Nelson Geovany Carrión Bósquez, Leopoldo Gabriel Arias-Bolzmann and Ana Katherine Martínez Quiroz
This study aims to provide one of the first research works that, using the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), analysed the levels of purchase intention of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide one of the first research works that, using the constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), analysed the levels of purchase intention of organic products.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was quantitative with a correlational scope and a cross-sectional design. The study population consisted of 566 university millennials from Ecuador. The results were processed through the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The subjective attitudes and norms influence intentions to buy organic products. However, price mediated by perceived behavioural control reduces purchase intentions, while product availability does not.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first research works, based on the constructs of the TPB which was carried out to know if the attitudes and subjective norms of Ecuadorian university millennials, are related to their purchase intentions for organic products.
Details
Keywords
Nelson Geovany Carrión Bósquez and Leopoldo Gabriel Arias-Bolzmann
This study aimed to identify whether attitudes and subjective norms influence green purchase intentions of university millennials, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. It also…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to identify whether attitudes and subjective norms influence green purchase intentions of university millennials, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. It also analyzed whether purchase intentions resulted in actual purchases and the factors that influenced green purchasing inconsistencies.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a cross-sectional quantitative study with 710 millennial participants, who were university students of the four most populated cities of Ecuador; however, only 126 (18%) participants were found to frequently consume organic products during the last months. The results were tested by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient to determine the instrument's internal consistency. Subsequently, an exploratory factor analysis was developed to verify if the questions were grouped into their corresponding constructs. Finally, the proposed research model's validity was verified through a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. SPSS 20 and AMOS 24 were used for the abovementioned statistical analyses.
Findings
Attitudes and subjective norms influence green purchase intentions. Although university millennials have high purchase intentions, the majority (82%) did not result in actual purchases. It was determined that consumption habit is the main factor influencing green purchasing inconsistencies.
Originality/value
This is the first study to measure green purchasing inconsistencies in developing countries in South America (Ecuador), exposing that purchase intention is not the best predictor of actual purchases in developing economies. It also provides answers to previous studies that suggested determining levels of inconsistency and attitude-behavior gaps.
Details
Keywords
Giovanni Lucero-Romero and Leopoldo G. Arias-Bolzmann
This study experimentally aims to determine the degree of influence that mindfulness training exerts on learning capacity at the university level and contrasts it with previous…
Abstract
Purpose
This study experimentally aims to determine the degree of influence that mindfulness training exerts on learning capacity at the university level and contrasts it with previous observational or relational studies that have shown contradictory results.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi-experiment was carried out to measure the variation of six academic learning abilities – a) self-efficacy, b) organization of and attention to studies, c) stress control due to time pressure and the environment, d) involvement with college activity, e) emotional satisfaction, and f) class communication – which together comprise the research questionnaire called the college learning effectiveness inventory (CLEI). The CLEI questionnaire was administered before and after the participants were trained in the mindfulness technique. The study was conducted in Ecuador, and the participants were selected from among the graduate students of a local university.
Findings
The learning ability measured by the CLEI was improved by a statistically significant margin in the two groups.
Research limitations/implications
The treatment groups consisted of graduate students who did not have opportunities for full-time activities on campus, as they were limited to attending regular classes at specific times, usually at night. The dropout rate was 14% due to inconveniences caused by the pandemic. These conditions could have affected the study results both positively and negatively. In addition, the pandemic limited academic interactions, which are required to evaluate the learning results after applying the research instrument. This limitation was especially critical for people who had experienced online classes only.
Practical implications
Offering graduate students the opportunity to learn about and adopt a mindfulness practice helps to improve their academic outcomes, as reflected through the statistical measurement of the CLEI indicator.
Social implications
This study is especially relevant within the context of sanitary conditions due to the pandemic and the intensive use of technology for managing academic interactions, both of which have replaced physical contact between participants.
Originality/value
The main contributions of this study are related to the determination of the practical effects of mindfulness training in postgraduate university settings and the identification of the mechanisms involving participants' reflecting upon, learning and understanding the importance of perfecting their soft skills to facilitate their learning processes and face today's uncertain environments.
研究目的
本研究採用實驗方法、來釐定正念認知對在大學水平上的學習能力的影響程度,並對比於以往顯示了相互矛盾的研究結果的觀察性研究或關係研究。
研究設計/方法/理念
研究人員進行準實驗、來量度六個學術學習能力的變化。這六個學習能力為:(一) 自我效能, (二) 學習的組織能力和注意力,(三) 控制因時間壓力和環境因素而產生的壓力, (四) 大學活動的參與,(五) 情緒方面的滿足、及 (六) 課堂之溝通。這六個學習能力合起來就構成本研究的調查問卷,我們稱之為大學學習效能清單。問卷調查工作分別於研究參與者接受正念認知技巧訓練之前及之後進行。本研究是在厄瓜多爾進行的,而參與者則選自當地一間大學的研究生。
研究結果
研究結果顯示、根據大學學習效能清單的測量,有關的兩個組別均顯示明顯數據差額範圍上的學習能力提昇。
實務方面的啟示
若為研究生提供學習正念認知技巧的機會,並讓他們應用這技巧,他們的學習成果將會得到提昇,這正是透過數據上量度有關的大學學習效能清單指標所顯示的現象。
社會方面的啟示
本研究的結果,就現時的衛生狀況而言特具意義。這是由於大流行病的發生,以及在管理學術互動上大量使用應用技術,參與者之間的身體接觸也不需要了。
研究的原創性/價值
本研究的主要貢獻為、研究結果確認了在大學研究院的學習環境裡,正念認知的培訓是有其實用效果的;研究亦找出了參與者應如何有效地反省思考和學習提昇其軟技能的方法,並了解其重要性,以能增強他們的學習能力,以及更能應對今天不明確的環境。
Details
Keywords
Leopoldo Arias‐Bolzmann, Orkun Sak, Andres Musalem, Len Lodish, Rodrigo Báez K. and Luis José De Sousa
In recent years there has been a marked increase in the consumption of bottled wine in the United States. Associated with this phenomenon, there has been a substantial rise in the…
Abstract
In recent years there has been a marked increase in the consumption of bottled wine in the United States. Associated with this phenomenon, there has been a substantial rise in the number of vineyards from foreign countries entering this competitive market. The study examines the factors that influence wine prices. Specifically, the article proposes that the country of origin, the perceived quality and the varietal of the wine have an effect on wine price in favour of countries with greater wine traditions. These premises were tested by means of a multiple regression model estimated using a sample drawn from the North American market. The study concluded that this market recognises differences in country of origin, quality and varietal. Specifically, these factors significantly influence wine prices, with price premiums being awarded to wines of varietal Pinot and to wines produced in France.