Effects of Korean and US consumers’ ethical consumption values on ethical dining-out behavior : The mediating role of perceived restaurant ethical performance

Abstract

This study attempted to discover factors of ethical consumption values regarding consumers’ dining-out attitudes to clarify the concept within the restaurant industry. It also aimed to offer primary data that can address new consumption values in the Korean restaurant industry by comparing consumers’ ethical value and degree of ethical dining-out behavior in Korea and the US. Ethical consumption values consisted of social values, projection of morals, and consumption ethics. Among the three ethical consumption values, social value was the most influential factor in ethical dining-out behavior(p<0.001). Projection of morals and consumption ethics had indirect effects on ethical dining-out behavior with perceived restaurant ethical performance as the mediating parameter(p<0.01). For the comparison of path coefficients between Korea and the US, social value and consumption ethics had direct effects on ethical dining-out behavior in both countries(p<0.001). An indirect effect of perceived restaurant ethical performance as a mediator was only confirmed among US consumers(p<0.05). Projection of morals had significant effects on perceived restaurant ethical performance and ethical dining-out behavior only in the US. Perceived restaurant ethical performance affected ethical dining-out behavior among both countries’ consumers(p<0.001). Specifically, significant differences between the two countries were identified in paths of projection of morals to ethical dining-out behavior(Δχ² /df=6.211) and perceived restaurant ethical performance to ethical dining-out behavior(Δχ² /df=4.622). The results imply that Korean consumers seem to have less interest in and lack understanding of ethical consumption compared to US consumers in dining-out behavior. Efforts to enlighten Korean consumers about ethical dining-out are necessary instead of restaurants’ marketing on ethical performance.