Consumption as an aspect of most people's lives in affluent societies is widely
acknowledged as having become increasingly important (Newholm, 2005). We
consume more, and consume more often, than previous generations (Durning, 1992)
meaning the actions we make and the decisions we take have greater impact than ever
before on the world we inhabit. For many their involvement with consumption goes
beyond the act of purchase (Oilman, 1998) to include complex ethical dimensions.
The relationship between ethics and social responsibility (E&SR) and consumption
choices has received growing attention over recent years, resulting in the topic of
'sustainable consumption' becoming a central focus for national and international
policy (Jackson, 2005). Yet a review of the pertinent literature in the fields of E&SR,
consumer behaviour and shopping motives uncovers the limitations of existing E&SR
research in relation to grocery shopping activities.
What E&SR factors influence consumers' grocery shopping choice decisions and
behaviour? How important are they when compared to traditional store image and
product attribute criteria? How do attitudes influence E&SR grocery consumption?
Who are the E&SR buyer types and how may they be differentiated and segmented?
This thesis sets out to address these questions and comprises the results of, and
reflections on, an investigation into grocery shopping behaviour in the South West of
England. It consists of three stages: a literature review; a series of exploratory focus
group interviews; and a confirmatory quantitative study.
Content, factor, multiple regression and cluster analysis find: shopping motivations vary
according to two facts I) the shopping consideration (store to patronise, product to
purchase), and 2) the shopping occasion (main shop, top-up shop); differences occur in
the importance of E&SR issues and traditional elements of store image/product attribute
depending on the shopping activity; attitudes, perceived behavioural control and ethical
obligation are linked to E&SR behaviour with differences in the importance of E&SR
concerns meaning that E&SR shoppers are not a homogenous group. Results enable a
preliminary typology of E&SR grocery shopping concerns to be derived and a range of
E&SR consumer types to be proposed.
This insight offers a far more complex market that has hitherto been recognised.
Motivating E&SR behaviour is far from straight forward due to dissonance occurring in
decision-making as consumers try to balance traditional retail aspects with their E&SR
beliefs, so finding themselves 'locked in' to non-E&SR behaviours in spite of their best
intentions. In these circumstances strategies are required to make it easy for consumers
to behave in an E&SR manner: ensuring access to information that aids and encourages
pro-E&SR behaviour, highlighting non-financial E&SR behaviours, and for
Government to exemplify the desired changes through their own policies and practices.
Date of Award | 2005 |
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Original language | English |
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Awarding Institution | |
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THE INFLUENCE OF ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON GROCERY SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR IN THE UK
MEMERY, J. E. (Author). 2005
Student thesis: PhD