R. Bruce Hutton

Effects of Cost-Related Feedback on Consumer Knowledge and Consumption Behavior: A Field Experimental Approach

In 1981, the United States and Canada began a series of international field experiments to test the effectiveness of feedback as a way to encourage energy conservation. Current government studies show energy consumption is again on the rise after several years of decline. The research objective was to extend current feedback research by providing information formats and presentation modes that had not been previously tested but did represent realistic public policy and/or marketplace options. Results of the experiment replicated in two U.S. and two Canadian cities provide partial support for feedback as a viable information technology for consumer learning and motivation.

Life Cycle Cost: A New Form of Consumer Information

This paper introduces an intuitively appealing option for consumer policy on the energy crisis. Results of a consumer experiment indicate that life cycle cost can be communicated, and could produce energy-efficient purchases yielding savings of over four billion dollars per year by 1985.

Socially Responsible Investing Growing Issues and New Opportunities

Socially responsible investing (SRI) is the practice of making investment decisions on the basis of both financial and social performance. The SRI movement has grown into a

Expanding Socially Screened Portfolios: An Attribution Analysis of Bond Performance

1.185 trillion business, accounting for about 1 in 10 U.S. invested dollars. Not surprisingly, the industry has suffered severe growing pains along the way in the form of issues of credibility, demand, and performance. And, to date, the product itself has been limited to equity investing. This article explores these critical issues and whether socially screened bonds can perform as well as or better than unscreened bonds. If so, whole new sets of opportunities are open to the social investor bent on making a buck and a difference.

The Value of Incentives in Stimulating Energy Conservation

The concept of socially responsible investing (SRI) is appealing because it provides a link between good “corporate citizens” (Smith [1994]) and the individual citizen who, as an investor, can earn a return and send a message or a vote, and maybe even help influence corporate behavior whde fdfilhng h s or her own personal desire to be socially responsible. The idea of citizenship, either corporate or individual, is multidimensional in character. Carroll’s [1979] four dimensions of social responsibility economic, legal, ethcal, and philanthropic are applicable. The foundation for both is the need to earn a return. Without profits, the firm does not survive and cannot serve society’s needs. Investors who lose money can send no messages, influence no behavior, or support no social change. Both corporations and individuals are expected to obey the law and act ethically in the face of moral dilemmas. And both are expected to contribute to the quality of the communities in whch they live and work. At the nexus of corporate and individual citizenship is SRI. By making investment decisions based on a combination of financial and social performance measures, the individual has the opportunity to promote and reward those companies whose values and behaviors are socially responsible.

New consumers need new brands

In the fall of 1979, the United States Department of Energy implemented the Low Cost/No Cost Energy Conservation Program in six New England states. Results of a consumer experiment show that the use of incentives significantly increased consumer response.

Advertising and the Department of Energy's Campaign for Energy Conservation

Purpose – The value of branding as an effective part of a companys marketing strategy is changing as the needs of the consumer has changed. The purpose of this paper is to identify these changes and to prescribe specific modifications that should be made to the brand and its implementation.Design/methodology/approach – To better understand the evolving consumer a anthropological approach was employed. A variety of recent studies were considered and it was determined that todays consumer has three prominent needs: knowledge, authenticity, and personal experiences. The paper posits that creating positive experiences, via knowledge and authenticity, represents the next evolutionary phase of brand success.Findings – Based on this new perspective on branding, the paper offers the following recommendations to brand managers and CMOs: discern the nature of the relationship customers want with the brand; position brand managers as spiritual leaders; speak to the end‐user through experiences and metaphors; creat...

Socially Responsible Investing and Asset Allocation

Abstract Motivating consumers to conserve energy has proven to be a difficult task in the United States. One tactic that has been used on a limited basis by the Department of Energy is paid advertising. This paper examines the role of conservation within the countrys broader energy problems, delineates several consumer issues that affect the success of government conservation programs, discusses the controversy surrounding the use of paid advertising to promote consumer conservation efforts, and describes those DOE programs that have used paid advertising as an integral component of conservation program strategy.

The Effects of Incentives on Environment-Friendly Behaviors: a Case Study

The returns of portfolios are compared to a traditional investment vehicle using several methods of asset allocation. The strategies are examined in the context of investor regret and it is determined that the investor following these strategies is likely to be quite pleased regardless of the asset allocation method.