Search

Copyright of Service Industries Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigates the motivations of socially responsible consumption from the perspective of identity-based motivation theory. The findings suggest that personal-identity appeals promote socially responsible products with utilitarian values more effectively than relational-identity appeals. However, with respect to socially responsible products with hedonic values, relational and personal identity had no differential effect. Moreover, public identity appeals were found to promote socially responsible products with utilitarian values significantly. With respect to hedonic products, public identity influenced purchase intention only through anticipated guilt. These results have implications for marketers about ways to promote socially responsible products effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the motivations of socially responsible consumption from the perspective of identity-based motivation theory. The findings suggest that personal-identity appeals promote socially responsible products with utilitarian values more effectively than relational-identity appeals. However, with respect to socially responsible products with hedonic values, relational and personal identity had no differential effect. Moreover, public identity appeals were found to promote socially responsible products with utilitarian values significantly. With respect to hedonic products, public identity influenced purchase intention only through anticipated guilt. These results have implications for marketers about ways to promote socially responsible products effectively.

For many years, the free-market economy has promoted consumerism, which has been closely linked to rapid economic growth. Growing social exclusion, climate change, air pollution, rising landfill, and poverty are all linked to reckless and irresponsible consumption. These problems affect consumers' decisions, as consumers have become more critical of businesses, more reflective, and more responsible in their purchasing and consumption decisions. Based not only on corporate social responsibility but also on personal interests and the long-term benefits for the environment and society, consumers are determined to change their consumption behaviour towards a more socially responsible one. A questionnaire survey was carried out to find out how socially responsible consumption manifests itself in Lithuania and which stages of consumption are dominated by socially responsible consumption. Therefore, in this research, based on a devised theoretical framework and questionnaire, we attempt to reveal the concept of socially responsible consumption by identifying the stages of consumption as a process and assessing the expression of socially responsible consumption at different stages of consumption in Lithuania from the consumers' point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though flattered by the invitation to comment on Laczniak and Shultz's seminal piece, the author did not feel qualified to evaluate either the specifics of the arguments advanced or the conclusions reached. What they said was essentially accepted as a given though the case was made for an accompanying, more reader friendly version of their material. That being so, and after some minor editorial observations are made, much of the remainder of this Commentary focuses on two related issues that seemed especially relevant:(1) Socially Responsible Marketing's role, along with that of Socially Responsible Consumption and Socially Responsible Public policy, both in and of themselves and within a micromarketing Utopia and (2) the fact that after years of relative neglect the concept of macromarketing management seems finally on its way to being resurrected. Four examples of how the complexities of Socially Responsible Marketing could be highlighted using a controversies approach are then presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper discusses the role of marketing in advancing socially responsible consumption during times of crisis. We argue that socially responsible consumption must be expanded from its current focus on preserving the environment to include consumers' responsibility to preserve the health and well-being of other consumers, especially during crises. Therefore, we build on the socially responsible consumption literature and introduce the concept of consumer-centric socially responsible consumption (CCSRC). Further, we integrate the social contract theory, contagion theory, and tragedy of the commons literature to create a conceptual framework that illustrates how firms can employ different social contracts in response to changing crowd dynamics. Specifically, this article discusses how marketing can employ social contracts to reinforce a consumer-centric notion of socially responsible consumption that relates to the acquisition of goods during crises and its impact on overall consumer well-being. Theoretical and practical implications are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was developed to investigate how socially responsible consumption (CSR), technology readiness (PPT) and price awareness (CP) could affect the intention to purchase airline tickets on sharing platforms. With an online survey, the study made use of a quantitative approach. Data were analyzed based on multiple linear regression. The results indicated that the constituent demand of this segment, whose importance has been elucidated in recent years, is most strongly impacted by its degree of acceptability on technological resources (PPT). The findings also indicate that, contradictorily, social and environmental concerns (CSR) reduce purchasing interest, even though the shared economy literature finds it as a model of sustainability. Moreover, while low prices are in practice one of the main promotional arguments used by these organizations, their potential consumers do not form their decisions based on this element (CP). It is prudent to infer, therefore, that this study contributes to elucidate technology as the main competitive resource of these channels, while at the same time questioning the feasibility of situating price as a central element of differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the UN for 2030 implies designing strategies that promote socially responsible consumption. The effectiveness of these strategies will depend on understanding the variables that influence socially responsible behaviour. We must also bear in mind that these variables and this behaviour are of a dynamic, multidimensional and non‐universal nature. The objective of this work is to identify how three attitudinal variables (emotional engagement, perceived consumer effectiveness and perception of personal gain) influence socially responsible consumption, through a model of structural equations. To do this, a survey was conducted of 415 Spanish consumers. The results reflect that socially responsible consumption is mainly explained by emotional engagement and to a lesser extent by perceived consumer effectiveness. In contrast, it is not influenced by perception of personal gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a wide‐ranging view of the literature that is relevant to study the gaps in socially responsible consumption (SRC). The research design follows a three‐stage analytical procedure. First, we critically review the main concepts and vocabularies used in the field and propose a framework that organizes existing studies into four major types according to their approaches and focus: gap prediction, willingness 'to go responsible', gap understanding and barriers to SRC. Second, a qualitative content analysis provided a set of words and semantic categories for text searches in bibliographic databases. Findings showed that the Anglo‐Saxon countries lead the field, and that patterns are changing, such as the rise of China as a contributor. Finally, a bibliometric analysis of 3,367 articles, retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, identified the intellectual structure of the SRC gap literature, top contributors (countries, publications and authors), mature and emerging themes and the main barriers to SRC adoption. The 25 top journals published almost 50% of the articles and citations. The International Journal of Consumer Studies (IJCS) stands out as the only journal focused on consumer behaviour among the most prolific publications in the SRC gap literature. This finding makes the IJCS the benchmark for researchers in the field. The SRC gap research addresses five domains: clean energy, biodiversity, public safety, food‐related issues and consumer marketing research. These domains share six reasons for the SRC gaps: economic and financial factors, information and knowledge barriers, sense of effort, lack of feelings of responsibility, contextual and social factors and supply aspects. Overall, this study provides clarity into the relevant literature that helps the SRC gaps' understanding and identifies directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Interdisciplinar de Marketing (RIMAR) is the property of RIMAR - Revista Interdisciplinar de Marketing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of demographic groups (i.e. gender groups, marital status groups, age groups, income groups, experience groups, education groups and occupation groups) on socially responsible consumption (hereafter SRC) behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: The study was carried out in Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu state of India. A total of 214 responses were collected during the survey. The respondents were the university staff composed of lecturer/professor, lab instructor, admin staff and support staff. A socially responsible purchase and disposal scale has been used to measure SRC behaviour amongst consumers. The convenience sampling technique was used for data collection. Independent-samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used for hypotheses testing. Findings: Factor analyses confirmed the multidimensional structure of the SRC construct with the following axes: firms' internal corporate social responsibility (hereafter CSR) performance, firms' external CSR performance, firms' environmental CSR performance and consumers' personal social responsibility. In addition, this study found that demographic groups have no effects on SRC behaviour. Research limitations/implications: The current research will be a step forward to a richer and more inclusive understanding of the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour. Practical implications: This study would help managers to understand consumer markets, formulate strategy and develop sustainable products. Originality/value: This study is amongst the few attempted to examine the effects of demographic groups on SRC behaviour amongst consumers. This research endeavoured to validate the multidimensional nature of the SRC construct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Gestão e Regionalidade is the property of Universidade Municipal de Sao Caetano do Sul and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic process on consumers' perceptions of socially responsible consumption behavior. Socially responsible consumption behavior; it refers to consumers' consideration of social goals as well as the purpose of satisfying their personal needs in their purchasing decisions and consumption behavior. Socially responsible consumption is a form of consumption that is based on the use of the natural resources within the scope of sustainability criteria and seeks methods that minimize the damage to environment. As a result of the literature review carried out within the aim of the study, a research model was designed. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the relationships in the research model. The data needed for analysis was collected through an online survey with the participation of 385 consumers. Research findings show that sustainability-oriented values and risk perception towards consumption patterns positively affect attitudes and behaviors towards socially responsible consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, it has been argued that companies should maintain a neutral stance on issues of a social or political nature, especially controversial ones. However, in recent years, corporations have begun to adopt clear positions on sensitive and polarizing social and political issues. This new phenomenon, called corporate activism, is beginning to gain prominence in corporate strategies, which now extend beyond business objectives and sometimes may go against the beliefs held by many customers. To date, studies aimed at identifying whether these types of actions benefit or harm companies are scarce, and none of them have focused on consumer perceptions. Adopting the latter approach, this work identifies the antecedents and effects of corporate activism, and the influence that political ideology can have as a variable moderating these effects. Analysis of a sample of 1,521 individuals representative of the Spanish population using a structural equation model yielded the following results: (i) institutional and corporate credibility and authenticity act as antecedents of corporate activism, (ii) when credibility in institutions diminishes, consumers perceive that corporations should be more involved in social and political affairs, even when controversial or polarizing, (iii) reputation and brand equity are considered effects of corporate activism, and (iv) political ideology acts as a variable moderating these effects, in such a way that individuals with a more conservative ideology do not appreciate that companies that get involved in activist initiatives will enjoy positive consequences on their reputation and brand equity, while individuals with more liberal views do perceive such positive effects. These findings help companies to guide their strategic decisions, especially those related to corporate social responsibility (CSR), as well as help governments and institutions to understand the social changes that are taking place and understand the role that consumers expect corporations to play today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social enterprises need to identify an innovative and differentiated business model to more efficiently meet the needs of their clients and survive in the long term. However, research on customer perception of this innovation is scant. Therefore, the objective of this research was to explore the effect of socially responsible consumption on the business model innovation perceived by clients of social enterprises in the service sector and its effect on satisfaction and loyalty. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted with 400 customers of social enterprises in the services sector in Mexico. Results showed that socially responsible consumption had a positive influence of perceived business model innovation. Perceived business model innovation had a direct, positive influence on customer satisfaction and an indirect positive influence on loyalty. The implications of the results were discussed.

Copyright of Recherches en Sciences de Gestion is the property of ISEOR and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The issue of socially responsible consumption (SRC) has been discussed from a perspective of behavioral change. Empathy is a moral emotion to motivate this behavioral change and includes cognitive and affective elements. Yet, the process of how an individual generates empathy cognitively and affectively is still unclear. Therefore, the main aim of this research is to discuss two types of self‐consciousness which result in empathic concern that changes consumers' behavior to be more socially responsible. This research conducted two studies via Amazon Mechanical Turk including the self‐evaluation surveys of 428 participants and surveys of 351 participants about a simulated shopping scenario. Structural equation modeling method was employed to examine the hypotheses. Two studies showed that private self‐consciousness significantly influences empathic concern about SRC. Moreover, age and income significantly moderated the relationship between private (vs. public) self‐consciousness and empathic concern. These findings suggest that experiential marketing strategies could be used particularly on younger or lower‐income consumers as they tend to feel empathy through private self‐consciousness of moral values on helping others. This research also suggests that nonprofit organizations should collaborate with for‐profit sectors by triggering consumers' empathic feelings in terms of private and public self‐consciousness and demographic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ÖZ: Dünyada meydana gelen iklim değişikliği, nüfusun aşırı şekilde artması, ormansızlaşma, işbirliği eksikliği, adaletsizlik, tüketici haklarının yeterince korunamaması gibi insanların karşılaştığı birçok sorun vardır. Mal ve hizmetlerin doğru bir şekilde tüketilmemesi ise bu sorunların merkezinde yer almaktadır. Bundan dolayı sosyal sorumlu tüketim bilincinin artması olumsuz etkilerin daha fazla farkına varılmasına neden olacaktır. Bu araştırma ile Sivas ilinde yaşayan bireylerin bireysel sosyal sorumluluklarının bilinçli tüketim davranışı üzerindeki etkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın amacı doğrultusunda Asar (2017) tarafından geliştirilen “Bireysel Sosyal Sorumluluk Ölçeği” ve Buğday (2015) tarafından geliştirilen “Bilinçli Tüketim Ölçeği” kullanılmış ve Sivas ilinde yaşayan 372 katılımcıya yüz yüze anket uygulanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda bireysel sosyal sorumluluk alt boyutlarından “yardımlaşma boyutunun” sade tüketim, sosyal sorumlu tüketim, etik tüketim ve rasyonel tüketim davranışı üzerinde; “toplum ve çevreye yönelik sorumluluk boyutunun” sade tüketim, çevre bilinçli tüketim ve rasyonel tüketim davranışı üzerinde; “inisiyatif alma boyutunun” çevre bilinçli tüketim, sosyal sorumlu tüketim, etik tüketim ve rasyonel tüketim davranışı üzerinde; “iyimserlik boyutunun” etik tüketim davranışı üzerinde ve “duyarlılık boyutunun” sade tüketim, çevre bilinçli tüketim, sosyal sorumlu tüketim ve etik tüketim davranışı üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisinin olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Ayrıca bu araştırma ile bireysel sosyal sorumluluğun ve bilinçli tüketim davranışının demografik özelliklere göre anlamlı bir farklılık gösterip göstermediği de test edilmiştir. Analiz sonuçlarına göre hem bireysel sosyal sorumluluk ve hem de bilinçli tüketim davranışı yaş, eğitim, gelir ve meslek değişkenlerine göre farklılık gösterirken, cinsiyet ve medeni duruma göre sadece bireysel sosyal sorumluluk farklılık göstermektedir. ABSTRACT: There are many problems in the world encountered by people such as climate change, excessive population growth, deforestation, lack of cooperation, injustice and inadequate protection of consumer rights. The fact that goods and services are not consumed correctly is at the center of these problems. Therefore, increasing awareness of socially responsible consumption will lead to more awareness of negative effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of individual social responsibilities of people living in Sivas on conscious consumption behavior. For the purpose of this study, “Individual Social Responsibility Scale” developed by Asar (2017) and “Conscious Consumption Scale” developed by Buğday (2015) were used and 372 participants in the province of Sivas were interviewed face to face. At the end of the research following results have been achieved: Among the sub-dimensions of individual social responsibility the dimension of “assistance” has a significant effect on simple consumption, socially responsible consumption, ethical consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of “responsibility towards society and the environment” has a significant effect on simple consumption, environmental conscious consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of “initiative-taking” has a significant effect on environmental conscious consumption, socially responsible consumption, ethical consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of “optimism” has a significant effect on ethical consumption behavior and the dimension of “sensitivity” has a significant effect on simple consumption, environmental conscious consumption, socially responsible consumption and ethical consumption behavior. Besides, this research has also tested whether individual social responsibility and conscious consumption behavior differ significantly according to demographic characteristics or not. According to the results of the analysis: While individual social responsibility and conscious consumption behavior differ according to age, education, income and occupational variables; only individual social responsibility varies according to gender and marital status.

Abstract Since the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (CTSCA) was enacted, many large apparel retailers are required to post a corporate social responsibility statement on their website regarding their practices. The present study applies the CTSCA to the shopping context for evaluating consumer responses. A factorial experimental study using a scenario method was designed to explore the aims of this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two scenarios regarding either an apparel company’s website being compliant with the CTSCA, or an apparel company not have a disclosure on its website and therefore in violation of the CTSCA. A total of 716 responses were used in data analysis. The results show that there were significant effects of the presence of CTSCA on retailers’ website on consumer responses, after controlling consumer characteristics of socially responsible consumption behavior. That is, respondents in the study perceived that presenting the public statement in compliance with the CTSCA on a company’s website was more persuasive in decision making, promoted trust and enhanced usage and purchase intentions. The findings of the study suggest academic and marketing implications.

In the paper, the subject matter of deliberations is the ethical approach to consumption. The author discusses the issue of ethical consumption, which is perceived as a subject and means of moral action. Three approaches to defining ethical consumption are described. In the first one, ethical consumption is seen in relation to consumer goods with an ethical value. In the second one, consumer practices are analysed from the perspective of ethics. The final one illustrates the ties between political activity and being a responsible consumer. The following question is posed: Is the concept of ethical consumption merely an idea propagated by scientists or a real perspective for change in terms of consumption? In order to answer that question, the results of empirical research on the scope and degree of prevalence of ethical consumption in various communities are analysed. This review reveals that significant potential exists for the attitudes characteristic of ethical consumption among consumers, with simultaneous existence of differences between particular communities. JEL: JEL, E21 null The creation of the English-language version of these publications is financed in the framework of contract No. 607/P-DUN/2018 by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education committed to activities aimed at the promotion of education.

Considerable attention has been witnessed in the literature on socially responsible consumption behaviour. The purpose of the study was to validate Villa Castaño's socially responsible consumption (SRC) scale nomologically. The survey was conducted in Chennai city, the capital of Tamil Nadu state of India. A total of 130 responses were collected during the survey. The sample comprised of university teachers, research scholars, and non-teaching staff. The judgmental sampling technique was used for data collection. In order to assess the validity and reliability of the scale, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. Factor analyses confirmed the multidimensional structure of the SRC construct with the following axes: (1) external-corporate social responsibility, (2) internal-corporate social responsibility, (3) consumption rationalization, and (4) healthcare. Nomological validity was assessed with collectivism, social values, and sense of connectedness constructs using correlation analysis. Results revealed that SRC is partially related to collectivism, social values, and sense of connectedness constructs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Afyon Kocatepe University Journal of Social Sciences / Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Afyon Kocatepe University (AKU) Sosyal Bilimler Enstitusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tourism consumption has been steadily increasing in China, as has its impact on society, the economy, and the environment; thus, it is necessary to promote socially responsible consumption among tourists. Our primary objective was to develop a scale to measure tourists’ socially responsible consumption intention in China. We identified 5 dimensions that we labeled as safeguarding rights and interests, moderating consumption, promotion of local residents’ income, respecting local cultures, and conserving resources. Our scale has the same basic principles as more general socially responsible consumption: maximizing the positive impacts of tourism on the environment, economy, and society, and minimizing the negative impacts. The scale was designed mainly for use at the tourism destination, which is an unfamiliar environment for the tourist. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has led to the rise of a sustainable development area characterized by the consumers' consideration of social and environmental issues. The existing literature on responsible consumption has essentially explored the context of western countries; however, little information is given around the consumer behavior towards green products in developing countries. This study enriches this literature by exploring the context of Vietnam that was heavily affected by climate changes. More precisely, the authors aim to explore the content of green products from the consumers' point of view, as well as their motivations and barriers to consume eco‐friendly products. A qualitative study conducted with 29 Vietnamese respondents showed that consumers associate green products to five dimensions: environment, health, quality, price, and animal welfare. They express essentially egoistic motivations related to health and product's quality. In addition, the main barriers to purchase green products identified in the study correspond to the lack of information and confidence towards green claims, sellers, and certifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given increasing interest in both socially responsible consumption behavior (SRCB) and socially responsible corporate practices in marketing, this study addressed the effects of several personal traits on SRCB (i.e., personal values, collectivism, age, and gender). Findings from an online survey revealed that consumers who valued self‐transcendence (e.g., benevolence and universalism) were more likely to engage in socially responsible consumption (e.g., recycling, avoiding, or reducing usage of products that do long‐term damage to the environment) than those who valued social status and prestige, social power, authority, and wealth. Furthermore, the findings show that older adults and women tended to engage in more SRCB than younger adults and men. Findings also indicate that age and gender were antecedents to the values of self‐transcendence and self‐enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating shared value is a strategic approach for sustainable development connected to social value that moves away from a corporation's profit and competition‐oriented strategies. This study examines consumers' responses, including attitudes and intentions to participate in a strategy creating shared value by applying the persuasion knowledge model. Results reveal that consumers formed positive attitudes mainly through persuasive knowledge, which led to higher intentions to participate in creating the shared value strategy. This study also provides evidence for the role of consumers' propensity for socially responsible consumption, and intentions became stronger when consumers had a strong propensity for socially responsible consumption. This study elaborates on the discussion around corporations' strategies for achieving a sustainable society through social‐centric corporate strategies that can be developed by reconciling corporate and consumer morality in the marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are many problems in the world encountered by people such as climate change, excessive population growth, deforestation, lack of cooperation, injustice and inadequate protection of consumer rights. The fact that goods and services are not consumed correctly is at the center of these problems. Therefore, increasing awareness of socially responsible consumption will lead to more awareness of negative effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of individual social responsibilities of people living in Sivas on conscious consumption behavior. For the purpose of this study, "Individual Social Responsibility Scale" developed by Asar (2017) and "Conscious Consumption Scale" developed by Buğday (2015) were used and 372 participants in the province of Sivas were interviewed face to face. At the end of the research following results have been achieved: Among the sub-dimensions of individual social responsibility the dimension of "assistance" has a significant effect on simple consumption, socially responsible consumption, ethical consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of "responsibility towards society and the environment" has a significant effect on simple consumption, environmental conscious consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of "initiativetaking" has a significant effect on environmental conscious consumption, socially responsible consumption, ethical consumption and rational consumption behavior; the dimension of "optimism" has a significant effect on ethical consumption behavior and the dimension of "sensitivity" has a significant effect on simple consumption, environmental conscious consumption, socially responsible consumption and ethical consumption behavior. Besides, this research has also tested whether individual social responsibility and conscious consumption behavior differ significantly according to demographic characteristics or not. According to the results of the analysis: While individual social responsibility and conscious consumption behavior differ according to age, education, income and occupational variables; only individual social responsibility varies according to gender and marital status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility has been intensively discussed in business ethics literature, whereas the social responsibility of private consumers appears to be less researched. However, there is also a growing interest from business ethicists and other scholars in the field of consumer social responsibility (ConSR). Nevertheless, previous discussions of ConSR reveal the need for a viable conceptual basis for understanding the social responsibility of consumers in an increasingly globalized market economy. Moreover, evolutionary aspects of human morality seem to have been neglected despite the fact that private consumers are undoubtedly human beings. In addition to that, empirical studies suggest that many consumers believe themselves to be responsible but do not act according to their alleged values or attitudes. This raises the question of what deters them from doing so. Therefore, the contribution of this conceptual paper is threefold: we (i) (re-)conceptualize ConSR in terms of a combination of a Max Weber-inspired approach (social action and the ethic of responsibility) with the social connection approach to shared responsibility proposed by Iris Marion Young; (ii) shed light on the previously neglected implications of an evolutionarily induced bounded morality for ConSR, and (iii) identify potential obstacles to socially responsible consumption, particularly against the backdrop of shared social responsibility and bounded morality. In this latter respect, the paper focuses specifically on the obstacles of low moral intensity, moral stupefaction, informational complexity, and the lack of perceived consumer effectiveness. In sum, the paper advances knowledge in the field of ConSR by using a transdisciplinary, literature-based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to determine the attitude of Colombians against socially responsible consumption, for which a descriptive investigation was carried out at the national level. This took as reference the main cities of Colombia: Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and Barranquilla, with a sample of 400 homogeneously distributed subjects, in which the attitudes regarding four large dimensions were evaluated: 1) rational purchase, 2) ethics, 3) responsible consumption 4) and environmental issues, with questions measured on a Likert scale. The analysis of the data was performed using the multivariate statistical technique cluster analysis (cluster). Among the main results, it was possible to identify that for the Colombians the subject matter is important, which is evidenced by the positive attitude with respect to responsible consumption, specifically with corporate social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socially responsible consumption (SRC) behaviours have progressed over the last few years and appear to show signs of a lasting trend. Situations of atypical consumption such as Christmas time, however, raise an important and as of yet unexplored question: What are the influences of unusual situations upon the relationship between people's socially responsible profile and their socially responsible purchase intentions (SRPI)? The objective of this article is thus to use the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, ) and environment-based variables, called 'atmospherics', to answer to this question. A Web survey on a total sample of 301 Canadian consumers, shows that people's past SRC behaviours are positively related to their SRPI in unusual situations. Moreover, the atmosphere of the place consumers are situated in has a negative moderating influence upon this relationship. This result is explained by a change in people's attitude toward SRC. However, this negative moderating effect of atmosphere is contained and constrained by social desirability in the form of subjective norms on SRC and the level of behavioural control consumers perceive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers have a dual role as economic actors who purchase products and as citizens comprising society. Thus, consumers may experience conflict between pursuing personal values (i.e., low price and high quality) and social values (i.e., equity and common good). In addition, these choices can be affected by governmental regulation of retail markets. This study aimed to identify consumer perspectives toward socially responsible consumption (SRC) in the choice of grocery store format and to investigate actual store choice behavior across consumer groups with those different perspectives while considering the role of retail regulation. For this purpose, we conducted a Q methodological study in which 30 South Korean consumers rank-ordered 40 statements regarding SRC. After performing Q factor analysis using PQ-Method software, we classified four distinctive consumer groups: "ethical conformist", "market liberalist", "ambivalent bystander", and "internally conflicted". After investigating similarities and differences between these consumer groups, we found major criteria for understanding consumer perspectives to SRC such as the priority of values pursued, the experience of a value-action gap, and internal conflicts in the decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the relationship between various Christian denominations and attitude and behavior regarding consumption of socially responsible (SR) products. Literature on the relationship between religiosity and pro-social behavior has shown that religiosity strengthens positive attitudes towards pro-social behavior, but does not affect social behavior itself. This seems to contradict the theory of planned behavior that predicts that attitude fosters behavior. One would therefore expect that if religiosity encourages attitude towards SR products, it would also increase the demand for them. We test this hypothesis for four affiliations (non-religious, Catholic, Orthodox Protestant, and Other Protestant) on a sample of 997 Dutch consumers, using structural equation modeling. We find that Christian religiosity, indeed, increases positive attitude towards SR products, except for the Orthodox Protestant affiliation. In accordance with the theory of planned behavior, attitude is found to increase the demand for SR products. We find no evidence of hypocrisy (in the sense that religiosity increases pro-social attitude without affecting behavior in the case of SR products) for any of the Christian denominations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]