Date of Award

Summer 2004

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Department

Management

First Advisor

Shahid Nakib Bhuian

Abstract

Extant literature offers incomplete explanations of environmentally concerned consumer behavior (ECCB), based on subsets of determinants. In this study, I have presented an integrated model of ECCB, and examined the main effects of three key psychological determinants (environmentally concerned beliefs and attitudes, personal norm, and perceived consumer effectiveness) and two key socio-cultural determinants (injunctive norm and collectivist orientation), on four dimensions of ECCB, namely purchase behavior, search for information, conserving behavior, and supporting intent. The study also examined the interactional effects of market mavenship and involvement on these direct linkages.

I conducted a national online survey among members of environmental organizations (n = 212). The model explained 58.8 per cent of the variance in purchase behavior, 62.2 percent of the variance in search for information, 51.7 percent of the variation in conserving behavior, and 81.3 percent of the variance in supporting intent. The study has served to strengthen, support and extend previous research in the area of ECCB.

Support was found for the main effects of environmentally concerned beliefs and attitudes on purchase behavior, and supporting intent. Furthermore, support was found for the main effects of personal norm on purchase behavior, search for information, and conserving behavior.

Additionally, results supported the main effects of injunctive norm on purchase behavior, search for information, conserving behavior and supporting intent. Also, results supported the main effects of perceived consumer effectiveness on purchase behavior, search for information, and conserving behavior. However, collectivist orientation was not supported as a positive determinant of any dimension of environmentally concerned consumer behavior.

Market mavenship was examined in the environmental context for the first time in this study, and was evidenced to be a determinant of search for information. Additionally, interactional effects of market mavenship were evidenced on two direct linkages in the model. Further, product involvement was evidenced to be a determinant of search for information, and also of supporting intent. Additionally, interactional effects of product involvement were evidenced on three direct linkages in the model.

The contributions of this study have wide research implications, and also societal and managerial implications for the various environmental stakeholders.

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