Attitude-Behavior Gap: Why We Don't Do What We Say - Essay Sample

Introduction

The attitude-behavior gap refers to the difference between attitudes and behavior; It generally means the difference between what people say and what they do. Many companies are grappling with the issue of an attitude-behavior gap because most consumers say that they are concerned about the ethical issues when they do purchase in the real action they do the contrary. There are several reasons why people fail to materialize what they say into actions (Rajagopal, 2018). Several factors determine the behavior of an individual. The values that people have are sometimes contradictory and sometimes negotiated; therefore, they are not fixed. The cognitive factors are not enough to explain the action of the environment. The relationship between the attitudes and the behaviors are shaped the personal attributes as well as the constraints of the external situations. If it were that the attitudes are based on one's direct experiences, then they would determine the behavior of individuals. Behaviors are also influenced by the norms in society (Devinney & Eckhardt, 2010). Behaviors can also be constrained by the factors which are outside the control of the person.

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Rajagopal (2018) posits that the last several decades, the focus of the researchers and the policymakers has been on sustainable production needs. They believed that the indirect increase of the green values of consumers would also increase, therefore creating sustainable consumption. However, it has been realized that the actual purchasing behavior of consumers is different from green attitudes. This is what is called the attitude-behavior gap. The actions of the consumers are influenced by situational and social factors (Devinney & Eckhardt, 2010). Most of the barriers on consumables are based on the prices of the products, their convenience, overload or lack of information, sensory criteria, and the intermediate availability.

Despite the well organized and strategized products that are environmentally friendly, there is still a gap between the attitudes and the behaviors of the consumers. This has been a challenge for the markets that want to advance the agenda of sustainability. There are several theories that try to explain how consumers make decisions regarding purchases. These theories can be used in trying to explain why there is the attitude and behavior gap. Studies show that people make decisions that can maximize their utility. Therefore if they know that even if they buy products that are environmental friends or if they make ethical purchases and there is not value for their utility, they will not do it irrespective of their attitude (Devinney & Eckhardt,2010). On the issue. Before the consumers make decisions, they first make a comparison of the benefits and the costs with another alternative, which are within their budget.

The gap also might be due to the strength of some brands, their habits, culture, finances, and personalities, lifestyles, lack of information, and the ethical trade-off factors. There are other factors, such as convenience. Therefore before a consumer makes a decision about a product, there are other factors that play a big role. There are other factors such as the economic rationalization whereby the consumers focus on buying products that will give them more value for their money. Therefore they focus on the value they will accrue from their money rather than the ethical issues. Besides, they believed that it is not their work to regulate products in the market. They, therefore, believe that it is the government, together with its agencies that are mandated to make the regulation (Devinney & Eckhardt, 2010). Others also base their decisions on developmental realism, whereby they believe that some companies have to indulge in unethical issues so that they can experience economic development at the macro level.

The deficit of information is another central area that affects the decisions of the consumers. Therefore one of the most effective ways in which the gap can be overcome is through creating awareness. Consumers tend to make poor judgment because they lack information. According to the behavior information model, people tend to make wrong or uniform choices because of a lack of knowledge. Other barriers that create the gap also exists, such as uncertainty. All the discussed factors that influence the decisions on consumer purchases revolve around a lack of information (Devinney & Eckhardt,2010). If the consumers have the right information, then they will be in an excellent position to make the right choices.

How Consumers Make Purchasing Decisions

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Importance of Ethical Consumption

Ethical consumption refers to the connections a consumer makes between the product and its origin. Additionally, the consumer has to look at the context in which the products were produced. Ethical consumption is important because when one buys an item, it is not just buying. The purchase affects so many other people, whether directly or indirectly. An ethically informed consumer should have this in mind before purchasing an item. Ethical consumption goes beyond showing off while shopping or creating a competition to show who has the longest shopping list. (Quoquab & Mohammad, 2018). Instead, it is being cognizant of the power the consumer has in doing the business to be sustainable, accountable, and ethical.

Ethics are essential values though they depend on certain contexts. Some things might be unethical in one context, but on the other, they are ethical. However, there are specific well-known universal standards of ethics. For instance, if the workers are subjected to long working hours or they are poorly paid, it is a known fact that that is not ethical. Also, trading in blood diamonds the way it is happening in some parts of Africa is also unethical. When logging is done illegally without taking into consideration the effects of the environment, it is unethical. Therefore in business, there are particular methods of producing goods and services that are unethical.

Factors Influencing Consumer Behavior

(Google graphs)

Consumers need to be concerned about the companies whose goods they purchase. This is because the moment a consumer buys goods from a company, he/she is voting for that company. Every time a purchase is made, the consumer is contributing to the profits of that company. This makes the consumers have a say on the goods and services they get. Though it is difficult, for instance, when one buys, for instance, a piece of cloth to know whether the employees in that company are overworked or underpaid. However, an ethical consumer will try to get background information about the company before he/she engages them in business(Quoquab, & Mohammad,2018). If this is not done, there is a big likelihood of supporting companies that are contributing to environmental degradation or the ones that are overworking or underpaying their employees.

When one does not shop ethically, he/she is also directly or indirectly contributing to the unstainable growth, unfairness and unjust which exist in the society. When consumers support ethical consumption, they are supporting the businesses that are operating ethically. The consumers also act as agents of economic and social change when they support ethical consumption. The purchase of the goods and services which are fairly traded creates a balance between the regions that are poor and the rich ones. Therefore it is the prerogative of every consumer to analyze the profiles the companies that he/she intends to buy products from. If the organizations are dealing in unethical business, they should not be supported(Schouten, 2014). Therefore the consumers should boycott their products, and in that way, society will be fair and just.

Sustainable Business Venture

The ‘Bigman’ Clothing Stores

Amongst all the factors that influence the behavior of the consumer that one that overlaps all the others is the deficit of information. This is the one this study will capitalize on in creating an ethical consumption business idea for the 'Bigman, clothing business. The idea of working on creating awareness was borrowed from the information behavior model, which states that information generates information, which later shapes the attitudes of people, which eventually leads to the change in behavior. One consumer understand issues they become aware of, and if they are aware, then their behavior is affected. It is, therefore, the most effective method to change the behavior of the consumers so that they can be ethical. This can only be achieved through increasing the information the Bigman store releases to their consumers. The major discrepancy between attitudes and behavior can be attributed to the lack of information on specific issues (Quoquab, & Mohammad, 2018). The reason as to why the consumers rely on factors such as the value of utility, national rationalization, and dependence on institutions is because they lack the right information (Schouten, 2014). The other situational and social factors are also due to information. The stores will use a variety of measures to release the information to the consumers.

The use of feeding the consumers with the necessary information also relied on the theory of motivation. According to the motivation theory by Abraham Maslow, people pact based on their desire to fulfill their needs, whether the needs are for survival, love, safety, self-esteem, or self-actualization. In marketing, the theory is used to show the need for tailor-made messages to consumers (Schouten, 2014). The messages create awareness of the companies and their products. Since the stores operate online only, the company should decide simple use websites where they posit information on the importance of doing the ethical story. The precise details about the dangers of engaging in unethical consumption should be the focus. The consumers should be made to understand that when they purchase unethically, they are supporting the business that is treating the environment somewhat (Schouten, 2014). Additionally, they should be aware that some organizations engage in an unfair practice, such as long working hours and underpaying their employees.

According to Rajagopal (2018), consumers should be made aware that if they are purchasing from these companies, they are indirectly supporting their bad practices. The other method that the stores can use to reach their consumers is the mainstream media such as television and radio. The store should focus more on explaining how their products are manufactured by companies that operate ethical businesses. The other method is designing brochures with the above information and package them together with the clothes before they deliver them to the consumers. Therefore every piece of clothing should be accompanied by a well-designed brochure with the right information. (Schouten, 2014).Through this method of disseminating information, the behaviors of the consumers will gradually change.

Lack of information is one of the factors that create the gap between the attitude and the behavior of consumers. For instance, when the consumers say that they depend on the government and its institutions to regulate products, and it is not their duty is due to lack of information. If they had the right information, they would understand that such an issue is the responsibility of an individual (Rajagopal,(2018). Additionally, when they focus on the value for m...