Consumers’ perception of CSR motives in a post‐socialist society: The case of Serbia

Questionnaire‐based consumer research was conducted in Serbia, as a country in a long post‐socialist transition. The focus was on consumers’ opinions of benefits and attitudes which motivate companies to act in a socially responsible way. Analysis resulted in a division of CSR motives into two main clusters: cluster I—stakeholder and value‐driven motives, and cluster II—egoistic motives, performance, and market‐driven motives. The division obviously concerned motives which were the socialist legacy (endogenous motives in cluster I), and motives imported from open market economies (exogenous motives in cluster II). Consumers’ perceptions are significantly different for endogenous and exogenous CSR motives. Exogenous motives are perceived as principal companies’ motives to practice CSR, but there are no significant correlations between the perception of these motives and consumers’ purchase decisions. Endogenous, value, and stakeholder‐driven motives are perceived in a significantly lower degree as CSR motivators with highly divided consumers’ opinions and female consumers rating them significantly higher. Consumers’ purchase decisions are in a statistically significant positive correlation with attribution of endogenous, value, and stakeholders’ needs‐driven motives.     

Labelling genetically modified food products: consumers’ concern in the United Kingdom

An online survey method was used to collect data regarding the concern and attitude of UK consumers towards genetically modified (GM) food labelling. Questionnaires were sent to 9000 participants of the online panel via emails, and 2568 consumers completed the online survey. The response rate was 29%. This study found that more than 75% of the consumers questioned were concerned about the labelling of food products with GM ingredients. Eight perceived risks and benefits of agro‐biotechnology were identified to be associated with consumers’ attitude towards GM food labelling. Among them, three were perceived benefits, such as reduced use of chemicals in crop production, improved nutritional content, and increased yields. The five perceived risks were health risks, environmental risks, moral considerations, image of multinational corporations as the primary beneficiaries of biotechnology, and growing control of multinational corporations over farming. While all five perceived risks from GM food played a statistically significant role in shaping the overall attitude towards GM labelling, improved nutritional content due to application of biotechnology was the only benefit that was statistically significant. Age of the respondents was the only demographic variable playing a statistically significant role in shaping the attitude of respondents towards GM food labelling. Older respondents were more likely to be concerned about the existing GM labelling practices than younger respondents.     

Three country study: impact of support on employee attitudes

This study examined the mediating effects of perceived organizational support and affective commitment in the relationships among perceived supervisor support, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) (individual and organizational), and turnover intentions. The proposed relationships were tested by conducting the same study involving restaurant employees in three different countries – India, USA, and South Korea. The mediating effects of perceived organizational support and affective commitment between perceived supervisor support and turnover intentions were found to be consistent across the three countries. However, the relationships among OCBs differed. While affective commitment was significantly related to both OCBs in the South Korean sample, affective commitment was significantly related only to OCBs towards organization in the US sample, and neither relationship was found to be significant in the Indian sample. This study helps to explain how contextual factors influence responses to each study variable and the proposed relationships.     

The role of perceived value in vertical brand extensions of luxury and premium brands

Abstract

This study examines the role of perceived value in the relationship between brand attitude, perceived fit, extension attitude and consumers’ purchase intention of downscale vertical extensions of luxury and premium brands in two product categories: cars and shoes. Results from 236 individuals with different income levels show that extension attitude is positively related to purchase intention both directly and indirectly, via the perceived value of the extension; the latter is more strongly correlated than extension attitude to consumers’ purchase intention. Brand attitude is also positively associated with perceived value. Overall, perceived value partially mediates the relationships of brand attitude and of extension attitude with purchase intention. The product category affects the strength of some of the relationships in the model, including the role of fit.     

Interactivity,Inspiration, and Perceived Usefulness! How retailers’ AR-apps improve consumer engagement through flow

This study investigates the antecedents and outcomes of consumer engagement through AR apps and suggests a new conceptual model. The purpose of the paper is to examine how consumer engagement is shaped via AR apps, which eventually leads to a positive attitude towards brand and brand usage intent. To this end, a face-to-face survey instrument was administered to 350 participants in Turkey, where participants tried an AR app and then answered a questionnaire. The structural equation modeling (SEM) and Hayes' Process analyses were applied to test the hypotheses and moderated mediation relationships. Findings showed that interactivity and inspiration are two major antecedents of consumers' flow experience. The flow experience with AR can generate favorable attitudes towards AR apps and more trust in AR apps, which trigger consumer engagement with AR apps and then improve brand attitude and brand usage intent. The outcomes of flow experience with AR (i.e., attitude and trust) mediate the relationship between flow and engagement. Although perceived usefulness increases the effect of consumers' attitudes towards AR on engagement, it has no moderating effect on the relationship between trust in AR and engagement. Furthermore, the results of Hayes' Process revealed that the indirect effect of flow on consumers’ engagement with AR through attitude towards AR is moderated by perceived usefulness. So that, if AR marketers aim to strengthen the link between consumer flow experience and engagement via attitudes towards AR, they should therefore consider enhancing the perceived usefulness of AR. Surprisingly, perceived usefulness had no moderating effect on the indirect relationship between flow and engagement via trust. Finally, this paper discusses both the theoretical and managerial implications.     

The stakeholder product brand and decision making in retail financial services

Stakeholder products were introduced by the UK Government to help assist decision making in retail financial services. Such products are targeted particularly at low- to middle-income consumers and those in a position of vulnerability/weakness in personal finance markets due to low expertise and familiarity and a lack of interest and involvement. The current study offers a detailed investigation into whether the stakeholder policy initiative is likely to appeal to the specified target market and, hence, help the Government fulfil its objectives. A sample of 1002 consumers is employed in a quantitative study. Findings show that the stakeholder product brand (SPB) enjoys a relatively high level of general acceptance, but that it does not resonate particularly with the target market. The SPB is likely to be recognized as useful in aiding decision making by high-involvement consumers, as well as those consumers who are more familiar with financial services. Those who suffer from the illusion of expertise have marginally less positive attitudes towards the stakeholder brand when compared with other expertise groups. The data are indicative of few meaningful relationships between demographic variables and attitudes towards stakeholder products. Policy implications are highlighted.     

Factors affecting consumers’ intention towards purchasing halal food in South Africa: a structural equation modelling

This research study highlighted the factors that influence the intention of consumers to buy halal food products. In this study, the researchers have chosen to address the gap in the literature pertaining to non-South African consumers’ purchase intention. Non-South Africans are foreign people who reside in South Africa including immigrants, workers, and students. Through utilising the theory of planned behaviour, this study aims to determine the attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, and awareness of non-South African towards purchasing halal food products. This also attempts to identify the strongest factor that influences the purchasing intention of halal food by non-South African consumers. The sample of the study consisted of 230 non-South African consumers in Cape Town. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to identify the structural relationships among the constructs identified and to test the study hypotheses. The findings of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between awareness and buying behaviour. Interestingly it found that only the attitude dimension of TPB had a significant relationship with purchase intention, whereas subjective norms and perceived behavioural control did not show a significant relationship with the consumer intention variable.     

Exploring consumer boycott intelligence using a socio-cognitive approach

Despite a worldwide growth in the number of boycott campaigns, the results of studies are inconclusive as the motives behind individual participation are still largely ignored. Drawing on a socio-cognitive theory, the theory of planned behavior, this research investigates whether the direct variables of attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, help predict consumers' boycott intention. Conducted in Lebanon, this work employs a survey design administered to a randomized systematic sample of 500 Muslim and Christian consumers. The sample is split into two sub-samples reflecting the main religious groups in the Middle-East. Results show that although the Muslim participants appear more prone to participate in the boycott, still attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are all significant predictors of intentions in both communities with the attitudinal component carrying the most weight. This application of a social psychology theory to the consumers' passive resistance to purchasing yielded significant contributions at the theoretical, empirical, and managerial levels.     

The role of benefits and transparency in shaping consumers’ green perceived value,self-brand connection and brand loyalty

Building on the literature on green consumption, this study investigates consumers’ perceptions of a brand's green benefits (utilitarian environmental and warm glow) and green transparency on their green perceived value (GPV). In particular, this study tests the mediating role of GPV and self-brand connection on the relationships between green benefits and green transparency and brand loyalty. We used structural equation modeling to test the research model with a sample of 826 Chinese respondents. Our findings suggest that most of the hypotheses were supported. However, comparison between brands of physical goods and services indicate that the approach to develop consumers’ green value perceptions is different and that the influences of GPV and self-brand connection on brand loyalty are significantly different between these two groups of brands. Hence, it would be more effective for organizations to have diverse green branding strategies between these two groups of brands.     

Contrasting “complainers” with “non‐complainers” on attitude toward complaining,propensity to complain,and key personality characteristics: A nomological look

This study examines the influence of four personality characteristics (self‐efficacy, Machiavellianism, perceived control, and risk‐taking) on consumer attitude toward complaining and propensity to complain. The proposed model is tested on two groups of consumers classified as “complainers” and “non‐complainers.” The findings reveal that the two groups differ distinctly on the pattern of relationships among the variables. The implications of these differences are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How do Japanese consumers perceive wireless ads? A multivariate analysis

This article explores the formation of Japanese mobile users’ attitudes to pull-type wireless advertising and their willingness to ‘click’ such ads. Both theoretical and practical considerations are used to develop a structural model, which is then tested using an empirical survey conducted in the greater Tokyo area. External search, content credibility and attitude towards ads are considered as antecedents of willingness to access. Attitude towards ads is conceptualised as a consequence of two psychological motives in wireless internet adoption: perceived infotainment and perceived irritation. The structural equation modelling indicates that all the paths are statistically significant, and provides strong empirical support for our basic propositions. A further analysis classifies the sample into three groups, i.e. e-newsletter subscribers, email users and voice users, according to their demographic data. The findings reveal that e-newsletter subscribers show the most positive perceptions on all the constructs, although the mean values of the total sample are well below an anchoring point. In addition, the principal characteristics of e-newsletter subscribers indicate that so-called ‘parasite singles’ (unmarried young females living with their parents, and with high disposable income) may be playing an important role in wireless internet adoption in Japan.     

A new model of how celebrity endorsements work: attitude toward the endorsement as a mediator of celebrity source and endorsement effects

This research introduces attitude towards the endorsement as a mediating variable in the relationships between celebrity source and endorsement factors and brand attitude. It also includes perceived celebrity motive, a variable rarely studied in the previous literature, as an endorsement factor. In a survey study, respondents evaluated four celebrity endorsement campaigns. Mediation analyses show that attitude towards the endorsement mediates the effects of three variables on brand attitude; these variables are celebrity expertise, celebrity–brand fit, and perceived celebrity motive. Moreover, results show that if consumers perceive that the celebrity was motivated to do the endorsement not only by money but also by product quality, this has a significant positive effect on attitude towards the brand.     

Advancing the Business and Human Rights Agenda: Dialogue,Empowerment, and Constructive Engagement

As corporations are going global, they are increasingly confronted with human rights challenges. As such, new ways to deal with human rights challenges in corporate operations must be developed as traditional governance mechanisms are not always able to tackle them. This article presents five different views on innovative solutions for the relationships between business and human rights that all build on empowerment, dialogue and constructive engagement. The different approaches highlight an emerging trend toward a more active role for corporations in the protection of human rights. The first examines the need for enhanced dialogue between corporations and their stakeholders. The next three each examine a different facet of empowerment, a critical factor for the respect and protection of human rights: empowerment of the poor, of communities, and of consumers. The final one presents a case study of constructive corporate engagement in Myanmar (Burma). Altogether, these research projects provide insight into the complex relationships between corporate operations and human rights, by highlighting the importance of stakeholder dialogue and empowerment. All the five projects were presented during the Second Swiss Master Class in Corporate Social Responsibility, held in Lausanne, Switzerland on December 12, 2008. The audience for this conference, which examined business and human rights, was composed of researchers, governmental representatives, and business and non-governmental organization practitioners.     

Men on a mission,women on a journey - Gender differences in consumer information search behavior via SNS: The perceived value perspective

Gender has a considerable effect on how consumers search for information, shaping their behavior through a variety of motives. Previous research shows that the benefit consumers wish to gain from the information influences their search behavior on social networking sites (SNS). This study examines the extent to which gender influences the connection between perceived information values and the choice of SNS information source: commercial (marketer-generated content) and non-commercial (user-generated content). A representative Facebook users' sample (N = 525) and SEM statistics show gender differences in search behavior on SNS. Findings also demonstrate the impact of gender on the relationships between information values and preferred source of information, and demonstrate different motivations for male and female search behavior. The implications for both theory and practice are presented and analyzed.     

Understanding the intention to buy secondhand clothing on sharing economy platforms: The influence of sustainability,distance from the consumption system,and economic motivations

Sharing economy (SE) platforms are increasingly providing an effective means of connecting providers and users of secondhand goods. While media seem to emphasize that the trend of selling/buying secondhand has been growing due to the consolidation and development of peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing platforms, a comprehensive identification of the antecedents of buying secondhand on SE platforms is virtually missing. This study addresses this gap by (a) identifying different sets of motivations and attitudes leading consumers to adopt SE platforms for secondhand buying and (b) testing a model on a sample of UK consumers in the context of P2P sharing platforms for secondhand clothing. This study reveals that there are three major antecedents of consumers' attitude towards buying secondhand clothes on P2P–SE platforms: perceived sustainability, economic motivations, and taking a distance from the consumption system. Perceived sustainability and economic motivations influence positively attitude toward buying secondhand, as well as motivations in the form of distance from the consumption system. Attitude toward buying secondhand is positively influenced also by distance from the system and, in turn, has a strong positive influence on behavioral intention to buy secondhand clothes. Moreover, past experience of buying secondhand online has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between perceived sustainability and distance from the consumption system.     

Health and cosmetics: Investigating consumers’ values for buying organic personal care products

In investigating consumers’ intentions to re-purchase organic personal care products (PCP), this study extends the theory of planned behaviour by including perceived value dimensions as the antecedents of attitude in the model. The findings revealed that most of the hypothesised relationships linking the consumer perceived value constructs (namely, health, safety, hedonic and environmental) with attitude towards the rebuying of organic PCP, were supported. Also, better product knowledge about organic PCP would lead to more positive attitudes towards re-purchasing the product. In contrast, social value was not important in predicting attitude. Similarly, the influence of subjective norm on rebuying intention was not supported. In terms of ranking of importance with regards to prediction of re-purchasing intention, attitude was the most important predictor followed by perceived behavioural control, product knowledge, hedonic value, environmental value and safety value.     

Factors that Influence Consumers’ Attitudes toward Internet Buying in Nigeria

The study used previously validated measurement instrument to investigate, in a Nigerian context, the extent to which some specific factors like perceived security, perceived privacy, perceived integrity, constrained consumer’s product need, personality, perceived ease of use, perceived usability, perceived usefulness, and previous experience in Internet buying predict consumers’ attitude towards Internet buying in Nigeria. The survey research was adopted and the population of the study consisted of postgraduate management students form University of Benin, Benson Idahosa University, Ambrose Ali University, and Graduate MBA Students from the University of Benin. Data were analyzed using regression, t test and ANOVA. The research findings were: perceived privacy, constrained product need, consumers’ previous online experience and perceived usability exert strong predictive influence on consumers’ attitude towards internet buying in Nigeria. In view of the findings, a modified model that addresses the key factors influencing consumers’ attitude towards Internet buying in Nigeria is proposed.     

Determinants of Consumer’s Willingness to Purchase Gray-Market Smartphones

The study analyzes the influential factors of consumers’ willingness to purchase gray-market smartphones by considering the model of novelty seeking, status consumption, integrity, and perceived risk. Attitude toward counterfeit is used as mediation in the model. The causalities in the model of problematic willingness of consumer to purchase gray-market smartphones are hypothesized. A total sample of 350 respondents with 238 effective samples is collected by interviewing with questionnaires at the service counters of telecommunications operators. Structure equation modeling (SEM) is adopted in the analysis. Consumers’ attitude toward counterfeit goods is found to be positively related to the willingness of consumers to purchase gray-market smartphones, but perceived risk is negatively related to consumers’ willingness to purchase. As for personality constructs, integrity and status consumption are found to be negatively related to consumers’ attitude toward counterfeit goods, but novelty seeking is positively related to the attitude. Further, managerial implications for branded smartphone manufacturers and telecommunications regulators are provided by the research.     

Consumer values,the theory of planned behaviour and online grocery shopping

Taking a hierarchical value‐attitude‐behaviour approach, this study empirically tests relations of consumer personal values, attitude, social norm, perceived behavioural control (PBC) and willingness to buy groceries online. The study distinguishes three groups of consumers: consumers who have not yet bought anything on the Internet; consumers who have bought something on the Internet – but not groceries; and consumers who have bought something on the Internet – including groceries. Data were collected from an online survey of Swedish consumers (n = 1058) using self‐administered questionnaires. The findings suggest that consumers may link personal values to attitude towards online grocery buying – but also that this relation may be moderated by whether the consumer previously has carried out an online purchase or an online grocery purchase.     

Positive and Negative Antecedents of Purchasing Eco-friendly Products: A Comparison Between Green and Non-green Consumers

This study aims to analyze what drives and prevents the purchasing of eco-friendly products across different consumer groups and develops a conceptual model embracing the positive altruistic (care for the environmental consequences of purchasing), positive ego-centric (green self-identity and moral obligation), and negative ego-centric (perceived personal inconvenience of purchasing eco-friendly products) antecedents of eco-friendly product purchase intention and behavior. We empirically validate the conceptual model for green (n = 453) and non-green (n = 473) consumers (i.e., consumers who engage in a set of pro-environmental behaviors for environmental reasons versus consumers who do not engage in these behaviors). Data are analyzed using structural equation modeling and multi-group analysis of the two groups. The results confirm the relevance of the determining factors in the model and show significant differences in eco-friendly product purchasing patterns between green and non-green consumers. Altruistic motives are more important for green than for non-green consumers. Negative ego-centric motives affect the purchase intentions of non-green consumers more than the intentions of green consumers, whereas the impact of negative motives on behavior is stronger for green than for non-green consumers. The first contribution of this paper is the development and testing of a parsimonious model of eco-friendly products purchasing that embraces both positive (altruistic and ego-centric) and negative (ego-centric) antecedents, which have been theoretically suggested in the past but have rarely been empirically tested together. The second contribution of this study is that it develops insight into the specific antecedents of eco-friendly products purchasing for green and non-green consumers to assess potential similarities and differences in eco-friendly products purchasing process, the hypothesized antecedents, their impact on eco-friendly products purchase intention and behavior, and the intention–behavior relation.