Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Purchasing ethics'

The thesis is an evaluation of a utilitarian argument for the permissibility of purchasing meat. The argument, which I call the replaceability argument, rests on four premises: 1. Meat purchases cause animals to be brought into existence. 2. The animals brought into existence by meat purchases live lives of positive final value. 3. If the first two premises are true, then meat purchases cause at least as good consequences as any alternative act. 4. If meat purchases cause at least as good consequences as any alternative act, then meat purchases are permissible. The first three premises are examined while the fourth one, representing consequentialism, is assumed to be true. The evaluation results in the conclusion that the argument is unsound because all of the premises evaluated turn out to be either doubtful or false.

The awareness and concern regarding social and environmental issues is growing among representatives of the business sector and they cannot eliminate the impact that they have. Corporate Social Responsibility is a complex strategy to govern the whole process of doing business. The objective of the Diploma Thesis is to prepare comprehensive analysis of current CSR practices in the Czech Republic and find out what type of impact the socially responsible practices of a company can have on a customers behaviour. The used literature represents pervious findings in the field, mainly researches done among Czech customers. In the practical part personal interviews with the company representative will be held in order to examine practical implications of CSR practices for the biggest brewery; Anheusher-Busch InBev.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antecedents and reinforcements of fairtrade purchase intention and to examine the effect of reporting good fairtrade practices on consumers’ punishment behavior. A stratified sample of 240 English-speaking, American, adult subjects was collected online.

First, the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM) (Foxall, G., 2007) was modified and four manipulations varying luxury/commodity product type and open/closed purchase settings were presented. The results of paired-sample t-tests demonstrated closed purchase settings did not increase luxury purchase intention by itself. A split-plot ANOVA combining closed setting and the participant’s fairtrade learning history did not produce significant results, but post-hoc testing revealed a significant effect of positive learning history on purchase intention. Two separate, repeated-measures ANOVA found that utilitarian reinforcement was not affected by purchase setting, but informational reinforcement was significantly increased by the presence of others.

Second, four manipulations of good/bad press events were presented without/without the firm’s fairtrade performance history mentioned in a news article. A two-way, between-subjects ANOVA produced insignificant results for the effect of information on willingness to pay. Importantly, the type of event significantly affected willingness to pay, accounting for 18% of the variation, with positive events generating higher willingness to pay than negative, regardless of whether fairtrade performance information was included.

This study suggested firms would benefit from including cues for the social reward aspect of luxury fairtrade purchasing in marketing efforts and from preventing missteps rather than bragging about past practices. Future research suggestions included further analyzing the effect of information on punishment of bad corporate actors, investigating the credibility of self-declaration of fairtrade certification versus independent certification labels, and incorporating the effect of culture into the BPM.

Background: In the 1970’s, the first concerns regarding manufacturing pollu-tion headed off in Sweden and an enormous demand was cre-ated. The result came to be an enhanced consumption of ingredi-ent branded products such as KRAV, Bra Miljöval and The Swan to mention a few. Fair Trade entered the Swedish shelves in 1996 which gave the consumers the possibility to buy products and contribute to better conditions for farmers and employees in de-veloping countries.

Problem: In 1995 a research was performed, which showed that 50 percent of the respondents did not buy products with for instance an en-vironmental concerned label due to the significantly higher price. Some argue against this and believe that it is more of a marketing issue. Customers have become more aware in their shopping and, in order to keep them, companies must meet their demands by paying more attention to how they run their business.

Purpose: The aim with this thesis is to investigate why managers make decisions to purchase ingredient branded products, particulary Fair Trade.

Method: To accomplish this thesis a qualitative approach has been applied with the intention to describe the result from performed tele-phone and personal interviews with companies within chain res-taurants, hotels, grocery stores, and textile retail stores.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the decision to introduce Fair Trade labelled products depended on factors such as; the introduction year of these products, the history of the company and core values. Managers at the selected companies decided to purchase products with the ingredient brand Fair Trade for different rea-sons. Either since they had a long history of concern for fair production and rooted values or due to that the introduction of these products contributed to a good business image or to clean the company’s history.

Fair Trade is a market-based development tool with much potential to improve the lives of small-scale, impoverished producers in the developing world; however, despite the movement's admirable goals, its effectiveness is limited. Low consumer demand is one of the most significant limitations. This thesis discusses the Fair Trade movement and the current challenges it faces---in particular, those posed by the current mainstreaming trend. Most significantly, it examines factors affecting demand for Fair Trade and other ethical trade products. Drawing on a study of coffee consumers in one rural and two urban centres in Manitoba, this thesis presents some preliminary conclusions about consumer views and ethical coffee purchasing trends. Findings suggest that ethical coffee consumption is positively associated with higher education and the ability to distinguish between different ethical certifications, and negatively assicated with distance from ethical coffee purchasing outlets. Ethical coffee purchasing behaviours also suggest that Fair Trade's mainstreaming trend may not effectively increase the demand for Fair Trade products.

La présente étude s'est concentrée sur les réponses des professionnels des achats et de la chaîne d'approvisionnement face à 18 situations éthiques de référence. La thèse menée a émis l'hypothèse que les démographie personnelle et organisationnelle, religiosité, idéologies éthiques, puissance morale, et intensité morale sont liées aux quatre étapes de la prise de décision éthique (Jones, 1991) l'importance perçue de la question éthique, la reconnaissance, le jugement et l'intention dans un contexte d'achat. L'étude actuelle utilise principalement un modèle de recherche expérimentale de type quantitatif. Tout d'abord, six scénarios représentant six dimensions de l'intensité morale ont été construits et validés par des discussions avec des experts en achats. Les dimensions de l'intensité morale ont été manipulées par des scénarios. Les réponses ont été recueillies auprès de 364 professionnels des achats pour les six scénarios en réalisant une enquête. En ce qui concerne la vérification des hypothèses, l'étude actuelle a utilisé des statistiques univariées et multivariées pour analyser les données. L'analyse de variance a révélé des résultats significatifs en ce qui concerne l'intensité morale, la religiosité, les idéologies éthiques et potencé morale, qui sont hétérogènes en fonction des caractéristiques démographiques personnelles et organisationnelles. De plus, l'analyse de la méthode des équations structurelles a largement confirmé que l'intensité et puissance morale sont les antécédents clés des étapes de prise de décision éthique, soit indépendamment, soit dans le cadre nomologique de prise de décision éthique (importance perçue, reconnaissance, jugement et intention)
The present study focused on responses of purchasing and supply chain professionals faced with certain ethical situations. Individual (personal demographics, religiosity, ethical ideologies), psychological (moral potency), issue contingent (moral intensity), and organizational (firm size, activity, code of ethics) variables are hypothesized to the four stages of ethical decision making (EDM) including perceived importance of ethical issue, recognition, judgment, and intention in a purchasing context. The current study majorly employed a quantitative experimental research design. Firstly, six purchasing scenarios representing six dimensions of moral intensity were constructed and validated through detailed discussions with purchasing experts. Moral intensity dimensions were manipulated through scenarios. Responses were collected from 364 purchasing professionals for all six scenarios by conducting a survey. Firstly, all categorical variables and manipulations were examined through ANOVA. Then overall model was then tested in a multivariate space by using SEM path analysis for all six scenarios. The variance analysis revealed significant findings for moral intensity, religiosity, ethical ideologies, and moral potency and are heterogeneous across personal and organizational demographics. Moreover, the SEM analysis largely confirmed that moral intensity and moral potency are the key antecedents to EDM stages either independently or in the nomological serially mediated framework of EDM (perceived importance, recognition, judgment, and intention). Finally, the present research concluded with future directions for researchers and implications for managers as well

Research questions:  Main Question: How do companies with different types of products, who have implemented CSR, work with CSR in their purchasing process? Sub Query 1: How do companies with different types of products, who have implemented CSR, choose their suppliers based on CSR criteria? Sub Query 2: How do companies with different types of products, who have implemented CSR, ensure that their suppliers uphold the CSR criteria? Purpose: The purpose with this thesis is to identify how companies who have implemented CSR, work with their suppliers in different situations. Methodology: The thesis’ research method was quantitative with a deductive approach and a positivistic viewpoint. The empirical data was collected through two case studies in which interviews was be made and documents studied. The method for analysis was qualitative as a pattern matching was made. The authors reviewed the thesis according to qualitative measurements for quality.

Master of Science
Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design
Joy Kozar
China is the world’s largest apparel producer, exporter, and maintains the largest domestic apparel market. Since economic reform in the 1980s that opened up the Chinese market for foreign investors, China’s domestic apparel market has attracted many foreign (Western) apparel brands (Shenkar, 2005). More than 10,000 different international apparel brands share China’s domestic apparel market, including brands from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, Britain, and South Korea, among others. Around 2,000 Chinese domestic apparel brands have experienced difficultly surviving in China’s domestic apparel market. Besides the large number of foreign (Western) apparel brands, counterfeit apparel products have grown faster than China’s government can control. As a result, China has become the world’s largest counterfeit market. This has become a secondary threat to China’s domestic apparel market and national economy. Additionally, because of economic growth and modernization in China, Chinese consumers have accepted more Westernized values, but also retained their traditional face-saving values. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how their attitudes toward counterfeit apparel products, China’s domestic apparel brands, and foreign (Western) apparel brands are influenced by their level of perception about knowledge and attitudes toward counterfeit apparel products, face-saving values, materialistic values, and ethical values. This study utilized a sample of males and females between the ages of 18 and 64, who reside in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan, China. A questionnaire was utilized as part of this study and data was collected online by SOJUMP Survey Company. A total of 1,192 participants (736 males and 456 females) participated in this study. There are in total nine significant relationships that have been found in this study. First, the researcher found a positive relationship between Chinese consumers’ perception about knowledge of counterfeit apparel products and their attitudes about counterfeit apparel products. Second and third, the present study also discovered that Chinese consumers with favorable attitudes of foreign apparel brands or negative attitude of China’s domestic apparel brands would similarly hold positive attitudes of counterfeit apparel products. Fourth, the present scholar concluded that Chinese consumers with favorable attitudes of China’s domestic apparel brands tend to hold negative attitudes of counterfeit apparel products. Fifth and sixth, it was found that Chinese consumers with high level of face-saving values show positive attitudes of foreign (Western) apparel brands and counterfeit apparel products. Seventh, Chinese consumers with high level of face-saving values also possess strong materialistic values. Consequently Chinese consumers with strong materialistic values tend to hold positive attitudes of counterfeit apparel products and foreign (Western) apparel products, but negative attitudes of China’s domestic apparel brands. The findings of this study show that Chinese consumers have a very low level of perception about knowledge of counterfeit apparel products. It is necessary to connect educators, government, apparel industry, and brand owners to develop and enhance anti-counterfeit educational programs. These programs should clearly explain the perception about knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), trademark, and the negative causes of counterfeit products are warranted. Also, it is better for China’s domestic apparel brand companies to develop better brand images and improve product quality to meet Chinese consumers’ face-saving standards and materialistic values.

The purpose of this essay was to lay the foundations for a model in the form of a question battery that can help buyers compare the sustainability responsibilities of different suppliers, so that the buyer can choose the supplier that contributes most to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The model is designed as a question battery to enable the buyer to ask more comprehensive questions to the various suppliers regarding social, ecological and economic sustainability than they do today.   In order to find questions on an overall ethical level I have investigated how the global institutions intend us to navigate and prioritize between the SDGs, I have also applied the Aristotelian and Kantian ethics and Archie Carrol's model, the CSR pyramid, to broaden the ethical perspective in the questions to the companies.   The result is a question battery with questions about the company's vision and global goals, about the company's values ​​linked to all stakeholders, questions about whether the internal good and the external good are in harmony with society, questions about the company's value chain and business model and a larger stakeholder analysis.   How should a buyer then be able to evaluate a supplier's different answers? This essay aimed to create the first questionnaire with a broad question battery, the next step is to evaluate the different answers.
Syftet med den här uppsatsen var att lägga grunden till en modell i form av ett frågebatteri som kan hjälpa inköpare att jämföra olika leverantörers hållbarhetsansvar, så att inköparen ska kunna välja den leverantör som bidrar mest till de globala målen.  Modellen är utformad som ett frågebatteri för att inköparen ska kunna ställa mer omfattande frågor till de olika leverantörerna angående social, ekologisk och ekonomisk hållbarhet än vad de gör idag.   Mitt tillvägagångssätt har varit att undersöka hur de globala institutionerna tänker sig att vi ska navigera och prioritera mellan de globala målen, genom att övergripande backa tillbaks till de hållbarhetsdokument som togs fram redan på 1980-talet och sedan arbeta mig vidare till de globala mål som kom 2015 och fram till de guider som finns för ett hållbart näringsliv idag. För att hitta frågor på en övergripande etisk nivå har jag tagit hjälp av den aristoteliska och den kantianska etiken samt Archie Carrols modell, CSR pyramiden, för att bredda det etiska perspektivet i frågeställningarna till företagen.  Resultatet blev ett frågebatteri med frågor om företagets vision och de globala målen, om företagets värderingar kopplat till samtliga intressenter, om det internt goda och det externt goda är i samklang med samhället, frågor om företagets värdekedja och affärsmodell samt en större intressentanalys. Hur ska en inköpare kunna värdera en leverantörs olika svar? Den här uppsatsen syftade till att skapa det första frågeformuläret med ett brett frågebatteri, nästa steg är att värdera de olika svaren.

Although the United States is the worldâ s leading consumer nation, limited empirical research exists on the relationship between consumer choices and political participation. This study provides the first quantitative analysis of the demographic characteristics, motivations, and political activities of political and ethical consumers in the United States. Ethical consumers are broadly defined as socially responsible consumers including the subset of political consumers. Political consumers, while also socially responsible, are primarily concerned with achievement of political or social change through purchasing decisions. While political and ethical consumers engage in similar behaviors, the distinguishing factor between the two is motivation. Participation in both political and ethical consumerism is measured through buycotting (intentionally purchasing) or boycotting (intentionally abstaining from purchasing) of particular products or companies. Based on data from the 2002 National Civic Engagement Survey II, this study finds income and education significantly predict participation in political and ethical consumerism, while race and gender do not. Across political parties, the stronger a respondentsâ political affiliation, the less likely they are to boycott or buycott. This study also finds the primary motivation of participation for 80 percent of boycotters and buycotters is altruistic (ethical consumerism) rather than the achievement of political objectives (political consumerism). Additionally, political and ethical consumers indicate little belief in the ability for their purchases to alter business practices and do not consider their actions a part of organized campaigns. Political and ethical consumers are politically active and individuals who contact public officials, protest, and sign email or written petitions are significantly more likely to boycott or buycott than those who do not. In lieu of these findings, suggestions are offered to consumer-activist groups and social change organizations concerning rationales of consumer motivation and political engagement in the hopes this information will be utilized to mobilize a broader base of citizen-consumers.
Ph. D.

There are directives for how public procurement should be conducted, in terms of quality,price, non-discrimination, transparency, equal treatment, reasonable requirements and how environmental, social and labor law considerations should be taken into account. Public procurement must also solve societal problems with the aim of achieving the global goals, but despite these guidelines, environmental ethical problems still remain for how a purchaser should prioritize and evaluate between the social, ecological and economic responsibility in public procurement. The purpose was to investigate whether environmental ethics could make a significant contribution in highlighting and understanding the environmental ethical challenges, conflicts, gaps and considerations that public procurement faces and provide answers to how public procurement should ethically value different tenders in order to be able to choose the supplier that makes the greatest social, ecological and economic benefit to society with the aim of achieving the global goals. The conclusion is that doctor Olle Torpman's environmental ethical sub-issues make the ethical challenges, as conflicts, gaps and considerations that public procurement faces visible and comprehensible. The application of the ethics of sustainable development, specified by professor Mikael Stenmark, solves the environmental ethics problems and shows that an environmental ethics theory makes a significant contribution when it comes to providing answers to how public procurement should ethically value the social, ecological and economic responsibility in public procurement. The procurement authority has been commissioned by the government to amend the law on public procurement so that it is in line with the new climate law. I hope that this thesis can provide an environmental ethical perspective on public procurement. Keywords: sustainable purchases, sustainable public procurement, environmental ethics, evaluate sustainability in purchasing, sustainable development goals, public procurement shall solve societal problems.

With this study the researcher investigated the sustainable luxury value perceptions, supply chain information needs, and purchasing intent of American and Chinese tourists for South African manufactured luxury exotic leather products. Online survey data was collected from 1 043 individuals from American (518) and Chinese (525) decent. A non-probability convenient sample method was followed for data collection purposes. A self-administered questionnaire based on the works of Hennigs, Wiedmann, Klarmann and Behrens (2013c) and Cervellon and Shammas (2013) was used to test individuals’ sustainable luxury value perceptions. A self-developed scale tested the need for supply chain information. Purchasing intent was determined based on the research of Spears and Singh (2004). Data analysis consisted of descriptive and inferential statistics with correlation coefficient determination between constructs. The findings confirmed the “sustainable excellence” perception conceptualised by Hennigs et al. (2013c). It was furthermore found that only slight differences existed between American and Chinese consumers sustainable luxury value perceptions. Furthermore, it was found that American and Chinese consumers had a strong need for supply chain information relating to luxury exotic leather products, with a clear distinction existing between their operational and originality supply chain information needs. The findings showed that consumers from both nationalities had a high intention to purchase luxury exotic leather products when visiting South Africa. In addition, significant correlations were found between American and Chinese consumers’ sustainable luxury value perceptions, their supply chain information needs, and purchasing intent. Various exotic leather industry stakeholders, such as crocodile and ostrich farmers, tanneries, product designers, manufacturers, retailers, and marketers, can benefit from the findings of this study, to position their products competitively.
Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Consumer Science
MConsumer Science
Unrestricted

This study's aim was to investigate the strength of contextual aspects' influences on environmentally ethical behaviour (EEB). A survey method with a selfadministered questionnaire was used and a cross-section of the Muslim male population of New Zealand was taken. The qualitative interviews and email questionnaires were also utilised to further explain the survey results. The linear regression analyses show correlations between contextual aspects (i.e., social, religious, economic, political, and demographic) and EEB (pre-cycling, re-use and recycling). Results indicate that the contextual aspects are influential on EEB in many ways and degrees. A model describing the relationship was developed. The economic aspect statistically significantly related to EEB the strongest. The qualitative interview and email questionnaire data support the findings of the survey. The relationship was positive, meaning that the more the consumers were influenced by the economic aspect to behave in an environmentally ethical way, the more they were likely to perform EEB. Compared to the economic aspect, white collar workers, number of household occupant, work involvement with the environment, type of house, and age had a weaker statistically significant relationship with EEB. The relationships were positive, meaning that the better the consumers' occupation (i.e., white collar workers), the more household member they had (i.e., 4 and above), the higher their level of work involvement with the environment, and the better their dwelling (i.e., bungalow or semi-detached houses), the more they were likely to perform EEB. However, the relationship between age and EEB was negative, meaning that the younger the consumers the more they were likely to perform EEB. However, the results of this study, from both the survey and the interview methods, indicate that demographic characteristics were not as important as the contextual aspects, particularly the economic aspect, in understanding consumers' EEB. This study shows that the economic aspect was very important in understanding consumers' EEB compared to the other contextual aspects even the political aspect was statistically significantly related to EEB via the economic aspect. Thus, the economic aspect should be used optimally by public and private sector managers to promote EEB.

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É frequente a divulgação de atos de corrupção, suborno e fraudes envolvendo políticos e governo. Entretanto, os atos de desonestidade também estão presentes no dia a dia das relações entre empresas privadas com funcionários que estão em cargos que possuem o poder de tomada de decisão. Dificilmente uma pessoa não tenha conhecido um colega de trabalho que já tenha alterado relatórios, ocultado informações no seu trabalho ou inflado despesas de viagem e tenha se considerado extremamente moral. Com o intuito de investigar o comportamento antiético, este trabalho focou na relação entre o agente de compras e fornecedor organizacional, por entender que o agente de compras possui em sua rotina de trabalho oportunidade de ter um benefício financeiro pessoal em detrimento a empresa. Essa dissertação testou a influência do ambiente transgressor na tomada de decisão de ética, o emprego do priming ético como um estímulo capaz de engajar a tomada de decisão ética e o padrão moral do indivíduo como forma de influenciar o efeito do priming ético. Foram desenvolvidos três estudos experimentais em laboratório. O resultado prova que o ambiente transgressor influência sobre a tomada de decisão ética e que o priming ético estimula o indivíduo a tomar decisões éticas. O resultado desse trabalho contribui fortemente para área de Comportamento Ético e Comportamento Operacional, encorajando as organizações ao uso do priming Ético, além de códigos de éticas e sanções.
The disclosure of acts of corruption, bribery and fraud involving politicians and the government has become frequent. However, acts of dishonesty are also present in day-to-day relations among private companies with employees who hold positions having decision-making power. Hardly ever would one find a person who has not known coworkers who had already altered reports, hidden information at work or inflated travel expenses and even so considered themselves extremely moral. Aiming at investigating unethical behavior, this study focused on the relationship between organizational buyer and supplier, given the fact it understands that the organizational buyer has an opportunity in his/her work routine to have personal financial benefit to the detriment of the company. This dissertation tested the influence of the transgressive environment on ethical decision-making, the use of ethical priming as a stimulus capable of engaging ethical decision-making, and the individual moral standards as a way of influencing the ethical priming effect. Three experimental studies were developed. Result proves that a transgressive environment influences ethical decision-making and that ethical priming encourages the individual to make ethical decisions. Our findings strongly contribute to the areas of Ethical Behavior and Operational Behavior, encouraging organizations to use ethical priming, as well as codes of ethics and sanctions.

Obiettivo della tesi è l’esplorazione di aspetti della relazione tra consumatori eticamente orientati ed aziende, considerando molteplici manifestazioni di relazioni problematiche consumatori-impresa o dalla cui relazione scaturiscono modificazioni sociali e di mercato. Nel primo studio si è indagata la capacità trasformativa dei consumatori eticamente orientati organizzati in GAS (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidali) mediante l’engagement relazionale con le imprese. Attraverso un duplice livello di engagement, tra membri del gruppo e del gruppo con i fornitori, si determinano collaborazioni impresa-consumatori basate sui valori che spingono alla modificazione di meccanismi di mercato alternativi rispetto a quelli mainstream. Nel secondo studio si è indagata la relazione, talora problematica tra consumatori-cittadini etici e non nei confronti di business sostenibili, nel caso specifico la produzione di energia da biomassa. Nonostante il business sia considerato sostenibile, la relazione dei consumatori etici con tali business può risultare non lineare e generare comportamenti positivi o negativi dei consumatori-cittadini nei confronti della fonte energetica. Infine, adottando la prospettiva dell’impresa, si è esplorato come business sostenibili, nel caso specifico setting di ricerca sono i servizi di car sharing, sono in grado di modificare atteggiamenti e comportamenti degli utenti attraverso l’uso del servizio.
The dissertation aims at exploring multifaceted aspects of ethical consumers-organization relationships. It takes into consideration multiple manifestations of issues aroused by the relationship and the market transformations lead by said relationships. The first study explores the potential of collective ethical consumers grouped in Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GAS) engaged with organizations to cooperate in order to affect market mechanisms and determine ethical transformations. A collaboration enhanced at switching mainstream market mechanisms towards improving sustainability values based markets is established between the ethical consumers groups and producers. On the second study a questionable ethical and non ethical consumers relationship with sustainable businesses, specifically biomass energy producers, has been taken into consideration. Though being sustainable, the consumer-citizen relationship with the firm could lead both to positive and negative behaviours. The last research, stemming from a car sharing organization’s perspective, explores the potential of a sustainable business model to affect and modify towards sustainability features consumers’ attitudes and behaviours through the use of sustainable business model as the car sharing services.

Obiettivo della tesi è l’esplorazione di aspetti della relazione tra consumatori eticamente orientati ed aziende, considerando molteplici manifestazioni di relazioni problematiche consumatori-impresa o dalla cui relazione scaturiscono modificazioni sociali e di mercato. Nel primo studio si è indagata la capacità trasformativa dei consumatori eticamente orientati organizzati in GAS (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidali) mediante l’engagement relazionale con le imprese. Attraverso un duplice livello di engagement, tra membri del gruppo e del gruppo con i fornitori, si determinano collaborazioni impresa-consumatori basate sui valori che spingono alla modificazione di meccanismi di mercato alternativi rispetto a quelli mainstream. Nel secondo studio si è indagata la relazione, talora problematica tra consumatori-cittadini etici e non nei confronti di business sostenibili, nel caso specifico la produzione di energia da biomassa. Nonostante il business sia considerato sostenibile, la relazione dei consumatori etici con tali business può risultare non lineare e generare comportamenti positivi o negativi dei consumatori-cittadini nei confronti della fonte energetica. Infine, adottando la prospettiva dell’impresa, si è esplorato come business sostenibili, nel caso specifico setting di ricerca sono i servizi di car sharing, sono in grado di modificare atteggiamenti e comportamenti degli utenti attraverso l’uso del servizio.
The dissertation aims at exploring multifaceted aspects of ethical consumers-organization relationships. It takes into consideration multiple manifestations of issues aroused by the relationship and the market transformations lead by said relationships. The first study explores the potential of collective ethical consumers grouped in Solidarity Purchasing Groups (GAS) engaged with organizations to cooperate in order to affect market mechanisms and determine ethical transformations. A collaboration enhanced at switching mainstream market mechanisms towards improving sustainability values based markets is established between the ethical consumers groups and producers. On the second study a questionable ethical and non ethical consumers relationship with sustainable businesses, specifically biomass energy producers, has been taken into consideration. Though being sustainable, the consumer-citizen relationship with the firm could lead both to positive and negative behaviours. The last research, stemming from a car sharing organization’s perspective, explores the potential of a sustainable business model to affect and modify towards sustainability features consumers’ attitudes and behaviours through the use of sustainable business model as the car sharing services.

Hur ser upphandlare på sitt nya uppdrag att använda sig av hållbarhetskrav i offentliga upphandlingar? Frågan är väldigt komplex trots att lagverket tillåter miljökrav, sociala och etiska krav i upphandlingar. Hela upphandlingsprocessen påverkas också av många aktörers sätt att se på hållbarhetsfrågan och ta ansvar. Förstudier visar att alla organisationer möter olika hinder när de strukturerar om i organisationers uppdrag. I detta arbete är det fokus på Malmö och Upphandlingsenheten där kommunala upphandlare jobbar. Empirisk data är insamlat med en kvalitativ metod genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem anställda. Det visade sig att där finns flera hinder som de måste ta itu med. Först av allt behöver de sammanföra medarbetarnas individuella mål med organisationens mål. Analysen innehåller också goda exempel på när gruppen har kunnat avlägsna hinder. De anställda har också idéer på hur vissa hinder för hållbara upphandlingar skulle kunna avlägsnas. En av möjligheterna som omnämndes var att flera kommuner kan ställa gemensamma krav för att mer kunna påverka leverantörers hållbarhetsutveckling.
What does purchasers think about their new mission to use sustainable demands in public procurements? Even though the law allows environmental and social demands in procurement, the process is very complex. It depends on the co-operation between several different actors within and between organizations. It also depends upon a changed view on the relationship between public procurement and sustainable development. The purchasers must feel responsible for sustainability issues within their expertise. Earlier studies show that all organizations meet different hinders when they change their mission. Focus in this study is on Malmoe and Upphandlingsenheten where the municipality-purchasers work. The empirical data was collected with qualitative methods by semi-structured interviews with five employees. Results show that there are several challenges to implement “green procurement”. First of all the individual goals that the co-workers have must match with the organizational goals. This study shows good examples of how the purchasers have met some of those challenges. The employees also have ideas of how other challenges may be possible to overcome. One possibility could be to co-operate with other municipalities around sustainability to create mutual demands. This could create a greater pressure on suppliers.

Le profonde trasformazioni delle nostre società mettono oggi in evidenza fenomeni educativi nuovi. Apprendimenti informali prendono forma spontaneamente all’interno dei percorsi esistenziali del soggetto e nel suo ambiente di vita. Molti studi dimostrano che l’educazione informale, più di quella formale, può influire sugli atteggiamenti e gli stili di vita in modo profondo e duraturo, può educare grandi masse di persone, soprattutto le più difficili da raggiungere, a impegnarsi per costruire una comunità planetaria sostenibile. Questa ricerca analizza il fenomeno dei Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale come esperienze educative informali importanti per la promozione di un futuro sostenibile. Vengono analizzate le concezioni della sostenibilità, l’orientamento temporale al futuro e le dinamiche educative informali caratteristiche di alcuni GAS italiani. La prima parte del lavoro mette a fuoco la complessità della nozione di sostenibilità e alcune dimensioni chiave della educazione sostenibile. Le categorie concettuali individuate sono state utilizzate nel lavoro sul campo per raccogliere, analizzare e interpretare il materiale empirico. Nella seconda parte del lavoro vengono presentati i criteri, la metodologia gli strumenti, le attività (questionari, interviste individuali semi-strutturate, osservazione partecipante, analisi di documenti) utilizzati nella ricerca sul campo. Nella terza parte viene presentata la ricerca sul campo, svolta su un campione di 148 soggetti appartenenti a quattro GAS. Il primo e il secondo capitolo espongono la struttura del campione, le caratteristiche e le modalità di somministrazione, l’elaborazione, l’analisi e la discussione dei risultati dei due questionari utilizzati: l’Inventario della Prospettiva Temporale di Zimbardo e Boyd (ZTPI) e il questionario aperto sulle concezioni della sostenibilità (elaborato specificamente per questa ricerca). Il terzo presenta il cuore della ricerca sul campo. Attraverso l’analisi dei documenti, l’osservazione partecipante e le interviste semi-strutturate realizzate con alcuni testimoni privilegiati, vengono individuati e analizzati le concezioni della sostenibilità, l’orientamento temporale al futuro e le dinamiche educative presenti nei quattro contesti sociali oggetto di studio. Nel capitolo finale vengono discusse alcune criticità emerse dal lavoro sul campo e ipotizzate alcune piste per il proseguimento della ricerca in futuro.
The deep changes in today society point out new educational phenomena. Informal learning takes place spontaneously in people biography and living environment. Many studies show that informal education, more than formal one, can deeply and durably affect attitudes and lifestyles, can educate large masses of people, especially the most difficult to reach, to undertake to build a sustainable planetary community. This study investigates the Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale as informal educational experiences important for promoting a sustainable future. It examines and discuss the concepts of sustainability, the future time orientation and the informal educational dynamics in some Italian GAS. The first part of the work focuses on the complexity and fuzzyness of the concept of sustainability and some key dimensions of sustainable education. The conceptual categories identified have been used in field work to collect, analyze and interpret the empirical material. The second part presents the criteria, methodology, tools, activities (questionnaires, semi-structured individual interviews, participant observation, document analysis) undertaken during the field work. The third part presents the field work conducted on a sample of 148 subjects from four different GAS. The first and the second chapter expose the structure of the sample, the characteristics and mode of administration, the processing, analysis and discussion of the results of two questionnaires used in the field work: the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) and the open questionnaire on the concepts of sustainability (specifically worked out for this research). The third presents the core of the field study. By means of document analysis, participant observation and semi-structured interviews carried out with some key informants the concepts of sustainability, the time orientation to future and the educational dynamics in the four social contexts under study are identified and analyzed. In the final chapter we discuss some critical aspects that came out from the fieldwork, and we assume some clues for further research in the future.
Los cambios profundos en nuestra sociedad de hoy ponen en evidencia nuevos fenómenos educativos. Aprendizajes informales toman forma de manera espontánea dentro de los recorridos existenciales y ambiente de vida. Muchos estudios muestran que la educación informal, más que la formal, puede afectar profundamente y durablemente las actitudes y estilos de vida, puede educar a las masas de personas, especialmente los más difíciles de lograr, a comprometerse a construir una comunidad planetaria sostenible. Este estudio examina el fenómeno de los Grupos de Compra Solidaria en cuanto experiencias educativas informales importantes para promover un futuro sostenible. Se analizan los conceptos de sostenibilidad, la orientación temporal al futuro y las dinámica educativas informales en algunos GAS italianos. La primera parte del trabajo se centra en la complejidad y el carácter fuzzy del concepto de sostenibilidad y algunas de las dimensiones clave de la educación sostenible. Las categorías conceptuales identificadas fueron utilizadas en el trabajo de campo para recoger, analizar e interpretar el material empírico. En la segunda parte del trabajo se presentan los criterios, metodología, herramientas, actividades (cuestionarios, entrevistas semi-estructuradas, observación participante, análisis de documentos) utilizados en el trabajo de campo. En la tercera parte se presenta el trabajo de campo realizado en una muestra de 148 sujetos de cuatro GAS. El primero y el segundo capítulo exponen la estructura de la muestra, las características y el modo de administración, el análisis y discusión de los resultados de los dos cuestionarios utilizados: el Inventario de la Perspectiva Temporal de Zimbardo /ZTPI) y el cuestionario abierto sobre los conceptos de sostenibilidad (desarrollado específicamente para esta investigación). El tercero presenta el corazón del trabajo de campo. A través de análisis documental, observación participante, entrevistas semi-estructuradas realizadas con algunos key informants se identifican y analizan los conceptos de sostenibilidad, la orientación temporal hacia el futuro y las dinámicas educativas en los cuatro contextos sociales en estudio. En el último capítulo se discuten algunos de los aspectos críticos que surgieron a partir del trabajo de campo, y asumimos algunos recorridos para futuras investigaciones.

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Economic and Business Sciences,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Although some previous research has focused on consumer behaviour with respect to corporate social performance (CSP), few empirical studies have been done, especially in the African context. In particular, a highly under-researched topic is the role that corporate social performance (CSP) plays in South Africa. Due to the increasing public awareness of CSR globally, individuals in South Africa are becoming more aware of the need for companies to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and companies have realised that fulfilling social responsibilities has a positive impact on their overall performance and sustainability. In this regard, the current study examines the effects of perceptions of CSP in South Africa. Particularly, it investigates whether the perception of CSP plays a role on individual’s purchasing decisions, in enhancing reputation of a company, and the role that a company’s reputation for social responsibility plays during a corporate crisis.The study uses the exploratory model of surplus, break-even and deficit developed by Coldwell and Joosub (2014) and a modified version of Carroll and Buchholtz’s (2000) model to measure the perceived actual CSP of companies in comparison to what individuals expect a company’s CSP to be. To measure the effects of perception of CSP in relation to actual purchasing behaviour, Carroll’s CSR framework (1991), which takes economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities into account, was adopted. To explore whether CSP influences the reputation of a company, Fombrun's, Gardberg, & Sever (2000, p. 253) 20-items RQ grouped into six pillars “(emotional appeal, products & services, financial performance, vision & leadership, workplace environment, and social responsibility)” was used. Finally, to investigate whether CSR-derived reputational capital plays a role in sustaining a company during a crisis, crisis scenarios from Dean (2004) were adopted and modified to suit the study. A qualitative follow-up study, through face-to-face interviews, was carried out to clarify the quantitative findings. A mixed methods technique that combines questionnaires, interviews and content analysis was used to explore the effects of perceptions of CSP on individual purchasing behaviour, reputation capital and crisis management. A sample of 145 students at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa was used for a quantitative study, and a sample of 30 for a qualitative study. The findings show that a company that fulfils consumer expectations of social performance generates positive perceptions of CSP that not only lead to actual purchases of goods and services but also generate desirable returns through enhanced reputational capital that is seen to sustain a company during a crisis situation. Aspects other than CSP that also influence an individual's actual purchasing behaviour at grass roots level are also described in the study. The study extended the theoretical understanding of CSR by interrogating Carroll’s CSR framework (1991) for empirical analysis and its applicability in an African context. The findings show that CSP plays a positive though relatively minor role in individuals’ actual purchasing behaviour. This study also enhances the theoretical knowledge of individual expectations of CSP and actual CSP of companies in South Africa. Our study validates Coldwell & Joosub’s (2014) exploratory model of surplus, break-even and deficit in the relationship between actual and expected CSP. Also, the study has managerial implications in that those companies that engage in CSR are perceived favourably than those that do not hence enhancing their reputational capital; and that prior CSP reputational capital played a significant role in a crisis situation. Future research could investigate aspects like culture, political settings and the economic foundations of different African countries to confirm the findings of this study.
NG (2020)

碩士
朝陽科技大學
休閒事業管理系
103
This study aims to explore the impact of purchasing behavior on the food safety and professional ethics. Participants were chefs in Taichung City as the population. Purposive sampling was used as the measure for the examination in the study. Questionnaire issued a total of 400, 48 invalid questionnaires and 352 valid questionnaires. In this study, the data was analyzed through statistical methods such as descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. The major findings are addressed as following. First, food safety knowledge and professional ethics of chefs in the Taichung City were highly positive correlation to purchasing behavior. However, the impact of the four dimensions, food safety knowledge among chemical hazards, the degree of recognition of professional ethics, the active practice of pay, and the perception level, are influenced the deepest. Second, for the food safety knowledge, chefs presented differently due to the differences of "companies patterns", "ages", "education" and "the number of the relevant license of Dining." Third, for the professional ethics, chefs presented differently due to the differences "gender", "company patterns", "ages", "work seniority" and "the number of the relevant license of Dining." Fourth, for purchasing behavior, chefs presented differently due to "ages" and "the number of the relevant license of Dining." According to the conclusions of the study, some recommendations were presented as following: to enhance food safety knowledge of cook, to strengthen perception of professional ethics of cook, to recommend chef to enrich themselves getting relevant certificates, to recommend the industry to encourage employees to join job training and also to establish the management pay and benefits system. For the follow-up study, researchers can continually do the further researches of the findings of this study and expand the study, so this study is more representative; for variables section, it is suggested that research can be studied from different facets, or discussed follow-up from the lower part of the average. Key Words: Food safety knowledge, Professional ethics, purchasing behavior, chef

博士
國立交通大學
經營管理研究所
98
Although “Fair Trade” organizations have existed for more than 40 years and its sales have increased remarkably recently in the global market, the issue of Fair Trade in both business and academia has received little attention in Taiwan. This study seeks to remedy this deficit by providing a framework of purchase intention on Fair Trade products. The effects of personal factors such as consumer ethics and attitude on purchase intention were investigated. Moreover, the roles of internet factors such as online information, trust, and information sharing are also examined. Research subjects are business college students from three universities each located in north, central, and south Taiwan, respectively. Respondents were requested to visit a website related to FT information. After viewing a three-minute film, an online survey was presented and data was collected through internet. As a result, a total of 215 complete questionnaires were used for subsequent analyses. The finding of this study indicated that consumer ethics and online information had a positive effect on attitude and trust, which, in turn, had an impact on both information sharing and purchase intention, except for the impact of trust on the latter. The mediation effect of attitude and trust were also put into investigation. Implications for practitioners and governments were discussed, and suggestions for future researches were offered.

碩士
逢甲大學
國際經營管理碩士學位學程
100
As the information technology is advancing day by day, consumers’ sense of clothes become more upgraded. It is not just about the pursuit of beauty. Consumers also hope the price can be acceptable. Therefore, counterfeit brand name clothes become popular. The prices of counterfeit brand name clothes are cheaper than the brand name ones. It is a bargain for consumers but the similarity between these two will cause their risks for buying them. Accordingly, counterfeit fashion clothes emerge. The manufacturers of counterfeit fashion clothes use the popular brands’ names and characteristics as their elements of design. They add some creativity on them, making the counterfeit fashion clothes look like brand name ones in a humorous way. The prices of counterfeit fashion clothes are cheaper than the brand name ones and consumers can easily tell the difference between these two, which can reduce consumers'' perceived risk. This study will examine whether the marketing mix and consumer ethical beliefs have an impact on the intention of consumers to buy the counterfeit fashion clothes or not. The research uses convenience sampling. Most of the respondents are the students in Feng Chia university. There were 300 copies of questionnaire collected and 287 copies of valid questionnaire. The SPSS16 statistical software was used to analyze data, analytical methods including factor analysis, reliability analysis and regression analysis. Three major findings are critical for practioners who are interested in counterfeit brand name clothes. First, the product emotion value is significantly correlated with purchase intention. Second, the place value is significantly correlated with purchase intention. Finally, the ethical beliefs value is significantly correlated with purchase intention.

碩士
國立東華大學
國際企業研究所
91
Counterfeit products flood in the worldwide markets, especially cause very serious damage in most of Asian countries. Cultural factors are theorized to have far reaching effects on consumer ethic beliefs. Analyzed data were collected by questionnaires from consumers of Taiwan and Mainland China. This study examined the relationships among consumer ethic beliefs, individualism-collectivism orientations, and interdependent self-construal on purchasing counterfeit product behaviors. The results indicated that Taiwanese people regarded “actively benefiting from a questionable action” of ethic beliefs as careless tended to actively purchasing counterfeit products. Another finding was that in Taiwan society interdependent self-construal deeply influences on consumers’ values and ethic judgments. The people in Mainland China have ethical attitudes toward “actively benefiting from illegal activity” resulted in both purchasing and recommending counterfeit product behaviors.

碩士
國立東華大學
國際企業研究所
91
Abstract： With the rapid growth of information technology and the widespread of Internet, optical media counterfeiting become more and more serious. Asia-Pacific region has estimated most economic losses due to software piracy. Mainland China and Taiwan are suspected to be the origin of optical media counterfeit products. It was believed that the desire for excessive profit is the major reason for those purchasing counterfeit activities. Consumers, however, are the actual force in the trades. Consumers with low ethical standards may be the key variable that breeds unethical behavior. All aspects of consumer behavior have an integral ethical component. An improved understanding of why some consumers engage in unethical behavior could be helpful in ultimately curtailing these counterfeiting behaviors. Previous studies also indicated that individual’s ethical beliefs and behaviors affected by culture. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between national cultural characteristics, consumer ethical beliefs and consumer behaviors of purchasing counterfeit product. We use Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and a consumer ethics scale developed by Muncy and Vitell to investigate consumers’ national cultural characteristics and ethical beliefs of consumers in Mainland China and Taiwan. The empirical results indicated that the individualism of cultural characteristics has negative effects on purchasing counterfeit product behaviors, consumer ethical beliefs are also found to have moderating effects between individualism and purchasing counterfeit behaviors.

With sustainability becoming one of today’s hot topics, people are increasingly committed to a greener lifestyle, with an eco-friendlier consumption and more conscious purchasing decisions. But is people’s sustainable commitment also evident in their fashion consumption habits? Thus, this research aims to analyze consumer behavior/attitudes towards sustainable fashion, identify the relevant factors considered in their purchasing decisions and if they are willing to spend more on sustainable fashion products. For such, an online experiment was conducted. Participants were randomly exposed to only one of three possible sustainability claims: footprint reduction, waste reuse and sustainability certifications, to understand if the various claims had a different impact on consumer behavior. Indeed, the results show that the sustainability certifications claim has a higher overall impact on consumers’ willingness to purchase sustainable fashion products than the other two claims. The consumers’ sustainable character (“Green”/“No-Green”) also influences their pro-environmental attitudes; “Greens” seem to be willing to pay more for sustainable products. The impact of the generational effect on the adoption of sustainable behaviors, addressed in this study, shows that there are practically no differences in the thinking and attitudes of different generations (Z, Millennials, X and Baby Boomers) towards sustainability. Although surprising, given past research on that particular topic, this result may be a starting point for deeper future research across generations. Nevertheless, one of the main take-aways is that companies must clearly and transparently communicate their sustainability claims, as this can have a positive effect on consumer attitudes towards the brand.
Sendo a sustentabilidade um dos tópicos da atualidade, cada vez mais as pessoas procuram adotar um estilo de vida mais sustentável, um consumo mais ecológico e tomar decisões mais conscientes. Mas será que este compromisso sustentável também se reflete nas suas escolhas de produtos de moda? Este estudo visa analisar o comportamento/atitudes dos consumidores relativamente à moda sustentável, identificar os fatores-chave considerados nas suas decisões de compra e a sua disponibilidade para pagar mais por produtos de moda sustentáveis. Para tal, foi realizado um estudo experimental online. Os participantes foram expostos aleatoriamente a uma de três possíveis sustainability claims: redução da pegada ecológica, reutilização de resíduos e certificações de sustentabilidade, para perceber se as várias claims tinham um impacto diferente no comportamento do consumidor. De facto, os resultados mostram que a claim certificações de sustentabilidade tem um impacto global superior na sua disposição para comprar produtos de moda sustentáveis. O caráter sustentável dos indivíduos (“Verde”/“Não-Verde”) também influencia as suas atitudes pró-ambientais; Os “Verdes” mostram-se dispostos a pagar mais por produtos sustentáveis. Quanto ao impacto do efeito geracional na adoção de comportamentos/atitudes sustentáveis, os resultados revelam praticamente não existirem diferenças entre as gerações em estudo (Z, Millennials, X e Baby Boomers). Embora surpreendente face a estudos anteriores, este resultado pode ser um ponto de partida para pesquisas futuras mais aprofundadas entre gerações. Concluindo, as empresas devem comunicar de forma clara e transparente as suas sustainability claims, pois isso pode ter um efeito positivo nas atitudes dos consumidores em relação à marca.

Yes
Whilst many studies consider labelling as means of aggregated communication of environmental product features, the presentation of detailed product information seems a promising alternative. However, the mechanisms through which detailed product information takes effect on consumers requires better understanding. This study empirically develops a framework that focuses on consumers’ perceived usefulness of, and trust in, detailed product information, whilst also considering the role of environmental self-identity. This understanding will help businesses to further stimulate eco-friendly consumption. Structural equation modelling and conditional process analysis are utilised to test hypotheses based on a sample of 279 respondents to a German online survey. Findings: Results show that the perceived usefulness of product information has a positive effect on purchase intention, and this effect is intensified by an individual’s environmental self-identity. Furthermore, for consumers with high environmental self-identity, the effect of perceived usefulness of product information on purchase intention is mediated in turn by trust in detailed product information and resistance to negative information. This study contributes to the debate on the role of product information in ethical consumption by showing how detailed product information gives rise to favourable behavioural outcomes. When detailed information is perceived as being useful, it can affect purchase intention through greater trust and an increased resistance to negative information. Further, detailed product information appears beneficial for both, the mass market and specific segments with high environmental self-identity. Hence, this study empirically establishes the effects of detailed product information on consumer decision-making, thus informing sustainability-related marketing theory and practice.

碩士
實踐大學
企業管理學系碩士班
99
Factories in Mainland China start to manufacture White Box Mobile Phones, non-brand name mobiles. As the increasing need in market and the advancement of technology, new mobiles have been mushrooming. No matter what mobiles’ function and appearances allure the consumers, which cause a trend of White Box (shan-zhai) mobile phones. However, White Box (shan-zhai) mobiles has been controversial these years, some scholars consider it as tort, which induce consumers’ moral issue. Therefore, the study is to discuss whether White Box mobiles’ attribute, national culture, and ethical beliefs affect purchasing White Box Mobiles intentions. The results of the study are: 1.By verifying, mobiles’ attribute will affect consumers’, no matter in Taiwan or Mainland China, purchasing White Box Mobiles intentions. 2.Consumers’ cultural characteristics partially affect theirs ethical beliefs. 3.The degree of consumers’ ethical beliefs will affect consumers’ intentions of purchasing White Box Mobiles. 4.Consumers’ ethical beliefs are the Mediating Effects between cultural characteristics and consumers’ intentions of purchasing White Box Mobiles.

碩士
國立東華大學
國際企業學系
93
Mainland China and Taiwan are notorious for piracy and counterfeits. All counterfeits are produced because of consumers’ demand. Thus, this study focused on the demand side in order to understand why consumers are engaged in purchasing counterfeits. According to previous researches, consumers’ attitude toward piracy and ethical beliefs had significant influence on the purchasing intention of counterfeits. The piracy levels of Mainland China and Taiwan are much different despite they both are collectivism countries. This indicated collectivism cultural characteristic would not contribute a sufficient explanation to it. Therefore, this study took an individual characteristic, interdependent self-construal to investigate this phenomenon and all demographic variables were controlled as well. The finding revealed that the moderating effects of interdependent self-construal existed on the relationship between attitude toward piracy, consumers’ ethical beliefs and purchasing intention of counterfeits. The higher the consumers’ interdependent self-construal was, the more willing to buy counterfeits would be because of supportive attitude toward piracy. The lower the consumers’ interdependent self-construal was, the lower purchasing intention of counterfeits would be made because of high ethical beliefs. As a result, interdependent self-construal has no direct influence on consumers’ intention of purchasing counterfeits, nor does collectivism. Therefore, collectivism would not be a good indicator to investigate consumers’ intention of purchasing counterfeits.

碩士
臺北市立大學
人文藝術學院國民小學教師在職進修公民與社會教學碩士學位班
104
This study probes the impact of information environment and ethical consumerism on Fair Trade product purchasing intention. Information environment and ethical consumerism are independent variables, and Fair Trade product purchasing intention is the dependent variable. This study uses questionnaire survey to collect empirical data from public elementary school teachers in New Taipei City. The statistical methods of descriptive statistics, T test, one way ANOVA and ordinary least squares regression are employed. The research findings indicate that: 1. Information environment has a significantly positive effect on ethical consumerism. 2. Information environment has a significantly positive effect on fair trade product purchasing intention. 3. Ethical consumerism has a significantly positive effect on fair trade product purchasing intention. In accordance with the results, it is recommended that: 1. Government and related organizations should increase the information flow of recommended information. 2. Government and related organizations should promote education opportunities on Ethical Consumerism and Fair Trade concept. 3. Future research could conduct the sampling process based on the distribution of population demography. 4. The study scope should be extended based on research subject. Keywords: information environment, recommended information, ethical consumerism, fair trade product

yes
The paper explores the discrepancy between attitude and behavioural intention in ethical consumption, focusing on the role of techniques of neutralisation. Drawing on findings of 251 respondents in the UK, results suggest despite positive attitude towards ethical consumption, consumers are also susceptible to the techniques of neutralisation. Hierarchical and moderated regression analyses reveal that inclusion of the neutralisation construct moderates the influences of attitudes on behavioural intention, and advances the model’s predictive capacity. In spite of suggested positive attitude towards ethical consumption, real existing behaviour is frequently filtered through the techniques of neutralisation. The sample is restricted to in size and location, however the study clearly establishes techniques of neutralisation as a construct in the decision-making process, further warranting examination of each of the techniques. Summary statement of contribution: The study confirms validity of the addition of the neutralisation construct into the modified TPB model noted by Chatzidakis et al. (2007). It suggests improvement in predicting behavioural intention and shows the moderating effects the techniques of neutralisation have on constructs in the modified TPB model. The neutralisation construct is itself found to have a significant impact on moderating purchasing intention in ethical consumption.