Federico Nassivera, Stefania Troiano, Francesco Marangon, Sandro Sillani and Iskra Markova Nencheva
Consumers seem to be increasingly concerned about the environmental and social consequences of their purchases. For this reason, companies are involved in corporate social…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers seem to be increasingly concerned about the environmental and social consequences of their purchases. For this reason, companies are involved in corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies for their supply chain to responsibly manage the consumption of the environmental resources and to support sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the Italian organic apparel consumer by investigating the importance of consumers’ attitudes towards CSR in agricultural products processing industries and their willingness to pay (WTP) for organic cotton clothing.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire data were gathered in Italy on a Likert scale. Questions focussed on WTP for organic cotton, with the aim to test consumer responsiveness to a CSR initiative in Italy. A structural equation model is proposed to shed some light into this relatively unexplored area.
Findings
One of the direct implications of the authors’ study is that companies in apparel industry should try to improve their social and environmental performance to elicit the desired consumer responses.
Originality/value
This implies important managerial implications for new marketing strategies. If consumers’ perception of CSR practices drives their behavioural intention, firms will be motivated to be involved and to invest in socially responsible practices.
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Alberto Bertossi and Francesco Marangon
Changing the present behavior of individuals toward a more sustainable lifestyle is a complex task requiring a well-established strategy and institutional commitment. The purpose…
Abstract
Purpose
Changing the present behavior of individuals toward a more sustainable lifestyle is a complex task requiring a well-established strategy and institutional commitment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the strategic steps, as proposed by Steg and Vlek (2009), that has been mostly focused on by higher education institutions (HEIs) in the past decade (2010–2020) to foster pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of students.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted following the approach given by Denyer and Tranfield (2009). Subsequently, the results of 147 articles from 22 journals were discussed using the seven-element system proposed by Lozano et al. (2013).
Findings
In the past decade, HEIs have increased their efforts to improve their understanding of the determinants of PEB of students and methods to foster PEB. However, the results indicated that the classification was similar to previous studies, with HEIs focused mainly on assessing students in terms of personal factors (assessment and reporting category), understanding the relationships among psychological determinants and their influence on student behavior (research category) and planning educational interventions (education category).
Originality/value
This is the first study that reviewed the role of HEIs in fostering PEBs of students using the approach proposed by Lozano et al. (2013) as a theoretical framework and the strategy proposed by Steg and Vlek (2009) as a guideline.
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Alberto Bertossi, Laura Rizzi, Stefania Troiano and Francesco Marangon
This study investigates the variables that play a role in the purchase intention of a hot beverage at a vending machine (1) served in a 100% recyclable plastic single-use cup, (2…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the variables that play a role in the purchase intention of a hot beverage at a vending machine (1) served in a 100% recyclable plastic single-use cup, (2) served in a biodegradable paper single-use cup and (3) served in personal, reusable cups brought by customers. The variables considered are perceived environmental benefits (PEBs), perceived contamination risk (PCR), social norms (SNs), value for money (VM), gender and age. The secondary objective is to investigate respondents’ perceptions of these cups using the first four variables and to assess the existence of significant differences among them.
Design/methodology/approach
For the first purpose, three separate logistic regression models on purchase intention were created, considering PEBs, PCR, SNs, VM, gender and age as independent variables. For the second purpose, the analysis relied on Friedman’s nonparametric test. The entire survey was conducted in Italy on a sample of 1,006 consumers.
Findings
SNs and VM are the variables with the greatest influence on final purchase intention. PEBs seem to have an effect only in the case of the plastic and paper single-use cups, while PCR only in the case of the reusable cup. Neither gender nor age seem to play a significant role in final purchase intention. Friedman’s test revealed significant differences among the three cup types in terms of perceptions, but not in the case of the PCR variable.
Originality/value
The study is the first to compare new single-use cups with reusable cups from vending machines in terms of consumers’ perceptions and preferences.
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Alberto Bertossi, Stefania Troiano and Francesco Marangon
This study aims to gain a first explorative view on what intrinsic/extrinsic attributes a generic cup for hot beverage should possess to be perceived as eco-friendly, and how some…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to gain a first explorative view on what intrinsic/extrinsic attributes a generic cup for hot beverage should possess to be perceived as eco-friendly, and how some attributes of a hot beverage could influence consumers’ purchase decision and willingness to pay (WTP) for that beverage dispensed by vending machines (VMs).
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire was developed in 2021 and sent to all students of an Italian university campus. For the first goal, students were asked to assign a score to some eco-friendly intrinsic/extrinsic attributes using a five-point Likert scale. For the second aim, a choice experiment with six scenarios was developed.
Findings
Both intrinsic and extrinsic attributes play a key role in shaping students’ opinions and preferences. Results indicate that students are attracted by the idea of a cup that communicates its environmental properties through corresponding labels and information, and it is made by materials that guarantee biodegradability, recyclability or reusability.
Originality/value
The research represents the first academic attempt to provide a first consumers’ viewpoint on the importance of eco-friendly attributes of cups for hot beverages able to influence consumers’ perceptions and consumption choices of hot beverages dispensed by VMs.
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Federico Nassivera, Gianluigi Gallenti, Stefania Troiano, Francesco Marangon, Marta Cosmina, Paolo Bogoni, Barbara Campisi and Matteo Carzedda
This paper aims to investigate the wine consumption among young people belonging to the so-called millennial generation
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the wine consumption among young people belonging to the so-called millennial generation
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a questionnaire and a choice experiment (CE) with a multinomial logit model (MNL), implementing a random parameter logit model (RPL), to investigate the attitudes of millennials towards wine consumption, their purchasing behaviours and their willingness to pay for attributes of the products; in particular regarding the follwing: region of origin, “winescape”, certification, carbon footprint claim and price.
Findings
Millennials appear to drink wine less frequently; they consume it more often in social on-premise settings, having a slightly higher willingness to pay and preferring carbon-neutral brands when choosing wine.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of this research was the analysis of a simulated situation where consumers declared their intention to purchase and not the effective purchase behaviour in the market.Further research should investigate wider millennials groups, also using the new media communication tools that characterise the communication behaviour of Generation Y. In this way, it would be possible to interview a millennial group at the national or international level.
Practical implications
The research identifies some characteristics of millennials’ habits that can take into account the strategies of wine companies in order to develop a constructive relationship with Generation Y in Italy.
Social implications
This research contributes to knowledge regarding the wine consumption habits of Italian millennials.
Originality/value
This paper applies discrete choice models to consumption situations in order to analyse millennials' preference and their willingness to pay for some innovative attributes of wine, in particular the carbon footprint.
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Chiara Seghieri, Leonardo Casini and Francesco Torrisi
The principal aim of this article is to examine attitudes of Italian consumers in relation to wine, identifying specific types of wine buyers.
Abstract
Purpose
The principal aim of this article is to examine attitudes of Italian consumers in relation to wine, identifying specific types of wine buyers.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 442 Italian wine consumers has been surveyed and three measurement instruments have been developed for grouping the observations by means of multivariate statistical analysis. The study then investigates both the consumer and product characteristics that significantly differentiate between the derived clusters of buyers and finally provides an external validity check.
Findings
Although the study is exploratory in nature, there is evidence that four wine‐related consumer segments exist in our sample. These segments are habitual wine buyers, rational buyers, interested consumers, and professionals of promotions.
Originality/value
For wine marketers, the results of this research clearly support the need for a targeted approach to their consumer market. The study identifies the principal consequences of the results in order to provide both retailers and producers some useful marketing suggestions.