What Defines Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example

section/# Ethics, Morality, and Consumer Behaviour: Towards a Synthesis Introduction: Understanding consumerbehaviour is ultimately what allows firms to more effectively market and target their messages to specific individuals. Accordingly, understanding what defines consumer behaviour and how it is motivated is of essential interest to firms that are seeking to remain relevant and competitive within the current dynamic. Within such an understanding, the following analysis will be concentric upon defining some of the ethical and moral motivations that consumer behaviour has begun to evidence over the past several years. As with nearly all exhibitions of business, consumer behaviour is not static and shifts nearly continually; based upon current events, developments and culture, and a greater societal interpretation of what aspects should rank in what way. Rather than providing a purely theoretical discussion into consumer behaviour and motivations with respect to ethical and moral questions, the following analysis will consider three unique aspects of moral/ethical consumer behaviour and how they have impacted/continue to impact upon the way in which marketing and business development takes place within the current era. It is the further hope of this author that such a unit of analysis will be beneficial in seeking to understand and define the way in which ethical and moral considerations can be included within marketing approaches and how firms and business organizations can be reactive to the different needs that will be represented within this brief analysis. Firstly, before delving directly into the issue, it is necessary to understand that ethical and moral interpretations are deeply personal. Whereas it is true that a certain degree of similarity exists throughout society, the more relevant issue at hand has to do with the fact that cultural interpretation defines the way in which moral and ethical situations will be understood. Within such an understanding, the first section of this analysis will briefly engaged in an overview of the way in which culture impacts upon consumer behaviour and the manner through which different cultures will interpret ethical and moral issues and completely divergent ways (Lu et al., 2014). Similarly, the second portion of the analysis will delve directly in to the issues of ethics and morals that had been powerfully represented within a universal setting and impact upon the way in which firms engage with consumers. Naturally, these broad and overarching universal ethics and morals only represent those that are able to cross cultural lines and be represented as largely the same within a variety of different people groups, languages, ethnicities, races, and cultures. The underlying rationale for presenting a cultural understanding of ethics and norms of morality within the introduction to this paper is concentric upon the realization that these constructs are developed within both a personal and group contexts. As such, seeking to define morality and ethics and their impacts upon consumer behaviour from a universal standpoint would necessarily lend the reader to incorrectly simplify the core issues that are involved within this particular dynamic (Onozaka et al.,2014). Culture and the way that things are defined As with many of the broader terms in life, culture is especially difficult to define. However, if one were forced to encapsulate what “culture” means and what it represents within a brief dictionary definition, the following would most accurately denote what culture means and how it impacts upon human choice: “Culture is the characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts”. Within such a broad and overarching definition, the reader can rapidly come to the understanding that culture is “nearly everything” (Xinming, 2013). However, even though this necessarily broad definition raises many more questions than it might be able to answer at first glance, it should also provide the reader with a sense of awe concerning the many different impacts that culture can have upon the decision making structure and the overarching manner through which these impacts can affect and influence the way in which a person behaves, believes, or decides (Tatlilioglu, 2014). As can be guessed by the scope of this particular analysis, the impact of culture upon the characteristic buying habits and understanding of a particular group will be of special interest for this analysis. Moreover, culture can also be defined with respect to an affinity to a particular point of view. However, rather than understanding culture as something that is diverse from individuality, it is necessary to integrate with an understanding that self identity is primarily impacted upon by an understanding of culture. Although this understanding is not uniform for person-to-person, it nonetheless continues to have an impact with respect to the way in which individual makes decisions, understands their own identity, and engages with the remainder of the world (Segev et al., 2014). Focusing further upon the cultural understanding of self identity, the way in which a person should behave and the overall approach to different issues that they hold is ineffective complement of the way in which culture impacts upon the individual. Furthermore, even though many individuals might be hesitant to admit it, culture is heavily impacted upon and determined by stereotypes; either for better or for worse. As such, culture influences upon nearly everything as it impacts upon most decision-making processes. Accordingly, it is very much a determinant of who a person is, what they believe, and how they view the world around them (Spakovica et al., 2014). Seizing upon this fundamental complement of identity, marketologists and advertisers have sought to leverage a cultural integration with the potential consumer as a powerful means of engagement. Naturally, by seeking to define the least common denominator between people groups, such individuals are able to maximize the impact that they can have and the overall quantity of the goods or services they are able to make appealing to a specific demographic. Likewise, aspect of culture and its impact upon marketing which will be engaged is with regard to the level to which consciousness factors in to the way in which the potential consumer engages with cultural endorsement and/or suggestion. Ultimately, the way in which the marketer seeks to portray overall consciousness within a product offering is almost invariably linked to an identification of self awareness (Foxall & Sigurdsson, 2013). For instance, many studies have focused upon the way in which a cultural endorsement necessarily creates a degree of heightened self-awareness on the consumer as a result of personal appearance, social class, or overall beauty and societal standing in general. Whereas a product can of course be sold based upon its utility and merit alone, advertisers and marketers in general usually rely upon cultural endorsements as a means of giving their product an edge (Martin, 2014). Although this is something of a dangerous position, if pulled off correctly, it can integrate with the potential audience and resonate in a way that merely presenting the product by itself or with the professional actor may not. Invariably, cultural endorsements acts as a means of heightening the self awareness of the potential consumer and integrating the understanding that they too can somehow mirror the behaviour, actions, fashion, or general trendiness that the culture to which they should ultimately be a member. As a result of the way that global culture has grown to esteem celebrities to such a high degree, the psychological ramifications of cultural endorsement are profound. This fundamental understanding of the way in which society has come to appreciate the culture as a hallmark definition of who an individual is and what they represent (Alvandi et al., 2014). Yet, there is another indicator with regards to the way in which the reader should seek to understand and relate to the way in which cultural advertising is able to integrate to such a great and actionable degree within the consumer base. Another profound means by which cultural endorsement is able to integrate with potential consumer on a psychological level is with regards to the social psychology that such an approach necessarily engenders. As compared to the first discussion which is been listed above, the social psychology approach necessarily impacts upon levels of influence, compliance, and what is known as the bystander effect. This particular level of social psychology is perhaps one of the most profound with regards to the level in which cultural endorsements of a particular product engage with the potential consumer. For instance, the social psychological perspective helps to explain why an individual might be convinced to make specific purchase as a result of a cultural endorsement whereas they may not have without it (Yu Lun & Ching-Jui, 2014). This is of course affected through a level of influence and ethos that the cultural endorser is able to engage the consumer with. Moreover, the researchers noted that this level of differential was most likely the result of the fact that a social psychological interpretation of the messages that these cultural endorsers engendered was necessarily integrated with by the end consumer. In such a way, although there are many other aspects that necessarily affects the way in which consumer behaviours realized within the market, the researchers of this particular article come to the same understanding that this author has previously listed; that of fact that the social psychological impact of cultural endorsements is necessarily one of the strongest motivators for individuals to behave in which they do (Saarela, 2014). Leveraging this, it comes as little surprise to the reader that cultural endorsements have seemingly grown in an exponential manner over time; with nearly a 30% increase over the past two decades. This is of course not confined to the typical understanding of celebrities being actors; rather, it includes athletes, singers, and musicians of various varieties. Ethics and morals In tandem with the cultural interpretation that has been presented above, it is necessary to appreciate and realize that ethics and morality human understanding and approach to issues; regardless of place of origin or racial/ethnic determinants. However, with this being said, it should be appreciated that ethics and morality are defined based upon a litany of different factors and must not be understood as equally important or similar when one compares a given group of individuals to another. Within such an understanding, it is further necessary to point out that consumer behaviour is something that is exhibited on aggregate (WEISHENG et al., 2014). By this very definition, the reader can come to the appreciations of the fact that different metrics are analyzed that have different determinants. This creates a noted difficulty for the researcher again that consumer behaviour is a tendency measured on aggregate whereas ethics and morals are something that are more individual or tribal and nature. Because of this difficulty hardship, the analysis that will be presented in the following pages will not be concentric upon minute details with respect to what defines morality and ethics (Yuewei et al., 2014). Instead, the overarching truisms will be represented in terms of helping an effective way in which business conduct their operations engage with the consumer. Invariably, as businesses in firms only have to select amount of time and money to engage with understanding the consumer, they will necessarily correct these budgets and time resources towards those understandings and approaches that could potentially maximize profitability to the greatest degree (Dalenberg et al., 2014). By very definition, this means that firms and business entities will not focus upon ethical or moral interpretations that are only represented within a certain select minority of individuals throughout globe. Although this might not necessarily be fair or correct, this helps to further define the way in which business is focused solely upon profit margins and only engages in activities that can seek to improve upon these profit margins within the consumer context (Morris et al., 2014). Consumer Choice – An Examination of Sweatshops and Ethics/Morality Although it may seem fair that multinational corporations hire individuals in foreign, economically depressed nations at salaries far below standard minimum wages within their country of origin, merely because these desperate individuals are willing to take these jobs and work them does not in and of itself out’s all these companies of any responsibility with regards their actions. Approaching the situation from a different perspective, one might consider a situation by which a given nation decided to donate all of its rotten food to another nation that was experiencing a famine. Although the individuals within the recipient nation may be thankful to have something to eat, the moral and ethical ramifications of this particular action are nonetheless reprehensible. Although this level of comparison is something of an exaggeration, very much the same can be said with regards to the way in which workers and sweatshops toil each and every day as a means to merely provide food, clothing, and other forms of sustenance for themselves and for their families (Amorim et al., 2014). Corporations and business entities around the globe have always been interested in seeking to minimize costs. One of the most effective means by which this goal can be achieved is by reducing the overall level of money paid to the human resources representing the interests of such a business entity. However, there comes a point when ethically minded individuals within society must raise their voice in opposition to the unfair, immoral, and ultimately on a practices of employing desperate and dependent individuals at in human wages. One of the most important indications of ethical and moral concern translating to a change consumer behaviour has to do with the way in which “fairness” has been considered in terms of the way in which a given product or service is produced. In the not so distant past, firms or of the opinion that price and quality where the only concerns that the consumer had. As such, these entities took advantage of globalization as a means of driving costs down and engaging poverty-stricken workforces around the globe as a means of producing a given product or service for the end consumer (Demir et al., 2014). Although this particular practice is still widely used, it has fallen out of favor with a very large percentage of individual consumers that are increasingly ethically minded with respect to the labor conditions, lifestyle, work hours, and demographics of those individuals that are employed around the globe as a function of producing the products or services that they buy (Nittala, 2014). This particular concern has become so profound over the past several years that certain manufacturers go to great links to market their ethics-based approach to labor markets in distant corners of the world. Whereas it is true that firms such as Adidas, and a litany of different apparel makers, still violate norms of ethical and moral engagement with their workforce, other firms such as Tom’s and a variety of others continually reassure the consumer that the product that they are purchasing has not been produced under unfair or otherwise harsh labor conditions (Bandara, 2014). Interestingly, one of the most successful firms of the past half-century, Apple Inc., has recently been targeted by consumer outrage with respect to one of its suppliers and the means by which constant demands for increased output and quality have encouraged many of its employees to commit suicide as a means of escaping this extraordinarily toxic work relationship (Hua-Jung & Yih-Chearng, 2014). Ultimately, the reason behind Apple Inc. being utilized as a case in point helps to underscore the importance that ethically and morally minded consumers have with respect to the way in which firms engender profitability and further success within any given market (Cant et al., 2013). If it is true that Apple Inc. is not immune to these concerns and can in fact lose market share as a result of unfair labor practices and/or unethical treatment of its workforce/suppliers, it is not beyond the realm of speculation to assume that lesser known and less successful companies must abide by these very same high standards that consumers are increasingly focused upon. Consumer Choice – An Examination of Pollution and Toxic Waste as They Relate to Ethics/Morality Another issue with respect to moral and ethical concern that has been evidenced alongside the concern that has been listed above has to do with the prevalence/presence of child labor within sweatshops around the globe. Whereas 30 years ago hardly anyone considered apparel manufacturers as morally reprobate for using Third World sweatshops that employed children as a function of producing their products, even a hint that this particular practice is being engaged within the current era can generate large headlines and negatively impact upon the overall profitability of the firm that utilizes this particular means of manufacturing (Bhatia & Jain, 2013). This newfound level of concern is highly positive stop firstly, it helps to provide a level of oversight and analysis into the way in which profits are earned and ethics are employed; especially with regard to individuals within the Third World that might not otherwise have an advocacy group of their own (Chan et al., 2014). Secondly, it allows for an ongoing discussion to be had that is concentric upon how the developed world and the underdeveloped world should relate with one another and what should be considered as “fair pay” within these situations. Another relevant example of the impact of ethics and morality on consumer behaviour/consumer choice has to do with the issue of toxic waste/pollution (Ayman & Kaya, 2014). For decades, the incessant drive for profit and the power of globalization has allowed firms to escape strict environmental controls that might have existed for them domestically and shift their production overseas; to regions in which such stringent regulations did not exist. Because of this, practices that would have been considered as environmentally irresponsible were practiced in faraway places such as India, China, the Philippines, Thailand, and a litany of other different nations. For decades, the ethics and morality of consumer behaviour did not consider the wrongdoings that this particular course of action denoted (Jin et al., 2014). Instead, consumer behaviour was exhibited based upon overall cost comparisons and speed to market/quality of the good or service in question. However, much as with the issue of sweatshops that was discussed previously, a gradual shift towards and more morally and ethically responsible marketplace has encouraged consumers to behave in a fundamentally different manner. For instance, the issue of global pollution and toxic waste disposal now concerns individuals as questions about the environment are now defined in a more universal sense (Cheon, 2013). Within such a manner of understanding, the reader can quickly integrate with an appreciation for how an increased level of environmental awareness and universal pollution prevention has assisted in the development of a more ethically and morally conscientious consumer society. It is worthy of noting that even though ethics and morality have strong compounded and defining the renewed interest in environmentalism and conservation, these choices are often made based upon a self-interested position. Accordingly, the individual that exhibits a certain type of behaviour with respect to their purchasing and consumption does so for one of two reasons (Keng et al., 2014). Either they are interested in maximizing the greater good in seeking to affect change upon the situation, such as the ones that have been discussed before they are genuinely interested in the ethical and moral ramifications that unethical pollution within far-off regions of the globe might impact upon stakeholders internationally (Balcarová, 2014). Consumer Choice – An Examination of Global Warming/CO2 Emissions and Ethics/Morality However, this particular analysis would be remiss if they did not discuss one of the ethical/moral factors that have motivated consumer behaviour more than any other over the past several decades. This is of course with regard to the way in which consumer behaviour has been motivated on ethical and moral grounds concerning the threat of global warming and an overall desire to reduce the carbon footprint that is exhibited on planet earth (Kan & Rajendran, 2014). This concern encompasses a belief and fear that denotes that the swings in climate change are the direct result of the presence of high amounts of human CO2 in the atmosphere that is causing a greenhouse effect on the planet and thereby causing world temperatures to rise. Prima fascia of this argument is the belief that human CO2 emissions are responsible for the changes to the global climate (Goodhope, 2012). It follows therefore that those which ascribe to this point of view are the most vehement that drastic and immediate changes to the manner in which human beings interact with planet earth and seek to use her resources in order to achieve a high standard of living be re-assessed as a function of whether such practices are best for the future health and longevity of the planet. Far from a passing fad, the threat of global warming is a very real concern that his grips the imagination and fears of consumers around the globe and prompted them to engage with the market in a new and different manner. The threat of global warming, has presented by scientists, has been so profound and severe that a level of abject terror concerning the way in which consumer behaviour is affected is oftentimes represented throughout the market (Růžena & Tomáš, 2014). Taking consumer products as an example, the reader can adequately note how producers have begun to attempt to assuage the fears and concerns of the customer by denoting that a particular product has gone to great links to reduce its carbon footprint and/or revitalize its production process to be environmentally and global warming conscious. This is exhibited everywhere from hybrid electric vehicles to the way in which bottled water is packaged and sold/advertised (Loginova, 2014). The moral and ethical complement of this has to do with the inherent belief that consumer behaviour has a direct impact upon the way in which global warming will be exhibited throughout the world stop with an understanding that the consumer can have a direct impact upon the sustainability of the earth’s resources and the overall amount of carbon dioxide that is witnessed environment, this has come to be a powerful tool that marketers and consumers alike seek to leverage in the hopes of gaining higher utility (Pascual-Ezama et al., 2014). Delving further into the issue of seeking to prevent global warming and reducing one’s carbon footprint, the ethical nature of this together situation is noted to the fact that failure to engage the market with an ethically conscious standpoint could ultimately result in the destruction of the extent environment after a given period of time (Joseph, 2014). Although most scholars and scientists agree that global warming will not destroy human civilization within the coming decades, centuries of abuse and ignorance with respect to the impact of carbon dioxide proliferation within the atmosphere is something that could dramatically impacted survivability of future generations. In much the same way as pollution and issues pertaining to labor, mentioned earlier within this analysis, does not have a direct impact upon the individual within the current time, consideration of the factors that promote global warming could effectively diminish the utility, happiness, and survivability that planet earth might exhibit the future (Sleenhoff & Osseweijer, 2013). Accordingly, concern for the issue of carbon dioxide and the means by which consumer behaviour is affected within this represents perhaps the most ethically minded and moral response framework that has thus far been discussed. Conclusion: From the information that has thus far been presented, it is clear and apparent that ethics and morality have a profound impact with respect to the way in which consumers integrate with different products or services. Further, even though distinct differentials exist with regard to who individuals interpret the types of ethics and morality that will be the most important to them, the fundamentals of major ethical/moral concerns are shared by many. In such a way, it comes as little surprise that marketologists and others have actively sought to utilize these aspects to encourage consumer participation within given markets. Indeed, even the issue of pollution, global warming, and preservation of the extant environment have all be utilized as a means of selling products and appealing to the emotions/conservationist instincts of the consumer. 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YUWEI, J, ADAVAL, R, STEINHART, Y, & WYER JR., R 2014, Imagining Yourself in the Scene: The Interactive Effects of Goal-Driven Self- Imagery and Visual Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour, Journal Of Consumer Research, 41, 2, pp. 418-435, Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 July 2014. Read More