Differences in Eco-Friendly Attitudes and Behaviors among Consumers in the United States Across an Array of Demographics

A sample of 938 consumers residing in the United States responded, by invitation, to an online survey on anti-consumption attitudes and behaviors. Drawing from one aspect of that survey, the primary focus of this study is sustainability. The relationship between four of the measured sustainability-related variables and five commonly examined demographics was evaluated using a t-test, ANOVA, and the Scheffé Method of Multiple Comparisons. Age was the most common variable to be associated with attitudes and behavior regarding sustainability. The most common dependent variable to be associated with the five demographic variables was the frequency in which the respondent chose to engage in a personal boycott. Other meaningful results were documented and are discussed. This discussion includes pertinent information regarding a marketer’s efforts to enact green initiatives that focus on sustainability

An Exploratory Investigation of Green Behaviors and Attitudes towards Green Marketing Initiatives

A sample of 205 university students provided input regarding an array of 32 issues germane to both green marketing and green consumption. A diverse array of behaviors and opinions were articulated. Respondents reported a high propensity to engage in recycling, donating used goods, and purchasing products with a longer life expectancy. They favored environmentally-friendly actions such as focusing on cleaner and more efficient energy alternatives. There was a strong belief that individuals can make a difference. A comparison of business and nonbusiness students documented significant differences on two of the 32 issues under investigation with nonbusiness students expressing greater concern for the purchase of used items as well as the belief that the misbehavior of corporations renders individual behavior ineffective. Gender produced dramatically different results with statistically significant differences between men and women documented for 17 of the 32 issues. Women were far more concerned and more likely to engage in environmentally-friendly behavior. An investigation focusing on the three age groups documented only four issues where there was a significant difference with the oldest segment the most concerned in each case. A proposed typology allowed respondents to place themselves in the category that they deemed to best fit themselves. Fully 66.2 percent of the respondents placed themselves in the middle category – eco-aware. Only 1.5 percent felt they were eco-destroyers, and a modest 3.4 percent declared themselves to be eco-warriors. Differences across the five segments were documented

Sports Marketing Field Trips: Student Expectations, Perceived Benefits, and Proactivity

A sample of 191 sports marketing students responded to a survey that focused on issues germane to attending sports marketing field trips. The results indicate that there is an understanding that these types of events are important to those seeking a career in the sports marketing industry. This study examines expectations on the part of two segments: students who attended at least one event and students who attended none of the five field trips scheduled for the 2016-17 academic year. The results indicate that the primary reason students did not attend is a scheduling conflict. It also delineates the benefits that the attendees feel they received while also identifying the singular most important benefit (gaining new insight). Students who attended also indicated in which of several proactive behaviors they engaged during and after the event. It concludes with an assessment of their own decision to either attend or to not take advantage of the field trip opportunities presented by their sports marketing professors

Factors Impacting One’s Self-Classification into One of the Five Categories of a Typology Delineating Green (and not so Green) Consumers

A sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided insight into an array of issues germane to sustainability. Upon completing a 65-question survey on sustainability, each respondent placed themselves in an eco-group that they felt best corresponded to their own behavior and attitudes towards the task of keeping the planet green for ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, for our posterity. The five groups ranged from the eco-destroyer to the eco-warrior. Within the survey, each respondent provided their opinions regarding seven multi-item scales that primarily addressed green issues; some scales addressed business behavior while others addressed issues such as their own personal affinity towards nature, their green opinions, and their role as a vocal advocate of green initiatives. One-way ANOVA coupled with the Scheffé Method of Multiple Comparisons identified differences in the mean scores for the seven multi-item scales across the five eco-groups. Discriminant analysis was used to further determine which of the scales played significant roles in the task of differentiating among the five groups

Consumer Actions and Attitudes Regarding Initiatives Directed towards Sustainability: Assessing Gender and Generational Gaps

A demographically and geographically representative sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided input regarding 33 issues germane to both green marketing and green consumption. This diverse array of behaviors and opinions addressed both sides of the buyer-seller dyad. From the buyers’ perspective, respondents reported a high propensity to engage in recycling, donate used goods, and purchase products with a longer life expectancy. As for organizational actions, the respondents favored environmentally-friendly actions such as focusing on cleaner and more efficient energy alternatives. There was a strong belief that individuals can make a difference. Comparisons on the bases of gender and generational cohort membership documented significant differences for a number of the 33 issues under scrutiny. Gender produced statistically significant differences between men and women for two of the 11 personal green consumption behaviors. Women were more inclined to purchase second hand items, and from a similar perspective, they were more prone to donate items with a remaining useful life rather than simply discard them in the trash. Regarding the subset of 22 issues related to their attitudes regarding the green issues germane to consumers and marketers, significant differences between the two sexes were in evidence for 15 of the 22 issues. An investigation focusing on generational membership documented 13 issues where there was a significant difference across the five groups. A proposed typology allowed respondents to place themselves in the category that they deemed to best fit themselves. Fully 65.1 percent of the respondents placed themselves in the centrist category – eco-aware. Only 2.0 percent deemed themselves to be eco-destroyers while 9.2 percent, a metric that environmentalists might find somewhat disappointing, placed themselves at the other end of the spectrum – as eco-warriors

Factors Impacting One’s Self-Classification into One of the Five Categories of a Typology Delineating Green (and not so Green) Consumers

A sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided insight into an array of issues germane to sustainability. Upon completing a 65-question survey on sustainability, each respondent placed themselves in an eco-group that they felt best corresponded to their own behavior and attitudes towards the task of keeping the planet green for ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, for our posterity. The five groups ranged from the eco-destroyer to the eco-warrior. Within the survey, each respondent provided their opinions regarding seven multi-item scales that primarily addressed green issues; some scales addressed business behavior while others addressed issues such as their own personal affinity towards nature, their green opinions, and their role as a vocal advocate of green initiatives. One-way ANOVA coupled with the Scheffé Method of Multiple Comparisons identified differences in the mean scores for the seven multi-item scales across the five eco-groups. Discriminant analysis was used to further determine which of the scales played significant roles in the task of differentiating among the five groups

An Examination of the Segmentation Typologies Articulated in the Spectator and Participation Sports Marketing Literature

With the emergence of sports marketing as an important business discipline, a number of segmentation studies have focused on either the spectator sports market or the participation sports market. Regarding spectator sports, most of the previous studies have focused on individual sports entities such as a team, a league, a sport, or an event. The majority of the segmentation studies on participation sports have also assumed a narrow perspective by developing typologies for a specific activity such as golf. The current research assesses the efforts designed to segment the aggregate spectator sports market irrespective of the sport being watched and the aggregate participation market regardless of the participant’s chosen activity. The results emanating from samples of over 500 spectators and participants documented the existence of many of those segments identified in previous research. It also identified voids. Consequently, a new typology for each of the aggregate markets has been propose

Anti-consumption: A Preliminary Examination of a Set of Social Considerations That Impact a Consumer’s Decision to ‘Punish’ Marketers Deemed to be Engaging in Irresponsible Behavior

A sample of 175 students from two universities provided insight regarding the rationale for engaging in anti-consumption behavior. A review of the literature identified myriad reasons why consumers engage in personal boycotts. This study examines 12 of these reasons: environmental concerns, political stance, religious orientation/affiliation, country-of-origin (COO), attitudes towards the LGBTQ community, the size of the marketer, the use of disliked celebrity endorsers, the use of offensive marketing tactics (e.g. advertising), animal cruelty including the use of live animal testing, perceived violations of basic human rights, employing a nonunionized workforce, and employment-related discrimination based on the gender, age, race, religion, or ethnicity of the individual. Respondents rated the appropriateness of each of these 12 issues as a consideration for consumers when making a purchase decision, and they indicated the extent to which they personally use each issue in making their own purchase decisions. The results show that the most accepted rationale for engaging in a public boycott is a reported transgression related to sustainability whereas the least acceptable of the 12 reasons under scrutiny is the large size of the marketer. The respondents also indicated that they were personally most likely to consider anti-consumption because of a firm’s engagement in perceived violations of the basic human rights of the firm’s employees whereas the use of a non-unionized workforce was the issue that was least likely to result in a personal boycott. Five of the six measured demographic variables were found to be associated with the decision-making process with gender and ethnicity being the most common factors. The consideration most likely to be influenced by demographic variables was the company’s position regarding the LGBTQ community

Supervision for the Telecommunications Division

Examines the importance of supervisor effectiveness in dispatch, and the need for the supervisor to be experienced in telecommunications

Student Perceptions of Internships: What Are the Perceived Benefits for the Interested Parties?

A sample of 259 marketing students from two universities provided their perceptions of the benefits associated with marketing internships. They agree that an array of benefits accrue to the student interns, the organizations for which the students serve in internship positions, the university, and the general student population at their own university. Among the benefits that are strongly acknowledged by the students are that an internship helps the student interns learn more about their chosen career path, that organizations benefit from the enthusiasm of an eager subset of workers, that successful internships help their university develop strong partnerships with the hiring organizations, and that successful marketing internships help students in other majors secure their own internships in their respective disciplines. It appears that the benefits far outweigh the students’ concerns, the most meaningful of which is the requirement that they pay tuition for internship credit. The results still document the need for Career Services to do a better job of allaying their concerns. One might say they need to do a better job of marketing