World War II brought on a similar set of demands. The story was similar to World War I but the numbers were even more astonishing: one billion dollars in capital expenditures, 54 new plants, 75,000 additional employees, and 4.5 billion pounds of explosives produced — 20 percent of the volume used by the Allied Forces. Yet, the performance during the war years showed no significant deviation from the pre-war years. In 1941, the DuPont Company was 10 times safer than all industry and 9 times safer than the Chemical Industry. Management and the line organization were finally working as they should to control the real causes of injuries. Today, DuPont is about 50 times safer than US industrial safety performance averages. Comparing performance to other industries, it is interesting to note that seemingly “hazard-free” industries seem to have extraordinarily high injury rates. This is because, as DuPont has found out, performance is a function of injury prevention and safety management systems, not hazard exposure. Our success in safety results from a sound safety management philosophy. Each of the 125 DuPont facilities is responsible for its own safety program, progress, and performance. However, management at each of these facilities approaches safety from the same fundamental and sound philosophy. This philosophy can be expressed in eleven straightforward principles. The first principle is that all injuries can be prevented. That statement may seem a bit optimistic. In fact, we believe that this is a realistic goal and not just a theoretical objective. Our safety performance proves that the objective is achievable. We have plants with over 2,000 employees that have operated for over 10 years without a lost time injury. As injuries and incidents are investigated, we can always identify actions that could have prevented that incident. If we manage safety in a proactive — rather than reactive — manner, we will eliminate injuries by reducing the acts and conditions that cause them. The second principle is that management, which includes all levels through first-line supervisors, is responsible and accountable for preventing injuries. Only when senior management exerts sustained and consistent leadership in establishing safety goals, demanding accountability for safety performance and providing the necessary resources, can a safety program be effective in an industrial environment. The third principle states that, while recognizing management responsibility, it takes the combined energy of the entire organization to reach sustained, continuous improvement in safety and health performance. Creating an environment in which employees feel ownership for the safety effort and make significant contributions is an essential task for management, and one that needs deliberate and ongoing attention. The fourth principle is a corollary to the first principle that all injuries are preventable. It holds that all operating exposures that may result in injuries or illnesses can be controlled. No matter what the exposure, an effective safeguard can be provided. It is preferable, of course, to eliminate sources of danger, but when this is not reasonable or practical, supervision must specify measures such as special training, safety devices, and protective clothing. Our fifth safety principle states that safety is a condition of employment. Conscientious assumption of safety responsibility is required from all employees from their first day on the job. Each employee must be convinced that he or she has a responsibility for working safely. The sixth safety principle: Employees must be trained to work safely. We have found that an awareness for safety does not come naturally and that people have to be trained to work safely. With effective training programs to teach, motivate, and sustain safety knowledge, all injuries and illnesses can be eliminated. Our seventh principle holds that management must audit performance on the workplace to assess safety program success. Comprehensive inspections of both facilities and programs not only confirm their effectiveness in achieving the desired performance, but also detect specific problems and help to identify weaknesses in the safety effort. The Company’s eighth principle states that all deficiencies must be corrected promptly. Without prompt action, risk of injuries will increase and, even more important, the credibility of management’s safety efforts will suffer. Our ninth principle is a statement that off-the-job safety is an important part of the overall safety effort. We do not expect nor want employees to “turn safety on” as they come to work and “turn it off” when they go home. The company safety culture truly becomes of the individual employee’s way of thinking. The tenth principle recognizes that it’s good business to prevent injuries. Injuries cost money. However, hidden or indirect costs usually exceed the direct cost. Our last principle is the most important. Safety must be integrated as core business and personal value. There are two reasons for this. First, we’ve learned from almost 200 years of experience that 96 percent of safety incidents are directly caused by the action of people, not by faulty equipment or inadequate safety standards. But conversely, it is our people who provide the solutions to our safety problems. They are the one essential ingredient in the recipe for a safe workplace. Intelligent, trained, and motivated employees are any company’s greatest resource. Our success in safety depends upon the men and women in our plants following procedures, participating actively in training, and identifying and alerting each other and management to potential hazards. By demonstrating a real concern for each employee, management helps establish a mutual respect, and the foundation is laid for a solid safety program. This, of course, is also the foundation for good employee relations. An important lesson learned in DuPont is that the majority of injuries are caused by unsafe acts and at-risk behaviors rather than unsafe equipment or conditions. In fact, in several DuPont studies it was estimated that 96 percent of injuries are caused by unsafe acts. This was particularly revealing when considering safety audits — if audits were only focused on conditions, at best we could only prevent four percent of our injuries. By establishing management systems for safety auditing that focus on people, including audit training, techniques, and plans, all incidents are preventable. Of course, employee contribution and involvement in auditing leads to sustainability through stakeholdership in the system. Management safety audits help to make manage the “behavioral balance.” Every job and task performed at a site can do be done at-risk or safely. The essence of a good safety system ensures that safe behavior is the accepted norm amongst employees, and that it is the expected and respected way of doing things. Shifting employees norms contributes mightily to changing culture. The management safety audit provides a way to quantify these norms. DuPont safety performance has continued to improve since we began keeping records in 1911 until about 1990. In the 1990–1994 time frame, performance deteriorated as shown in the chart that follows: This increase in injuries caused great concern to senior DuPont management as well as employees. It occurred while the corporation was undergoing changes in organization. In order to sustain our technological, competitive, and business leadership positions, DuPont began re-engineering itself beginning in about 1990. New streamlined organizational structures and collaborative work processes eliminated many positions and levels of management and supervision. The total employment of the company was reduced about 25 percent during these four years. In our traditional hierarchical organization structures, every level of supervision and management knew exactly what they were expected to do with safety, and all had important roles. As many of these levels were eliminated, new systems needed to be identified for these new organizations. In early 1995, Edgar S. Woolard, DuPont Chairman, chartered a Corporate Discovery Team to look for processes that will put DuPont on a consistent path toward a goal of zero injuries and occupational illnesses. The cross-functional team used a mode of “discovery through learning” from as many DuPont employees and sites around the world. The Discovery Team fostered the rapid sharing and leveraging of “best practices” and innovative approaches being pursued at DuPont’s plants, field sites, laboratories, and office locations. In short, the team examined the company’s current state, described the future state, identified barriers between the two, and recommended key ways to overcome these barriers. After reporting back to executive management in April, 1995, the Discovery Team was realigned to help organizations implement their recommendations. The Discovery Team reconfirmed key values in DuPont — in short, that all injuries, incidents, and occupational illnesses are preventable and that safety is a source of competitive advantage. As such, the steps taken to improve safety performance also improve overall competitiveness. Senior management made this belief clear: “We will strengthen our business by making safety excellence an integral part of all business activities.” One of the key findings of the Discovery Team was the identification of the best practices used within the company, which are listed below: ▪ Felt Leadership – Management Commitment ▪ Business Integration ▪ Responsibility and Accountability ▪ Individual/Team Involvement and Influence ▪ Contractor Safety ▪ Metrics and Measurements ▪ Communications ▪ Rewards and Recognition ▪ Caring Interdependent Culture; Team-Based Work Process and Systems ▪ Performance Standards and Operating Discipline ▪ Training/Capability ▪ Technology ▪ Safety and Health Resources ▪ Management and Team Audits ▪ Deviation Investigation ▪ Risk Management and Emergency Response ▪ Process Safety ▪ Off-the-Job Safety and Health Education Attention to each of these best practices is essential to achieve sustained improvements in safety and health. The Discovery Implementation in conjunction with DuPont Safety and Environmental Management Services has developed a Safety Self-Assessment around these systems. In this presentation, we will discuss a few of these practices and learn what they mean. Paper published with permission.