• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.48-64
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• 2021

Eco-friendly consumption is a prominent trend in the fashion industry, by which many firms attract the interest of consumers using a green marketing strategy. However, "greenwashing" (caused by distorted, exaggerated, and false information) gives rise to consumer confusion. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of consumer confusion and value on price sensitivity and purchase intention. Data was collected from 228 respondents using a questionnaire that was distributed to consumers living in Seoul and Kyunggi, South Korea. The data was analyzed by factor analysis, regression analysis, and Cronbach's alpha using SPSS 23.0. The results were as follows: First, factor analysis showed the consumer value variable was significantly categorized in altruistic and self-expressive values. All variables (altruism, selfexpression, consumer confusion, price sensitivity, and purchase intention) were shown to have significantly good internal validity. Second, altruistic consumer value was shown to positively affect the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion products, but self-expressive consumer value had no significant effect. Third, consumer confusion on eco-friendly fashion products had a negative effect on purchase intention. Fourth, altruistic and self-expressive consumer values had no effect on price sensitivity. Fifth, consumer confusion on eco-friendly fashion products positively affect price sensitivity. Sixth, price sensitivity on eco-friendly fashion products had a negative effect on purchase intention. Therefore, fashion firms should provide a certified green mark to consumers to eliminate confusion and deliver the right message without greenwashing. Moreover, fashion firms should develop green marketing strategies that are more focused on altruistic consumers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.66 no.7
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• pp.17-33
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• 2016

Consumption of faux fur is a part of ethical consumption, and is valuable in terms of protecting and caring for animals. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of consuming faux fur (i.e., characteristics of faux fur consumption and how consumers relate faux fur with ethical issues) from the perspective of consumer culture theory. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with those who have purchased faux fur. Two overarching themes emerged in regards to consuming faux fur, altruistic and egoistic orientation. Regarding the altruistic orientation, participants were sympathetic to animals, and considered consumption as part of practicing social responsibility and ethics. Participants had concerns for animal rights and conflicts with others who consumed actual fur. They viewed faux fur as an alternative to actual fur. Regarding egoistic orientation, participants isolated themselves from ethical issues in order to be free from guilt. Despite the preference for actual fur, they compromised between their desire and social criticism. Furthermore, their intention was to pretend as if they were wearing actual fur or move onto a completely different style, and had a negative outlook on social change regarding the adoption of faux fur. The findings contribute to a better understanding of consumer culture of consuming faux fur. Further research on diverse aspects of ethical consumption is warranted.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.570-583
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• 2020

The fashion industry is accountable for labor and environment-related issues. With such issues raised, consumers' social responsibility for environmental and labor issues has become an important factor that shapes the perception of companies. This study investigates the relationship between consumer values, concerns regarding social issues, and willingness to pay a premium for ethical fashion products. This study included two exogenous variables of altruistic value and egocentric value. In the conceptual model, consumers' social responsibility was conceptualized as two constructs of environmental consciousness and labor-issue consciousness. It was then analyzed as mediating variables. Willingness to pay a premium for ethical fashion products was the endogenous variable. Data was collected and analyzed with PLS-SEM from 600 consumers. The assessment of discriminant validity and construct validity using CFA were conducted before analyzing the model. Structural equation modeling results revealed that altruistic value directly influenced environmental consciousness and labor-issue consciousness. However, egocentric value was directly and significantly influenced only by labor-issue consciousness. Both environmental and labor issue consciousness directly influenced customers' willingness to pay a premium, but did not significantly change their willingness to pay a premium. Two-stage serial mediation analysis results indicated that the constructs did not have a significant mediation effect on the exogenous variables (altruistic value and egocentric value) and the endogenous variable (willingness to pay a premium) for ethical fashion products. This study found the influence of consumer's personal values on their willingness to pay a higher price for ethical fashion products.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.443-458
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• 2022

Generation MZ, a generic term for millennials and members of Generation Z, is an innovation-leading consumer group in the current market. This study aimed to examine the impact of the ethical consumption tendencies of millennials and Generation Z on the purchase intention of social enterprise fashion products. Data were collected from Generation MZ (15-40 years old) by quota sampling based on the demographic variables of gender, age, and region, respectively. Eight hundred responses were analyzed by descriptive statistics, factor analysis, t-test, and regressions using SPSS software. Three value factors (egoistic, altruistic, and biospheric) and three ethical consumption tendency factors (resource saving tendency, eco-friendly tendency, and consciousness of corporate responsibility) were determined by factor analyses. The results confirmed that women, who showed a higher ethical consumption tendency in all three factors, were more altruistic and biospheric than men. Furthermore, women portrayed a more favorable attitude and purchase intention towards fashion products of social enterprises. The results demonstrated that members of Generation Z were more altruistic and biospheric than millennials. Additionally, the attitude, purchase intention, and willingness to pay premium prices were higher in Generation Z members. It was confirmed that higher biospheric values correlated with greater values for the three ethical consumption tendency factors. The altruistic value affected both the resource saving tendency and eco-friendly trend, while the egoistic value had an effect on the resource saving tendency. Both attitude and purchase intention were positively influenced by all three of the ethical consumption tendency factors, and affected the willingness to pay premium prices. This was subsequently influenced by the resource saving tendency and consciousness of corporate responsibility. The results of this study contribute to understanding Generation MZ as a consumer group, and the establishment of marketing strategies for fashion companies.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.31-52
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• 2002

This study classified consumers' behaviors of purchasing gifts, divided groups by the types of similar behaviors, and examined impacts of demographic variables, relevant variables in purchasing processes on those behaviors. Findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, factors explaining consumers' behaviors of purchasing gifts were the tendency of demonstrative purchase, the level of placing values to the meaning of gifts, the level of altruism and rationality in the purchase of gifts, and the tendency of impulsive purchase. On the basis of these five factors, five distinct consumer groups showing similar behaviors of purchasing gifts based on the results of Cluster analysis were identified. Those groups were impulsiveㆍdemonstrative groups, impulsiveㆍnon-sincere groups, indifferent groups, non-impulsiveㆍdemonstrative groups, non-altruistic'ㆍrational groups, sincere groups, and altruisticㆍrational groups. Second, behaviors of purchasing gifts showed significant differences depending on gender, educational levels, occupational types, and women's employment status. Consumers with high education, professional occupation, high income tended to show the demonstrative purchase. Male consumers were not interested in the purchases of gifts and placed high values on the meanings of gifts. In contrast, female consumers showed rational behavior, but revealed the tendency of demonstrative in the purchase of gifts as well. Finally, behaviors of purchasing gifts were also different depending on the method of gathering consumer information, places of purchasing gifts, experiences of ordering paid wrapping gifts and the relevant costs, consumers' evaluations of the purchases of gifts, and degrees of satisfaction after the purchase of gifts. Impulsive'ㆍdemonstrative groups and non-impulsive'ㆍ demonstrative groups preferred departments as places of purchasing gifts and choose ordering paid wrapping gifts but showed dissatisfactions after purchases of gifts. Consumers who belongs to non-altruistic'ㆍrational groups, sincere groups, and altruistic'ㆍ rational groups tended to prefer local stores in their own villages as places of purchasing gifts and did not order paid wrapping gifts while showing high after the purchase of gifts.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.24
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• pp.97-124
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• 2008

This study aimed to explore how the involvement of environment influenced eight subjects group. Thus, experiment was performed to clarify the role that the attitude of university student consumer plays in the communication process depending on the level of engagement of consumer in the environment and method to raise donation for preservation of environment. Analyzing as per the type of appeal, the mark in altruistic appeal type was higher in all variables than egoistic appeal type. Finally, checking the average mark of each variable as per the condition of donation, the value in unconditional donation was higher than in all variables than conditional donation. It was found 3 groups composed of 2 groups with high level of environmental engagement and 1 group with low level of environmental engagement were suitable to double mediation model among the 8 experimental groups. The group where double mediation model best corresponds than any other group was high level related to environment and the group that contacts altruistic appeal and the message in the form of conditional donation. It was also found that the group that has low level of environmental engagement and contacts egoistic appeal type and conditional donation shows the group that corresponds to double mediation model in the second place among the 8 groups. Finally, it was found that the group that has high level of environmental engagement and is stimulated by altruistic appeal and unconditional donation corresponds to double mediation model. Depending on the condition of message stimulation, unconditional donation is found to better correspond to double mediation model than conditional donation. However, opposite phenomena is observed when the level of environmental engagement is high and appeal type is egoistic. Namely, it was found that conditional donation better corresponds to double mediation model than unconditional donation.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.795-805
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• 1997

The purpose of this study is to clearly understand the Korean consumer's socially responsible consumption attitude and disposition behavior through revealing by use Fishbein's Multi-Attributes Model as a conceptual frame, the relationship between the socially responsible clothing consumption attitude factors and disposition behavior pattern, and relations of demographic variables. Data were collected from the adult females residing in Seoul. Judgment Sampling were. performed twice during March of 1996 and total 549 sets of answers were used for final analysis. The result are following. First, by looking at the relationship between intrinsic side of socially responsible consumption attitude and disposition behavior, the attitude shows more economical disposition when consumers are in considerate about preservation of natural resources and clothing consumption and when consumers favor purchasing a second hand product, On the other hand, consumers' behavior shows more altruistic disposition, when they favor recycling and acquisition of second hand clothing and when not favor fashion. The result of analysis of relationship between the socially responsible clothing consumption attitude and demographic variables shows that income, age and education level relates to some intrinsic side of socially responsible clothing consumption attitude. On the other side, the analysis result shows that consumers with relatively lower education normally practice economical dispotion, while consumers with higher education level do altruistic disposition. Also, elder and married consumers tend to do more altruistic disposition.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.149-156
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• 2006

The followings are the findings of a study on university student's clothing disposition behavior depending on their personality and environmental consciousness: 1. University student's personality factors were classified into perceived consumer effectiveness, globalism, alienation, conservatism, and a sense of social responsibility. 2. The personality factors are found to have significant influences on both economic and altruistic disposition behavior. 3. In terms of the economic disposition behavior, people in the groups with high environmental consciousness tend to trade unused clothing with other things rather than to sell them for the benefit of economic gains. With regard to the altruistic disposition behavior, they also tend to give the clothing to their close people, for example family members or relatives, rather than to donate them to churches or charitable organizations.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.33-43
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• 2017

Purpose - Previous studies about corporate image generally explore how corporate image affects a company's effectiveness from the consumer view. However this study attempts to explore the impacts of corporate image (reliability, friendly, corporate social responsibility, and innovation) on employees' altruistic behaviors in the franchise industry context. This study also examine whether organizational trust and affective commitment play a mediating role in the relationship between corporate image and employees' altruistic behaviors. The authors developed several hypotheses to achieve these purposes. Research design, data, and methodology - The data were collected from employees in food-service franchise companies located in Seoul, Korea. Among a total of 363 questionnaires distributed, 294(response rate of 81%) questionnaires were returned. After excluding 18 invalid respondent questionnaires, 276 valid questionnaires(response rate of 76%) were coded and analyzed using frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS 21 and SmartPLS 3.0. Result - The findings of the study are as follows: First, friendly, CSR, and innovation had positive effects on organizational trust, but reliability did not have a significant effect on organizational trust. Second, reliability and friendly of corporate image had positive effects on affective commitment, but CSR and innovation did have a significant effect on affective commitment. Third, organizational trust and affective commitment had positive effects on employees' altruistic behaviors. Conclusions - The aim of this study is to investigate the franchise corporate image as a significant influencing factor of employees' altruistic behaviors. The data were collected from only employees from franchising companies. The findings might vary from position to position. Future studies need to collect and compare data from managers. Future studies need to consider other variables that affect employees' altruistic behaviors. For example, leadership and market orientation might influence employees' attitude and behaviors. Also, future research should include other variables and it may have limitations in sample representative because of sampling franchise corporate in Seoul. Future studies will include franchise corporate all over the country. Future studies can also consider other variables (e.g., job performance and turnover intentions) to measure employee performance at the level of individuals and identify the impact of employee performance on business performance at the level of corporate.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.527-541
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• 2020

Consumers' favorable attitude toward ethical brands, and the rise of ethical consumers, is a recent global trend. Nevertheless, prior studies have emerged that favoring ethical products does not necessarily lead to consumers' purchase. Focusing on this, authors attempted to explore what perceptions of the brand lead to purchase behavior. Three experiments were conducted for this purpose. Results are as follows. First, even in ethical products, consumers choose the product when it is perceived as more ethical. This tendency has been shown for both eco-friendly type and donation type products. Second, when there was no noticeable difference in ethicality, ethical consumers consider brand reputation as an important factor in choice. Third, results remains regardless of consumer individual characteristics (consumer altruism, conspicuousness). Note that, unexpectedly, the underdog effect was not observed among altruistic consumers. Several implications, limitations of research, and suggestions for future research were discussed.