Predicting intentions to purchase organic food: the moderating effects of organic food prices

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong-Da Liang

Purpose – Organic food represents the fastest growing sector in the food market, with outstanding performance in both production and sales. However, existing studies on organic food have lacked a strong theoretical foundation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among purchase intention and the properties, certification mechanisms, retail channels, and prices of organic food from multiple theoretical perspectives. Design/methodology/approach – Using a rigorous sampling design, 507 valid questionnaires collected from consumers at four well-known organic food markets, and the hypotheses were tested based on a linear structural equation model. Findings – The results of the structural equation model analysis showed the following: consumer attitudes toward organic food labeling/certification institutions had a positive impact on the trust in food labeling; channel dependence positively influenced the relational embeddedness in a channel; the effect of the nutritional value of organic food on environmental protection also had a positive impact on attitudes toward organic foods; attitudes toward trust in the organic label, relational embeddedness in a channel, and attitudes toward organic foods had a positive impact on consumer purchase intentions; and in relation to low-price scenarios, consumers required more confidence to purchase higher-priced goods, meaning that the relational embeddedness in a channel exerted more influence on purchase intentions. By contrast, compared to the high-price scenarios, consumers tended to choose lower priced goods based on personal preferences, e.g., making the purchase decision based on trust in the organic label and attitudes toward organic food. Originality/value – The contributions of this study include the following: the relationships among the variables were investigated comprehensively from multiple theoretical perspectives; and the results can help the government and the organic food industry to understand their respective responsibilities in promoting organic food to reduce the waste of resources, in which the government can provide basic information on organic food, e.g., a certification mechanism and related definitions, while the organic food industry provides specific knowledge about organic foods, e.g., product features.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gbemi Oladipo Olaore ◽  
Bimbo Onaolapo Adejare ◽  
Ekpenyong Ekpenyong Udofia

Purpose Betting games have become a global industry worth billions of dollars providing employment to millions and contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of several countries. While there are debates and controversies surrounding betting games discourse, a growing body of literature shows that it has been exacerbated by growing unemployment rates. This paper aims to examine the nexus between the increasing involvement of youth in betting games and unemployment from the Nigerian perspective. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts simple random and stratified sampling techniques to select participants for the study. Three hypotheses were tested for this study and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings The three hypotheses tested in this study were coined from previous literature. The study established a direct link between technology advancement, promises of winning big coupled with bonuses while unemployment was not significant to youth involvement in betting games. The study also showed that playing betting games provides another source of income to the youth, who are already engaged in one form of work or another. Finally, youth involvement in betting games has created awareness regarding different sports in the world, while contributing to Nigeria’s economy. Practical implications As betting games centre as a business in Nigeria has contributed substantially and positively to unemployment in Nigeria; the Government of Nigeria are encouraged to streamline and regulate the activities of the sector such that they can contribute significantly to the country GDP and provide employment opportunities to the youths. Originality/value The research shows that the reason why betting games have a massive turnaround of youths in Nigeria is not majorly because of unemployment but as another means to a substantial financial individual/family income. Thus, Nigerian youths see betting games as an avenue to make more money. The study is the first of its kind to examine the nexus between betting games, technology and unemployment hence, its contribution to knowledge.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 682-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waripas Jiumpanyarach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate teenagers’ preferences, attitudes, and purchasing power towards organic foods in markets and to explain influences of teenagers’ choices and purchasing intentions on organic foods. Design/methodology/approach A paper-based and a web-based survey were conducted among 557 teenagers in Thailand. A choice experiment logit model was used to identify factors influencing decision in purchasing. Findings The study found that teen consumers were likely to buy ready-to-cook organic food items instead of conventional food items because of health and food safety concerned under their budget constraints. The willingness to pay found organic food items (eggs, pork, chicken) had negative impact but organic opinion had positive impact. The attitudes on high price of organic food items were positive impact because of production process, quality, and quantity of products. Research limitations/implications Teenagers’ consumption impacted on food demands in supermarkets and convenient stores because of their attitudes and behaviours in purchasing. The desired food characteristics should be good quality, safety for consumers, and available in the market nationwide. The supported policies for expanding organic markets were benefits for organic farmers to be sustainable farming. Originality/value This study examined the impacts of economic conditions and the premium quality healthy food products on teenagers’ food motivation.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alok Tewari ◽  
Smriti Srivastava ◽  
Divya Gangwar ◽  
Vimal Chandra Verma

PurposeThe role of mindfulness in influencing green behaviors has been recognized in literature though it has not been explored sufficiently in the context of organic food. This study makes an attempt to explore the role of mindfulness in influencing young consumers' purchase intention (PI) toward organic food in India.Design/methodology/approachA total of 348 useable responses were collected through an intercept survey at organic food stores using a purposive sampling approach. Data analysis was carried out through structural equation modeling.FindingsMindfulness emerged as a significant predictor of behavioral intention. Further, the specific indirect effects of mindfulness through attitude, perceived behavioral control (PBC), drive for environmental responsibility (DER) and label reference willingness (LRW) were also significant.Originality/valueThis research is one of the initial efforts to link mindfulness with PI for organic food. The results could help the government and marketers tap onto the potential of mindfulness with regard to environment-friendly products and frame appropriate strategies for stimulating the demand for organic food in India


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bahadur Ali Soomro

Purpose At present, nearly the whole globe is facing a severe threat of COVID-19. This study aims to examine the COVID-19 complications and entrepreneurial intention among the entrepreneurs of Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study used a deductive approach. An online survey is conducted to collect cross-sectional data from entrepreneurs of Pakistan. Convenience sampling is applied to target the respondents. In total, 278 usable answers proceed for final analysis. The structural equation model (SEM) is used to infer the results. Findings The findings of the study highlight a significant negative effect of fear of COVID-19 (FO19), perceived susceptibility (PSU) and perceived severity (PSE) on entrepreneurial intention (EI) among the entrepreneurs. Practical implications The study would provide the guidelines for policymakers and planners to combat the barriers of fear, PSU and PSE during a pandemic. The findings of the second wave of COVID-19 may provide a warning to the government to take preventive measures to face the severe effect of the pandemic. Finally, the outcomes of the study may enrich the depth of COVID-19 literature globally. Originality/value This study is the first study highlighting factors such as fear, PSU and PSE toward EI in COVID-19 second wave.


2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsung Hung Lee ◽  
Chung-Jen Fu ◽  
Yin Yuan Chen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between trust factors and buying behavior among consumers in the organic food market in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach The researchers developed a questionnaire using latent variables including the trust factors, utilitarian attitudes, hedonic attitudes, buying behavior and demographic information of consumers of organic foods. Confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modeling were conducted using LISREL 8.80 for Windows. Findings The empirical results indicated that health content, locally produced products, organic food labels and price premiums positively and significantly affected utilitarian and hedonic attitudes. Both utilitarian attitudes and hedonic attitudes positively and significantly affected respondents’ buying behavior. A series of theoretical implications were identified. Practical implications The researchers concluded that providing consumers with practical information related to organic food, establishing local production facilities, developing content, standardizing labeling procedures and promoting a new organic certification system for small-scale producers will encourage more consumers to purchase organic food. Originality/value This study first examines the food trust buying behavior of organic foods and related consumption behavior theory questions. It mainly takes the stimulus–organism–response model as the foundation of its approach. Simultaneously, it also conforms to utilitarian behavior theory, and the process by which consumers become better aware of organic foods’ quality.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pérez ◽  
Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque

Purpose – Based on the principles of the stakeholder management theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore customers’ multidimensional perceptions of both banking companies and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientations of these companies. The paper also explores how these multidimensional perceptions affect customer identification and satisfaction towards banking companies. Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation model is tested using information collected from 1,124 banking service customers. Findings – The findings demonstrate that customers’ perceptions of customer-related CSR and broad legal and ethical issues have significant positive impact on both customer identification and satisfaction with banking companies. Perceptions of shareholder-related CSR also significantly boost customer satisfaction. In contrast, perceptions of employee- and community-related CSR do not have a profound effect on customer identification or satisfaction. These findings also confirm the importance of customer identification with the company as a key mediator in their satisfaction responses to the multidimensional perceptions of the companies’ CSR orientations. Originality/value – The contribution of the paper is based on the exploration of a multidimensional approach, relying on the principles of the stakeholder management theory to study customer responses and perceptions of the CSR orientations of banking companies. Previous scholars have reported mixed findings while exploring customer responses to their perceptions of companies’ CSR orientations. However, they frequently considered customer CSR perceptions either as one-dimensional or a reflective second-order construct, thus ignoring the possibility of multidimensional CSR perceptions having multiple effects on customer responses such as identification and satisfaction.


2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 1066-1081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Ching Teng ◽  
Yu-Mei Wang

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how information revealed on organic food labels and perceived organic knowledge drive consumer trust and attitudes towards organic foods, which in turn together with subjective norm eventually influence subsequent purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach – The questionnaire surveys were administered to customers at four urban large-scale supermarkets and three health food stores at three major cities in Taiwan. In total, 693 valid questionnaires were obtained, yielding a response rate of 81.5 per cent. Findings – Trust, serving as the antecedent of attitudes, significantly mediates the relationships between revealing information, perceived knowledge, and organic purchase intentions. Additionally, both attitudes towards organic foods and subjective norm significantly influence consumer organic food choices. However, the impact of perceived organic knowledge on consumer attitudes has been found to be insignificant, indicating that the increase in perceived knowledge cannot create positive attitudes towards organic foods. Thus, a focus on how to use knowledge to enhance consumer trust in organic foods is suggested as an effective marketing strategy for the organic food industry. Research limitations/implications – The research findings support that trust and attitudes play the mediating roles linking revealed information and perceived knowledge with organic food purchase intentions. This result is consistent with previous studies, indicating that better organic labeling information and related knowledge perceived by consumers have critical effects on consumer trust in organic foods, which in turn will influence their attitudes and intentions to purchase organic foods. However, this study also found that perceived knowledge can generate positive attitudes only when trust can be firmly built. This confirms the essential role of trust in the process of consumer organic buying intentions. Practical implications – First, providing credible labeling information by displaying how organic agricultural products are grown, processed, and handled, and the percentage of organic ingredients in a product is crucial to stimulate consumer trust and positive attitudes. Second, enhancing consumer trust by providing correct knowledge and credible information through diversified channels (e.g. TV, newspapers, magazines, web sites) to improve consumer organic knowledge has become the most important task for the government, organic food sectors, certifiers, and research institutions to develop positive attitudes towards organic foods. Finally, organic food sectors and marketers could use a word-of-mouth strategy and focus on promoting the benefits and accessibility of organic foods to the general public to raise the common acceptance of organic foods. Social implications – Organic labeling has been considered an effective measure to help consumers obtain valid and trustworthy information in the organic food market, particularly for those with limited knowledge. Therefore, the government agencies not only need to take the responsibility to set regulations for organic food/agricultural products, but also need to set labeling requirements for these products. Based on these labeling requirements, the organic certifying agents can certify organic food/agricultural products by offering organic labels that contain clear information and represent quality to consumers. Originality/value – This study incorporates critical factors based on related theories, including the antecedents and the outcome variables of consumer trust, to develop a more comprehensive model for better understanding of consumer organic choice behaviour. The research findings have provided implications and additional contributions to the existing theories as well as developed effective strategies for the development of the organic food market.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adamantios Diamantopoulos ◽  
Ilona Szőcs ◽  
Arnd Florack ◽  
Živa Kolbl ◽  
Martin Egger

PurposeDrawing on the stereotype content model (SCM), the authors investigate the stereotype content transfer (in terms of warmth and competence) from country to brand and the simultaneous impact of these two stereotypes on consumer responses toward brands.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test a structural equation model conceptualizing brand stereotypes as full mediators between country stereotypes and consumer outcomes. In addition, in a moderated mediation analysis, the authors investigate the role of brand typicality and utilitarianism/hedonism in potentially moderating the country to brand stereotype content transfer.FindingsCountry warmth and competence, respectively, impact brand warmth and competence, thus confirming the hypothesized stereotype content transfer. This transfer is found to be robust and not contingent on brands' perceived typicality of their country of origin. However, brands' utilitarian nature amplifies the positive impact of country competence on brand competence. Finally, brand stereotypes fully mediate the impact of country stereotypes on consumers' brand attitudes and behavioral intentions.Originality/valueThe authors provide the first empirical attempt that (1) explicitly differentiates between consumers' stereotypical perceptions of countries and stereotypical perceptions of brands from these countries, (2) empirically examines the transfer of stereotypical dimensions of different targets (i.e. country to brand), (3) explores boundary conditions for such transfer and (4) simultaneously considers the impact of both kinds of stereotypes on managerially relevant consumer outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 662-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurora Martínez-Martínez ◽  
Juan Gabriel Cegarra Navarro ◽  
Alexeis García-Pérez ◽  
Ana Moreno-Ponce

Purpose The dynamics of tourism as both an activity and an industry, combined with the growing concerns about the environment, call for continuous efforts in seeking new approaches, tools and perspectives for the acquisition of environmental knowledge by organisations in the hospitality sector. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationships between environmental knowledge, organisational learning and business performance in the context of the tourism industry. Emphasis is made on understanding the process of updating the environmental knowledge base of an organisation through appropriate learning processes within the business. Design/methodology/approach Using a structural equation model, feedback received from 87 companies from the Spanish hospitality sector in a longitudinal study consisting of two distinct phases in 2008 and 2014 was studied. Findings The results of the analysis indicate that environmental knowledge has a positive impact on business performance. Also, the study found that a review of the levels of awareness about environmental problems across the organisation is required at regular intervals (in this research, six years after the initial analysis). Practical implications The focus on the hospitality sector makes this research relevant for a significant number of hotels and their supply chains around the world. Originality/value The research has addressed the challenges of sustainability and environmental performance from a perspective not previously covered in the extant literature, an approach further improved by the longitudinal nature of this study, performed over a period of six years.


Author(s):  
Danilo de Oliveira Sampaio ◽  
Marlusa Gosling

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons why the Brazilian consumer of organic foods chooses this type of food in the retail sector, considering sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach – This was a descriptive study including an exploratory phase. Regarding the methods of research, two focus groups (FGs) were developed in the qualitative phase, and then structural equation modelling was used by means of a cross-sectional survey in a quantitative design. The sample was non-probabilistic, intentionally non-random, for convenience and accessibility (n=560). Organic food consumers were addressed in different types of food retail: supermarkets, restaurants and specialised retailers. Findings – Only one of 12 hypotheses was not confirmed. The FGs provided important information for the development of the questionnaire used in the survey. The endogenous construct, intent to purchase, showed a correlation coefficient of 41 per cent (R2=41 per cent), indicating that 41 per cent of their variations are explained by the exogenous constructs. It can be considered that one of the academic contributions of this research was to develop a model that will drive how the purchasing behaviour/consumption of organic food in Brazil occurs. Practical implications – Considering the results of the variables of this research, retailers can create advertising campaigns that have an appreciation for the environment and quality of product and availability (logistics) in relation to organic food as the message content, because these variables can motivate the purchase. It is also suggested that the layout of the sales area in the retail premises highlights the organic food on the shelves, and the retailer's job could define the associations to the brands of organic foods, focusing on health and well-being. Originality/value – As in Brazil there is little information on the behaviour of organic food consumers, the creation of a new model will assist entrepreneurs in their strategies and highlights a type of food that meets the principles of sustainability.


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