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1 – 10 of over 31000Vijay Kumar Jain, Aditi Dahiya, Vikas Tyagi and Preeti Sharma
The objective of this paper is to identify dimensions of responsible consumption from consumer perspective and develop a reliable and valid measurement scale.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to identify dimensions of responsible consumption from consumer perspective and develop a reliable and valid measurement scale.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper has employed mixed methodology to develop items for responsible consumption. In first phase, experts' interviews were carried out to unearth the dimensions of responsible consumption. In second phase, quantitative survey was carried out to among consumers to measure their response. This was done using five-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity were ensured through empirical data online. Structural equation modeling was used to test the structural model.
Findings
The result showed that consumer perception of responsible consumption consists of five dimensions (Rationality, Sustainable Consumption, Local Consumption, Ethical Consumption and Minimalism). The result also showed strong relationship among satisfaction and responsible consumption dimensions.
Practical implications
It will help policymakers to measure and promote responsible consumption thereby improving environmental performance and reducing carbon footprint.
Originality/value
This is the first study to develop valid and reliable instrument for responsible consumption. The findings will have several implications both theoretical and practical for policymakers and society.
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Bipul Kumar and Nikhilesh Dholakia
This study explores enablers that firms could use to motivate consumers toward responsible consumption behavior. Completing the loop of responsible consumption – linking firms and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores enablers that firms could use to motivate consumers toward responsible consumption behavior. Completing the loop of responsible consumption – linking firms and consumers –helps firms to attain responsible consumption targets as part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses netnography as the qualitative research methodology.
Findings
The important enablers of responsible consumption behavior are choice editing, design intervention, addressing consumers' environmental identity, brand assurance, promoting innovation mindset and consumer empowerment – at the level of consumers and at the crosslevel of interaction between firms and consumers. Such enablers can help the firms in nudging their consumers toward responsible consumption.
Research limitations/implications
Using the lens of the expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation, this study extends the theoretical domain of responsible consumption.
Practical implications
The enablers of responsible consumption behaviors found here serve as a useful guide for the strategies to attain the SDGs.
Social implications
The SDG goal 12 of responsible consumption is the focus of this study. The entire fabric of responsible consumption is woven around anthropocentric views, and hence the findings of this study have clear social implications.
Originality/value
This is a first study to explore how firms can facilitate consumers to consume responsibly, to attain the SDGs. This is also one of the first studies on responsible consumption, using netnography as the research methodology. Additionally, it also extends the applicability of the expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation to the context of responsible consumption behavior.
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Shahid Rasool, Roberto Cerchione, Piera Centobelli, Eugenio Oropallo and Jari Salo
This study aims to highlight the impact of altruistic-self and hunger awareness on socially responsible food consumption through the lens of self-awareness and self-congruity…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to highlight the impact of altruistic-self and hunger awareness on socially responsible food consumption through the lens of self-awareness and self-congruity theories due to the great challenge of Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted with a sample of 812 respondents. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirm each variable's structure through the measurement model and test the hypothesis to support a structural model.
Findings
The results highlight that the combination of altruistic-self and hunger awareness (AS-HA congruence) drives consumers to execute socially responsible food consumption. Meanwhile, consumers' food-saving attitude mediation translates to the attitude towards responsible and ethical use increasing socially responsible food consumption, a contextual development in the theory of congruence. Conversely, hunger awareness is not confirmed as significantly influencing socially responsible food consumption.
Practical implications
This research provides valuable insights for academicians and practitioners in developing food waste management strategies that can be implemented to reduce food wastage.
Originality/value
Food waste is a global concern and is challenging for many manufacturing, distribution and individual wastage levels. However, food wastage by consumers is one of the most critical problems which can be minimised with awareness and attitudinal changes in behaviour as a form of socially responsible consumption.
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This research studies how current social and environmental concerns about consumption are reviving the topic of meaning in consumption practices. In a postmodern world…
Abstract
This research studies how current social and environmental concerns about consumption are reviving the topic of meaning in consumption practices. In a postmodern world characterized by symbolism in consumption and a global “crisis of meanings”, ethical and responsible consumption behaviors are studied through their contribution to identity construction. A responsible consumption typology based on the meanings given by the narrators is suggested; it distinguishes the acts of “moral conformity” from the deep critical postures, the latter of which derive either from political essence or a desire for liberation from the consumption “system”.
Meenakshi Gandhi and Neeraj Kaushik
There is a need to promote socially responsible consumption which would accelerate the efforts of economic upliftment and sustainable development initiated by the government and…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a need to promote socially responsible consumption which would accelerate the efforts of economic upliftment and sustainable development initiated by the government and corporates through corporate social responsibility initiatives. This study aims to explore the factors that contribute to socially responsible consumption across demographic factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The socially responsible consumption behaviour (SRCB) scale developed by Antil and Bennet was used to gather responses on a five-point Likert scale along with information on demographic profile from the residents of Delhi National Capital Region.
Findings
The factor analysis revealed a striking finding that personal contribution is the most important factor that governs socially responsible consumption, and this factor also emerges across demographic variables to have significant contribution for the consumption. Gender wise, there is no significant difference, while education bears an inverse relationship with SRCB. People in the middle-income group with lower incomes and younger in age are more likely to exhibit SRCB.
Research limitations/implications
The implications for marketers is to use the results of this study in their promotion for targeting consumers by focusing on the joy/pride of personal contribution in being socially responsible while they fulfil their product purchase needs that could create a loyal segment of consumers who would buy such products and further spread a positive word of mouth to convert non-consumers into buyers, leading to sustainable economic development. Policymakers and the Government need to promote SRCB by subsidizing goods that are generated from such sources to enhance their usage. Younger Indians, in the early years of their career and people in middle-income groups, are promising customers with higher inclination to be socially responsible in their purchase behaviour. This paper presents a practical dimension of personal contribution that could be used to develop promotion strategies to motivate consumers towards socially responsible consumption.
Practical implications
These incorporate usage of the results of this study to promote cause-related marketing, wherein a company donates a portion of each purchase made by its customers during a specific period to a socially responsible cause. Marketers can enhance the purchase of socially responsible products by creating awareness among their target consumers about the consequences of their purchase and their personal contribution in community development. Creating confidence among customers and goodwill by providing awareness of the contribution made by firms in the social development of the country will encourage customers to patronize products of such firms, as they would feel a sense of personal contribution in nation development by supporting buying from such firms.
Social implications
The adoption of socially responsible consumption by the vast majority of population shall uplift the economically backward sections of society, thereby creating employment opportunities and incomes at the bottom of the pyramid, ultimately, leading to sustainable economic development and attainment of millennium development goals.
Originality/value
This is a maiden attempt to gain an insight into the Indian SCRB. This can be a base for further studies in the area of socially responsible consumption which is relatively unexplored in the Indian context.
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Shalini Parth, Bhupesh Manoharan, Rishikesan Parthiban, Israr Qureshi, Babita Bhatt and Krishanu Rakshit
This paper aims to explore how a socio-digital platform can facilitate consumer responsibilisation in food consumption to encourage sustained responsible consumption and uncovers…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how a socio-digital platform can facilitate consumer responsibilisation in food consumption to encourage sustained responsible consumption and uncovers its possible impacts on different stakeholders in the agricultural ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
Two-year-long case study of a socio-digital platform that aims to integrate consumers with the farming process; creating value for them and the farmers in India.
Findings
The process of consumer responsibilisation happens through three mechanisms; construction of a moral-material identity, vicarious self-artisanship and shared responsibilisation. Through these key mechanisms, the socio-digital platform could foster consumer responsibilisation and engender positive societal impacts by promoting both responsible production and consumption.
Research limitations/implications
This study shows how the construction of moral–material identity could move beyond an either-or choice between moralistic and material identity and allow space for the coexistence of both. This paper highlights how a socio-digital platform can be leveraged to facilitate responsible consumer engagement in an aestheticised farming process.
Practical implications
This paper aims to guide policymakers to design digitally-enabled human-centred innovation in facilitating consumer engagement with farming and cultivating responsible consumers in achieving sustainable development goals.
Social implications
This study shows how consumer responsibilisation can actually address market failures by enhancing the value created in the system, reducing wastage and cutting costs wherever possible, which drive better incomes for the farmers.
Originality/value
Previous studies have discussed heterogeneous motivations for responsible food consumption. However, this research explores the processes through which an individual reconnects to food production and the mechanisms that support this process in the long run.
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Cristina Neesham and Susan Freeman
In this paper we propose a typology of firm-stakeholder relationships based on four different states of consumption, leading to a new model of business commitment to responsible…
Abstract
In this paper we propose a typology of firm-stakeholder relationships based on four different states of consumption, leading to a new model of business commitment to responsible consumption. In developing this typology, we apply a physiological theory of consumption to define business as a nexus of activities capable of producing four different types of value: subsistence, growth, indifference and excess. The model represents a more coherent conceptualization of business management, drawing upon long-term multi-dimensional value management in firm-stakeholder relations. Thus, in our model, we establish normative connections between value creation and responsible consumption, and indicate more specific measures of value creation for stakeholders, by promoting subsistence and growth, and discouraging indifference and excess. We are thus taking value creation stakeholder theory one step further, by exploring how different levels of value or utility could inform integrative, convergent value creation processes within the firm as a network of stakeholders.
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Andreia Gabriela Andrei, Patrizia Gazzola, Alexandra Zbuchea and Vlad Andrei Alexandru
The purpose of the present study is intended to fill a research gap, by advancing a conceptual model which brings novel insights on the relationships between socially responsible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the present study is intended to fill a research gap, by advancing a conceptual model which brings novel insights on the relationships between socially responsible consumption and consumer’s need for uniqueness.
Design/methodology/approach
Relying on a questionnaire-based survey for data collection, the proposed model was tested using the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm for structural equation modeling (SEM), which allows the assessment of the models containing both formative and reflective constructs.
Findings
The research found that 73.7 per cent of the variance in the consumer’s belief in the importance of personal power to make a difference through socially responsible choices is explained by the proposed model. Moreover, four of the five factors of socially responsible consumption fully mediate the positive effect of the consumer’s need for uniqueness on the importance attached to personal socially responsible choices in driving positive change.
Research limitations/implications
The study avails a phenomenological perspective by offering novel insights from a Romanian sample. The limitation associated with a country-centric vision is compensated through the contextual analysis and integration of a new point of reference in the overall framework of socially responsible consumption.
Practical implications
The evidence is indicative of new consumption insights and should be closely considered by companies.
Originality/value
The study draws upon a conceptual model integrating the relationships between socially responsible consumption and a psychological characteristic – the consumer’s need for uniqueness – which has been never tested as such before.
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Biasino Farace, Andrea Apicella and Angela Tarabella
The excessive consumption of alcohol in numerous countries in the world, combined with the progressively younger age of the consumers, made it necessary for companies to use…
Abstract
Purpose
The excessive consumption of alcohol in numerous countries in the world, combined with the progressively younger age of the consumers, made it necessary for companies to use instruments of communication aimed at the development of consumption responsibility, so as to prevent reckless behaviour and the health risks thereto associated. The purpose of this paper is to assess the visibility and effectiveness of responsible consumption messages used for the sale of the product “beer” (on packaging and in advertisements); the study used a sample audience made up of teenagers and young adults from southern Italy.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology used was that of the focus group. Three interview sessions were conducted, one dedicated to teenagers, age 16–17 years, and two dedicated to young adult panels, age 20–24 years. A ten-question questionnaire was designed prior to the conduction of the focus groups, and it was used in all the sessions.
Findings
The study shows the weak efficacy of the “drink responsibly” communication campaigns carried out by beer manufacturers. The totality of the interviewees failed to remember the existence of the “drink responsibly” messages and, even after supplementary visual stimulation, they were mostly disinterested, defining the fact that companies from the alcoholic drinks industry carry out consumption awareness campaigns as an out-and-out nonsensical contradiction.
Originality/value
The survey draws attention to the perception by young audiences of the more recent “drink responsibly” communication campaigns carried out by beer manufacturers, aiming at encouraging a more responsible attitude to alcohol consumption. There still are not many such inquests aimed at determining the response of young people to the use of slogans and commercials connected to responsible drinking in the literature; therefore, this study aimed at filling this gap. In fact, the authors believe this study is important for assessing the effectiveness of such instruments for achieving greater responsibility in the use of alcoholic drinks, so as to develop better awareness in the ranks of youths. Among the new communication strategies that were proposed to the participants, there were video commercials containing responsible consumption messages and the new prohibition marks placed directly on the product labels.
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Sahil Singh Jasrotia, Pooja Darda and Shailesh Pandey
The individual’s set of values determines how they make decisions and navigate various personal and professional issues. This study aims to investigate the substitutability of…
Abstract
Purpose
The individual’s set of values determines how they make decisions and navigate various personal and professional issues. This study aims to investigate the substitutability of self-improvement values for self-transcendence values in fostering responsible consumption behaviors in society, using Schwartz’s Basic Human Values as the theoretical foundation.
Design/methodology/approach
Focus group discussions are used to investigate the research problem. Representative samples of 100 centennials or Generation Z college students (50 undergraduate and 50 postgraduate students) and 45 millennials or Generation Y working employees were chosen for focus group talks to ensure the findings’ correctness. Using thematic analysis, the information gathered was coded and analyzed manually.
Findings
The paper looks into whether people’s self-transcendence values play a role in getting them to act responsibly when they buy things. This study gives us much new information about how people’s values change and how people buy things in today’s world.
Research limitations/implications
This study explains how changing values make people want to be more responsible with their money and adds to the literature on sustainable consumption and consumer behavior. Using the lens of Schwartz’s Basic Human Values, this study extends the theoretical domain of responsible consumption.
Originality/value
The concept of sustainable consumption is essential for the next generation’s well-being. The sustainable development goal (SDG) 12 of responsible consumption is the focus of this study. This is a novel study to examine and understand factors that can facilitate consumers to consume responsibly to attain the SDGs. This is also one of the first studies on responsible consumption, using focus group discussions as the research methodology.
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