Impact of Ethics on Consumer Purchase Behaviour

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

The main topic of the research is Impact of Ethics on Consumer Purchase Behaviour. The aim of the research is to find the effect of poverty on the children with emotional intelligence. The aim of the research is identifying / analysing variables that can be considered determinants of ethical behaviour and finding answers to the impact of ethics on consumer behaviour. The literature review was gathered from online scholarly journals and books. The methodology section is based on primary research that is conducted in two phases exploratory and causal by collecting data through a well designed questionnaire and using quantitative methods for analysing the responses received from the consumers. The main instrument of the research is questionnaire, which was send to all the participants online and offline. The analysis is based on the descriptive statistics by the help of SPSS. The finding suggested that the Increasing consumers' awareness of ethical consumerism is exerting more pressure on companies to focus on ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. The analysis is based on the discussion of unethical behaviour and its impact on consumer brand relationship. It also covers the main perspective either the consumer really care about the ethical purchasing or not. While consumers generally have ethical concerns, such concerns do not necessarily become manifest in their actual purchasing behaviour. The research question suggested that there is having a positive relation between determinants of ethical behaviour and the ethical principles are used by consumers in making purchase decisions.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Problem Statement1

Rationale1

Aims and Objectives1

Research Question2

Background of the Research2

Theoretical Framework3

Significance of the Study5

Limitations6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Introduction7

What is Ethics?8

Ethical and Unethical Behaviour of Consumer9

Consumer Behaviour Models12

External Variables12

Culture12

Subculture13

Social Stratification13

Social Group13

Family14

Personal Factors14

Other Factors15

Individual Determinants15

Individual Determinants15

Personality and Self Concept16

Motivation16

Information Processing16

Learning and Memory16

Decision Process17

Consumer Behaviour19

Merchandising19

Learning20

Reference Groups21

Perception22

Attitudes24

How Do Consumers Make Purchase Decisions?25

Activities of Marketers to Attract Loyal Consumers28

Do Reward Programs Incent Purchases?28

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY30

Research Design30

Sample31

Data Analysis Procedures35

Exploratory Phase35

Causal Stage36

Measures36

Independent Variables36

Perceived Magnitude of Harm36

Consumer Ethical Behaviour37

Dependent Variables37

Perceived Fairness37

Ethical Expectations38

Consumer Satisfaction38

Behavioural Intentions38

Other Measures39

Perceived Ethicality39

Social Desirability39

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS40

Variables Influencing Consumers' Ethical Judgments40

Research Question 01:43

Research Question 02:45

Research Question 03:48

Research Question 04:50

Research Question 05:52

Research Question 06:56

Findings57

Pre-Tests57

Reliability58

Independence of Observations59

Scale Development61

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION62

Implication63

REFERENCES66

BIBLIOGRAPHY77

APPENDICES84

Table 0184

Table 0284

Table 0385

Table 0486

Appendix A: Survey87

Consumer Responses to Questionable Corporate marketing behavior87

Section 1: Story-telling89

Section 2: How I Felt about the Outcome91

Section 3: How I Felt about the Company before the Incident92

Section 4: What I expect from the Company94

Section 5: How I Feel about the Behavior95

Section 6: My Intentions toward the Firm96

Section 7: My Feelings toward the Firm97

Section 8: How I Feel about Myself98

Section 9: How Satisfied ...