• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2010

Corporate social responsibility has become a very important issue for researchers (Greenfield, 2004; Maignan & Ralston, 2002; McWilliams et al., 2006; Pearce & Doh 2005), and many consider it necessary for businesses to define their role in society and apply social and ethical standards to their businesses (Lichtenstein et al., 2004). As a result, a significant number of retailers have adopted CSR as a strategic tool to promote their businesses. To this end, this study sought to discover U.S. consumers' attitudes and behavior in ethical purchasing and consumption based on their subjective perception and evaluation of a retailer. The objectives of this study include: 1) determine the participants awareness of retailers corporate social responsibility; 2) assess how participants evaluate retailers corporate social responsibility; 3) examine whether participants evaluation process of retailers CSR influence their attitude toward the retailer; and 4) assess if participants attitude toward the retailers CSR influence their purchase behavior. This study does not focus on actual retailers' CSR performance because a consumer's decision making process is based on an individual assessment not an actual fact. This study examines US college students' awareness and evaluations of retailers' corporate social responsibility (CSR). Fifty six college students at a major Southeastern university participated in the study. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 26 years old. Content analysis was conducted with open coding and focused coding. Over 100 single-spaced pages of written responses were collected and analyzed. Two steps of coding (i.e., open coding and focused coding) were conducted (Esterberg, 2002). Coding results and analytic memos were used to understand participants' awareness of CSR and their ethical purchasing behavior supported through the selection and inclusion of direct quotes that were extracted from the written responses. Names used here are pseudonyms to protect confidentiality of participants. Participants were asked to write about retailers, their aware-ness of CSR issues, and to evaluate a retailer's CSR performance. A majority (n = 28) of respondents indicated their awareness of CSR but have not felt the need to act on this issue. Few (n=8) indicated that they are aware of this issue but not greatly concerned. Findings suggest that when college students evaluate retailers' CSR performance, they use three dimensions of CSR: employee support, community support, and environmental support. Employee treatment and support were found as an important criterion in evaluation of retailers' CSR. Respondents indicated that their good experience with a retailer as an employee made them have a positive perception and attitude toward the retailer. Regarding employee support four themes emerged: employee rewards and incentives based on performance, working environment, employee education and training program, and employee and family discounts. Well organized rewards and incentives were mentioned as an important attribute. The factors related to the working environment included: how well retailers follow the rules related to working hours, lunch time and breaks was also one of the most mentioned attributes. Regarding community support, three themes emerged: contributing a percentage of sales to the local community, financial contribution to charity organizations, and events for community support. Regarding environments, two themes emerged: recycling and selling organic or green products. It was mentioned in the responses that retailers are trying to do what they can to be environmentally friendly. One respondent mentioned that the company is creating stores that have an environmentally friendly design. Information about what the company does to help the environment can easily be found on the company’s website as well. Respondents have also noticed that the stores are starting to offer products that are organic and environmentally friendly. A retailer was also mentioned by a respondent in this category in reference to how the company uses eco-friendly cups and how they are helping to rebuild homes in New Orleans. The respondents noticed that a retailer offers reusable bags for their consumers to purchase. One respondent stated that a retailer uses its products to help the environment, through offering organic cotton. After thorough analysis of responses, we found that a participant's evaluation of a retailers' CSR influenced their attitudes towards retailers. However, there was a significant gap between attitudes and purchasing behavior. Although the participants had positive attitudes toward retailers CSR, the lack of funds and time influenced their purchase behavior. Overall, half (n=28) of the respondents mentioned that CSR performance affects their purchasing decisions making when shopping. Findings from this study provide support for retailers to consider their corporate social responsibility when developing their image with the consumer. This study implied that consumers evaluate retailers based on employee, community and environmental support. The evaluation, attitude and purchase behavior of consumers seem to be intertwined. That is, evaluation is based on the knowledge the consumer has of the retailers CSR. That knowledge may influence their attitude toward the retailer and thus influence their purchase behavior. Participants also indicated that having CSR makes them think highly of the retailer, but it does not influence their purchase behavior. Price and convenience seem to surpass the importance of CSR among the participants. Implications, recommendations for future research, and limitations of the study are also discussed.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.109-133
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• 2014

With a growing concern about climate change and green house gases mitigation, carbon labeling policy has been launched in several countries as an environmental policy which connects low carbon production to low carbon consumption. This research aims to propose a model that explains consumers' attitude and brand loyalty toward carbon labeling products. This model specifies the consumer's psychological processes by which consumer values, such as autonomy and environmental values, affect carbon labeling product and corporate images and finally form brand loyalty toward carbon labeling products. Panel data were collected in two separate surveys and analyzed using a structural equation technique. Results are summarized as follows. First, consumers' autonomy value(AV) positively affects locus of control(LC) and corporate image(CI). Second, consumers' environmental value(EV) positively influences perceived consumer effectiveness(PCE), which in turn has a negative effect on perceived barriers(PB). Perceived barriers finally affect product image(PI) negatively. Third, both corporate image and product image have causal relationships with brand loyalty. Our results suggest that carbon labeling policy contributes not only to the reduction of greenhouse gases but also to the increase of consumers' attitude and brand loyalty toward carbon labeling products. This research also provides governments with directions for efficient environmental policy and firms with guidance on effective marketing strategies about carbon labeling.

• Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

The consumption trend of fashion in modern industrial society is developing from the rapid changes, and the lifespan of fashion products becomes shorter due to the various industrial wastes. Due to the attitude change caused by the ethical consumption consciousness and environment awareness, the up-cycle fashion products got to receive attention, and it is in the limelight as a new trend to realize the sustainable fashion products in the domestic and foreign fashion. The purpose of this study lies in drawing the expression characteristics by investigating and analyzing the cases of each type on the fashion bag products of up-cycle brand, and contributing to the diversification of product family fitting to the characteristics of fashion bag product of up-cycle brand, systematic strategies of up-cycle fashion products, and activation of up-cycle fashion market. In research methods, the theatrical researches were conducted centered the relevant domestic literature materials, preceding papers, etc., which ran paralleled with the actual case analysis study. Through the preceding research and websites related to selected products, websites of up-cycle companies, relevant books, related articles, etc., the expression characteristics of up-cycle fashion bag products were drawn. The results of this study are as follows: First, as it has the feature of historicality, the designs can be created by containing the designer's story, story of materials, and consumer's story. Second, since it has the characteristic of sustainability, the application of manufacturing process and materials, extension of product life, conversion of original material's function, etc. can be sustainable. Third, as it's a trait of scarcity, all products may be produced by hand, and it can have the specialty which the original materials have. Fourth, since it has an eco-friendly trait, even while saving the original materials, the aesthetic needs could be met according to the consumers' continuous demand.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.87-102
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to identify conceptual constructs of well-being consciousness and appearance management behaviors, and to examine the effects of these two variables on attitudes toward Korean herbal cosmetics for Korean and Japanese consumers. A survey was carried out among female consumers between the ages of 20 and 50, and a total of 500 responses were analyzed by descriptive analysis, reliability test, t-test, and confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling and multi group analysis. The results of this study were as follows: 1) The result of CFA and the reliability test on well-being consciousness and appearance management of Korean and Japanese respondents clearly showed factorial structures on each of the variant assessments. 2) In regards to the well-being consciousness, Korean and Japanese respondents highly tended to perceive well-being as a benefit to the physical health and an eco-friendly lifestyle respectively. In the area of appearance management, Korean and Japanese respondents had similar patterns that showed high scores of skin care and weight control. Both Korean and Japanese consumers showed favorable attitudes toward Korean herbal cosmetic products. 3) The consumers' well-being consciousness revealed to have positive influences on appearance management behavior. Both well-being consciousness and appearance management positively influenced attitudes toward Korean herbal cosmetics. 4) As a result of MGA, the well-being consciousness had more positive impacts on Korean respondents' attitudes toward Korean herbal cosmetics than the appearance management variable when compared to the Japanese respondents. On the other hand, appearance management had more positive impacts on Japanese respondents' attitudes to-ward Korean herbal cosmetics than well-being consciousness when compared to the Korean respondents. These results suggest that differentiated marketing strategies for Korean herbal cosmetics are crucial when targeting Korean and Japanese consumers.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.157-164
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• 2019

This research examines how IoT makes a significant contribution to the innovation of media firms. The media firms will be able to find new reveue sources and strengthen firms' competence through innovating product, process and business model. While IoT increases the experience of interactivity and immersion for consumption, it improves the way ads are exposed and its impact is measured, leading to revenue increase. For these benefits fulfilled, innovation friendly media eco-system must be established. It is the most critical that media firms should change skeptical attitude toward IoT's potential and actively invest it to employ IoT. The government should create regulatory framework to best utilize the innovative advantages of IoT.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.11 no.10
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• pp.3680-3689
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to inquire into the changes to the emotional intelligence of young children by giving them pleasure and memory through the program of ecological experience. A survey was made on 40 young children in two classes out of 5-year-old children's classes in nurseries located at Chungcheong-do. They were divided into the experiment group and control group to consist of 20 persons, respectively. For young children of the experiment group, the experiment was conducted while observing and experiencing through the division of the group into 5 persons on fixed days according to the program of ecological experience. Analysis showed that the program of ecological experience in the experiment group relatively higher effect of increase for the emotional intelligence of young children, and the use of self emotion, the cognition and consideration of other's emotion, the cognition and expression of self emotion, the regulation and impulse control of emotion, the relationship with teacher and the relationship with peer by sub-factors than that in the control group. In other words, close relationships with nature and inquiry instruction of ecological experience have provided the attitude-based formation living together with the understanding of natural world and eco-friendly attitude, the cognition of ecological crisis and social cooperation that couldn't feel in indoor education. Consequently, the program of ecological experience should prove useful for the emotional intelligence of young children.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Traditional Landscape Architecture
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 2014

This study aims to analyze the current status of government-designated cultural heritage that are protected as sacred natural sites, focused on natural monuments and scenic sites, and provide basic research for these cultural heritage to be included in the protected area category. First, among natural cultural heritage that are designated and protected by Cultural heritage Protection Law, there are 40 scenic sites and 126 natural monuments that have been selected as sacred nature sites. Second, the study showed that sacred nature sites are sacred places that have been long associated with happiness and misfortune of the villagers, including Dangsan Forest, Seunghwanglim(Forest), and, as physical environment and combination of cultural value, rules, and attitude and belief system toward the land that protect the people. The unique folk beliefs of the region provide strong protection of the place. Third, although the natural monuments of old and large trees are not included in the protected area as they are recognized sparsely, but can be designated as world protected area as protected areas are set around sacred nature sites. Fourth, in order to be included in IUCN category, sacred natural sites of scenic sites will need to be managed by specific categories of each area according to the interior status of the designated areas and maintain the sustainability of the natural heritage by protecting both physical and spiritual elements.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2016

With the continuous expansion of highway network and its traffics, neighboring wildlife habitats are splitted into smaller and more isolated patches. The infrastructures contribute to the wildlife-vehicle collision by creating barriers to animal movement. This kinds of traffic accidents are dangerous factors to the drivers' safety and the facilities on the highway as well as to the wildlife themselves. One of the most common ways to prevent habitat fragmentation are fauna crossings and fences. The cost of the mitigation measures to prevent wildlife-vehicle collision could be monetized. However their economic benefits are difficult to be measured. Using contingent valuation method, this study tries to estimate the economic valuation of wildlife collision prevention projects on the Korean highways. The result shows that 43.88% of Korean household had the positive willingness pay to the projects. Moreover, we found that the recognition of the project or the favourable attitude to the environmental issues could raise the willingness-to-pay. Therefore, active public relation on the project could make the friendly public opinion and increase the number of the household which has the positive willingness-to-pay on the project.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.3-12
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of appropriateness of using design quality indicators for the educational building, and complements for design quality indicators. For doing this, each items of the Korean educational building design indicator was validated by teachers, school staff and an education officer. First, School Personnel and Teachers considered indicators for the classroom designed for general subjects as being valid. However, in terms of indicators for the outside space, they thought of them as not being valid. In particular, it seemed that school staff would have a passive attitude toward the open of the school facility for the local society. It is judged that there happens an adverse effect caused by the open of the school facility for the local society in the educational environment of the school. Second, Education Office Supervisors thought that eco-friendly indicators, LED lighting, an outer wall, and widows and doors had a high validity. On the contrary, he viewed the validity of a rainwater retention basin as being low, which was likely because he rarely had expertise on the construction. When it comes to the indicator of technology capability, ultrahigh-speed information network was seen as being valid, and the indicator of economic feasibility had high validity on maintenance and durability. Third, compared to groups of Teachers and School Personnel, the group of education officers presented high validity of indicators. Validity of indicators might be differently showed because different items on indicators were measured. However, it is speculated that Education Office Supervisors mostly acknowledged the validity of indicators. Fourth, a majority of Teachers, School staff, and Education Office Supervisors were favor of the system of the evaluation accreditation for school facilities since it played a guide role in improving the quality of school. In order to settle the system of the evaluation accreditation for school facilities, it is most important that institutions in the local society which are publicly reliable should participate in the phase of designing the system of the evaluation accreditation for school facilities. In sum, overall respondents agreed with the system of the evaluation accreditation for school facilities but were aware that reliable organizations in public would need to take part in planning the system of the evaluation accreditation for school facilities from the beginning.