CONSUMER ORGANISATIONS

The role of consumer organisations in stimulating ethical purchasing among UK consumers

Table of Contents

The role of consumer organisations in stimulating ethical purchasing among UK consumers3

Introduction3

Literature Review5

Establishing a theoretical framework5

Ethical obligation and self-identity6

Model analysis8

Methodology9

Reliability analysis10

Attitude10

Subjective norm11

Perceived behavioural control11

Self-identity11

Analysis12

Discussion15

Conclusion17

References22

The role of consumer organisations in stimulating ethical purchasing among UK consumers

Introduction

The growth in concern for ethical issues, which encompass environmental and social concerns, among consumers across countries has been well documented in marketing literature (e.g. Dagnoli, 1991; Shaw and Clarke, 1999). However, despite the attention to the subject and the rising concern for ethical issues in society, research has tended to neglect the ethical consumer, focusing on hedonic, self-interested consumption contexts. Research which has explored ethical consumer issues has in the main focused on specific types of “questionable” consumer behaviour, such as altering price tags on merchandise in a retail outlet, or not saying anything when a bill is miscalculated in your favour (e.g. Rawwas, 1996; Al-Khatib et al., 1997). This body of research does not, however, give sufficient consideration to other dimensions of consumer ethics, namely, issues of social and environmental concern to consumers. It is this latter description of consumer ethics with which this paper is concerned, and specially the role and impact of these ethical concerns in consumer decision making. First, however, it is important to outline further the concept of consumer ethics adopted in this research.

The dramatic increase in environmental awareness over recent decades resulted in the emergence of “green” consumerism (e.g. Brown, 1992; Peattie, 1992). Many studies have explored environmental or green consumer concerns (e.g. Antil, 1984; Follows and Jobber, 2000), however, evidence reveals that consumer concerns are no longer this narrow. The existence of broader “macro-level” ethical concerns has been documented by, for example, Mintel (1994) where it was found that in addition to environmental concerns, ethical consumers were concerned about areas including animal issues, irresponsible selling, armaments and oppressive regimes. This distinction between “green” and “ethical” consumerism is important, since more wide-ranging ethical issues can add significantly to the complexity of consumer decisions (Shaw and Clarke, 1999). Ethical concerns are, for example, often ongoing and irresolvable (Newholm, 1999). Arguably, substantially more effort is, therefore, required on the part of the consumer in decision making. In this sense, existing models of consumer decision making are only partly satisfactory, since they tend to emphasise hedonic, self-interested outcomes, in contrast to the more societal-centred viewpoint of ethical consumers. In business terms, it is important to note the shift in consumer behaviour, which has in many instances been due to ethical concerns. Examples of this include, Shell and the Brent Spar, the increase in availability of organic produce and the publicity attracted by publications including No Logo (Klein, 2000). These examples demonstrate the value of the marketing discipline striving to understand these ethical issues and behaviour. Indeed, surveys have confirmed that consumers are more likely to purchase products and services from organisations perceived as socially responsible (Charter, 1992; Ethical Consumer, 1997/1998), and may actively boycott those perceived as irresponsible (Friedman, ...