Fair Trade Website Content: Effects of Information Type and Emotional Appeal Type Thesis

178 Pages·2014·9.28 MB·English

Fair Trade Website Content: Effects of Information Type and Emotional Appeal Type

Thesis

Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in
the Graduate School of The Ohio State University

By
Songyee Hur
Graduate Program in Fashion and Retail Studies
The Ohio State University
2014

Thesis Committee:
Leslie Stoel, Adviser
Robert Scharff
Soobin Seo
Copyrighted by
Songyee Hur
2014
Abstract

The primary objective of current research was to explore the impacts of
information type and emotional appeal type for fair trade store information presented in
the online shopping environment. The Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model
forms the foundation for investigating the relationships among environmental stimuli
(information type and emotional appeal type), consumer cognitive response (perceptions
of information quality), affective response (feelings of pleasure, arousal), and behavioral
response (purchase intention).
The design of the proposed model was a 2 information type (concrete vs. abstract)
X 2 emotional appeal type (happiness vs. sadness) between-subjects experiment.
Dependent variables were information quality, pleasure, arousal, and purchase intention.
The findings of this study revealed that information type and emotional appeal type
influence consumer’s cognitive and emotional responses that in turn lead to purchase
intention. The findings of this study will allow fair trade retailers to develop and manage
their online website communication strategies in ways to enhance consumer purchase
intention.

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Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound
gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Stoel. I cannot thank her enough for her inspiring guidance,
patience, continued support, and encouragement throughout my graduate program and the
course of this thesis. Without her, this thesis would not have been possible. She has
always offered constructive suggestions and a tremendous amount of feedback while
allowing me to work in my own way. Her illuminating views and fresh perspectives, in
addition to her pain-staking effort to proofread my drafts, have been greatly appreciated.
Her exemplary guidance will take me far on my imminent journey toward completing my
PhD. One simply could not wish for a better advisor.
I offer my sincere appreciation for the learning opportunities provided by the
members of my master’s committee: Dr. Robert Scharff and Dr. Soobin Seo. I appreciate
their contributions of time and their helpful career advice, which made my research
experience both productive and stimulating. While it is not feasible to mention everyone
here, I would like to thank a number of people at Ohio State, especially my fellows,
Boram Park, Pielah Kim, Hyejin Park, and Euisun Lee for their friendship and support
along the way. Their care and encouragement helped me overcome setbacks and stay
focused, even during the toughest times of my master’s pursuit.
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Last, but not least, none of this would have been possible without the support of
my family: my father (Changsik Heo), my mother (Kemja Park), my sister (Boram Heo),
my brother (Sejin Heo), and my brother-in-law (Hyeongro Lee). I would especially like
to express my heartfelt gratitude to my parents, to whom I have dedicated this thesis, for
their unconditional support both financially and emotionally throughout this endeavor.

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Vita

December 1987 ..............................................Born in Daegu, Korea
February 2006 ................................................B.S., Kyungpook National University
Major: French Language and Literature
Daegu, Korea
August 2012 to present ..................................M.S., The Ohio State University
Major: Fashion and Retail Studies

Fields of Study

Major Field: Fashion and Retail Studies

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Table of Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgments .............................................................................................................. iii
Vita ...................................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... x
List of Figures ................................................................................................................... xii
Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Problem Statement ................................................................................................... 5
1.3. Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................ 8
1.4. Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 8
1.5. Definition of Terms .................................................................................................. 9

Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................ 11
2.1. Fair trade ................................................................................................................ 12
2.1.1. Overview of Fairtrade .............................................................................. 12
2.1.2. Fairtrade Certification .............................................................................. 13
2.1.3. Fairtrade Marketing Principles ................................................................ 16
2.1.4. Problems Related to Using Persuasive Fairtrade Principles to Influence
Purchasing Behavior .......................................................................................... 18
2.1.5. The Impact of Fairtrade Websites Attributes on Consumers ................... 19
2.2. Concrete and Abstract Information ......................................................................... 22
2.2.1. Overview of Concrete and Abstract Information ..................................... 22
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2.2.2. Effect of Concrete and Abstract Information in Consumer Behavior ..... 26
2.3. Emotional Appeals .................................................................................................. 30
2.3.1. Overview of Emotional Appeals .............................................................. 30
2.3.2. Emotional Appeals (Happiness vs. Sadness) ........................................... 31
2.4. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................... 33
2.4.1. The S-O-R Model .................................................................................... 33
2.4.2. Application to Fairtrade Context ............................................................. 37
2.4.3. Proposed Model and Hypotheses ............................................................. 38
2.5. Hypothesis Development ........................................................................................ 41
2.5.1. Effect of Information Type ...................................................................... 41
2.5.2. Effect of Emotional Appeal (Happiness vs. Sadness) ............................. 45

Chapter 3: Pilot Study and Main Study ............................................................................ 50
3.1. Pilot Study .............................................................................................................. 52
3.1.2.. Method .................................................................................................... 52
3.1.2. Analysis and Results ................................................................................ 63
3.2. Main Study ............................................................................................................. 71
3.2.1. Method ..................................................................................................... 71

Chapter 4: Data Analyses .................................................................................................. 82

4.1. Data Analyses and Results ................................................................................... 84

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................... 105
5.1. Discussion of Findings from Main study ............................................................ 106

5.2. Conclusions and Implications ............................................................................. 113
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5.2.1. Theoretical Implications ........................................................................ 113
5.2.2. Managerial Implications ........................................................................ 115

5.3. Limiations of the Study ....................................................................................... 118

5.4. Future Research ................................................................................................... 120

References ....................................................................................................................... 121
Appendix A: A List of Countries and Their Fair Trade Marks ...................................... 132
Appendix B: IRB Human Subject Review Exemption Approval for Pretests ................ 134
Appendix C: IRB Human Subject Review Exemption Approval for Main Study ......... 136
Appendix D: Pilot Study Consent Form ......................................................................... 138
Appendix E: Pilot Study Survey ..................................................................................... 140
Appendix F: Pilot Study Stimuli ..................................................................................... 146
Appendix G: Main Study Consent From ........................................................................ 150
Appendix H: Main Study Survey Example .................................................................... 152
Appendix I: Main Study Questionnaire .......................................................................... 155
Appendix J: Main Study Stimuli .................................................................................... 163
Appendix I: Results of t-tests for Fair trade Shopping Experience ................................ 165

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List of Tables

Table 2.1. Concrete vs. Abstract research ........................................................................ 29
Table 2.2. Summary of Hypotheses .................................................................................. 40
Table 3.1. Instruments for Pilot Test ................................................................................ 61
Table 3.2. Pilot Test Sample Profile: Demographic Characteristics .............................. 64
Table 3.3. Results of Reliability Tests for Information Type and Emotional Appeal ..... 65
Table 3.4. Item Total Statstistics Reliability Tests for Information Type and Emotional
Appeal Type Minipulation Check ..................................................................................... 66
Table 3.5. Results of a Serise of T-tests for Information Type Minipuation Check ......... 68
Table 3.6. Image Rating of Happiness and Sadness Appeal Type ................................... 69
Table 3.7. Correlation Results for Impression about Artisan Pilot Test ........................... 70
Table 3.8. Means Results for Impression about Artisan Pilot Test .................................. 70
Table 3.9. Previous Studies with Stimulus-Organism-Response Model .......................... 74
Table 3.10. Items for Dependent Variables ...................................................................... 79
Table 4.1. Summary of Analyses ...................................................................................... 83
Table 4.2. Main Study Sample Profile: Demographic Characteristics ............................. 85
Table 4.3. Online Fair Trade Shopping Experience ......................................................... 86
Table 4.4. Results of a Series of T-tests for the Information Type Manipulation Check . 87
Table 4.5. Levene’s Test of Equality of Error Variances ................................................. 89
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