An Exploratory Study into the Factors Impeding Ethical Consumption |
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Authors: | Jeffery Bray Nick Johns David Kilburn |
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Institution: | (1) Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham, Jubilee Campus, Wollaton Road, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK |
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Abstract: | Although consumers are increasingly engaged with ethical factors when forming opinions about products and making purchase
decisions, recent studies have highlighted significant differences between consumers’ intentions to consume ethically, and
their actual purchase behaviour. This article contributes to an understanding of this ‘Ethical Purchasing Gap’ through a review
of existing literature, and the inductive analysis of focus group discussions. A model is suggested which includes exogenous
variables such as moral maturity and age which have been well covered in the literature, together with further impeding factors
identified from the focus group discussions. For some consumers, inertia in purchasing behaviour was such that the decision-making
process was devoid of ethical considerations. Several consumers manifested their ethical views through post-purchase dissonance
and retrospective feelings of guilt. Others displayed a reluctance to consume ethically due to personal constraints, a perceived
negative impact on image or quality, or an outright negation of responsibility. Those who expressed a desire to consume ethically
often seemed deterred by cynicism, which caused them to question the impact they, as an individual, could achieve. These findings
enhance the understanding of ethical consumption decisions and provide a platform for future research in this area. |
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Keywords: | |
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