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• Consumer Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility

  3-14

  Ildikó Kovács

  József Lehota

  Nándor Komáromi

  Views:

  178

  Several studies have drawn attention to the importance of and the impact on consumer behavior of the corporate efforts in order to promote sustainable consumption in the last decades. The concept and framework of sustainable consumption appear at global, European and national levels. Several studies have examined the possible design and modeling opportunities for sustainable societies. The socially responsible operation of companies and their efforts for sustainable consumption can be the driving force behind social changes. In our study, we examined the consumer’s perception of social responsibility of companies on based on a national representative sample of 1,038 respondents over 15 years of age. In our analysis, opinions and attitudes related to sustainable development are presented, followed by the characterization of the groups that can be separated on the basis of the monitoring of sustainable corporate activities. The research shows that only a minority the consumers do not believe that consumers could make to sustainable development through their decisions. In contrast, nearly a third of domestic consumers is neutral or attaches importance to the efforts of companies for sustainable development, which is average by European standards. The company moves which lead to better opinions of domestic consumers, or which may lead to the rejection of shopping are introduced. Four groups of consumers are separated according to the monitoring of sustainable business activities.

• The Characteristics of the LOHAS Segment, the Consumer Group which is Devoted to Sustainable Consumption

  3-9

  Zoltán Szakály

  Károly Pető

  József Popp

  Helga Jasák

  Views:

  345

  Sustainable consumption is a megatrend influencing consumer habits today. Our research was carried out to find out information – with the help of international and national literature – about the general and differentiating characteristics and the size of the consumer group devoted to sustainable consumption. Our aim was also to sum up the economic importance of the segment. This “new type” of consumer-buyer group is called LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) by professionals. An important feature of the segment is that they consider all the three pillars of sustainable development (economic, social and ecological) in their shopping decisions. LOHAS consumers live their life health-consciously. Their devotion to sustainability is reflected in purchasing environmental-friendly, socially responsible products. Besides this, it can also be claimed about them that they are early adopters and they are able to influence the opinion of their friends and family. They are less price-sensitive, and they are characteristically brand-loyal. These characteristics make them the attractive target of a lot of marketing activities. It is hard to describe the LOHAS lifestyle only with demographic features since their devotion to sustainable consumption is determined by mostly personal values and the individual’s value order. LOHAS lifestyle has five, well defined value categories that direct the individuals’ behavior. They are authentic values, health-conscious values, ethic values, individualist values and environmental-conscious values. The LOHAS group is also characterized by such a hybrid lifestyle in which different characteristics merge with each other. The LOHAS “phenomenon” is mostly characteristic of the western world, but it is becoming widespread in the Asian region’s consumer society. In the developed countries the size of the group may reach 25%. For today the approach and value order characterizing the LOHAS consumer’s lifestyle have appeared within the Hungarian population as well. Hungarian researchers estimate the size of this group different – between 4 and 30% – depending on the values expected during segmentation. The LOHAS trend influences all the branches of economy calling companies for innovation that meets the needs of the consumers who prefer hybrid lifestyle, and for environmental and social responsibility. However, the strongest influence appears in the food industry. It is worth mentioning that some members of the tertiary sector have also realized the opportunities lying behind them. Besides the economic importance of the LOHAS consumer group, it is important to mention that their inner values and views envisage a healthier society and a cleaner and more livable environment.

• Overall Introduction of the Fair Trade Initiative

  35-43

  Eszter Tóth

  Views:

  126

  Fair trade is a bottom-up initiative whose objective is to make reasonable conditions for the poor producers of the Third World and to enable them to follow a sustainable model of development. This realigned commercial partnership aims to modify the rules of traditional international trade between the producers of the southern nations and the purchasers of the northern hemisphere, and to replace them with a novel alternative. The goal of fair trade is to change the rules of the game that have controlled the dominant economic model. The main tool of the movement is the development of an awareness of socially responsible consumer behavior.