Khan Md. Raziuddin Taufique

Integrating General Environmental Knowledge and Eco-Label Knowledge in Understanding Ecologically Conscious Consumer Behavior☆

Abstract Global warming and climate change have become emerging issues for marketing to promote ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Past studies investigated the role of general environmental knowledge in attitude-behavior relationship of pro-environmental consumer behavior. Using the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as a guiding framework, this study takes a fresh look at attitude-behavior relationship that integrates both general environmental knowledge and knowledge of eco-labels in the model to investigate their role in predicting ecologically conscious consumer behavior. The study finds that both general environmental knowledge and eco-label knowledge positively influence consumer attitudes towards environment in driving ecologically conscious consumer behavior. The findings suggest that marketing strategy, specifically communication strategy, needs to focus on educating consumers about issue-specific environmental knowledge (e.g., eco-label knowledge) along with general environmental knowledge. Further research should integrate more issue-specific dimensions to investigate pro-environmental consumer behavior.

Online Social Media as a Driver of Buzz Marketing: Who’s Riding?

‘Buzz Marketing’ is an alternative strategy of creating preference and demand among prospective customers. Though given caution, this geometrically progressive marketing strategy offers significant opportunities for firms. The popularity of online social media adds a new dimension of buzz marketing, as these social networking sites accommodate a massive exchange of views among the users. Companies planning to use online social media as a driver of their buzz marketing efforts inevitably face the challenge of acquiring favorable response from a versatile and almost uncontrollable mass of users. Hence, profiling the users of social media is valuable. This paper examines the users of online social media and creates profiles of these “buzz riders.†Qualitative in nature, this study also proposes strategic implications for the different categories of online social media users to elicit positive responses of the buzz marketing efforts of the companies.

The influence of eco-label knowledge and trust on pro-environmental consumer behaviour in an emerging market

Abstract Consumers are increasingly concerned about the negative environmental implications of purchasing goods, which in turn shape their behaviour. Yet, there are indications that consumers do not always act on these concerns, causing an attitude–behaviour gap. For consumers to make ecologically responsible purchases, they need relevant product environmental information. Therefore, marketers and firms are increasingly integrating more detailed environmental information in their offerings, including eco-labels with externally validated information. This study integrates consumers’ knowledge and trust in eco-labels with their environmental knowledge to determine how these affect pro-environmental consumer behaviour (PECB). The findings suggest environmental and eco-label knowledge is positively associated with attitudes towards the environment, and that positive environmental attitudes and trust in eco-labels affect PECB. This implies that firms, policy-makers and accreditation organisations (i.e. labelling) can educate consumers about eco-labels and the environment to increase PECB. Such strategies will also build consumer knowledge and trust in eco-labels, necessary for facilitating PECB.

Measuring Consumers' Environmental Responsibility: A Synthesis of Constructs and Measurement Scale Items

It is universal that central to all production is consumption. Without proper management, production along with consumption is likely to be the main sources of environmental problems. This very reality calls for consumers to be environmentally responsible in their consumption behavior. The objective of this paper is to prepare a synthesis of all the possible factors and measurement scale items to be used for assessing consumers’ environmental responsibility. For making such synthesis, all major works done on the field have been thoroughly reviewed. The paper comes up with a total of six parameters that include knowledge & awareness, attitude, green consumer value, emotional affinity toward nature, willingness to act and environment related past behavior. These tentative, yet inclusive set of parameters are thought to be useful for guiding the designing of large scale future empirical researches for developing a dependable inclusive set of parameters to test consumer’ environmental responsibility. A conceptual model and possible measurement items are proposed for further empirical research.

Do Climate Changes Lead to Income Inequality? Empirical Study on the Farming Community in Malaysia

Changes in climatic factors have different impacts on different social groups. Farmers are considered to be the most vulnerable group because of their direct and indirect dependency on climatic factors. This study aims to understand the nature of socioeconomic impacts of climatic changes on the farmers in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 198 paddy farmers in the Integrated Agricultural Development Area at North-West Selangor of Malaysia in 2009. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ordinal scale, and percentile. The study reveals that climatic changes have adverse impacts on agricultural productivity, profitability, income equality, employment, farmers health, and government subsidy policy. The study also finds considerable unequal income distribution among farmers. The study suggests that climatic changes contribute to the widening of income inequality, because poor farmers are affected more by the adverse effects of climatic changes. The paper ends up with recommending some policy guidelines to counter adverse effects of climate change on income of paddy farmers in Malaysia.

Modelling consumers' environmental responsibility and understanding of eco-labels: A conceptual framework for empirical research in Malaysia

This paper aims to develop and propose an all-inclusive framework for assessing consumers’ environmental responsibility and understanding of eco-labels. One of the preparatory issues regarding green marketing is to understand consumers’ environmental concerns and to take action accordingly. Another operational vehicle for green marketing is the use of eco-labels. Although some studies ‘criticised’ these two vital issues, no study has so far been found to be comprehensive theoretically and methodologically and sound in content. Yet the government of Malaysia and other organisations are undertaking various initiatives in order to ‘green’ the economy. The number of eco-labels is also increasing. Apparently uncovering consumers’ environmental concerns and their understanding and perception of eco-labels are called for. The proposed framework incorporates six constructs for measuring consumers’ environmental responsibility and ten constructs for assessing consumers’ understanding of eco-labels. This study is exploratory in nature in that it relies solely on surveying available published literature.