Consumer Ethics: The Role of Self-Regulatory Focus

T. de Bock and P. van Kenhove ()
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P. van Kenhove: -

Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium from Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

Abstract: The present study investigates the influence of self-regulatory focus on consumer ethical beliefs (i.e., consumers’ judgment of various unethical consumer practices). The self-regulatory focus framework is highly influential and applies to an impressively wide spectrum of topics across a diverse array of domains. However, previous research has not yet examined the link between this personality construct and the consumer ethics field. Findings indicate that promotion affects one’s attitude toward questionable consumer practices with those having a stronger (versus weaker) promotion focus being more likely to believe these consumer misbehaviors to be acceptable. Further, this study shows that prevention influences one’s perception of morally dubious consumer practices with those having a stronger (versus weaker) prevention focus being more inclined to believe these questionable consumer activities to be unacceptable.

Keywords: demography consumer ethical beliefs; consumer ethics; consumer ethics scale; personal characteristics; self-regulatory focus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 29 pages
Date: 2010-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-mkt and nep-neu
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rug:rugwps:10/670

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