MSIN0018: Business Research Methods

According to the retail analytics company Edited, from 2016 to 2020, the word “sustainable” in retail products have quadrupled(Indvik 2020). According to the market research company IRI, 50% of the growth of consumer packaged goods was contributed by “sustainability-marketed products(Whelan and  Kronthal-Sacco,  2019).”  Across   all  industries,  firms  are  adapting  to  become  “green”  and consumers  are  placing  greater  attention  to  sustainable  consumption.  However,  carbon  emissions levels continue to rise(Gore 2020). Even though firms adapted to selection of green products, it all comes down to the “intensity” of resource consumption, not the diversity(Scales, 2014). In addition, unlike the “organic” food label, the word “sustainable” is not regulated by the government and is open  to  interpretation(Indvik  2020).  A  lot  of  consumers  are  buying  products  under  the  guise  of “sustainability.” Examined in extant literature, the ambiguity in the term “sustainable” and product descriptions   have   negatively   influenced   consumer    perceptions   and    behaviours   resulting    in skepticism. This research will study information ambiguity as well as the emotional facet of green consumption behaviour.

Rational appeal, also referred to as “cognitive appeal” or “ rational involvement,” assumes traditional decision-making processing models where consumers would make logical decisions(Albers-Miller and Royne Stafford,  1999).  It’s a straightforward presentation of factual information(Zhang et al. 2014), often conveying the product's benefits and function, such as its quality, value, and performance(Kim et  al.,  2020).  In  contrast,  emotional  appeal,  also  known  as  “affective  appeal”  or  “emotional involvement,” derives  from  the  experiential  aspect  of  consumption,  such as the feelings that are evoked  and  the  connection  towards  a  brand(Albers-Miller  and  Royne  Stafford,  1999;  King,  2016; Zhang et al. 2014),. According to White et al. (2019), positive emotions could act as a driving force, whilst negative emotions could act as an effective motivator.

Previous  literature  examined   rational  and  emotional  frameworks in marketing.  Older literature compared both frameworks finding that informational appeal is more effective than emotional(Aaker and  Norris,  1982), and that factual  information is more credible and persuasive (Holbrook, 1978). Afterwards,  literature  studied  how  emotional  and  rational  frameworks  affect  consumer attitudes. Chaudhuri  and  Buck  (1995)  found  that  electronic media  appeals  emotionally through forming  an emotional  connection,  whilst  printed  media  appeals rationally through  comprehension. Alongside the changing consumer behaviours and technological advancement, Ki m et al. (2020) and Zhang et al. (2014) examined the emotional and rational appeals finding that hedonic values are associated with emotional  appeal,  whilst  utilitarian  values  are  associated with rational  appeal.  As  evidence points to how marketing is more effective when it appeals rationally, it is hypothesized that

H1: The use of rational  appeal is more  effective in green product  marketing  than the use  of emotional appeal.

Ki m et al. (2020) also expressed that due to technology, consumers are currently exposed to various information sources which are tailored to their preferences. As rational appeal is dependent on how the information is framed(White et al., 2019), the way information is presented is essential. Whilst green  marketing  and  labels  help  consumers  select  and  identify  green  products(Scales,  2014), misleading  and vague  information  negatively influences  perceived information credibility reducing consumer purchase intentions(Bae, 2018; Cho and Taylor, 2020;  Holbrook,  1978; Luo et al., 2020); this is contradictory to  Paço and  Reis  (2012) findings.  However, Taber and  Lodge (2006) identified that  prior  attitudes  and  beliefs  affect  how  one  processes  new  information  causing  individuals  to distort  and   reframe  information  to  support   prior   beliefs.  Commonly  exhibited  when  a  smoker continues  to  smoke  despite  knowing  the  negative  health  risks  (Koslow,  2000).  Although  this contradicts  the  rational  appeal  as  consumers  selectively   retain  information  that  supports  their beliefs,  one can argue that this  disconfirmation bias occurs when the evidence is personal and is dependent  on  the  consumer.  Skepticism  easily  becomes  ‘ bias’  when  individuals  unreasonably disregard  information  that  would  prompt  them  to  change,  but  when  consumers  are  motivated, rational  appeal  is  more  effective(Cho  and  Taylor  2020).  As  clear  information  congruent  with consumer’s values rationally appeals to consumer promoting green consumption, it is hypothesized that

H2: The degree of information utility is positively associated with green purchase intentions.

On the other hand, emotional appeal derives from the “ psychological, social, and symbolic feelings that motivate consumers to purchase a product(Zhang et al., 2014).” Zhang et al. (2014) found that when the emotional intensity an individual experiences is high, emotional appeal is more influential encouraging green consumption. Other than the psychological and symbolic sentiments induced in green consumption, the social context also influences the emotional appeal and consumer attitudes. According to Yan et al. (2018), green consumption as part of prosocial behaviour that concentrates on  helping  the  environment.  Social  identities  and  desirability(Cho  and Taylor  2020)  influence  the decision making of green consumption.  Pinto et al. (2016) found that the social context had more impact than consumer purchase intentions. Consumers, who consume sustainably, have an improved “self-image(Nyborg et al. 2006)” and are often perceived green consumers to be more “cooperative, ethical, and altruistic(Yan et al., 2020).” Social norms also influence green consumption (White et al. 2019).  When  behaviours  are  apparent  and  common  practice  amongst  peers  of the  same  group,

others will imitate those actions to conform to social norms. Therefore, it is hypothesized that H3: The degree of social desirability is positively associated with green purchase intentions.

Research Design

Study 1: Online Questionnaire

Hypotheses will be tested  on  a  random  sample  of 150 respondents  through a questionnaire administered on SurveyMonkey(an online survey tool).  Respondents would first  be asked a set of demographic based questions which records their age, gender, and income levels. Then, respondents will  be  presented  a  scenario  where  a  conventional  product(A)  and  its  green  option(B)  is  offered alongside information regarding the product followed by a series of questions that measure their green  consumption   intentions(Cho  and  Taylor,   2020;   Koslow,  2000;  Lunde,  2018).  To  moderate pre-existing  conceptions  and  bias  towards  brands,  product  examples  were  fictional(Zhang  et  al., 2014) and measured variables unknown to respondents(Taber and Lodge, 2006). Each variable has at least  two  item  measures  to  reduce  the  psychometric  limitations  seen  with  single  item  measures (Koenig-Lewis et al., 2014).

Emotional and rational appeal would be determined by the selection of product options, as well as two questions based on Albers-Miller and Royne Stafford (1999) and Ki m et al. (2020) definition of emotional and rational appeal. Moreover, Information utility would be measured by a 7 point Likert scale  adapted  from  Zhang  et  al.  (2014)  perspectives  on  information  seeking  values.  These  items would  measure  if  the  product  description   is  informational  and  fulfills  the   basic   needs  of  the respondent.  Furthermore, social desirability would be measured through an adaptation of Larson’s (2018) social desirability scale. According to Larson, although many social desirability scales used to be dichotomous (true/false questions), Likert scales are better in assessing social desirability. Finally, purchase intention would be adapted from  Koenig-Lewis et al. (2014) measuring the likelihood of purchasing the product or switching to an alternative. However, although these scales are identified in the literature, they don't necessarily measure the true effect of these variables on green purchase intentions.

A  multiple  regression would test the hypotheses and answer research objectives 1 and 2 by examining how emotional  and  rational appeals  influence green consumption and the motivating factors behind it, such as, information utility and social desirability.

Study 2: Interviews

The aim of these interviews is to understand the reasoning behind the questionnaire items and to answer  the  third  research objective to find whether there are other explanations for consumer behaviour.  Respondents who volunteer to  participate in further research would be contacted and recruited for 45 minutes face-to-face interviews. Due to time constraints, 10 in-depth interviews will be  conducted consisting of consumers  that consumer  sustainably and consumers  that  don’t.  An interview guide would be constructed of the following themes: environmental concern, pro-social and    pro-environmental  behaviours, green consumption behaviour and attitudes,   and the decision-making  process  and  motivations  behind  purchasing  green  products  (Koenig-Lewis  et  al., 2014).  Throughout  the  interview,  probes  would  encourage  respondents to feel  comfortable  and clarify the respondent’s ideas through elaboration.  In addition, broad questions would be asked in order to reduce bias whether it is implicit or explicit(YaleUniversity, 2015). The interview audio would be recorded and transcribed followed by a thematic analysis frequently used to identify, analyze, and report patterns in qualitative research(Braun and Clarke, 2006).

Ethical Concerns

To ensure research complies to the accepted ethical standards enforced by the UCL Research Ethics Committee, all participants are fully informed of the purpose of the study, as well as the potential risks  and  benefits.  Participant’s  data  will  remain  anonymous  and  confidential  throughout  the research. For study 2, participants will be informed that the interviews are also recorded and a verbal consent  would  also be  recorded. If participants have  questions,  it will  be answered  after  the interview.  Participants data  used will  be of those  18 or older in consideration of the protection of children.