Why ethical consumers don't walk their talk: Towards a framework for understanding the gap between the ethical purchase intentions and actual buying behaviour of ethically minded consumers

Journal of Business Ethics

Volumn 97, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 139-158

  Carrington, Michal J ^a   Neville, Benjamin A ^a   Whitwell, Gregory J ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE   (Australia)

Author keywords

actual behavioural control; consumer ethics; ethical consumerism; implementation intentions; intention behaviour gap; perceived behavioural control; situational context; theory of planned behaviour; word deed gap

Indexed keywords

EID: 77957991545     PISSN: 01674544     EISSN: 15730697     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s10551-010-0501-6     Document Type: Article

References (81)

1. Ajzen, I. (1985). From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behaviour. Berlin, New York: Springer-Verlag.
2. Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behaviour. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179-211.
3. Ajzen, I. (2002a). Percieved Behavioural Control, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 665-683.
4. Ajzen, I. (2002b). Residual Effects of Past on Later Behaviour: Habituation and Reasoned Action Perspectives. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(2), 107-122.
5. Ajzen, I.: 2006, Constructing a TPB Questionnaire: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
6. Ajzen, I., Brown, T. C., & Carvajal, F. (2004). Explaining the Discrepancy Between Intentions and Actions: The case of Hypothetical Bias in Contingent Valuation. Society for Personality and Social Psychology, 30(9), 1108-1121.
7. Ajzen, I., & Madden, T. J. (1986). Prediction of goal-directed behaviour: Attitudes, intentions and percieved behavioural control. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 22, 453-474.
8. Areni, C. and I. Black: 2008, Why Consumers Don't Do as They Say: Hyperbolic Discounting vs. Temporal Construal Theory. Paper Presented at the International Centre For Anti-Consumption Research Symposium, Sydney, Australia.
9. Armitage, C. J. and M. Conner: 1999, 'The Theory of Planned Behaviour: Assessment of Predictive Validity and 'Percieved Control", British Journal of Social Psychology38, 35-54.
10. Armitage, C. J., & Conner, M. (2001). Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology, 40, 471-499.
11. Arvola, A., Vassallo, M., Dean, M., Lampila, P., Saba, A., Lahteenmaki, R., et al. (2008). Predicting intentions to purchase organic food: The role of affective and moral attitudes in the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Appetite, 50, 443-454.
12. Auger, P., Burke, P., Devinney, T. M., & Louviere, J. J. (2003). What will Consumers Pay for Social Product Features? Journal of Business Ethics, 42, 281-304.
13. Auger, P., & Devinney, T. M. (2007). Do What Consumers Say Matter? The Misalignment of PReferences with Unconstrained Ethical Intentions. Journal of Business Ethics, 76, 361-383.
14. Bagozzi, R. (1993). On the neglect of volition in consumer research: A critique and proposal. Psychology and Marketing, 10, 215-237.
15. Bagozzi, R. (2000). The Poverty of Economic Explanations of Consumption and an Action Theory Alternative. Managerial and decision economics, 21, 95-109.
16. Bagozzi, R., & Dholakia, U. M. (1999). Goal Setting and Goal Striving in Consumer Behaviour. Journal of Marketing 63, 19-32.
17. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.
18. Bandura, A. (1998). Health promotion from the perspective of social cognitive theory. Psychology and Health, 13, 623-649.
19. Belk, R. (1975). Situational Variables and Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 2, 157-164.
20. Belk, R., Devinney, T. M., & Eckhardt, G. (2005). Consumer Ethics Across Cultures. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 8(3), 275-289.
21. Boulstridge, E., & Carrigan, M. (2000). Do consumers really care about corporate responsibility? Highlighting the attitude-behaviour gap. Journal of Communication Management, 4(4), 355-368.
22. Carrigan, M., & Attalla, A. (2001). The myth of the ethical consumer - do ethics matter in purchase behaviour? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(7), 560-577.
23. Carrigan, M., Szmigin, I., & Wright, J. (2004). Shopping for a better world? An interpretive study of the potential for ethical consumption within the older market. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 21(6), 401-417.
24. Chatzidakis, A., Hibbert, S., & Smith, A. P. (2007). Why People Don't Take their Concerns about Fair Trade to the Supermarket: The Role of Neutralisation. Journal of Business Ethics, 74, 89-100.
25. Connolly, J., & Shaw, D. (2006). Identifying fair trade in consumption choice. Journal of strategic marketing, 14, 353-368.
26. Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2004). Business Ethics: A European Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
27. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitiative and Mixed Methods Approaches (Second ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
28. Davies, J., Foxall, G. R., & Pallister, J. (2002). Beyond the Intention-Behaviour Mythology: An Integrated Model of Recycling. Marketing Theory, 2(1), 29-113.
29. De Pelsmacker, P., Driesen, L., & Rayp, G. (2005). Do Consumers Care about Ethics? Willingness to Pay for Fair-Trade Coffee. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39(2), 363-385.
30. De Pelsmacker, P., & Janssens, W. (2007). A Model for Fair Trade Buying Behaviour: The Role of Perceived Quantity and QUality of Information and Product-specific Attitudes. Journal of Business Ethics, 75, 361-380.
31. Dholakia, U. M., Bagozzi, R., & Gopinath, M. (2007). How Formulating Implementation Plans and Remembering Past Actions Facilitate the Enactment of Effortful Decisions. Journal of Behavioural Decision Making, 20, 343-364.
32. Edmondson, A. C., & McManus, S. E. (2007). Methodological Fit in Management Field Research. Academy of Management Review, 32(4), 1155-1179.
33. Elliot, R., & Jankel-Elliot, N. (2003). Using Ethnography in Strategic Consumer Research. Qualitative Market Reserach: An International Journal, 6(4), 215-223.
34. Fairtrade, F. L. O. I. (2007). Annual Report 2007: An Inspiration for Change (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International, Bonn, DE).
35. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behaviour: An introduction to theory and research. Reading: Addison - Wesley.
36. Follows, S. B., & Jobber, D. (2000). Environmentally responsible purchase behavior: a test of a consumer model. European Journal of Marketing, 34(5/6), 723-746.
37. Foxall, G. R. (1993). A Behaviourist Perspective on Purchase and Consumption. European Journal of Marketing, 27(8), 7-16.
38. Freestone, O., & McGoldrick, P. (2008). Motivations of the Ethical Consumer. Journal of Business Ethics, 79, 445-467.
39. Fukukawa, K. (2003). A Theoretical Review of Business and Consumer Ethics Research: Normative and Descriptive Approaches. The Marketing Review, 3, 381-401.
40. Futerra, S. C. L. (2005). The Rules of the Game: The Principals of Climate Change Communication. London, UK: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
41. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1993). Goal Achievement: The role of intentions (Vol. 4). Chichester, England: Wiley.
42. Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation Intentions: Strong Effects of Simple Plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493-503.
43. Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006). Implementation intentions and goal achievement: a meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in experiemental social psychology, 38, 69-119.
44. Hobson, K. (2006). Environmental psychology and the geographies of ethical and sustainable consumption: aligning, triangulating, challenging? Area, 38(3), 292-300.
45. Hunt, S., & Vitell, S. (1986). A General Theory of Marketing Ethics. Journal of Macromarketing, 6, 5-16.
46. Hunt, S., & Vitell, S. (2006). The General Theory of Marketing Ethics: A Revision and Three Questions. Journal of Macromarketing, 26(2), 143-153.
47. Jackson, T.: 2005, Motivating Sustainable Consump- tion-A Review of Models of Consumer Behaviour and Behavioural Change. A Report to the Sustainable Development Research Network. London: Policy Studies Institute.
48. Kidwell, B., & Jewell, R. D. (2003). An Examination of Percieved Behavioral Control: Internal and External Influences on Intention. Psycology & Marketing, 20(7), 625-642.
49. Kraft, P., Rise, J., Sutton, S., & Roysamb, E. (2005). Percieved difficulty in the theory of planned behaviour: Perceived behavioural control or affective attitude?. British Journal of Social Psychology, 44, 479-496.
50. McEachern, M. G., M. J. A. Schroder, J. Willock, J. Whitelock and R. Mason: 2007, 'Exploring Ethical Brand Extensions and Consumer Buying Behaviour: The RSPCA and the "Freedom Food" Brand', Journal of Product & Brand Management16(3), 168-177.
51. McGrath, J. E. (1994). Methodology Matters: Doing Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann.
52. Morwitz, V. G., Johnson, E., & Schmittlein, D. (1993). Does Measuring Intent Change Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 20, 46-61.
53. Morwitz, V. G., Steckel, J. H., & Gupta, A. (2007). When do purchase intentions predict sales? International Journal of Forecasting, 23, 347-364.
54. Newholm, T. (2005). Case Studying Ethical Consumers' Projects and Strategies. In R. Harrison, T. Newholm & D. Shaw (Eds.), The Ethical Consumer. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
55. Newholm, T., & Shaw, D. (2007). Studying the ethical consumer: A review of research. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 6, 253-270.
56. Norton, W. (2003). 'After-the-fact causality': a different direction for cultural geography. Area, 35(4), 418-426.
57. Notani, A. S. (1998). Moderators of Percieved Behavioural Control's Predictiveness in the Theory of Planned Behaviour: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7(3), 247-271.
58. Ozcaglar-Toulouse, N., Shui, E., & Shaw, D. (2006). In search of fair trade: ethical consumer decision making in France. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(5), 502-514.
59. Perugini, M., & Conner, M. (2000). Predicting and understanding behavioral volitions: the interplay between goals and behaviors. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 705-731.
60. Phillips, H. (1993). How customers actually shop: customer interaction with the point of sale. Journal of the Market Research Society, 35(1), 51-59.
61. Podsakoff, P. M., & Organ, D. W. (1986). Self-Reports in Organizational Research: Problems and Prospects. Journal of Management, 12(4), 531-544.
62. Polonsky, M. J. (1995). A stakeholder theory approach to designing environmental marketing strategy. The Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 10(3), 29-46.
63. Pullman, M., & Gross, M. (2004). Ability of Experience Design Elements to Elicit Emotions and Loyalty Behaviours. Decision Sciences, 35(3), 551-578.
64. Rest, J. R.: 1979, Development in Judging Moral Issues (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis).
65. Shaw, D., & Clarke, I. (1999). Belief formation in ethical consumer groups: an exploratory study. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 17(2), 109-119.
66. Shaw, D., & Connolly, J. (2006). Identifying fair trade in consumption choice. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 14(4), 353-368.
67. Shaw, D., Newholm, T., & Dickinson, R. (2006). Consumption as voting: an exploration of consumer empowerment. European Journal of Marketing, 40(9), 1049-1067.
68. Shaw, D., E. Shiu and I. Clarke: 2000, 'The Contribution of Ethical Obligation and Self-Identity to the Theory of Planned Behaviour: An Exploration of Ethical Consumers', Journal of Marketing Management16, 879-894.
69. Shaw, D., Shiu, E., Hassan, L., Bekin, C., & Hogg, G. (2007). Intending To Be Ethical: An Examination of Consumer Choice in Sweatshop Avoidance. Advances in Consumer Research, 34, 31-38.
70. Shaw, D., & Shui, E. (2002). An assessment of ethical obligation and self-identity in ethical consumer decision-making: a structural equaiton modelling approach. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 26(4), 286-293.
71. Sheeran, P., Trafimow, D., & Armitage, C. J. (2003). Predicting behaviour from percieved behavioural control: Tests of the accuracy assumption of the theory of planned behaviour. British Journal of Social Psychology, 42, 393-410.
72. Stern, P. C. (2000). Toward a Coherant Theory of Environmentally Significant Behaviour. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407-424.
73. Sutton, S. (1998). Predicting and Explaining Intentions and Behavior: How Well Are We Doing? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28(15), 1317-1338.
74. Trafimow, D., Sheeran, P., Conner, M., & Finlay, K. (2002). Evidence that percieved behavioural control is a multidimensional construct: Perceived control and perceived difficulty. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 101-121.
75. Turley, L., & Milliman, R. (2000). Atmospheric Effects on Shopping Behaviour: A Review of the Experiemental Evidence. Journal of Business Research, 49, 193-211.
76. Ulrich, P., & Sarasin, C. (1995). Facing Public Interest: The Ethical Challenge to Business Policy and Corportate Communications. London: Kluwer Academic Publications.
77. Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2007). Sustainable food consumption among young adults in Belgium: Theory of Planned Behaviour and the role of confidence and values. Ecological Economics, 64, 542-553.
78. Vitell, S. (2003). Consumer Ethics Research: Review, Synthesis and Suggestions for the future. Journal of Business Ethics, 43, 33-47.
79. Webb, T., & Sheeran, P. (2007). How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 295-302.
80. Young, M. R., DeSarbo, W. S., & Morwitz, V. G. (1998). The Stochastic Modeling of Purchase Intentions and Behaviour. Management Science, 44(2), 188-202.
81. Zaltman, G.: 2003, How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market (Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA).