The Ethics of Consumer Purchasing Habits: Does Corporate Social Irresponsibility Outweigh Convenience?
Open Access
- Author:
- Bleehash, Emily
- Area of Honors:
- Marketing
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Karen Page Winterich, Thesis Supervisor
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- corporate social responsibility
corporate social irresponsibility
marketing
convenience
shipping
consumer perceptions
purchase intentions - Abstract:
- Many consumers, especially younger generations, state that they prefer to purchase from companies that are ethically or socially responsible. In one study, 87% of consumers reported that they will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about, and 76% of respondents stated they would refuse to purchase a company’s product if they learned the company supported an issue contrary to their beliefs (Ciochetto, 2017). However, thousands of unethical companies are still in business, and even thriving. The following research aims to determine whether corporate social responsibility or irresponsibility, coupled with factors of convenience, affect consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. To answer this question, participants took a survey regarding their perceived attitudes, and subsequent purchase intentions of a fictional company which varied on social responsibility and shipping convenience. It was hypothesized that both corporate social responsibility and convenience would positively impact attitudes and purchase intentions. However, it was predicted that convenience would have a greater impact on purchase intentions than corporate social responsibility. It was also hypothesized that convenience would be the driving force behind purchase intentions, not corporate social responsibility. Results confirmed that both corporate social responsibility and convenience are significant factors in determining attitudes and purchase intentions. However, results refuted the hypothesis that convenience would be the driving factor of intent to purchase, and corporate social responsibility was found to be a stronger determinant.