Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Conference Track

Service Marketing/ Non-Profit Marketing/ Ethics

Publication Date

2013

Abstract

Critics argue that the value gap (difference between what consumers say they care about and what they actually choose to purchase) suggests that ethical consumption is not as important as consumers imply. There is much talk about the ethical consumer “myth’ as consumers often claim to be interested in purchasing ethically and socially responsible products yet sales figures for green products often do not exceed 5% total product sales in any one category with organic fruits and vegetables being the one exception. Traditional models use consumer attitudes to the environment as a predictor of ethically and socially responsible consumption behavior (ESRCB) but this yields mixed results in the literature; whereas this study suggests that sustainable lifestyle involvement (SLI) is a much stronger predictor of ESRCB. Findings confirm that the stronger the level of involvement with a sustainable lifestyle the greater the likelihood of exhibiting ESRCB.

About the Authors

Sacha Joseph-Mathews is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Eberhardt School of Business at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Professor Joseph-Mathews has a PhD in marketing and a Master of Science degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management from Florida State University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. She has taught classes in marketing, international business, tourism, event planning, advertising and diversity. Outside of academia she has worked and consulted in marketing, international business, tourism and with several non-profit organizations. Her research focuses on international business, tourism, ethnic marketing, green consumerism and ethical consumption, with social entrepreneurship as a recent addition.

Nicole Bieak-Kreidler is an Associate Professor and Chair of the School of Professions, Interior Design, at La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Professor Bieak-Kreidler received her Bachelor of Science in Interior Design from Philadelphia University, her Master’s of Science degree in Textile Engineering from Philadelphia University and her PhD in Integrated Textile Science from Auburn University. She has published articles in marketing, tourism and hospitality, interior design, textile science and engineering, and sustainability. Her research focuses on sustainability in design, hospitality and tourism management, textile engineering and ethical consumption. Nicole Bieak-Kreidler has taught classes in consumer behavior, sustainability, interior design, textile science and engineering.

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