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%0 Thesis
%A Dieckmann, Philipp
%T Ethical consumption in a changing world - quantitative research on enabling responsible product choice
%I Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen
%V Dissertation
%C Aachen
%M RWTH-2024-08971
%P 1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen
%D 2024
%Z Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen University
%Z Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2024
%X The world today is characterized by unprecedented levels of consumerism. Globalization and the emergence of the Internet have created highly competitive markets with a seemingly infinite variety of goods and services. These ubiquitous and almost limitless opportunities for consumption can be regarded as an achievement of modern capitalist societies. However, the resulting prosperity has not benefited all members of society equally. The growth of supply chains has also contributed to the exploitation of workers in developing countries and many producers are at the mercy of the unpredictable price trends of a global market. Rising consumption also puts a strain on the environment and the climate. More than ever, it is up to informed consumers to reward or sanction corporate actions and demand voluntary commitments to ethical business practices. However, while most consumers profess a willingness to consider the social and environmental consequences of their consumption, they often fail to translate their ethical attitudes into behavior. Whereas one might assume that individuals are simply too selfish to follow through on their good intentions when faced with consequential decisions, it can also be argued that consumers often find themselves in situations that are not optimal for facilitating the expression of ethical values. They may be compromised in their ability to consider the distress of others during a stressful shopping trip, in the wrong mindset to consider high-level concerns in a concrete buying situation, or feel alienated by products marketed to certain consumer segments. This dissertation addresses these issues in three research projects aimed at identifying mechanisms that prevent consumers from enacting their ethical intentions. Paper I addresses how stress influences ethical product choice. Drawing on literature on prosocial behavior under stress, it is argued that stress increases individuals’ propensity to focus on their own interests and well-being. Therefore, preference for ethical products promoted on attributes benefitting others, such as fair wages for farm workers, is proposed to be reduced. This effect is hypothesized to be mediated by increased selfishness. Three studies are conducted to test the proposed model. The results provide consistent support for the negative impact of stress on ethical product choice and inform recommendations for designing shopping experiences and public policy to facilitate ethical consumption. In Paper II, it is investigated how and why ethical product choice differs between online and in-store shopping environments. Drawing on construal level theory, it is argued that products are psychologically distant in online shopping, which is expected to increase the importance of high-level considerations in decision-making, i.e. the ethical implications of a purchase. The proposed mediation model is tested in two experiments. While the proposed indirect effect through psychological distance is found, a total effect of shopping scenario on product choice is only observed when the price between ethical and conventional product options is held constant. The results are discussed against previous literature on CLT and implications for online and multichannel retailing are derived. In Paper III, two approaches to positioning meat substitute products are compared to promote vegetarian and vegan consumption options. It is hypothesized that the common practice of naming meat substitutes in analogy to meat, e.g. “Veggie Steak”, may be detrimental to the large group of consumers who are not attempting to reduce their meat intake. It is argued that for these consumers, analogically named substitutes elicit feelings of renunciation and cognitive dissonance by evoking a comparison to the analogous meat product. In two experiments, it is demonstrated how the described mechanisms can be circumvented by using names that are independent of preexisting meat products but rather highlight the product’s ingredients or method of preparation, such as “Seitan Fry”. The results are interpreted in light of previous literature on nudging vegetarian food choices and implications for marketing meat substitute products are discussed. The findings of this dissertation improve understanding of the discrepancy between intentions and behavior in ethical consumption. Managerial and societal implications are derived to enable consumers to act on their ethical intentions and to inform how to break existing stereotypes that hinder the adoption of sustainable product alternatives.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)11
%9 Dissertation / PhD Thesis
%R 10.18154/RWTH-2024-08971
%U https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/993781