Showing papers in "International Journal of Consumer Studies in 2006"

The development of HEdPERF: a new measuring instrument of service quality for the higher education sector

Abstract: Preface Service quality has attracted considerable attention within the tertiary education sector, but despite this, little work has been concentrated on identifying its determinants from the standpoint of students being the primary customers. Thus, it would seem rational to develop a new measurement scale that incorporates not only the academic components, but also aspects of the total service environment as experienced by the student. Likewise, there are many areas of disagreement in the debate over how to measure service quality, and recent research has raised many questions over the principles on which the existing instruments are founded. Although these generic instruments have been tested with some degree of success in wide-ranging service industries, but their replication in higher education sector is still hazy. This paper describes the methodological development of HEdPERF (Higher Education PERFormanceonly), a new measuring instrument of service quality that captures the authentic determinants of service quality within the higher education sector. The proposed 41-item instrument has been empirically tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Such valid and reliable measuring scale would be a tool that tertiary institutions could use to improve service performance in the light of increased competition with the development of global education markets. The results from the current study are crucial because previous studies have produced scales that bear a resemblance to the generic measures of service quality, which may not be totally adequate to assess the perceived quality in higher education. Furthermore, previous researches have been too narrow, with an overemphasis on the quality of academics and too little attention paid to the non-academic aspects of the educational experience. Research findings confirmed that the six dimensions, namely, non-academic aspects, academic aspects, reputation, access, programme issues and understanding were distinct and conceptually clear. Therefore, it can be posited that student perceptions of service quality can be considered as a six-factor structure consisting of the identified six dimensions. Consequently, tertiary institutions should assess all the six dimensions of service quality to ascertain the level of services provided, and to determine which dimensions need improvement. Evaluating service quality level and understanding how various dimensions impact overall service quality would ultimately enable tertiary institutions to efficiently design the service delivery process. In addition, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of these dimensions and their relative influence may result in better allocation of resources so as to provide a better service to students. While many service quality attributes may influence a student’s perception to a certain extent, the results also indicate that access, which relates to such aspects as approachability, ease of contact, availability and convenience has significantly influenced the overall service quality perception. In other words, students perceived access to be more important than other dimensions in determining the quality of the service that they received. Tertiary institutions should therefore concentrate their efforts on the dimension perceived to be important rather than focusing their energies on a number of different attributes, which they feel are important determinants of service quality. While the idea of providing adequate service on all dimensions may seem attractive to most service marketers and managers, failure to prioritize these attributes may result in inefficient

The role of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions

Abstract: The study investigated the effects of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions. Moreover, the direct and indirect effects of values and involvement on purchase intentions were studied. The study utilized the survey questionnaire and used sport shoes as the product being researched. The sample consisted of 197 students who responded to an anonymous questionnaire. Five hypotheses were tested and four of them were confirmed by the data. Perceived quality had a direct and an indirect effect (through overall satisfaction) on purchase intentions, overall satisfaction had a direct effect on purchase intentions and involvement had an indirect effect on purchase intentions through overall satisfaction and perceived quality. The results of the study provide several theoretical and practical implications.

In search of fair trade: ethical consumer decision making in France

Abstract: While the market for fair trade products has been growing in many countries, this paper examines the French market where fair trade remains marginal but is experiencing growth. Using a modified Theory of Planned Behaviour framework the research examines consumer intention to purchase fair trade grocery products in order to explain the pertinent decision-making criteria of both consumers of and potential consumers of fair trade. Results reveal that concerned consumers should not be treated as one homogeneous group, rather, the distinct variations in the factors that influence their decision making must be considered when promoting, labelling and distributing fair trade products. Implications for both sustaining and developing the market for fair trade products in the future are highlighted and discussed.

Evaluating fair trade consumption: politics, defetishization and producer participation

Abstract: This paper combines a critical review of the scholarly literature on fair trade with an analysis of data gathered during 19 months of ethnographic research conducted between 2001 and 2003 among the members of a Guatemalan fair trade coffee co-operative and fair trade coffee roasters and advocates in the US. It explores three common claims made about fair trade consumption that: first, fair trade consumption emerges from the political choices and conscious reflexivity of Northern consumers; second, it defetishizes coffee by revealing the social and environmental conditions of the coffee production; and third, it forges equitable trade relationships between producers and consumers. While the research results demonstrate that there is some validity to each of the three claims, they also highlight two negative trends: the reinforcement of producer–consumer differences and low levels of farmer participation in fair trade networks beyond the realm of commodity production. In conclusion, the paper argues that overstating the exceptional nature of fair trade consumption weakens the market’s transformative potential. In order to nurture equitable trade partnerships fair trade must expand to accommodate a substantially higher degree of producer participation in administrative decision making and goal setting.

What organic and Fair Trade labels do not tell us: towards a place‐based understanding of certification

Abstract: Certified organic and Fair Trade food products are making their way into the mainstream among Western consumers and, as such, are increasingly viewed as sustainable and preferable alternatives to the conventional food system, with its many negative social and environmental externalities. Two case studies discussed in this paper indicate, however, that operationalizing the goals for organic and Fair Trade food via certification can be a complex and difficult process. Specifically, the implementation of certification creates a disconnect between expectations raised by labels and the ‘lived experience’ of small farmers. In the case of small farmers in Mexico growing certified organic tomatoes and herbs, certification exacerbated socio-economic inequality and disrupted local social norms by creating a hyperfocus on surveillance. In the case of small farmers in the Dominican Republic growing Fair Trade bananas, the certification process prioritized the demands of the market to such a degree that the farmers were largely unaware that they were participating in anything ‘alternative’, and it simultaneously reinforced socio-economic inequalities within the communities. These findings suggest that if the appeal of certified labels rests on the integrity of what the label represents to consumers, then such consumer movements would benefit from a more robust analysis of how certification intersects with and affects local spaces, cultures and communities at the point of production.

Political consumerism between individual choice and collective action : social movements, role mobilization and signalling

Abstract: The notion of political consumerism has two implications. First, consumers wield some kind of power that they can use to effect social change through the marketplace. Second, political consumerism refers to and somehow combines the rationalities of two subsystems, politics and the economy. Yet regarding their everyday, individualized shopping decisions, consumers do not appear to command a great deal of power. What kind of influence, then, can individual economic decisions have on producers? Is that influence robust enough to attribute power to consumers? And if consumers do indeed have power, how can we conceive the implied translation of political concerns into the monetary logic of the economy? An answer to those questions needs to take into account the societal context of political consumerism. This paper analyses how political consumerism relates to the functional differentiation of modern society and how social movements are fundamental to understanding it. Through what I shall call role mobilization, social movements turn the role sets of their supporters into transmission belts for political objectives, and by authoritatively communicating those objectives, they provide signals to producers, who otherwise would not know a great deal about their consumers’ preferences.

Creating markets for eco‐labelling: are consumers insignificant?

Abstract: The proliferation of voluntary certification and labelling schemes for environmentally and socially responsible production is often seen as driven by companies and consumer demand. Through a careful examination of the initiation and spread of such initiatives in the fishery and forestry sectors, this paper challenges a rational–economic perspective that sees the spread of nonstate governance schemes primarily as a market-driven phenomenon. Drawing on a political consumerism perspective, the paper argues that transnational environmental group networks and their targeting of firms were key to the emergence of nonstate eco-labelling schemes, and that most firms decided to support or participate in such schemes only after intensive environmental group pressure. The paper opposes the view that nonstate governance challenges traditional state authority, by showing that states, through public procurement policies and support, contributed to create markets for forestry and fishery labelling in many countries. Although some states have been more sceptical of fishery labelling, largely because of the way fishery resources are managed, they have come to accept it as a helpful supplement to public rules and regulations.

Debt as a source of financial stress in Australian households

Abstract: This paper examines the role of demographic, socio-economic and debt portfolio characteristics as contributors to financial stress in Australian households. The data are drawn from the most recent Household Expenditure Survey and relate to 3268 probability-weighted households. Financial stress is defined, among other things, in terms of financial reasons for being unable to have a holiday, to have meals with family and friends, to engage in hobbies and other leisure activities, and general money management. Characteristics examined include family structure and composition, source and level of household income, age, gender and marital status, ethnic background, housing value, debt repayment of various types and credit card usage. Binary logit models are used to identify the source and magnitude of factors associated with financial stress. The evidence provided suggests that financial stress is higher in families with more children and those from ethnic minorities, especially when reliant on government pensions and benefits, and lower in families with higher disposable incomes and housing values. There is weak evidence that Australia's historically high levels of household debt cause financial stress.

Financial behaviours of consumers in credit counselling

Abstract: Positive financial behaviours of consumers are examined using a national sample of consumers who use credit counselling services in the US from a behavioural economic perspective. The findings indicate that consumers in credit counselling may follow a hierarchical pattern in their financial behaviours, paying off debts and adjusting spending before considering saving. Consumers who are older, have a part-time job (vs. the unemployed), and report a more secure retirement, a better family relationship, and a higher score of self-evaluation of financial behaviours are likely to report more positive financial behaviours. Reporting more financial behaviours and a higher score of self-evaluation of financial behaviours, along with several demographic and perception variables, tend to reduce financial stress and increase financial satisfaction among consumers who use credit counselling services.

Interpersonal influence and consumer innovativeness

Abstract: Innovators represent a small and somewhat elusive group of consumers who are often the earliest adopters of new products. As such, marketing researchers and practitioners alike are interested in determining the personality characteristics that influence innovators to purchase a new product early in the product life cycle. This correlational study examined the relationships of three of these characteristics (susceptibility to interpersonal influence, attention to social comparison information, and role-relaxed consumption) to individual innate innovativeness. Data were collected using self-report surveys administered to 326 students at a large public university in the south-east United States. The results supported hypothesized negative relationships between consumer innovativeness and both susceptibility to interpersonal influence and attention to social comparison information, as well as a positive relationship between consumer innovativeness and role-relaxed consumption.

An empirical study of the impact of consumer perceived risk on purchase likelihood: a modelling approach

Abstract: Drawing on an extensive literature review, a conceptual model incorporating marketing and psychometric paradigms for assessing consumer purchase behaviour is developed in the context of a hazardous and harmful risk associated with potentially contaminated food. An empirical study of 200 respondents was carried out to test this conceptual model. Structural equation modelling using LISREL 8.30 confirmed the link between perceived risk characteristics and risk perception, and that the latter appears to influence purchase behaviour. Concern about potential consequences, long-term adverse impacts and the involuntariness of exposure were key shapers of risk perception, and risk perception itself was measured by health, money, time, lifestyle and taste losses in this study. These findings can help both the food industry and its regulators as they seek to formulate effective risk management and communication strategies. The model developed in this exploratory study can be extended to all commodities, as well as all services industry.

Beyond organic: Consumer interest in new labelling schemes in the Central Coast of California

Abstract: Producers are interested in developing labelling schemes that go ‘beyond organic’ to address ethical criteria not included the US Department of Agriculture organic standards. However, consumer interests in labels that are not as widely available as organic in the market are poorly understood. This study reports results of focus-group research and a survey of 1000 households in the Central Coast region of California to determine which standards consumers are most interested in supporting through their purchases. The results indicate that standards for the humane treatment of animals have the highest level of support, followed by a standard for local origin, and for a living wage for workers involved in producing food. Logistic regression analysis suggests that humane is more likely to be chosen by women, European-Americans, younger people and frequent organic purchasers. Locally grown was preferred by older people and households with children. A living wage for workers involved in food production was selected more often by Latinos. Although a characterization of trends is not possible due to a cross-sectional design, the results suggest some potential directions for producers in this region who are willing to supply unmet consumer demands for ethical criteria. There are three basic directions that new and emerging labels may take with respect to US national organic standards: (1) separate from organic; (2) institutionally separate, but tightly integrated with organic; and (3) intended to supplant organic. The success of each of these strategies will depend on how much trust consumers continue to place in government oversight of organic food. The study results also suggest that the movement for a more sustainable food system would benefit from devoting more attention to issues of animal rights and social justice.

Understanding postorganic fresh fruit and vegetable consumers at participatory farmers’ markets in Ireland: reflexivity, trust and social movements

Abstract: This paper examines how trusting relations between consumers and vendors of organic fresh fruits and vegetables (FFVs) in a particular type of farmers’ market (FM) in Ireland are established and maintained, and what the implications of this are. First, the food system is outlined, and then its attendant problems. These problems have led to various solutions, two of which are organic food and FMs. Then, the growth in these two areas is outlined, as is the accompanying growth in the academic literature on these two areas, some of which overlaps. Various pressures, including in particular the increasing distance food travels and disconnected stallholders and products at the FM, are suggested. In light of this, a need to apply an understanding of the reflexive consumer, trust and social movements is suggested. It is found that the consumers interviewed act reflexively by choosing to go to these FMs. They prioritize the trusting relationships built up through repeated personal contact at these FMs over and above organic certification. Along with and as part of this, they prioritize local, fresh, seasonal ‘chemical-free’ FFVs over and above imported certified organic produce. Various aspects of collective identity formation, including modes of behaviour, objects and stories, and language, are involved in this process. These elements, to some extent, act as a buffer against the pressures of distance and disconnection. Along with this, the essential meaning of the word organic is, in this particular context, reconstructed to include various socio-environmental values missing from some certified organic produce. The word postorganic is suggested. The main methodologies used are semistructured in-depth interviews and participant observation.

Influencing consumer purchase likelihood of organic food

Abstract: Organic food is a fast-growing niche market in the US. Information in the marketplace tends to promote organic by describing either the potential benefits from organic methods (positive framing) or the potential negative consequences of conventional agriculture (negative framing). For this research, a survey was designed to test the effect of positive and negative framing on the self-reported change in purchase likelihood of organic food. Respondents were asked to directly evaluate whether the information in the survey made them more or less likely to purchase organic food, or if there was no change. Over 40% of the respondents reported greater likelihood of purchasing organic as a result of the survey information, and less than 4% said they would be less likely to buy it. Tobit regression results revealed that positive framing and perceived risk from conventional agricultural methods increased the influence of the survey. African-Americans and those with more prior knowledge of organic methods reported less influence from the survey. Overall, information and knowledge variables had more effect on the impact of the survey than demographic variables.

Understanding consumers’ perception of clothing quality: a multidimensional approach

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore how consumers evaluate clothing quality. The researchers used a questionnaire based on responses from previous clothing quality research. It included statements to assess consumers’ use of informational cues to evaluate clothing quality and their expectations of high-quality garments. A total of 146 students completed the questionnaire. An analysis of the data indicated that 75% of the informational cues and 36% of the expectations of a high-quality garment were used by the respondents when considering the quality of a garment. The results of this study support the multidimensional nature of consumers’ perception of clothing quality using both informational cues and consumers’ expectations of high-quality garments.

Fashion consumers and fashion problem recognition style

Abstract: Consumer spending over the life span of today's 18- to 25-year-old emerging adults will reach into the $10 trillion range. Emerging adults are a powerful force in shaping demand for consumer products. The problem recognition styles associated with emerging adults can help marketers understand this group of consumers and provide insight into what kinds of products, services, and messages will appeal to them as lifelong consumers. The purpose of this study was to examine differences between men and women and among fashion consumer groups in fashion problem recognition style. Participants were a convenience sample of emerging adult consumers from one Midwestern university in the US, 136 men and 158 women who completed the Measure of Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership, Fashion Problem Recognition Style Scale, and provided demographic information. Both fashion followers and men reflected a need-based approach to problem recognition. Both fashion change agents and women reflected a want-based approach to problem recognition. Male fashion followers differed from all other groups in indicating a need-based approach to problem recognition. This study built on previous work by examining differences in problem recognition style owing to fashion consumer group and gender. The basic premise behind problem recognition style was validated; that is, actual state (need-based) vs. ideal state (want-based) approaches to fashion problem recognition did relate to fashion consumer group membership and gender.

Consumer identity and moral obligations in non-plastic bag consumption: a dialectical perspective

Abstract: According to many, we live in an era of autonomy, choice, enterprise and lifestyles. Consumers are active agents who exercise informed and autonomous responsibilities in relation to their values and concerns. This language shows the act of ethical consumption as a personal choice arising from individual concerns. In contrast to this liberal view, the conservatives claim that consumers need to obey prescriptive and proscriptive set of ethical norms in order to consume ethically. This study takes on a third approach and considers consumers both as subjects of moral obligations (the conservative view) and as actors of their life (the liberal view). The analysis of nine existential phenomenological interviews performed on consumers who use environmentally friendly bags for their grocery shopping shows how both liberal and conservative views are co-productive in the development of ethical consumerism. The dialectical interplay between social norms and self-identity evolves through time and context across five main components: community of meaning and support, emotional affiliation, localized access to political discourses, personalization of the practice and identity formation. All five elements are intertwined around the use of a symbolic possession at the level of local and mundane microsocial encounters.

Globalization and sustainable consumption of shrimp: consumers and governance in the global space of flows

Abstract: The ongoing process of globalization in food provision is transforming the relationships between producers and consumers as well as the conventional role of governments in regulating the environment. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and social impacts of food production in developing countries and many are willing to take action. Conceptualizing globalization as the coming about of the network society offers an adequate basis for analysing transitions in food governance including new ways of consumer involvement. The case of shrimp produced through aquaculture in Thailand and consumed worldwide shows how innovative food governance arrangements appear in the context of global modernity. Authority and power in such arrangements are shifting away from national governments and towards producers, processors, traders and consumers along the supply chain.

Consumers’ perspectives on online banking services

Abstract: The forces of economic change, coupled with advancements in technology, prompt banks to rethink their use of traditional branches and begin forming new partnerships to deliver financial services. The Internet seems to be the new delivery channel in the banking sector. Factors such as the security of personal data or the reliability of a financial institution have been identified by previous studies as the determinants of electronic-banking adoption. In this paper, a series of new factors, such as the difficulties of using the Internet, are shown to play a crucial role in the consumer’s attitude – adoption or rejection – of this new alternative channel. We examine consumer behaviour by modelling multivariate categorical response data using a generalized linear model. Our choice model is based on the assumption that an individual’s decision to use electronic services depends on a number of explanatory variables, and we try to estimate the factors that affect an individual’s decision to use online services.

Consumer attitude toward US versus domestic apparel in Taiwan

Abstract: This study investigates whether or not consumer attitudes toward domestic- vs. US-made apparel differ among consumers in Taiwan. Variables to be examined include (1) apparel attributes; (2) self-concept; and (3) demographics. The Fishbein attitude model was used to measure consumer attitudes. The mall-intercept method was used to collect most data in four major cities of Taiwan. A total of 485 Taiwanese consumers completed and returned useable questionnaires. Results indicated that consumer attitudes toward Taiwan vs. US-made apparel differed significantly among consumers in Taiwan. Consumers had an overall more positive attitude towards US-made apparel compared with Taiwan-made apparel with regards to care instruction label, colour, quality, apparel fibre content, fashionableness, attractiveness, brand name, and comfort apparel attributes. For self-concept variables only modest/vain and thrifty/indulgent had a significant difference between consumers who preferred US- over Taiwan-made apparel. Demographic factors of age, gender, education, residence area, travelled abroad and country-of-origin preference had a significant relationship with consumer attitudes toward apparel. This study is aimed at understanding Taiwanese consumers’ attitudes toward foreign-made apparel. Overall, Taiwanese consumers preferred US-made apparel; however, the apparel attribute of size range needed improvement to increase customers’ satisfaction.

Pre-purchase and post-purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement of female tennis wear consumers

Abstract: This study examined the relationship among pre-purchase and post-purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement of women who participated in tennis. As women's activities in sports, including tennis, are growing, it is necessary to investigate their clothing needs in order to meet consumers’ needs. A final sample consisted of 124 women who attended a Cortec United States Tennis Association Women's Pro Tournament. The questionnaires were personally distributed and collected during the tournament. The theoretical base for this study was the Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard model on consumer decision making. There was a positive significant relationship between pre-purchase satisfaction and post-purchase satisfaction (P < 0.01). There was a positive significant relationship between pre-purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement (P < 0.001). Also, there was a positive significant relationship between post-purchase satisfaction and fashion involvement (P < 0.001). Comfort was identified as the most important clothing attribute and fit the second most important for women to achieve satisfaction before and after purchasing tennis apparel. Seventy-two percent of the women indicated the need for improved fit of tennis wear. Women of all ages reported garment length as a problem for each garment type. Two major reasons for not purchasing tennis clothing were high prices and inappropriate sizes.

Global online marketplace: a cross‐cultural comparison of website quality

Abstract: This study used Loiacono’s WebQual TM scale to compare 278 US and 347 Korean Internet users in terms of their perceptions of retail website quality. The results of the study suggested that the dimensionality of website quality was not consistent across the two samples. This study also examined which dimensions of website quality influenced shoppers’ satisfaction with the site and purchase intention. The findings indicated that the relationship between website quality dimensions and the two dependent variables varied between the two groups.

Evaluating service quality and consumer satisfaction in emerging markets

Abstract: Developing economies offer tremendous potential for future growth and organizations appreciating these consumers’ requirements stand to reap considerable returns. However, compared with more developed economies published consumer studies are few. In particular, there is a dearth of service quality research and hardly any from Africa. Furthermore, the little available research tends to apply Western methodologies, which may not be entirely appropriate. This research investigates East African consumer perceptions of retail banking using an approach that takes account of the research context. Qualitative research was undertaken to define the relevant service attributes. Performance along these was then investigated through a survey with over 2000 respondents. Principal component analysis identifies 13 core service dimensions and multinomial logistic regression reveals which are the key drivers of customer satisfaction. Comparison of the results with studies from other regions confirms that established standardized research instruments are likely to miss or under-represent service attributes important in developing countries.

An integrative model of consumer satisfaction in the context of e‐services

Abstract: This research examines how customer satisfaction affects its antecedent and outcome variables such as expectation, performance, disconfirmation, word-of-mouth, brand loyalty, attribution and repurchase. This research also takes the important integrative step of understanding the consumer behavioural constructs of consumer satisfaction. Although researchers have focused on the antecedents of consumer satisfaction, our integrative model has extended the outcomes of consumer behaviour on consumer satisfaction. Furthermore, this model strongly suggests a positive view of the inter-relationships between the antecedent variables and outcome variables of satisfaction. In particular, our model is not consistent with Oliver's attribution models in which satisfaction is a consequence of attribution processing. All hypothesized variables were supported by our empirical study. The findings present a variety of guides to formulating marketing strategies for both practitioners and academics.

Place Image and Urban Regeneration in Liverpool

Abstract: It is recognized that to date there has been an overemphasis on received images and their impact on the selection and evaluation of tourist destinations; this paper will therefore focus on projected images. While the merit of both semiotic and discursive approaches to analysing place image are recognized, it is proposed that the discursive approach is more appropriate as it takes into account the advantage of deriving meaning from its broader context. Drawing on examples from Liverpool, UK, the discussion indicates firstly, how projected image is formed by a complex and dynamic network of agents and secondly the implications for urban regeneration. Particular reference is made to the influence of the media, the circle of growth and the promotion of culture. Importantly, it is argued that while projected images can influence perceptions, the consumer also plays a key role in this process. It is concluded that while image campaigns can play a role in the regeneration of the urban landscape, drawing on the cultural dynamics of the local population could enhance it further.

Ambiguous framings of political consumerism: means or end, product or process orientation?

Abstract: For dealing with various societal problems, 'political'/'ethical'/'responsible' consumerism is often discussed as an effective democratic and participatory tool. However, political consumerism – along with its tools, such as product labelling – is often conceived and discussed in oversimplified ways. Instead, the tension between scientific complexity, knowledge uncertainty and a codified, standardized label involves extensive political strategy, interest conflicts and simplified framings of the consumers' roles as political decision makers. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how criteria for organic food labelling have been simplified, or framed, within various versions of political consumerism in policy debates. The more general purpose is to examine variations of what consumerism may entail theoretically and practically. Examples are chosen of organic food labelling in the US. The analysis is based on framing theory. The first distinction is made between framings surrounding the extrinsic and intrinsic values of consumerism (i.e. consumer empowerment towards an external goal, or as an overriding principle of democracy). The second distinction is between product- and process-oriented consumerism (i.e. consumer empowerment with regard to the purchased goods or concerning the 'invisible' production and disposal processes). These distinctions may facilitate critical examinations of criteria, processes and communication of consumer-related policies. (Less)

Understanding consumers’ moral consciousness

Abstract: The issue driving this paper is ‘Why don’t people, in their consumer role, have a well developed moral conscience?’ To address this compelling question, the paper explores the moral consciousness of consumption behaviour (or lack thereof). The first part of the paper provides brief overviews of: (1) moral consciousness applied to consumption, (2) the essence of morality and ethics, (3) four facets of the field of ethics, (4) two moral development models, and (5) the affective domain of learning. The intent is to prepare the reader for a discussion of an approach to understanding the moral consciousness of consumption that integrates particular concepts drawn from the theory of ethics and morality with the moral development models and the affective domain of learning.

Making healthy eating messages more effective: combining integrated marketing communication with the behaviour ecological model

Abstract: Encouraging healthy living involves a complex set of factors that interact with each other. Effective social communication strategies and conceptual models are needed in order to plan and maintain a desired level of societal change. More understanding is needed as to how different levels of society are affected by social communication messages. This paper examines how a social marketing strategy should be targeted in order to maximize societal change. In this paper the Multi-levelled/Multimedia Model of Social Change is presented. This amalgamates integrated marketing communication principles and the Behavioural Ecological Model. It provides a basis for understanding how consistent messages and methods of communication affect long-term behavioural or attitudinal change at the individual and societal levels.

Food shopping behaviour in Scotland: the influence of relative rurality

Abstract: Despite a number of studies investigating consumer food purchase behaviour, few studies actually address the nature of the rural consumer. This may have implications for the generalization of much research on food purchase behaviour, as official estimates of the UK rural population vary between 8.5% and 24%. This paper compares and contrasts the food shopping behaviour of customers in rural and urban areas in Scotland. Particular focus is given on respondent characteristics, attitudes towards rural and urban locations, distance travelled for food shopping purposes and store patronage. Results from the research emphasize the notion that rural and urban retailing should be conceptualized as a continuum rather than being regarded as dichotomous, and a conceptual framework is proposed.

Quebec young adults’ use of and knowledge of credit

Abstract: This research aimed to study young adults’ use of and knowledge of credit. A large representative sample of Quebec young adults aged 18–29 years participated in a telephone survey. Results reveal that their use of credit has increased remarkably over the last decade. The mean score on the credit knowledge scale used in this study is 49.4% for the entire group. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis show that credit knowledge is positively related to personal income, number of debts, amount of total debt, number of credit cards and favourable attitude towards credit and debts. Young adults reporting either personal experience or family and relatives as their main source of learning about personal finances were found to have a lower level of knowledge about credit in general than those reporting having learned of this subject from courses, the media or financial counsellors. The learning of basic knowledge about credit and personal finances, with stress on the sensible use of credit, should be part of the educational agenda for young consumers.