Case Of Organic Food Research Articles

The effects of green consumer empowerment in advertising on corporate evaluations and purchase intention: the case of organic food

This research aims to investigate the potential of consumer empowerment, the activation of consumers’ perceived power over companies, to achieve improved advertising effects for organic food compared to only communicating ecological benefits (classical green appeals). Two online experiments were conducted to analyze the ad effectiveness for consumers’ responses including their evaluations of the company and purchase intentions (nStudy1 = 294; nStudy2 = 457). Results indicate that green empowerment ads reach overall better performance to increase people’s perceived customer orientation and purchase intentions compared to green appeals, while similar effects are identified for perceived corporate environmental responsibility. Empowerment tactics are especially effective when consumers perceive the supplier to be a larger, high-resource company compared to a smaller, low-resource one. The significant effects of perceived corporate resources also indicates that smaller companies should use differentiated ad strategies depending on if they intend to enhance consumers’ purchase intentions or their environmental reputation.

Socially Responsible Consumer Behavior: The Case of Organic Food in Sonora, Mexico

The main objective of this investigation is to analyze and evaluate the Socially Responsible Consumer (SRC) in the cities of Hermosillo and Obregon, Sonora, Mexico. We wanted to identify their purchasing, consumption and attitude profiles. To respond to the stated objective, 278 questionnaires were applied, 183 were applied to consumers in Hermosillo and the remaining 95 to consumers in Obregon city. For the statistical analysis of the data the chi-squared test (Xi2) was used to establish descriptive and bivariate comparisons of the results. It was learned that the young consumers of these cities have no knowledge about Socially Responsible Consumption; moreover, consumers do not feel inclined to buy organic food or environmentally friendly products, neither do they search for products that benefit their finances and environment or otherwise cause the least negative possible impact. Therefore, it is essential that educational comprehensive programs for strengthening responsible consumption and care for the planet be designed in the face of globalization.

Stakeholder perception of the ethics of an industry: The case of organic food in South India

Abstract Increasing reliance on artificial and non-sustainable methods of agriculture had resulted in negatively affecting both the soil and the health of agriculturists. Organic agriculture abhors such conventional agricultural practices and inculcates the implementation of safer, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices. This paper analyses the stakeholders’ perception of responsibility and environmental sustainability by conducting qualitative research using case studies of several organic food supply chains based in Kerala, a state in the south of India. The interviews with key stakeholders along the supply chain network illustrate that the rationale for organic agriculture is based on principles of fairness, responsibility and sustainability. Furthermore, the results depict that perceptions of ethics vary amongst stakeholder groups. Thoughthe literature is extensive on business ethics and sustainability, research on stakeholder perception along the entire industry is minimal within academic literature and the paper contributes to this area. Furthermore, from a managerial perspective, this paper sheds light on the influence of business ethics within an industry and exhibits the importance and influence of social responsibility and environmental sustainability within an industry. Keywords: Ethics, food, sustainability, responsibility, agriculture, organic

The Importance of Consumer Trust for the Emergence of a Market for Green Products: The Case of Organic Food

Consumer trust is a key prerequisite for establishing a market for credence goods, such as “green” products, especially when they are premium priced. This article reports research on exactly how, and how much, trust influences consumer decisions to buy new green products. It identifies consumer trust as a distinct volition factor influencing the likelihood that consumers will act on green intentions and strongly emphasizes the needs to manage consumer trust as a prerequisite for the development of a market for green products. Specifically, based on a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, it is found that lack of consumer trust is a barrier for the development of a market for organic food in Thailand. Two focus groups and ten in-depth interviews revealed low knowledge about and low trust in organic food, certification, control, and labeling. Further, a mall-intercept survey (N = 177) revealed that lack of (especially) system trust reduces consumer expectations about benefits of buying organic food, and it makes them less likely to buy organic food. Mistrust in the control system and in the authenticity of food sold as organic has a significant negative impact on self-reported buying behavior. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

The role of consumers in transitions towards sustainable food consumption. The case of organic food in Norway

Political targets for consumption of organic food are set in many European countries and also in Norway. Organic food is in these policies often considered as a spearhead for transition towards more sustainable production and consumption in the food sector. Measures such as consumer information and food labelling schemes are established in order to increase consumption of organic food. These policies are in line with a view within the academic discourse were the reflexive, political consumer is seen as a key agent for change. However, in spite of a major political effort to increase organic food consumption in Norway over the past 15 years, consumption has increased marginally. We therefore question this view of the consumer's influence and power to change the relations in – and developments of – the present food system. Based on the results of two consumer surveys carried out in 2000 and 2013, the article discusses the observed changes in perceptions of barriers towards purchase of organic food among Norwegian consumers. We found that organic food was considered more available in the stores in 2013 than in 2000. However, for other factors such as trust in the labelling system and the quality of organic food the perceptions had become more negative. Most important; more consumers saw no benefits from buying organic food in 2013 than in 2000. This means that the political emphasis on the self-regulating consumer has shown little effect. The article concludes that both the political tools and theoretical analyses to a greater extent must be turned away from a primary focus on the consumer towards identifying key economic and political conflicts of interest as important barriers to sustainable food consumption transition.

Chinese consumers’ adoption of a ‘green’ innovation – The case of organic food

Little research has been published on Chinese consumer-citizens' adoption of or willingness to adopt sustainable lifestyle elements. A case in point is organic food – a more sustainable alternative to conventional food. Organic food is a Western invention. However, organic food products are now available in upscale supermarkets in East and South-East China metropolises such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. This paper reports the results of a study investigating what motivates early adopters of organic food in China. The data were collected in Guangzhou by means of a mall-intercept survey. As in Western Europe, the early adoption of organic food in China is positively related to what Schwartz termed ‘universalism values’. Also as in the West, the personal attitude towards buying organic food in China is strongly linked to beliefs about its healthiness, taste, and environmental friendliness. Social norms play a minor role for the intention to buy organic food, probably because the early adopters have few role models and face few expectations in this respect.

Country Differences in Sustainable Consumption: The Case of Organic Food

In a sustainability perspective, consumption research has an unfortunate individualizing bias, which means that macro and structural causes of unsustainable consumption tend to be ignored. Hence, a comprehensive model of determinants of the sustainability of consumption is developed and applied on a specific case: organic food consumption. The analyzed data are published research on why consumer purchase of organic food products differs between countries. As expected, organic food’s share of total food consumption depends heavily on political regulation, including legal definitions and standards, financial support to farmers, and a national labeling system. Other important structural factors are soil conditions, an effective and efficient distribution system, and the size of the premium price demanded for organic food products. Macro factors such as the food culture and the culture’s level of postmaterialism and environmental concern play an additional role. The evidence suggests that, together, macro and structural factors such as these are more, and probably considerably more, important for the sustainability of food consumption than are individual-level attitudinal variables.

The impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer trust: the case of organic food

A critical and notoriously elusive issue in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research is the impact of Corporate Social Performance (CSP) on the bottom line. Instead of looking for direct correlations between social and financial performance, we hypothesize that the first result of CSR activities is the creation of trust among the stakeholders. A survey conducted on consumers of organic products provided support for our hypothesis, showing that CSP influences consumer trust and that that trust in turn influences consumers' subsequent actions. The findings further suggest that intermediate variables between CSP and Corporate Financial Performance (CFP) may best support a business case for CSR.

Green Niches in Sustainable Development: The Case of Organic Food in the United Kingdom

Strategic niche management is a recently developed policy approach which advocates claim, is important in seeding radical transformations in sociotechnical regimes, and transitions to environmentally sustainable regimes in particular. This paper examines a critically important aspect of this approach: the relationship between radically novel sociotechnical practices in niches and the mainstream social–technical regimes they seek to influence. Although the literature notes the significance of this relationship, it does so in a paradoxical way. It is argued that niches are more likely to influence mainstream change when they show a degree of compatibility with the incumbent regime. Yet this compatibility criterion blunts the scope for niches to be radically innovative, thereby undermining the degree of regime transformation being sought. The case of organic food is used to explore this paradox empirically. The history of the organic niche, and its engagement and entanglement with the mainstream food regime, suggests a dialectical relationship between sociotechnical niches and regimes.