Can Social Marketing Segmentation Initiatives Be Used to Increase Household Electricity Conservation?

Australia is one of the highest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, therefore improving energy conservation efforts is important to Australia's economic, social, and environmental well-being. In such an environment, long-term policy changes to energy conservation are likely to be contentious, complex, and costly. In this context the use of a complementary social marketing segmentation framework to guide the intervention process could provide additional leverage for policy makers to facilitate short-term improvements, which are aligned with their longer-term goals. This article focuses on the application of market segmentation techniques as potential motivators to electricity conservation efforts in the existing context of residential users of electricity in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It investigates the impact of a range of hypothetical consequence incentive packages (i.e., financial reward and feedback frequency) on attitudes toward energy conservation using a cross-sectional survey of 188 respondents from metropolitan NSW residents. It is proposed that incentive packages for energy conservation campaigns will be most effective when targeted specifically to each of the environmental attitudes and beliefs segments.     

Testing the Cross-National Applicability of U.S. and Russian Advertising Belief and Attitude Measures

Abstract

Examining the cross-national applicability of advertising measures is becoming increasingly important, especially in rapidly changing countries such as Russia. Therefore, our study's purpose is first to demonstrate recommended procedures for testing the cross-national equivalence of advertising belief and attitude measures. Then, we conduct an initial cross-national comparison of beliefs and attitudes toward advertising in general between student samples from both the U.S. (n=148) and from Russia (n=64). Results indicate that, while Russian respondents felt advertising is more essential, U.S. respondents felt advertising resulted in greater negative social effects. Also, U.S. respondents were more favorable toward the institution of advertising (its purpose and effects), with no differences for the instrument of advertising (its methods and practices). Russian respondents' attitudes toward advertising in general were more favorable than those of U.S. respondents.     

Factor Substitution in U.S. Manufacturing: Does Plant Size Matter?

We use micro data for 10,412 U.S. manufacturing plants to estimate the degrees of factor substitution by industry and by plant size. We find that (1) capital, labor, energy and materials are substitutes in production, and (2) the degrees of substitution among inputs are quite similar across plant sizes in a majority of industries. Two important implications of these findings are that (1) small plants are typically as flexible as large plants in factor substitution; consequently, economic policies such energy conservation policies that result in rising energy prices would not cause negative effects on either large or small U.S. manufacturing plants; and (2) since energy and capital are found to be substitutes, the 1973 energy crisis is unlikely to be a significant factor contributing to the post 1973 productivity slowdown.     

FAMILY LIFESTYLE AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION: AN ENERGY ADAPTATION MODEL*

The premise of the paper is that family energy consumption is a consequence of family lifestyle. To facilitate the development of policies that allow families to make satisfactory lifestyle choices as energy resources decline, we explore in detail the relationship between family lifestyle and energy consumption. A model is developed to illustrate the decision making processes that link individual and family behaviour patterns with energy consumption. A series of propositions is derived from the model that relates family values, family effectiveness and family decision making to energy prices, energy conservation adoption, attitude formation and family lifestyle changes. The model can be used by public and private decision makers to identify research and consumer information programs that will facilitate adoption of more energy efficient lifestyles.     

Teachers' beliefs about using a professional development plan

Professional development plans (PDPs) have recently been introduced in Dutch schools to support teachers' professional development. However, teachers' beliefs regarding the use of PDPs have not been systematically researched, whereas research on the use of PDPs indicates that the implementation is not always successful and depends on how use is perceived by users. Some teachers may doubt the usefulness and purpose of a PDP, and this might influence their reactions to its introduction. Using Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, the current study explored teachers' characteristics (such as age and years of experience in education) and their beliefs about intention to use a PDP. Clusters of teachers with similar characteristics and beliefs were identified to permit the design of interventions specific to each cluster. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted to reveal these beliefs and characteristics for a sample of 41 teachers working in schools where using a PDP was mandatory. The results showed that most teachers had a positive attitude towards using a PDP. However, because using a PDP was mandatory, they felt pressured to produce one. Moreover, it was not a priority. This was because of their high workload. The present study contributes to the literature by adding knowledge of teachers' beliefs about the use of PDPs. This knowledge may help the PDP to become a more effective device in promoting teachers' professional development.     

Impact of U.S. Consumer Motivations to “Buy or Not Buy American”

Abstract

This study explores the impact of U.S. consumer motivations on cognitive and affective bases of purchasing or not purchasing American made products. Four motivational components were identified related to national pride, perceptions of product superiority, views regarding global economy, and product availability. Consumers' feelings associated with national pride/stronger economy and the disbelief that foreign products are better were found for the most part to be major reasons driving loyalty of U.S. consumers to purchase U.S. made products. However, support exists for cognitive acceptance of a global economy as evidenced by owning a foreign produced product and reduced feelings about national pride. Retailers should capitalize on these consumer beliefs if employing a “buy American” promotional by avoiding strong appeals to consumer ethnocentric tendencies. As such, promotional efforts by retailers should appeal to American pride in being able to compete on quality without crossing over into blatant flag-waving appeals that could backfire.     

DOMESTIC ENERGY CONSERVATION AND THE CONSUMER*

This study identifies factors influencing the behaviour of the household in energy conservation, and reports on a survey carried out to investigate knowledge in the area of energy and its conservation and the extent to which knowledge is put into practice to save energy. The survey showed that, amongst working class women, the need to reduce the bill, or at least stop it rising so fast is the greatest incentive to conservation. Knowledge of how and where heat is lost from the house is poor and there is little awareness of the need for insulation. Conservation practices in cooking are poor and where money is less tight, women easily become careless users of hot water. Most women do not have the knowledge to choose between fuels and appliances. The knowledge of women over 60 is significantly lower than that of younger women.     

Comparing Attitudes Toward Ethical Dilemmas in Small Business

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of attitudes between Russian and U.S. undergraduate students on ethical issues in managing Russian small firms engaged in business transactions with U.S. firms. Based on the real life situations, Russian and American respondents were asked to select decision alternatives dealing with ethical dilemmas. Significant differences were found between the two groups. Russians do not recognize significant differences between various alternatives, despite the disparity in the severity of these alternatives for resolving business problems. Russians, compared to Americans, tend to prefer more forceful decision alternatives resorting to business practices that would be considered unethical in the U.S. This is attributable to differences in the countries' history, political, legal, and cultural environment. The transitional nature of the Russian economy affects decision-making and business ethics.     

Segmenting Green Consumers in the United States: Implications for Green Marketing

The purpose of the current study was to segment U.S. consumers into four distinct clusters based on their beliefs and motives regarding pro-environmental consumer behavior. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults from Experian Simmons (N = 22,348), this study revealed that: (a) there are four clusters of consumers in the United States with a unique set of beliefs and motives regarding consumer environmentalism; (b) the clusters have distinct demographic and media usage profiles; and (c) the groups have varying responses to the industry's initiatives to protect the environment. Implications of the research are discussed in light of developing message and media strategies for green marketing.     

U.S. immigration policy: Responding to domestic labor shortages and a global economy

Last October, Congress approved a major revision to U.S. laws governing legal immigration. Its objective was to respond to domestic labor shortages within the setting of the new global economy. Peter Rodino was instrumental in that bill%'s passage, and believes the U.S. executives must posses a working knowledge of our nation%'s immigration policies.     

U.S. Corporate Assessment of Joint Ventures in a Non-Western Country

This research investigates the U.S. firms' assessment of their joint ventures in Saudi Arabia. Ninety-three firms participated in this study. The results indicate that U.S. firms in Sauydi Arabia have set a multiple rather than a single objective (e.g., profit, return on investment, sales growth, etc.). The majority of the respondents (55%) rate JV profitability as below profitability of U.S. parent firms, yet they rate it as the most important for establishing JVs in Saudi Arabia. The results also show that the majority of the participants approached Saudi enterprises to establish JVs. In addition, U.S. firms seem Saudi partners in order to deal effectively and/or meet political/governments' demands.     

Why is the bishops' letter on the U.S. economy so unconvincing?

This paper evaluates the rhetoric of the U.S. bishops' pastoral letter on the U.S. economy from two perspectives. Is the letter convincing? Does it conform to the “conversational norms of civilization?” The paper argues that the bishops' letter fails by both standards because it ignores serious research on the U.S. economy, it misstates important facts about the economy, and it sneers at professional economists. The paper concludes that the bishops' letter will not be convincing to well informed readers.     

A Comparative Study on Perceived Ethics of Tax Evasion: Hong Kong Vs the United States

This article begins with a review of the literature on the ethics of tax evasion and identifies the three main views that have emerged over the centuries, namely always ethical, sometimes ethical, and never or almost never ethical. It then reports on the results of a survey of HK and U.S. university business students who were asked to express their opinions on the 15 statements covering the three main views. The data are then analyzed to determine which of the three viewpoints is dominant among the sample population. Although it was found that HK scores were significantly different from the U.S. scores, both HK and U.S. respondents were opposed to the view that tax evasion is always or almost always ethical. The strongest arguments justifying tax evasion were in cases where the government was corrupt, the tax system was unfair and unaffordable. The weakest arguments for justifying tax evasion were in cases where there was a selfish motive. The underlying cultural differences are further explored in hope of accounting for differing perceptions of ethics of tax evasion. Policy implications for increasing people’s awareness of ethics on tax evasion are also highlighted.     

Modelling household conservation behaviour among ethnic consumers: the path from values to behaviours

This article tests a model that explains household conservation behaviour among ethnic consumers. Increasing immigration into Western countries has raised serious questions about the extent to which emerging ethnic communities contribute to environmental degradation or sustainability in their host countries. Previous research focused mainly on measuring ethnic consumers' environmental attitudes, worldviews and concerns, assuming that these ultimately lead to pro‐environmental behaviours. However, these studies overlooked the reality in which pro‐environmental attitudes are not automatically being translated into corresponding behaviours. This study explores the relationship between a set of factors that drive pro‐environmental behaviour, proposing a hierarchical model that depicts a flow from values to household conservation behaviours (i.e. recycling, water, electricity and energy conservation) and the intervening cognitive, affective and psychological variables. Results from a sample of 410 American Hispanic students indicate that the cultural value of collectivism influences conservation behaviour through the more specific factors of environmental values, environmental concern, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and concrete environmental knowledge. Interestingly, the influence of PCE was more apparent in routine, easy‐to‐perform behaviours such as water conservation and the behavioural aspect of electricity conservation. The influence of concrete environmental knowledge was more powerful in predicting recycling, the use of electricity‐efficient home appliances and energy conservation. Implications for the promotion of conservation behaviour and consumer education as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Associations Between Epistemological Beliefs and Moral Reasoning: Evidence from Accounting

We investigated associations between moral reasoning and epistemological beliefs in an accounting context using the sample of 140 senior accounting students from a public university in Midwestern U.S. We found no significant correlations between accounting students’ principled reasoning about Thorne’s ethical dilemmas and their beliefs about knowledge measured by administering Schommer epistemological questionnaire. We conducted post-hoc power analysis and present the evidence that the lack of associations should not be attributed to the lack of power. Overall, our results suggest that reflective thinking and moral reasoning represent separate dimensions of cognitive process which develop at a different pace. Thus, a stand-alone course of ethics in accounting education is warranted since higher moral reasoning does not automatically follow from extended technical education and improved critical thinking skills.     

Foreign Manufacturing Subsidiaries' Channel Selection in the U.S. Market:

This study investigates what factors affect foreign manufacturing subsidaries' channel choice, that is, the selection between integrated channels and independent distributors for their products in the U.S. market. The results of a logit analysis with 172 foreign-owned subsidiaries as a sample show that the product's transaction-specific assets are the most important factor explaining the use of integrated channels. Additionally, sales size, the time the product has been on the market, and the experience of operating in the United States were found to be significant factors. However, the home country nationality does not appear to affect significantly the channel selection of a foreign firm in the U.S. market.     

Cultural Differences Between U.S. and Russian Students

Abstract

The study explores differences in U.S. and Russian national work-related values. Comparing the results obtained using Hofstede's 1994 instrument with earlier, but very limited U.S. and Russian studies, differences in value orientation of U.S. and Russian cultures were found. A comparative examination of value orientations of U.S. (n = 73) and Russian (n = 75) students found differences that may affect international alliances. Despite exposure of Russian students to Western values, their cultural values remained almost totally unchanged. The study upheld cultural divergence. Implications for practice and future research are offered.     

An evaluation of the perceptions and marketing practices of nontraditional exporters in Ghana

This article evaluates the marketing practices of nontraditional exporters (NTEs) and their perceptions of the Ghanaian government's export promotional activities and prescribes a procedure for export promotion for the country. The result shows that from a sample of 92, over 73% of respondents are from woodwork, textiles, and agricultural production. NTEs account for over 24% of the country's total exports. The Ghana Export Promotions Council (GEPC) and exhibitions are perceived to be the most effective sources of information by the exporters. Evidence shows that exporters consider growth and profit opportunities that are proactive motives as the most important factors for initiating exporting. Over 50% of the respondents have no formal planning procedures or set of objectives, and about 13% achieve a turnover of over U.S.$6 million. The application of the marketing concept by the respondents is at an embryonic stage. The exporters consider high banking charges, low capacity usage, and poor technology as the major problems that affect their business operations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Employee Perceptions of Award and Incentive Programs

Abstract

Employee award and incentive programs have become standard practice in the business world and in many nonprofit organizations. A study was conducted to measure employee beliefs about meeting management's objectives and employee satisfaction with award/incentive programs. It was found that employee motivation-in terms of liking awards, willingness to encourage others, and willingness to work hard for awards-was the most important factor contributing to employee satisfaction with the programs and employee perception that management's objectives were satisfied by these programs.     

Textile marketing: a status report

This exploratory study investigated the status of textile marketing in the United States by (a) examining the textile industry's use of effective marketing techniques, and (b) identifying common problems and needed improvements in textile marketing. The procedure followed these steps: (a) effective marketing techniques were identified, (b) interviews were conducted with nine textile executives and four individuals representing the United States textile industry at large, and (c) the respondents' statements about textile marketing practices were analysed for evidence of effective marketing techniques, common textile marketing problems and needed inprovements in textile marketing. The results indicated that only five of the thirteen respondents described textile firms that were using effective marketing techniques, but some textile firms were using effective marketing techniques and this should be an incentive for other textile firms. Several common problems and needed improvements in textile marketing were also identified. Because of the small sample size, the open-ended questions, and the subjective analysis of the respondents' statements, this study must be regarded as exploratory. However, representative statements from the respondents are presented and these statements are informative about textile marketing practices.