Monday 9 July 2007

Rallapalli 1994

Consumer ethical beliefs and personality traits: An exploratory analysis

The present study examines the relationships between consumers' ethical beliefs and personality traits. Based on a survey of 295 undergraduate business students, the authors found that individuals with high needs for autonomy, innovation, and aggression, as well as individuals with a high propensity for taking risks tend to have "less ethical" beliefs concerning possible consumer actions. Individuals with a high need for social desirability and individuals with a strong problem solving coping style tend to have "more ethical" beliefs concerning possible consumer actions. The needs for achievement, affiliation, complexity and an emotion solving coping style were not significantly correlated with consumer ethical beliefs.

Does not add a great deal to previous Vitell work - gives another good review of literature - with particular focus on Wilkes (1978)
Brings in Personality Traits as a variable - but probably not something I would want to look at.
Perhaps need to consider the statistical side of things when digesting these articles.

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