Consumer Personality and Green Buying Intention (1).rtf

J Bus EthicsDOI 10.1007/s10551-013-2024-4

Consumer Personality and Green Buying Intention: The Mediate Roleof Consumer Ethical Beliefs

Long-Chuan Lu Hsiu-Hua Chang

Alan Chang

Received: 2 December 2012 / Accepted: 13 December2013 _ Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

Abstract The primary purpose of this study is to linkthe effects of consumer personality traits(antecedents) on green buying intention(consequences) via the mediating variable ofconsumer ethical beliefs so as to extend the context ofgreen buying intentions with consumer ethicsliteratures. Based on a survey of 545 Taiwaneserespon-dents, consumer personality traits were foundto signifi-cantly affect consumer ethical beliefs. Theresults also indicate that some dimensions ofconsumer ethical beliefs significantly predictconsumer intention to buy green pro-ducts. Generallyspeaking, this study enhances our knowledge ofconsumers ethical decision-making in the context ofgreen consumption behaviors. Theoretical andmanagerial implications, limitations, and futureresearch are also provided.

Keywords Consumer ethics Individualism Attitudes toward business Loyalty proneness Green product

L.-C. Lu (&) H.-H. ChangDepartment of Business Administration, School ofManagement, National Chung Cheng University, 168Univ. Road, San-Hsing, Ming-Hsiung, Chia-Yi 62102,Taiwane-mail: [email protected]

H.-H. Change-mail: [email protected]

A. ChangChina Biotech Corporation, 10 33rd. Road, TaichungIndustrial Park, Taichung, Taiwane-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

Green buying intention and behavior, a subset ofsustain-able consumption, has attracted attention inTaiwan. The concept of green consumerism refers toconsumers who are willing to buy ecologicallyfriendly products whose con-tents and methods ofproduction have a minimal impact on theenvironment (Jaiswal 2012). An increasing number ofTaiwanese consumers have positive ecologicalawareness and voluntarily carry out recyclingpractices as well as purchase environmentallyfriendly products. Tsay (2009) finds that a largenumber of Taiwanese consumers have realized that

their purchasing behavior impacts and causes manyecological problems, and are willing to purchasegreen products to improve environmental quality.Con-sumers are also willing to be activists and punishcompa-nies whose irresponsible behavior has harmfuleffects on the environment, by switching brands, notbuying the companys stock, or other means (Webb etal. 2008). This consumer green movement is thususeful in encouraging profit-driven enterprises toincorporate green concepts into their productionprocesses and marketing operations (Chan and Lau2000). Additionally, the public sector in Taiwan hasbeen carrying out green procurement and has beenpromoting the certificate of Ecolabel for greenproducts in order to take the lead in greenconsumption (http://www. energylabel.org.tw/).Green consumption in Taiwan has thus recentlybecome a form of mainstream consumption culture,which represents an accepted way of reachingcomfort and happiness, satisfying physical needs, andultimately contributing to the construction of onesself and the communication of it to others (Irvine2006). Therefore, examination of consumer greenbuying intentions and behaviors is very important inthe field of marketing research.

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Academicresearchershaveexploredtheantecedentvariablesofgreenbuyingfromdifferentaspects.First,manystudies(e.g.,Laroche etal.2001;Mostafa2007)focusedon

theidentificationofconsumerdemographicssuch asage,gender,andincome.Second,someresearchersexaminehowecologicalfactorsimpactongreenbuyingintentions.Thesefactorsmay

includeenvironmentalknowledge(e.g.,ChanandLau2000;Mostafa2007),environmentalconcern(e.g.,Fujii2006;IversenandRundmo2002;KimandChoi2005;Mainieri etal.1997;Roberts

andBacon1997),andenvironmentalattitude(e.g.,Kim2011;Mainieri etal.1997).Healthrelatedfactorsconstitutethethirdgroupofdrivingforce ingreencon-sumption.Thesefactorsmayincludefoo

dsafetyconcern,healthconsciousness(MichaelidouandHassan2008),andhealthconcern(Yin etal.2010).Forth,somestudiesfocusonpersonalorculturalvaluessuch asegoism,competence(De

Pelsmacker etal.2005),attitudetowardgreenpur-chases(e.g.,Chan2001;ChanandLau2002;MichaelidouandHassan2008),andindividualism/collectivism(e.g.,Gregory etal.2002;KimandChoi

2005).Thefinalcate-gory ismoralperspective,includingmoralconcern(Deanetal.2008),moralattitude(Arvola etal.2008),ethicalmotives(Honkanenetal.2006),ethicalobligation(ShawandShu

i2002),andethicaljudgment(Chanetal.2008).

Consumerethicshasbeenrecognizedasoneoftheantecedentsofgreenbuying.However,theexistentlitera-turesuffersmanydeficiencies.First,alth

oughmanystudiestrytotesthowconsumerethicsaffectsgreenbuyingintention,thesestudiesdonotactuallytestethicalper-ceptionsofconsumersquestionablepractices(i.e.,con-sumerethicalbeliefs).

Forexample,moralattitudefocusesonthepositivefeelingsofdoingtherightthing(Arvolaetal.2008),whileethicalmotives,partofethicalidentity,examineecological,political,andreligiousmotiveswhe

nbuyingorganicfood(Honkanenetal.2006).Purdy(1995)statedthathumanenvironmentinteractionisanethicalissueandshouldbegoverned bymoralprinciples.How-ever,studiesthatempirically

examinetherelationshipbetweenconsumerethicalbeliefsandgreenbuyingareworthinvestigatingandremainrare(Vitell2003).

Second,previousresearch inconsumerethicshasgen-eratedonly

moderateinsightintotheeffectsofpersonalityvaluessuch asattitudetowardbusinessandloyaltyproneness,moreneedstobedone toassesstheserela-tionships(Vitell2003).VitellandMuncy(1992)defi

nedattitudetowardbusiness isthelevelofsatisfactionwithbusiness.Thisattitudedenotesageneralviewpointofoverallbusinessactivitiesinthemarketplace,andisnotlimitedto aspecificstore,brand,

product, orbusinessevent.Whenconsumersaresatisfiedwithoverallbusiness,theybelievethatbusinessfirmsgenerallycareaboutthemanddealfairlywiththem.Consumersfurtherfoll

owthis

attitudetoact(un)ethically.Onlyfewstudies,however,haveempiricallyinvestigatedtheeffectofgeneralbusinessattitudeonconsumerethics(VitellandMuncy1992,2005;Vitell etal.2007).

According to

relationshipmarketingtheory,loyaltypronenessis apredispositionthataconsumerisintrinsi-callyinclined toengageinrelationshipswithsellers(DeWulf etal.2001).Thus,loyaltypronenessisdiff

erentfromconsumerloyalty,whichindicates abehavioraloraffectivebindwith aparticularseller/store.When aconsumerplays apassiveroleandisnotpsychologicallypredisposedtoengagein arela

tionshipwith aseller,thedevelopmentof arelationalbuyer/sellertransactionenvironmentisnotfacilitated(PresseyandMathews2000)regardlessoftheretailerseffort.Thus,consumerswithhig

hloyaltypronenesswouldnotacceptunethicalconsumeractivitiestoinjurethesellersbenefitssincetheyintendtoestablishstableandconsciousrelationshipswith astore oraclerk(Bloemeret

al.2003).Researchintoconsumerloyaltypronenesswithinthecontextofconsumerethics,however,isnotquiteenough.

Third,individualismis asignificantpredictorofgreenbuyingintention

anddeservesmoreattention.Individual-ismis anotableculturaltraitofEastAsianConfuciancultures(Hofstede1997),andislikelytobesignificant inexplainingthedevelopmentandexpressionof

personalmotivesandbehaviorsinthecontextofconsumerethicsandgreenbuyingbehaviors.Hashimotoetal.(2011)arguethatEastAsiansconsiderharmoniousrelationswithothersimportant,becaus

etheyseethemeaningsandsignificanceofthemselvesinrelationshipswithotherpeople.Thus,drawingontheseinsights todevelop aviewofconsumerethicsandgreenconsumptioninanEas

tAsianculturalcontextwouldbevaluable.

Finally,manyrelatedarticlesarenotrootedinorfoundedonwell-knowntheories.Hunt(1991)explicitlystatesthatresearchstudiesshouldberooted

inwell-knowntheories ormodelsinordertobesystematicallyrelatedto abody ofknowledge.HuntandVitells(1986,2006)ethicsmodelisoneofthemostwell-knowntheoryinbusinessethics

(Blodgettetal.2001)andhasbeentestedbymanystudies(e.g.,MayoandMarks1990;Chan etal.2008;Vitell etal.2001).Theirmodelexplicitlystatesthatcultureandpersonalvaluesaretwoimporta

ntpredictorsofcon-sumerethicalbeliefs,whichhave animpactongreenbuyingintention.Thus,HuntandVitellsmodel(1986,2006)allowsustoincorporateindividualism(culturalfactor),attitude

,andloyaltyproneness(personalfactor)astheantecedentsofconsumerethicalbeliefs.Moreover,VitellandMuncys(1992)modelisthemostcomprehen-sive,well-known,andempiricallytest

edoneinthearea ofconsumerethics.Thus, itisnecess

arytoincorporatethesetwomodelsinthestudy.

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Consumer Personality and Green Buying Intention

The purpose ofthis study is toincorporate Huntand Vitell (1986,2006) and Vitelland Muncy (1992)to examine theeffects ofindividualism,attitude towardbusiness andloyalty pronenesson consumerethical beliefs,which, in turn,influenceconsumers greenbuying inten-tion.With our findings,researchers shouldgain theoreticalinsight into theethics/intentionrelationship, whilemar-keters shouldbe able to craftstrategies toincrease con-sumers greenbuying intentions.

Literature Review and Hypotheses

Green Buying Intention

The definition ofgreen marketing orgreen consumerismis a broad andbewildering term,given the vast natureof its forms andmeanings. From anacademicperspective, whetherthe area of inquiryrefers to greenmarketing,environmentalmarketing,ecologicalmarketing, orsustainable market-ing, Kotler (2000)

used the termsocietal marketingcon-cept to coversocial andecologicalresponsibilities. Allof these conceptsdescribe the trendtoward using newmanu-facturing andmarketingtechniques to reduceharmful effects tothe environment. Inaddition, the conceptof green con-sumerism orsustainableconsumption refersto consumers whoare willing to buyecological friendlyproducts whosecontents andmethods ofproduction have aminimal impact onthe environment(Jaiswal 2012).Recycling, buyingorganic food,purchasing productsmade of recycledmate-rials, andconsideringenvironmentalfactors in marketingpractices (such asproduct and packagedesign, greenadvertising, andmarketingstrategies) are allassociated with theactivities of greenconsumerism. Thus,green buyingbehaviors preservenatural resources,protect the environ-ment, and areconsidered to be atype of ethicalconsumer behaviors(Papaoikonomou etal. 2011). Wepropose a model(Fig. 1) to examine

the effects ofindividualism andper-sonality onconsumer ethicalbeliefs, which inturn impact greenbuying intention.

The HuntVitell Model and Consumer Ethics

Of the three ethicaldecision makingmodels (i.e., Ferrelland Gresham 1985;Hunt and Vitell1986, 2006;Trevino 1986),Hunt and Vitellsethics model(hereafter termedHuntVitellmodel: or HVmodel) proposes aposi-tive theory todescribe theprocess by whichconsumers maketheir ethicaldecisions. It hasbeen widelyadopted as ageneral theoreticalframework ofconsumer ethicaldeci-sion making(Blodgett et al.2001; Chan et al.2008; Singh et al.2007). Kavak et al.(2009, p. 115)indicates that theHV model is theonly one that caneasily be applied toconsumers ethicalbehavior. The HV model suggeststhat an individualconsumer willtrigger the wholerea-soning processwhen s/herecognizes anethical dilemma.When an ethicaldilemma isperceived,consumers willapply both adeontological andteleologicalevaluation to maketheir ethicaljudgments. Finally,ethical judgment

results inintentions, whichleads to actions.

The HV modelalso suggests that anindividual ethicalperception isinfluenced bycultural,professional,industrial,organizational, andpersonal factors. Ofthese factors, pro-fessional, industrial,and organizationalfactors are job-related and/orspecialty-relatedmoral issues, whilecultural and per-sonal factors arerelevant toindividual consumeractivities. Thus,cultural andpersonalcharacteristics arehypothesized tosignificantlyinfluence consumerethical beliefs anddecision making atthe individual level(Vitell 2003). Thepersonalcharacteristicsinclude the factorsof moral

development, suchas materialism(Rawwas et al.2005; Van Kenhoveet al. 2001),Machiavellianism(Rawwas 2001;Rawwas et al.2005), moralphilosophies (Kavaket al. 2009; Lu andLu 2010), self-control (Vitell et al.2009), self-monitoring (Kavaket al. 2009), attitudetoward business(Vitell et al. 2007)and loyaltyproneness. Thedemographic traits,such as age, gen-der,religion, andeducation (Batemanand Valentine 2010;Lu and Lu 2010)also belong topersonalcharacteristics. Ofthese personalfactors, attitudetoward business andloyalty prone-nessare important butseldom discussed inthe consumer ethicsliterature.Additionally,cultural effectssuggest that the

Culturalfactor H3

H2Individualism

H1Consumerethicalbeliefs Greenbuyingintention

Personalfactor

Attitudetowardbusiness H4

H5Loyaltyproneness

Fig. 1 The research model

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primarycultureandsub-culturemightinfluenceconsumerschoicesin asituationinvolvingmoralissues.Individualism/collectivism,oneofthemostsignificantculturaldimensions(Hofstede199

7),hasbeenviewed asabasisforcontrastingdifferences attheindividuallevelandstronglyinfluencesconsumerethicalbeliefsanddecisionmaking(ChiouandPan2007;Luetal.2013).

Consume

rethicalbeliefsareethicalattitudestowardquestionableconsumerpractices.Mitchell etal.(2009)arguethatallactionsthatcancauseorganizationsorcon-sumerstolosemoneyorreputationas aresult of

directorindirectconsumerbehaviorsareunethical.Theconsumerethicsscale(CES)wasfirstintroducedbyMuncyandVitell(1992)andVitellandMuncy(1992)toexamineconsumerethicalbeliefs.They

developed afourdimensionscale todeterminehowconsumersperceivedparticularquestionablebehaviorsasethicallyrightorwrong.Thescaleincludesfourdimensions:(1)Active:benefitsincurredfromacti

velyengaging inperceivedillegalactivities.Thisdimensionrelatestoconsumersbenefitingbydeliberatelyperformingillegalpractices,such asdrinking acanofsoda inastorewithoutpayingforit(Vitell

etal.1991);(2)Passive:benefitsincurredfrompassivelyengaging inques-tionableactivities.Examplesincludelyingabout achildsagetogetalowerprice orremainingsilentwhenreceivingtoomuch

change(VitellandMuncy1992);(3)Questionable:benefitsincurredfromactivelyengaging inquestionable ordeceptiveactivitiesthatareperceived aslegal.Stretchingthetruth onanincometaxreturn isanactivitybelongi

ngtothisdimension(Vitelletal.1991);and(4)NoHarm:behaviorsperceived asinvolvingnoharm/nofoulactivities.Thisdimensionisdefinedasbehaviorsthatarenotconsidereddirectlyharmful bymos

tconsumers.Thesebehaviorsmightincluderecording analbuminsteadofbuyingitandinstallingsoftware onacomputerwithoutbuyingit(Vitelletal.1991).

VitellandMuncy(2005)furthermodifythe

CESscalebyaddingtwonewdimensionsandmodifyingtheNoHarmdimension(Vitelletal.2007).Thenewdimension,recy-clingawarenessactivities(Recycling),considersenviron-mentallyfrie

ndlypracticessuch asPurchasingsomethingmadeofrecycledmaterialseventhoughit ismoreexpen-sive(VitellandMuncy2005).Doinggood(DoGood)dimension,theothernewone,acc

ountsforconsumersperforminggood orrightbehaviors.Examplesincludecorrectingamiscalculatedbillintheirfavororpayingforanitemthatthecashiermistakenlyfailedtochargefor(Vitelland

Muncy2005).

According toFishbeinandAjzen(1975),individualsbeliefsaffectattitudestowardtheirbehaviorsandsubjectivenorms,whichinturninfluencebehavioralintention.HuntandVitell(1986,200

6)extendtheFishbeinandAjzenmodelandarguethatthere isarelationshipbetweenethicalbeliefs

andmoraljudgmentandintention.Singhapakdi etal.(2000)empiricallyfindthatethicalbeliefspositivelyinfluencesethicalintention.Therefore,thelinkagebetweenconsumerethicalbeliefsandgreenbuyingintentio

n isevident.That is,consumerswithhighethicalbeliefsaremorelikelytobuygreenproductsthanthosewithlowethicalbeliefs.Basedontheforegoingdiscussion,wepropose:

H1Consumerethicalbeliefs

aresignificantlypositivepredictorsoftheintention topurchasegreenproducts.

Individualism/Collectivism

AccordingtoHofstede(1997),culturaldimensionsincludepowerdistance,individualism/collectivism,

uncertaintyavoidance,masculinity,andlong-termorientation.Ofthesedimensions,individualism/collectivismpossessesmorestrengththanotherdimensionsinexplainingconsumerethicalbeliefs(Husted

andAllen2008).ErezandEarley(1993)arguethatindividualismisespeciallyrelevant toquestionsofconsumerethics.Thus,theindividualism/collectivismdimensionistheculturaldimensionofinterestfor

thecurrentstudy.

IndividualistsocietiesemphasizeanIconsciousnesspertainingtoautonomy,emotionalindependence,individ-ualinitiative,theright toprivacy,thesearchofpleasure,financialsecurit

y,theneedforspecificfriendship,anduniversalism(Hofstede1984).Inindividualistcultures,individualstend toplacegreaterimportanceonachievinggoalsthanonmaintainingharmoniousrela

tionships(Osy-ermanetal.2002).Individualistpeoplearemorelikelytobegoal-orientedandtend tocravebothachievementandsuccess(Gouveiaetal.2003).It isameasureoftherela

tiveimportancethatsocietalmembersplaceupontheirownviewsandwelfare.Individualismthus isdefinedastherelationshipbetweenanindividualandagrouptowhichthatpersonbelongs(Ho

fstede1997).Individualiststend tohave ahighneedforachievementandvalueindividualrightswith aminimumofinterference.Incontrast toindividualists,whoplacegreatimportanceuponthe

m-selves,collectivistsfocusonthegreatergood oftheirextendedfamilyororganization(HustedandAllen2008).Collectivistsocieties,ontheotherhand,stress aweconsciousness,includingcoll

ectiveidentity,emotionaldependence,groupsolidarity,sharing,dutiesandobliga-tions,theneedforstableandpredeterminedfriendships,groupdecision-making,andparticularism(Kimet

al.1994;Sivadas etal.2008).Incollectivistcultures,peoplearemorelikelytosacrificegoalachievementforthesake ofgoodrelationshipswithothers(Triandis1995).Collectiv-istsvaluereci

procationoffavors,asenseofbelonging,

andrespectfortradition(Schwartz1992).

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The effect ofculture on ethicaldecision making isevident (Blodgett etal. 2001). Haidt etal. (1993) haveshown that thedomain of moralityis culturallydependent. That is,whether consumerpractices areconsidered ethicalvaries from cultureto culture. Chiouand Pan (2007, p.499) empiricallyindicate theexistence of theeffect of collec-tivism on ethicalbeliefs. They arguethat collectivisticconsumers aremore likely totreat the sellers aspart of their in-groups and,therefore, are morelikely to refrainfrom questionableconsumptionbehaviors. Theirfindings areconsistent withprevious literature.For example, Osy-erman et al. (2002)explicitly state thatindividualism/col-lectivism stronglyinfluencesconsumer attitudesand decisionmaking. Wood etal. (1988) find thatindividual-ismstrongly influencesthe moral reasoningof consumers.Cohen et al. (1996)also report a strongand significanteffect of Hofstedesindividualism onethical beliefs.Thus, the effects of

individualism onconsumer ethicalbeliefs aresupported by aconsiderableamount of evidence(Smith and Hume2005). Based onthe previousfindings, wehypothesize:

H2a Consumerswith highindividualism areless likely toconsiderquestionableconsumer practices(i.e., Active,Passive, Question,and NoHarmdimensions) asethically wrongthan theircollectivistcounterparts.

H2b Consumerswith highindividualism areless likely toconsider goodconsumer practices(i.e., Recycling andDoGooddimensions) asethically acceptablethan theircollectivistcounterparts.

Trianids (1993)and McCarty andShrum (1994; 2001)indicate thatindividualism tendsto be less friendly tothe environmentthan collectivism.Individualistsengage in voluntaryassociations; theyplace greatimportance upontheir personalbenefits, which isconsistent with theirper-ceivingthemselves as

distinct individuals(Husted and Allen2008). They alsotend to have a highneed forachievement andvalue individualrights with aminimum ofinterference(Schwartz 1992).This type ofindividualism is notconducive toenvironmentalfriendliness becausesocial,environmental, andanimal welfare arenot the firstconsideration forthem. Laroche et al.(2001) suggest thatan individualist haveless motivation toengage in proen-vironmentalbehaviors than acollectivists.Similarly, Kim andChoi (2005) suggestthat collectivismsignificantlyinfluences greenbuying behaviorsbecause collectivistpeople valuecooperation,helpfulness, andconsideration of thegoals of the grouprelative to theindividual. Thus,individualistconsumers tend tobuy fewer greenproducts thancollectivistconsumers. Basedon the previous dis-cussion, wehypothesize:

H3 Individualismdirectly andnegatively relatesto green buyingintention.

Attitudes Toward Business

Attitudes towardbusiness haveregularly been usedto describe publicand individualimpressions of bothbusi-nesses ingeneral andspecific businessfirms (Anderson etal. 1979). Becausemarketingexchanges areinteractive, thequality of servicesor goods providedby specificbusinessescontributes to thegeneral shoppingexperience andtoward developingindividual attitudestoward busi-ness. Apositive attitudetoward businessdenotes a favor-able viewpoint ofbusiness activitiesand product qualityin general.Additionally, Vitelland Muncy (1992)devise a multi-dimensional scaleof attitudinalcharacteristics withattitude towardbusiness as one ofthe attitudinaldimen-sions.Consumers willhave a positiveattitude towardbusiness if they aresatisfied withbusiness andbelieve thatbusinessesgenerally careabout consumers

and deal fairly withthem. (Vitell andMuncy 1992). Forexample, con-sumers with apositive attitude aremore likely tobelieve that mostproducts aredurable and aremore likely to besatisfied with theproducts they buythan those whohave a less positive(more negative)attitude. They alsobelieve that thebusinesscommunity canhelp to raise livingstan-dards. Thus,the personal trait ofattitude towardbusiness in thisstudy is viewed asa general attitudetoward overallbusiness activitiesin the market placeand is not limitedto a specific store,brand or business.

According toVitell and Muncy(2005), consumeratti-tudes towardbusiness are relatedto their ethicalbeliefs regardingconsumer situations.If consumers believethat firms truly andfairly care aboutconsumers rights,they would considerquestionableconsumer practicesthat might damagesellers to beunacceptable orwrong (Vitell et al.

2007). Vitell et al.(2006) show thatconsumers with amore favorableattitude towardbusiness tend to beless tolerant ofpassively benefitingbehaviors (Passivedimension) (Chan etal. 1998). Lu and Lu(2010) find thatconsumer attitudestoward business arenegativelycorrelated withactively benefitingfrom illegalactivities (Activedimen-sion) anddeceptive legalpractices (Questiondimension). Theseresults imply thatconsumers with anegative attitudetoward businesstend to be tolerant ofactively benefitingbehaviors, whetherillegal orquestionable. Forexample, consumerswith a negativeattitude towardbusiness may bemore likely to givemisleading priceinformation to aclerk for an unpriceditem than thoseconsumers with apositive attitudetoward business.Thus, attitudetoward businessimpacts consumerethical beliefs (Vitelland Muncy 1992).Based on thesefindings, wehypothesize:

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H4aConsumerswith apositiveattitudetowardbusinessaremorelikelytoconsiderquestionableconsumerprac-tices(i.e.,Active,Passive,Question,andNoHarmdimen-sions)asethi

callywrongthanconsumerswith anegativeattitudetowardbusiness.

H4bConsumerswith apositiveattitudetowardbusinessaremorelikelytoconsidergoodconsumerpractices(i.e.,

RecyclingandDoGooddimensions) asethicallyacceptablethanconsumerswith amorenegativeattitudetowardbusiness.

LoyaltyProneness

Loyaltypronenessisthetendencyforacustomer

tocon-sciouslyengagein arelationshipwith aretaileror astore.Customerswithhighloyaltypronenesshave afavorableattitudetowardaparticularstoreandexhibitaffectivecommitment,which

isnecessaryfortruecustomerloyaltytooccur(VanKenhoveetal.2003).Additionally,loyaltypronenessissomewhatdifferentfromso-calledstoreloyalty.Theformerismoreaffection

orientedthanbehaviororiented,whilethelatterismorerootedinbehavioralinertiaorconvenience(DickandBasu1994).Storeloyaltymaycontainbothaffectiveandbehavioraloutcomes

,whereasloyaltypronenessmaynotnecessarilyresultinbehavioralloyalty.Thepersonaltraitofloyaltypronenessinthisstudyisclose toOdekerken-Schroderetal.s(2003)consumerrelation

shipproneness,whichisdefinedasthetendencyforaconsumertodevelopandmaintain arelativelystablerelationshipwith aparticularretailer.

Loyaltypronenessusuallyleadsto aconsumer

saffec-tivecommitment.Whenconsumersaffectivecommitmentishigh,theyhavethedesiretocontinuetheirrelationshipbecauseofpositiveaffecttowardsthepartner(Kumaret

al.1995,p.351).SteenhautandVanKenhove(2005,p.347)suggestthathighlyaffectivelycommittedcon-sumersaremotivatedtoshop inaparticularstorebecausetheywantto,asoppose

d tocalculativelycommittedcus-tomerswhoengagein abuyersellerrelationshipbecausetheyneedto.Thus,whenthebindingfactorsareremoved,calculativecommitmentbecomes afalse

loyalty. Inthiscase,affectivecommitmentismorepowerfulinexplainingtrueconsumerbehaviorthancalculativecommitment.

MorganandHunt(1994)hypothesizethatcommitmentleads tocoo

perationandgreaterprofitability.Vitell(2003)suggeststhatstorecommitmentmayplayaroleindeter-miningconsumersunethicalbehaviors.SteenhautandVanKenhove(2005)alsofindthatalesscommittedcust

omer ismorelikelytopassivelyacceptaquestionablebehavior(i.e.,receivingtoomuchchangewithoutreportingit).If aconsumerhasageneralpredispositiontogood

relationships,he/shewillbemorelikelytointeractwiththeretailer(Christy etal.1996)andbemorepronetoform afriendlyrelationshipwiththatretailer(FernandesandProenca2008).Such acon

sumermaypossessamorepositiveattitudetowardaparticularretailer,shopmore inthatstore,be amemberofthestoresclub,andactin afairwaywhenshopping.Thus,consumerswithhig

hloyaltypronenessaremoreconsciouslyorientatedtoestablishethicalrelationships(DickandBasu1994;Ode-kerken-Schroderetal.2003).Basedonthediscussionandfindings,wehypothesiz

e:

H5aConsumerswithhighloyaltypronenessaremorelikelytoconsiderquestionableconsumerpractices(i.e.,Active,Passive,Question,andNoHarmdimensions) asethicallywrongthantho

sewithlowloyaltyproneness.

H5bConsumerswithhighloyaltypronenessaremorelikelytoconsidergoodconsumerpractices(i.e.,RecyclingandDoGooddimensions) asethicallyacceptable

thanthosewithlowloyaltyproneness.

Methodology

Measures

Inordertoinsurecontentvalidity,thescalesforconstructsused inthisstudyweredevelopedbasedonathoroughliteratur

ereview.First,weuseameasurementscaleforindividualismoriginallydevelopedbyHofstede(1984,1997)andrefinedbyLuetal.(1999)andBlodgett etal.(2001).Ahighscoredenotesahigh

individualismpro-pensity.Second,weusethescaleforattitudetowardbusinessdevelopedbyRichins(1983)andrefinedbyVitellandMuncy(2005).Consumersattitudetowardbusinessimproveswit

hstrongerrespondentagreementwitheachitem.AsampleitemisMostcompaniesareconcernedabouttheircustomers.Third,themeasurementitemsforloyaltypronenessaretak

enfromconsumerrelationshipproneness(Odekerken-Schroderetal.2003)andrelation-shipcommitment(SteenhautandVanKenhove2005).Thehigherthescore,thehigheracustomerconscio

uslyenga-gesin arelationshipwith astore.Fourth,intention topurchasegreenproducts ismeasuredusingascalebasedonKimandChois(2005)greenbuyingbehavior.Ahighscoreindicate

s ahightendencyforaconsumertobuygreenproducts.Finally,theconstructofconsumerethicalbeliefsismeasuredusingthesixdimensionsoftheCES,developedbyMuncyandVitell(1992)

andrefinedbyVitellandMuncy(2005)andVitell etal.(2007).Thelowerthescoreobtainedfromeachquestionableacti

vityregardingthedimensionsofActive,Passive,Deceptive,andNoHarm,themorestronglytheconsumersfeelthe

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questionableactivity is lessethical, while ahigh score on theDoGood andRecyclingdimensionsindicates respon-dents consider suchpracticesacceptable andethical.

Except forcertain items whichrespondents will beinstructed to ratewhether theyperceivequestionable con-sumer practices asethically wrong(1) or not wrong(5) on a five-pointscale, all itemswere measuredwith a 5-pointLikert type scale,ranging from 1 =strongly disagreeto 5 = stronglyagree.Additionally, theinstrument was firstpre-tested on 250students who studyin the EMBAprogram of anational universityin Taiwan to fine-tune the items ofeach construct usedin the formalsurvey. Allmeasures weretranslated intoChinese by a nativespeaker of Chinesewho is also fluentin English. Thetranslation wasthen reviewed,revised and backtranslated by bothscholars andordinary consumersto insure theauthenticity of thetranslation.

Data Collection and Sample

The questionnairewas delivered byhand to pedestriansnear variousshopping malls,ports, and trainstations in Taiwanto obtain a broadsample of thepopulation. Inter-viewees wereselected to contactevery Nth passingcon-sumer, withn selectedrandomly by theinterviewer. About553 questionnaireswere collected.After excludinginvalid samples, atotal of 545questionnaireswere retained foranalysis. As shownin Table 1,respondents werepri-marily female(54.5 %), aged 2039 years old (56.7%), with abachelors degreeor highereducational level(48.3 %).

Table 1 Sample characteristics

Item

GenderMaleFemale

AgeUnder 192029303940495059Over 60

Highest Education Level obtainedJunior high school diploma or less

Senior high school 149 27.3Some college 111 20.4Bachelors degree 184 33.8Masters degree or doctorate degree 79 14.5

Current occupationPublic servants 43 7.9Commerce 194 35.6Industry 85 15.6Farming/fishing 13 2.4Household 39 7.2Students 108 19.8Others 63 11.6

Reliability and Validity Analysis

Results

Since the studyexamines therelationships amongcon-sumerpersonality,consumer ethics andgreen buyingintention, weconduct aconfirmatory factoranalysis (CFA) toestablish uni-dimensionality foreach factor and thenuse structuralequation modeling(SEM) to test themodel. Harris andGoode (2004, p.147) indicate thatstructural equationmodels overcomethe limitations ofbivariate analysesthrough thesimultaneousanalysis of all thecomplexrelationshipsbetween theconstructs.Similarly, Hair et al.(2010, p. 641)explicitly states thatSEM is mostappropriate whenthe research has

multiple con-structs,each represented byseveral measuredvariables, and.allows for all oftherelationship/equations to be estimatedsimultaneously.Thus, CFA and SEMare suit-able for thestudy and type Ierror inflation isunder control.

After removingseveral items withlow scores of item-to-total correlationto improve theconsistency andstability of eachconstructs, themodel-fit indices ofCFA were asses-sed to determinethe models overallgoodness of fit, asshown in Table 1.All values ofmodel-fit indices(v2 (620) =1184.62, CFI =0.98, NFI = 0.96,NNFI = 0.98, RFI= 0.96, GFI = 0.90,RMSEA = 0.041)exceed theirrespectiveacceptance levelssuggested byprevious research(Joreskog andSorbom 1992).Thus, the modelappears to have afairly good fit withthe data collected.

Table 2 showsthat the compositereliabilities of eachconstruct confirmthe rule that thevalue must exceed0.7 (Nunnally andBernstein 1994).The authorsconsiderconvergent validityby examining theaverage varianceextracted (AVE),factor loading, andgoodness-of-fitindexes in the CFA.In this study, allconstructs AVEvalues are abovethe recommended0.50 level and allof the items in themeasurementmodel have factorloadings exceeding0.62 and arepositivelysignificant (p \0.05). These aresignificant andappropriate for thisstudy

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L.-C. Lu et al.

Table 2 Reliability, AVE, and discriminant validity

Individualism Attitude toward Loyalty Active Passive Question NoHarm Recycling DoGood Greenbusiness proneness Buying

Individualism 0.60 0.19 0.10 0.37 0.37 0.17 0.24 0.06 0.09 0.03Attitude toward -0.44 0.54 0.06 0.53 0.38 0.18 0.13 0.03 0.12 0.03

businessLoyalty -0.32 0.25 0.79 0.08 0.18 0.16 0.06 0.07 0.00 0.03

pronenessActive 0.61 -0.73 -0.28 0.60 0.58 0.27 0.19 0.10 0.25 0.06Passive 0.61 -0.62 -0.43 0.76 0.61 0.32 0.28 0.09 0.08 0.05Question 0.41 -0.42 -0.40 0.52 0.57 0.62 0.25 0.02 0.01 0.04NoHarm 0.49 -0.36 -0.24 0.44 0.53 0.50 0.55 0.04 0.05 0.03Recycling -0.24 0.16 0.26 -0.31 -0.30 -0.14 -0.21 0.44 0.14 0.24DoGood -0.30 0.34 0.02 -0.50 -0.29 -0.10 -0.22 0.37 0.52 0.09Green buying -0.16 0.15 0.18 -0.25 -0.23 -0.20 -0.17 0.49 0.30 0.66Composite 0.85 0.82 0.94 0.86 0.86 0.83 0.83 0.76 0.81 0.85

reliabilityv2 (620) = 1184.62, CFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.96, NNFI = 0.98, RFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.041

Diagonal elements show the AVE

Off-diagonal elements of the lower half of the matrix show the correlations. All correlations are significant at 0.05 level Off-diagonal elements of the upper half of the matrix show the shared variance

(Bagozzi and Yi 1988). All indices of model fit exceed 0.9,achieving acceptable levels (Anderson and Gerbing 1988).In addition, the authors found that all shared variancesbetween factors were lower than the value of AVE, assuggested by Fornell and Larcker (1981) for acceptablediscriminant validity (Table 2). Therefore, the measure-ment model of this study appears to possess adequatereliability and validity.

Hypotheses Testing

This study tests its hypotheses using SEM. Findings aredisplayed in Table 3. The goodness model-fit indices ofstructure model were v2 (637) = 1424.15, CFI = 0.98, NFI= 0.96, NNFI = 0.97, RFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.88, and RMSEA= 0.048. First, the study indicates that the vari-able ofconsumer ethics influences consumer intention to buygreen products. Although the dimensions of Active (b =-0.00, n.s.), Passive (b = -0.02, n.s.), and NoHarm (b =0.01, n.s.) are not significant, the effects of Question (b =-0.13, t value = -2.31), Recycling (b = 0.43, t value = 7.60),and DoGood (b = 0.18, t value = 3.46) on the construct ofgreen buying intention are significant, partially supportingH1.

The construct of individualism is a significant predictorof the dimensions of Active (c = 0.37, t value = 8.46),Passive (c = 0.38, t value = 8.44), Question (c = 0.23, tvalue = 4.44), NoHarm (c = 0.41, t value = 7.37),

Recycling (c = -0.16, t value = -2.70), and DoGood(c = -0.23, t value = -4.08). However, individualismdoes not directly influence consumer green buying inten-tion (c = 0.07, n.s.). H2a and H2b are thus fully supported,but H3 is not supported.

Attitude toward business significantly effects the ethicalvalues of Active (c = -0.61, t value = -12.69), Passive (c =-0.46, t value = -9.91), Question (c = -0.30, t value =-5.74), NoHarm (c = -0.21, t value = -3.92), and DoGood(c = 0.32, t value = 5.64), but not Recycling (c = 0.09,n.s.). These support H4a and partially support H4b.Moreover, the effects of loyalty proneness on Passive (c =-0.19, t value = -5.04), Question (c = -0.25, t value =-5.36), Recycling (c = 0.19, t value = 3.61), and DoGood(c = 0.14, t value = 2.80) are significant. However, loyaltyproneness does not significantly affect Active (c = -0.01,n.s.) and NoHarm (c = -0.06, n.s.). Thus, H5a is partiallysupported and H5b is fully supported.

Finally, Table 4 summarizes the direct, indirect, andtotal effect of the constructs in the model on green buyingintention. Individualism, despite showing a weaker directeffect on green buying intention than Question, Recyclingand DoGood dimension, exhibits a significantly strongtotal effect on consumers green buying intention. The con-structs of attitude toward business and loyalty pronenessalso have significantly indirect and total effects on greenbuying intention.

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Table3Results of theproposedmodel

* t value is significant atp \ 0.05when the tvalue exceeds 1.96v2 (637) = 1424.15,

CFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.96, NNFI = 0.97, RFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.88, RMSEA = 0.048

Hypothesis Causal path Standardized t value Conclusionstructuralcoefficient

H1 Active ? Green buying 0.00 0.03 Partial supportedPassive ? Green buying -0.02 -0.03Question ? Green buying -0.13 -2.31*NoHarm ? Green buying -0.01 -0.21Recycling ? Green buying 0.43 7.60*DoGood ? Green buying 0.18 3.46*

H2a Individualism ? Active 0.37 8.46* SupportedIndividualism ? Passive 0.38 8.44*Individualism ? Question 0.23 4.44*Individualism ? NoHarm 0.41 7.37*

H2b Individualism ? Recycling -0.16 -2.70* SupportedIndividualism ? DoGood -0.23 -4.08*

H3 Individualism ? Green buying 0.07 0.91 Not supportedH4a Attitude toward business ? Active -0.61 -12.69* Supported

Attitude toward business ? Passive -0.46 -9.91*Attitude toward business ? Question -0.30 -5.74*Attitude toward business ? NoHarm -0.21 -3.92*

H4b Attitude toward business ? Recycling 0.09 1.53 Partial supportedAttitude toward business ? DoGood 0.32 5.64*

H5a Loyalty proneness ? Active -0.01 -0.18 Partial supportedLoyalty proneness ? Passive -0.19 -5.04*Loyalty proneness ? Question -0.25 5.36*Loyalty proneness ? NoHarm -0.06 1.40

H5b Loyalty proneness ? Recycling 0.19 3.61* supportedLoyalty proneness ? DoGood 0.14 2.80*

Table 4 Direct, indirect, and total effects of determinantson green buying intention

Predictor

IndividualismAttitude toward

businessLoyalty pronenessActivePassiveQuestionNoHarmRecyclingDoGood

All nonz

ero effects are significant a

t p \ 0.05 n.s. non-significant effect

Conclusions

Based on a surveyof 545 Taiwaneseconsumers, the dataprovides supportfor our proposedresearch model andfor many of ourhypotheses. Weelucidate the effectof indi-vidualism,attitude towardbusiness andloyalty pronenesson each dimensionof ethical beliefs,which in turn influ-ences consumerbuying intentiontoward greenproducts.

First, greenbuying intention isdependent onconsumer ethicalbeliefs aboutQuestion, Recyclingand DoGoodactivities. Onesuggestion is thatwhen environmentalawareness isconsidered adimension ofconsumer ethicalbeliefs (Vitell andMuncy 2005),consumers with highethical awarenessdemonstrate arelatively consistentintention to buygreen products(DSouza et al.2007). Thus, ifpeople are morelikely to considerquestionable butlegal activitiesunethical andperceive recyclingand doing goodpractices as ethicallyacceptable, they aremore willing to buygreen products.However, the

findings of this

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L.-C. Lu et al.

studydemonstratethattheethicaldimensionsofActive,Passive,andNoHarmarenotsignificantlyrelatedtogreenbuyingintention. Itappearsthatindividualsconsiderthebenefits ofactive,passive, orno-har

mconsumerbehaviorstobeindependentofgreenbuyingintentions.

Second,wefindthatTaiwaneseconsumerswith astrongerindividualismorientationtendtoseebenefitingfromquestionablepractice

s asethicallyacceptable,more sothanthosewith alowerindividualismorientation.Inindividualistcultures,individualstendtoplacegreaterimportanceonachievingtasksthanonmaintaininghar-monious

relationships(Osyermanetal.2002).It isrea-sonabletoassumethatindividualismwouldbemorelikelytotolerateunethicalactivitiesintheActive,Passion,Question,andNoharmdimensioniftheyheavily

empha-sizepersonalbenefitsandaresensitive tosituationsinwhichtheirbenefitsarethreatened.Additionally,thisstudyalsoshowsthatindividualistsarelessacceptingofthegoodpracticescontained intheRecycli

ngandDoGooddimen-sions.This isprobablybecausethiskind ofconsumersdoesnotdesiretoserveandsacrificeforthein-group(TriandisandSingeles1998)anddoesnotplacethebenefitto

thein-groupaheadoftheirowngoals(Singelis etal.1995).Thus,individualism,whichhasagreatertolerance ofdeviationsfromgroupnormsthancollectivism,stronglyinfluencesconsumersmoralreas

oning,beliefs,andethicaldecision-makingprocesses(HustedandAllen2008).

Third,theconstructofattitudetowardbusinessinflu-encesalmostalldimensionsofconsumerethicalbeliefs,partiallycon

sistentwiththefindings ofVitell etal.(2007).Thestrongertheconsumerspositiveattitudestowardbusinesses,themoretheyavoidengaginginthemorallyquestionablepracticescontainedintheAct

ive,Passive,Question,andNoHarmdimensions,andthelikeliertheyaretoacceptactivitiesintheDoGooddimension.Ifcon-sumersgenerallyconsiderthatmostfirmsarekind totheircustomers

andtheyaresatisfiedwithproductstheybuy,theyholdhighlypositiveattitudestowardbusiness ingeneralandthusrefrainfromunethicalbeliefs.However,wefoundthatattitudetowardbusines

sdoesnotaffecttheRecyclingdimension,afindingconsistentwithpreviousstudies(LuandLu2010).Consumerethicalbeliefsregardingrecyclingappeartobedriventraits orbeliefsnotrelatedtoattitude

towardbusiness.

Forth,loyaltypronenessapparentlyplays afarmoreimportantroleinconsumerdeterminationofwhetheractivitiesareunethical.Consumerswithstrongerloyaltypronenessaremor

elikelytoconsiderPassiveandQuestionactivitiesnotacceptable orunethicalthanthosewhohavelessloyaltyproneness.TheseresultsareconsistentwiththoseofSteenhautandVanKenhove(20

05),whichindi-catethatmorecommittedcustomersarelesslikelyto

acceptunethicalbehavior.Moreover,loyaltypronenessalsodirectlyaffectstheRecyclingandDoGooddimension.That issomewhatsimilartotheideasofFernandesandProenca(2008),whocontendedthat

relationship-proneconsumersmaybemorereceptiveto asellerseffortstoform arelationship(Odekerken-Schroderetal.2003)andreciprocatefriendlyactions(DeWulf etal.2001)aswell aswill

desiretobuildlong-termrelationshipswithsellers.However,theactivitiesofActiveandNoHarmdimensionsareindependentfrom aconsumerstendencytobuild astableandlong-termrelation

shipwith aparticularseller.Onepossibleexplanation isthatrespondentsmayseeactivelybenefitingfromillegalactivitiesascriminalbehaviorswhethertheyhavehigh orlowloyaltypronen

ess.Inaddition,consumersappeartofeelthatnoharm/nofoulactivitiesarenotharmful toothers,makingloyaltypronenessirrelevant.

Finally,thoughwefindnodirecteffectofindividualismongre

enbuyingintention,individualismisfoundtohave anindirectandsignificantinfluenceongreenbuyingintentionviathedimensionofconsumerethics.Thesefindingsareinconsistentwiththose

ofpreviousstudies.Forexample,Laroche etal.(2001)findthatindividualistcon-sumersarelesslikelytopayahigherprice tobuyenvi-ronmentalfriendlyproductsthantheircollectivistcou

nterparts.Theseresultsimplythatindividualismpre-sentstangiblecuesthatcanbeused todecreaseconsumerethicalperceptions,whichinturnaffectsconsumerbuyingintentionregardinggreenpro

ducts.Inaddition,althoughthepersonalitytraits ofattitudetowardbusinessandloyaltypronenesstheoreticallyhavenodirectrelationship togreenbuyingintention, itisinterestingthatasignificant

indirectandtotaleffectarefoundbetweentheseconstructsinthisstudy.Thetotaleffectsofattitudetowardbusinessandloyaltypronenessongreenbuyingintentionare0.15and0.10,respectively.

Weboldlyproposethatthepersonalitytraits ofattitudetowardbusinessandloyaltypronenesscouldindirectlyinfluenceconsumerbuyingintentionregardinggreenproductsthroughspecificcognitive

con-cepts,such asethicalbeliefs.Basedonthesefindings,theculturalfactor(individualism)andthesetwopersonalfactors(attitudetowardbusinessandloyaltyproneness)couldencourageconsumers to

bemoreethical,increasingtheprobabilitythattheywillconsiderbuyinggreenpro-ductswhentheymakepurchasedecisions.Consumerethicsthuswouldbeaneffectivelyandstrongmediator

betweenpersonalityandgreenbuyingintention.

TheoreticalApplication

Inprevio

usresearch,examination ofindividualtraitsandattitudesinfluenceconsumerethicalbeliefsorbehavioris

123


limited. This studyexplores a rarely-examined trait,loyalty proneness,to evaluate how itstimulates ethicalconsumer behaviorthrough therelationshipbetween thecustomer and thestore itself. Withinthe context ofrelationshipmarketing, theeffects of loyaltyproneness orconsumerrelationshipproneness onrelationshipoutcomes such asconsumer trust,commitment,satisfaction, andloyalty are widelyexplored. However,the concept ofloyalty prone-nessis an effectiveconstruct forexamining thevalue thatconsumersthemselves assignto the relationshipwith the sellers.This studysfindings report asignificantassociationbetween thepersonality trait ofloyalty pronenessand ethical beliefs.Thus, loyaltyproneness shouldbe tested as acritical antecedentto consumer ethicalbeliefs in furtherresearch.

Although thepersonalities ofindividualism andattitude towardbusiness have been

examined in thecontext ofconsumer ethicalbeliefs, the resultshave been mixedand limited towestern countries.Base on thisstudys model, weshow thatTaiwaneseconsumer ethicaljudgment isaffected by bothindividualism andattitude towardbusi-ness. Thisstudys researchshows strongpotential for use inassessing EastAsian cultures.Finally, this studyfills a gap in theliterature byinvestigating themediating effectbetweenpersonality andgreen buyingintention. Mostprior studies focuson what kinds ofconstructsinfluence con-sumer beliefs aboutethical practices.However, studieson theconsequences ofconsumer ethics arelacking. Vitell(2003) argues thatexploration of thelink between con-sumer ethics andintentions wouldlikely be fruitful.Thus, this studyfirst includes theconstruct ofconsumer greenbuying intention asa consequencevariable and thenexamines theantecedents andconsequences of

consumer ethicalbeliefssimultaneously.Using a sample ofTai-wanese, ourmodel shows thatconsumer ethicalbeliefs play a vitalmediating rolebetweenpersonality andgreen buyingintention. Moreresearch isnecessary toconfirm thisresearch model inother countries.

Implications for Practice

The results of thisstudy havemanagerialrelevance. A betterunderstanding of thelinkage betweenconsumer ethics andpersonal traits canimprove customerrelationshipmanage-mentpractices. First, thepersonalcharacteristics ofindi-vidualism,attitude towardbusiness, and loyaltyproneness appear toinfluence consumerethical beliefs.Marketers shouldaddress these traitsin strategyformulation. Forexample, ifbusinesses knowwhich consumersare prone to engagein relationships withretailers and havepositive attitudestoward business,they can tailormarketing efforts tomatch theexpectations ofthese consumers.

Consumer ethicsalso play as asignificantmediating rolebetweenpersonality andgreen buyingintention. If con-sumers realize thattheir ethical beliefscause ecologicalproblems, they willbecome moreenvironmentallyresponsible, in turninfluencing theirpurchase behaviors.Therefore,improvingconsumersenvironmentalawareness orethical beliefs isuseful inencouraging thewillingness to buygreen products.Firms mustconsider how tomotivateconsumers to buygreen in ways thatwill reach the sell-ers marketinggoals.

Limitations and Further Suggestion

First, this studydid not find asignificantrelationshipbetween attitudetoward businessand the ethicaldimension ofrecyclingawarenessactivities. Loyaltyproneness also didnot affect consumerethical beliefstoward active butillegal and no

harm/no foulpractices. That is tosay the selectedvariables onlypartially explainedthe variance ofconsumer ethics,and thus furtherstudies shouldexamine additionalvariables. Forexample, traitssuch as age,gen-der,religion, socialaffiliation, orsocialrecognitionshould beexamined inthe context ofconsumerethical beliefs.In addition, thedimensions ofconsumer ethicalscale do not stronglypredict green buyingintention in thefindings of thisstudy. Furtherresearch isnecessary toinvestigate othermediating ormoderatingvariables to improvethe explan-atorypower of theresearch model.Finally,although thisstudy firstexamined themediating role ofconsumer ethicswithin thecontext ofconsumerintentionstoward greenproducts, thesample waslimited to

Taiwan. Basedon the variety ofpersonal traitsand ethicalbeliefs acrosscultures, furtherresearch shouldexpand thisresearch modelto other EastAsian countriesto improve itspower to explainthe effects ofconsumer ethicson green buying.

Acknowledgments Theauthors would like tothank the two anon-ymous reviewers fortheir valuablecomments. ProfessorGregory Rose,Associate Dean ofMilgard School ofBusiness, University ofWashington, is verymuch appreciated forproviding valuablecon-tribution towardproof-reading this

article and editorialassistance.

Appendix: The Measurement Items

Green Buying Intention

1. I make aspecial effortto buy paperand plasticproducts thatare made fromrecycledmaterials

2. I haveswitchedproducts forecologicalreasons

3. When I have achoicebetween twoequal products,I purchase theone lessharmful toother peopleand theenvironment

123

L.-C. Lu et al.

ConsumerEthicsActively Benefiting from Illegal Activities

1. Givingmisleadingpriceinformationto aclerkforanunpriceditem

2. UsingtheSIMcardthatdoesnotbelongtoyou

3. Drinkingacanofsoda ina

storewithoutpayingforit

4. Reportingalostitemasstolentoaninsurancecompanyinordertocollecttheinsurancemoney

Passively Benefiting Activities

1. Lyingabout achildsagetogetalowerprice

2. Notsayi

nganythingwhenthewaiterorwaitressmiscalculates abillinyourfavor

3. Gettingtoomuchchangeandnotsayinganything

4. Observingsomeoneshopliftingandignoring it

Actively Benefiting from Deceptive Activities

1. Usi

nganexpiredcouponformerchandise

2. Usingacouponformerchandiseyoudidnotbuy

3. Stretchingthetruthonanincometaxreturn

No Harm/No Foul Activities

1. Installingsoftwareonyourcomputerwithout

buyingit

2. BurningaCDratherthanbuyingit

3. Returningmerchandiseafterbuyingitandnotlikingit

4. Downloadingmusicfromtheinternetinsteadofbuyingit

Recycling Awareness Activities

1. Buyingproducts

labeledasenvironmentallyfriendlyeven iftheydontwork aswellascompetinggoods

2. Purchasingsomethingmadeofrecycledmaterialseventhoughit ismoreexpensive

3. Buyingonlyfromcompaniesthathave astrongrecord

ofprotectingenvironment

4. Recyclingmaterialssuch ascans,bottles,newspapers,etc.

Doing Good Activities

1. Returningtothestoreandpayingforanitemthatthecashiermistakenlydidnotchargeyoufor

2. Correctingabillthathasbee

nmiscalculatedinyourfavor

3. Givingalargerthanexpectedtipto awaiterorwaitress

4. Notpurchasingproductfromcompaniesthatyoubelievedonstreattheiremployeesfairly

Individualism

1. It isimportantformethatI

haveconsiderablefreedomtoadoptmyownapproachtothejob

2. It isbettertowork inagroupthanalone(Itdenotesareverseitem)

3. Groupsmakebetterdecisionsthanindividuals(Itdenotesareverseitem)

4. Iprefertoberes

ponsibleformyowndecisions

Attitude Toward Business

1. Mostcompaniesareconcernedabouttheircustomers

2. Ingeneral, Iamsatisfiedwithmost oftheproducts Ibuy

3. Whatmostproductsclaimtodoandwhattheyactuallydoaretwodiff

erentthings

4. Thebusinesscommunityhashelpedraiseourcoun-trysstandard ofliving

LoyaltyProneness

1. Generally, Iamsomeonewholikes tobe aregularcustomerof agreenproductstore

2. Generally, Iamsomeonewhowa

ntstobe asteadycustomerofthesamegreenproductstore

3. Generally, Iamsomeonewhoiswillingtogotheextramiletopurchaseatthesamegreenproductstore

4. Even ifthegreenproductstore ismoredifficult toreach,I

wouldstillkeepbuyingthere

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