Erica van Herpen and Koen Jaegers
Bread waste is one of the largest contributors to the environmental footprint of supermarkets, mostly because of the short shelf life of fresh bread. This study examined a…
Abstract
Purpose
Bread waste is one of the largest contributors to the environmental footprint of supermarkets, mostly because of the short shelf life of fresh bread. This study examined a possible solution: offering frozen bread with a considerably longer shelf life. Professional freezing of bread can preserve its quality better than freezing at home. In introducing frozen bread, supermarkets can communicate either a high construal social benefit (food waste reduction) or a low construal personal benefit (product quality).
Design/methodology/approach
An online experiment (n = 367) with a three group between subjects design was used. Dutch participants saw an offering of frozen bread accompanied by (1) a communication message about food waste, (2) a communication message about product quality, or (3) no communication message (control condition).
Findings
In line with expectations, emphasizing food waste reduction influenced general attitudes toward frozen bread and the bakery department more strongly than the benefit of higher product quality, while the opposite was true for purchase intentions.
Practical implications
Retailers who include frozen bread in their assortment have to make a trade-off between especially stimulating consumer attitudes toward the bakery department by focusing on a food waste reduction message, or especially stimulating sales by focusing on a quality message.
Originality/value
This study provides new insights into the effects of benefit communication on attitudes and purchase intentions. The results show that these effects differ for attitudes and intentions, depending on the communication message.
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Gabriel Jäger Ramos, João Augusto Rossi Borges, Carla Heloisa de Faria Domingues and Erica van Herpen
Overcooking and overbuying are two main causes of food waste in households. Therefore, this study tests whether two interventions, aimed at cooking planning versus purchasing…
Abstract
Purpose
Overcooking and overbuying are two main causes of food waste in households. Therefore, this study tests whether two interventions, aimed at cooking planning versus purchasing planning, can reduce food waste in households by using self-report direct measurements. Because measuring household food waste can impact how much food is wasted, the effects of the mere measurement of household food waste over time were assessed as well.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 80 households was distributed into three groups (control, purchasing planning and cooking planning) and their household food waste was weighed over a period of 166 days. After the first 91 days, behavioral interventions were delivered to purchasing planning and cooking planning groups. Repeated measures ANOVA, linear regression and a two-level mixed model were used for data analysis.
Findings
Results showed that the interventions were not effective in influencing the participants to reduce household food waste beyond the reduction in the control group. However, there is evidence of a mere measurement effect that caused household food waste reduction over time.
Originality/value
This study's experimental period is longer than most of the studies that tested behavioral interventions for household food waste reduction. This enabled the authors to assess the effects of repeated measurement and discover that measurement alone can bring behavioral change.
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Nguyen Quoc Viet, Sander de Leeuw and Erica van Herpen
This paper investigates the impact of sustainability information disclosure on consumers' choice of order-to-delivery lead-time in relation to consumers' sustainability concern.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the impact of sustainability information disclosure on consumers' choice of order-to-delivery lead-time in relation to consumers' sustainability concern.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on two choice experiments with participants from the Netherlands (n = 348) and the United Kingdom (n = 1,387), the impact of sustainability information disclosure was examined in connection with consumers' concerns for environmental and social sustainability. Information on environmental impact (carbon emission) and social impact (warehouse workers and drivers' well-being) was considered and compared.
Findings
Disclosing sustainability impact information significantly increased consumers' preference and choice for longer delivery times, with equivalent effects for environmental and social impact information. Consumers' relevant (environmental or social) sustainability concern as personality traits enhanced effects on preferences, as did priming of environmental concern.
Research limitations/implications
Future research may consider differences between product categories or e-commerce companies' reputation in sustainability activities.
Practical implications
The findings provide opportunities for online retailers to influence consumer choice of delivery time, especially through disclosing environmental and/or social sustainability information.
Originality/value
This study fills a gap in the literature on sustainability information disclosure to actively steer consumer choice of delivery time, particularly regarding the effect of social sustainability impact information in comparison to its environmental counterpart.
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This paper introduces the concept of dysfunctional customer behavior toward a brand and argues that when customers perceive that a brand has failed to fulfill its promises, a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces the concept of dysfunctional customer behavior toward a brand and argues that when customers perceive that a brand has failed to fulfill its promises, a psychological brand contract breach occurs, which in turn leads to a psychological brand contract violation, which evokes dysfunctional customer behavior toward the brand. In addition, this study investigates whether the impact of a breach of this contract is dependent on brand relationship quality, brand apology and restitution.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 conducted the online survey and 224 respondents were used for data analysis and the moderating role of brand relationship quality was examined. Study 2 conducted an experiment with 201 participants to test the moderating role of brand apology and restitution.
Findings
This study found the moderating role of brand relationship quality, brand apology and brand restitution on the relationship between a psychological brand contract breach and dysfunctional customer behavior toward a brand (i.e. brand-negative word-of-mouth, brand retaliation and brand boycott), which is mediated by psychological brand contract violation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of dysfunctional customer behavior toward a brand by integrating the literature on brand management with the organizational literature on psychological contracts between organizations and their employees. Furthermore, this study sheds light on the effectiveness of reparative actions by the firm after occurrence of the psychological brand contract breach.
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Eelis Rytkönen, Suvi Nenonen, Erica Österlund and Inka Kojo
– The purpose of this paper is to characterize development processes of eight novel learning environment projects in one university campus in Finland.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to characterize development processes of eight novel learning environment projects in one university campus in Finland.
Design/methodology/approach
This study builds propositions on case study data in an attempt to characterize the distinguished cases. In total, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted as the primary data collection method. Supporting data includes archives, seminars and workshops. The data were analyzed in ATLAS.ti.
Findings
The cases are unique in their processes constituting socio-technical change. They represent two main process types: agile, iterative bottom-up processes and slow, linear, top-down processes. The essence of each project is in balancing in five dimensions of approach, motivation, budget, type of outcome and added value (AMB to AV) process management model: approach scaling from strategic to operational, motivation scaling from space to activity, budget scaling from fixed to seed money, type of outcome scaling from slow and standardized to quick and dirty and added value scaling from research to societal impact.
Research limitations/implications
The cases are highly context-dependent and only provide a narrow understanding of a previously little studied area. The main contribution is in highlighting the complexity of the studied phenomenon. Future research could further the subject by, i.e. testing the created model in another context.
Practical implications
Transformation from institutionalized learning environments toward campuses facilitating learning flows requires multiple supporting processes. The roles of the campus managers are expanded from measuring, controlling and maintaining the campuses toward identifying, empowering, supporting and enabling user communities to affect their working and learning environments.
Originality/value
Managing campuses top-down based on large amounts of data can be supported by bottom-up approaches. This study outlines a systemic framework for supporting both types of processes.
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While the positive effects of customer citizenship behavior are well established, research on its potential negative consequences is scarce. This study aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
While the positive effects of customer citizenship behavior are well established, research on its potential negative consequences is scarce. This study aims to examine the indirect relationship between customer citizenship and dysfunctional customers via customer moral credits and entitlement, as well as the moderating influence of customer citizenship fatigue.
Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 employed a cross-sectional design with a self-administered survey. The data were collected from 314 customers using an online research panel. In Study 2, the authors manipulated customer citizenship behavior using 203 participants to establish causality and rule out alternative explanations of the findings of Study 1. In Study 3, the authors replicated Study 2 and enhanced internal validity by using a more controlled experimental design using 128 participants.
Findings
This study shows that when customer citizenship fatigue is high, customer citizenship behavior elicits customer moral credit, which leads to customer entitlement and, in turn, promotes dysfunctional customer behavior. Conversely, when customer citizenship fatigue is low, customer citizenship behavior does not generate moral credit or entitlement, preventing dysfunctional customer behavior.
Practical implications
The study shows that promoting customer citizenship behavior does not always lead to positive outcomes. Therefore, when promoting customer citizenship behavior, managers should consider the psychological licensing process and ways to mitigate the influence of moral credits.
Originality/value
This study challenges common wisdom and investigates the dark side of customer citizenship behavior. Specifically, it demonstrates that customer citizenship behavior could backfire (e.g. dysfunctional customer behavior). It also shows that only customers who experience a high level of fatigue from their citizenship behaviors are psychologically licensed to gain moral credit, leading to dysfunctional customer behavior.