The project described in this thesis was designed to investigate HIV preventive behaviour in heterosexual adolescents from a social-cognitive perspective. The project consisted of three studies. The design of each study was guided by a theory of human decision making, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and its extension, the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). In the first phase, an elicitation study was conducted in which characteristics of the population were identified. This study consisted of a series of semi-structured interviews in which participants' sexual behaviours, beliefs and normative influences were elicited. This information was required in order to enable studies two and three to target beliefs and behaviours relevant to the population being examined. In the second study, a large-scale survey of 417 university aged adolescents was conducted. This study was designed, primarily, to examine quantitatively the determinants of safe sex intentions and behaviours within the targeted population. Determinants of behaviour examined were those included in the TRA/TPB. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the amount of variance in safe sex intentions and behaviours accounted for by TRA/TPB variables. In addition, a number of methodological issues related to criticisms of the TRA/TPB in the context of prediction of sexual behaviours were investigated. These issues included the utility of examining preference for alternative safe sex strategies in accounting for non-use of condoms, the importance of considering behaviour change as a process rather than an outcome, the importance of heat of the moment decision-making in the prediction of condom use behaviour, and the importance of consistent specification of partner type in survey instruments examining condom use behaviour. The third phase of the project consisted of an intervention study designed to modify HIV-risk related beliefs and behaviours. Design and evaluation of the intervention were guided by the TRA/TPB. The intervention was conducted using 102 participants, randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Methodological issues examined in study 2 were further explored in this study. Overall, it was found that the Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour provided a useful framework for understanding, predicting, and modifying HIV-related sexual behaviours. The theories were found to explain between 67 and 73% of variance in condom use intentions, and between 52 and 55% of variance in behaviour. The theories were also found to be applicable to other safe sex behaviours with 50% of variance accounted for in monogamy intentions, and 34% of variance explained in behaviour, and 40% of the variance in non-penetrative sexual intentions, but only 6% of variance in non-penetrative sexual behaviour explained. In addition, a behaviour modification intervention based on the theories was found to lead to change in both predictor variables and behaviours, relative to controls. These changes were maintained over a 6-month follow-up period. That is, a series of mixed factorial Analyses of Variance revealed that the percentage of encounters in which a condom was used was significantly greater for the four weeks prior to follow-up compared with the four weeks prior to the intervention. In addition, the number of 'slip-ups' into unsafe behaviours was found to be significantly less. Change in TRA/TPB predictor variables which accompanied these behavioural changes included increased perceptions of behavioural control, more positive attitudes towards sexuality and safe sex behaviours, and more positive normative perceptions. These results were seen to provide strong support for the theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour and for their relevance to the study of HIV-preventive behaviour. However, prediction of safe sex behaviours was found to be enhanced in most cases by consideration of the methodological issues explored in each study. Thus, it was found that consideration of safe sex strategies other than condom use and the type of partner with whom the behaviour was occurring were important in both the prediction and evaluation of efforts to modify condom use behaviour. In addition, prediction of condom use behaviour and evaluation of intervention effects were enhanced by the consideration of behaviour change as a stage-like process, rather than as an all or nothing outcome. Results relating to the importance of heat of the moment decision making were less clear, and further research is recommended to clarify the issue. Overall, these results have important implications for safe sex education, and should be considered in efforts to modify unsafe behaviour as well as efforts to evaluate the effects of this modification.

Background: Due to the fashion industry being one of the most polluting industries in the world with more clothing than ever being thrown away, attention has been brought to the need for more sustainable clothing behaviours. Therefore, the in-store recycling boxes have been introduced as an alternative for recycling. Previous literature has focused mainly on companies’ perspectives or consumers purchasing behaviours, hence there is a gap for literature on consumers’ disposal and recycling behaviours. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine what factors influence consumers’ intentions to use in-store recycling boxes. This will be done by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour by Ajzen (1991). Method: A qualitative approach in terms of two focus groups and two individual interviews was applied. The study was made on the consumers’ perspectives, and therefore the participants were 11 Swedish female students. Conclusion: The empirical findings and analysis toward previous literature and theoretical framework revealed that the main factors influencing consumers’ intentions to use in-store recycling boxes are lack of information about the recycling process, the possibility to drop off damaged clothing, and the developing possibility to make new clothing out of recycled materials. The lack of information had the greatest impact, which was unfavourable toward the intention to perform the behaviour and hence obstructed the participants from using in-store recycling boxes.

O objetivo principal desta tese foi testar um modelo teórico que pudesse relacionar os construtos atitude, norma subjetiva, hábito e intenção de comportamento no consumo de carne bovina. Também se propôs uma análise do impacto das emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas), do grau de envolvimento e de diferenças culturais como variáveis moderadoras no modelo. Buscou-se ainda contribuir com a Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (Theory of Planned Bahviour – TPB, AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) em estudos sobre o consumo de alimentos pela inclusão do construto hábito como um regressor independente no modelo (VERPLANKEN, 1998) e pela exclusão do construto controle percebido de comportamento (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER; SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Até recentemente os alimentos eram considerados simplesmente commodities, e seu estudo na área de marketing foi negligenciado por muitos anos. A abertura global dos mercados e o surgimento de novos padrões de consumo mudaram esta realidade, trazendo para a área do comportamento do consumidor tão importante discussão. No entanto, apesar da importância do agronegócio, estudos relacionando hábitos, emoções antecipadas, nível de envolvimento, cultura, atitudes, intenção e comportamento de consumo de produtos alimentares ainda são escassos no Brasil, e, portanto, totalmente abertos à exploração. Os construtos foram analisados como um modelo teórico quantitativo e a Modelagem em Equações Estruturais (MEE) foi utilizada para o cálculo dos parâmetros e teste das hipóteses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). O pré-teste foi realizado na Escócia e coleta de dados ocorreu no Brasil, na Holanda e na Austrália em 2005 e 2006. Foram obtidos 816 questionários válidos nas surveys realizadas, sendo que 400 casos foram usados para a análise cross-cultural multivariada dos dados. Os resultados obtidos confirmaram a relação existente, direta e estatisticamente significante entre os construtos atitude, hábito e norma subjetiva com o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. No entanto, o papel mediador da intenção de comportamento entre a atitude e a norma subjetiva com o comportamento, postulado pela TPB, não foi confirmado. Uma relação direta, do hábito para atitude também foi um achado teórico relevante. A inclusão de hábito como uma extensão à TPB foi considerada apropriada, pois ajudou a explicar o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. Os consumidores de Porto Alegre e da Austrália apresentaram a relação entre a atitude e comportamento mais positiva e níveis de envolvimento mais altos com carne bovina do que os consumidores de São Paulo e Holanda. As emoções antecipadas também foram consideradas variáveis moderadoras satisfatórias, tendo em vista que os grupos com expectativas emocionais (positivas e negativas) mais altas mostraram relações mais fortes e significativas no modelo. Os grupos que sofreram menor impacto das variáveis moderadoras emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas) demonstraram um padrão de consumo menos cognitivo, mais habitual, e mais influenciável pelas normas subjetivas. Sob o ponto de vista gerencial, as cadeias produtivas de carne bovina no Brasil, Holanda e Austrália se beneficiarão dos resultados, pois campanhas e esforços de marketing poderão ser direcionados a grupos específicos de consumidores, com base no seu comportamento de consumo. Vantagens competitivas poderão ser alcançadas por todos os elos da cadeia pela orientação para o mercado e satisfação das demandas dos consumidores a partir do conhecimento gerado. / The main objective of this thesis was to test a theoretical model relating attitude, subjective norm, habit and behaviour intention in beef consumption. We also proposed to analyze the impact of anticipated emotions (positive and negative), degree of involvement and cultural differences as moderator variables in the model. The author aimed to contribute to the Theory of Planned Behaviour - TPB (AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) in food consumption through the inclusion of habit as an independent regressor in that model (Verplanken, 1998) and exclusion of perceived behaviour control (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER;SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Until recently food was regarded as a commodity and marketing scholars neglected its study for many years. Although, with the global opening of markets and new consumption patterns, this reality changed, bringing up to the study of consumer behaviour such important discussion. Amazingly, in spite of the importance of the agribusiness sector, studies relating food consumption, habits, anticipated emotions, involvement, culture, attitudes and behaviour intention are scarce in Brazil, and therefore, totally open to exploration. The constructs were presented as a theoretical quantitative model and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to estimate parameters and test the hypotheses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). A pre-test was held in Scotland and data collection took place in Brazil, in The Netherlands and in Australia during 2005 and 2006. 816 valid questionnaires were obtained from the surveys and 400 cases were used on the cross-cultural multivariate analysis. Results obtained from this study confirmed most of the hypothesized relations. The authors confirmed the direct, statiscally significant effect of attitude, habit and subjective norm on consumption behaviour. The mediating role of behavioral intention from attitude and subjective norm to consumption behaviour, by contrast, was not confirmed, as postulated by the TPB. A direct relation, from habit to attitude was also found significant. The inclusion of habit as a TPB extension was considered appropriated, helping to explain beef consumption behavior. Consumers from Porto Alegre and Australia confirmed to have stronger relation from attitude to behavior and to have higher degrees of involvement with beef than consumers from São Paulo and The Netherlands. Anticipated emotions were also considered satisfactory moderator variables based on the findings that groups with higher emotional expectations showed stronger relationships in the model. Groups presenting a lower moderating impact were found to show a less cognitive, more habitual consumption pattern, and yet more susceptible to subjective norms influence. From a managerial perspective, Brazilian, European and Australian beef sector will benefit from the results, since marketing campaigns and sales efforts can be addressed to specific groups of consumers, based on their behaviour trends. The entire beef productive chain can improve its competitive advantage via consumer-driven or market-oriented actions.

In renal transplantation, immunosuppressants are prescribed to patients to prevent graft loss. Although the extent of adherence required for such treatment to prevent graft loss has not been determined, it is thought to be high. Despite this, research suggests adherence rates for renal transplant recipients to be only between 50% and 95%. Considering the impact of graft loss on the renal patient, the national healthcare budget and on the limited resource of donor organs, it is important to identify and understand factors that contribute to nonadherence, and thereafter to address those that are most influential. This thesis seeks to understand adherence of renal transplant recipients, and to identify the cognitive and behavioural factors influencing this behaviour. To achieve this, three main activities were performed, a literature review, an interview study and a questionnaire study, the methods and findings of which are presented following an overview of two social cognition models, used in two of the activities, and renal disease. The first activity, a comprehensive literature review, identified 55 research articles that explored factors influencing adherence of renal transplant recipients to immunosuppressant drug therapy. It included original research studies published between 1980 and 2009, and was updated in 2011. The findings were categorised into the five dimensional framework suggested by the World Health Organisation: patient- related factors; socio-economic factors; condition-related factors; therapy-related factors; and healthcare team and system-related factors. Secondly, a semi-structured interview study with 27 renal transplant recipients was conducted. The study explored their attitude towards and behaviours related to taking immunosuppressants. The interview schedule was informed by the health belief model, and framework analysis of the data identified five key themes. These were: satisfaction with renal replacement therapy; the importance of taking immunosuppressants; perception of side effects and risks; responding to side effects and risks; and 'compliance is routine'. Finally, a questionnaire was developed using the theory of planned behaviour and the findings of the previous two activities. Its purpose was to determine the predictors of renal transplant recipients' self-reported adherence and to explain their adherence. A logistic regression model of 528 survey responses suggested respondents were more likely to be highly adherent if they, in descending order of influence: had well- established habits; were unemployed; had a better prospective memory; were a shorter time post-transplantation; had higher levels of anticipated affect; and lower levels of perceived behavioural control. The thesis concludes with discussing the findings of the studies, their strengths and limitations, and their implications for practice and future research. The findings of this thesis suggest unintentional nonadherence to prevail and encourage the development of interventions which promote habit formation and maintenance.

O objetivo principal desta tese foi testar um modelo teórico que pudesse relacionar os construtos atitude, norma subjetiva, hábito e intenção de comportamento no consumo de carne bovina. Também se propôs uma análise do impacto das emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas), do grau de envolvimento e de diferenças culturais como variáveis moderadoras no modelo. Buscou-se ainda contribuir com a Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (Theory of Planned Bahviour – TPB, AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) em estudos sobre o consumo de alimentos pela inclusão do construto hábito como um regressor independente no modelo (VERPLANKEN, 1998) e pela exclusão do construto controle percebido de comportamento (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER; SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Até recentemente os alimentos eram considerados simplesmente commodities, e seu estudo na área de marketing foi negligenciado por muitos anos. A abertura global dos mercados e o surgimento de novos padrões de consumo mudaram esta realidade, trazendo para a área do comportamento do consumidor tão importante discussão. No entanto, apesar da importância do agronegócio, estudos relacionando hábitos, emoções antecipadas, nível de envolvimento, cultura, atitudes, intenção e comportamento de consumo de produtos alimentares ainda são escassos no Brasil, e, portanto, totalmente abertos à exploração. Os construtos foram analisados como um modelo teórico quantitativo e a Modelagem em Equações Estruturais (MEE) foi utilizada para o cálculo dos parâmetros e teste das hipóteses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). O pré-teste foi realizado na Escócia e coleta de dados ocorreu no Brasil, na Holanda e na Austrália em 2005 e 2006. Foram obtidos 816 questionários válidos nas surveys realizadas, sendo que 400 casos foram usados para a análise cross-cultural multivariada dos dados. Os resultados obtidos confirmaram a relação existente, direta e estatisticamente significante entre os construtos atitude, hábito e norma subjetiva com o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. No entanto, o papel mediador da intenção de comportamento entre a atitude e a norma subjetiva com o comportamento, postulado pela TPB, não foi confirmado. Uma relação direta, do hábito para atitude também foi um achado teórico relevante. A inclusão de hábito como uma extensão à TPB foi considerada apropriada, pois ajudou a explicar o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. Os consumidores de Porto Alegre e da Austrália apresentaram a relação entre a atitude e comportamento mais positiva e níveis de envolvimento mais altos com carne bovina do que os consumidores de São Paulo e Holanda. As emoções antecipadas também foram consideradas variáveis moderadoras satisfatórias, tendo em vista que os grupos com expectativas emocionais (positivas e negativas) mais altas mostraram relações mais fortes e significativas no modelo. Os grupos que sofreram menor impacto das variáveis moderadoras emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas) demonstraram um padrão de consumo menos cognitivo, mais habitual, e mais influenciável pelas normas subjetivas. Sob o ponto de vista gerencial, as cadeias produtivas de carne bovina no Brasil, Holanda e Austrália se beneficiarão dos resultados, pois campanhas e esforços de marketing poderão ser direcionados a grupos específicos de consumidores, com base no seu comportamento de consumo. Vantagens competitivas poderão ser alcançadas por todos os elos da cadeia pela orientação para o mercado e satisfação das demandas dos consumidores a partir do conhecimento gerado. / The main objective of this thesis was to test a theoretical model relating attitude, subjective norm, habit and behaviour intention in beef consumption. We also proposed to analyze the impact of anticipated emotions (positive and negative), degree of involvement and cultural differences as moderator variables in the model. The author aimed to contribute to the Theory of Planned Behaviour - TPB (AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) in food consumption through the inclusion of habit as an independent regressor in that model (Verplanken, 1998) and exclusion of perceived behaviour control (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER;SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Until recently food was regarded as a commodity and marketing scholars neglected its study for many years. Although, with the global opening of markets and new consumption patterns, this reality changed, bringing up to the study of consumer behaviour such important discussion. Amazingly, in spite of the importance of the agribusiness sector, studies relating food consumption, habits, anticipated emotions, involvement, culture, attitudes and behaviour intention are scarce in Brazil, and therefore, totally open to exploration. The constructs were presented as a theoretical quantitative model and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to estimate parameters and test the hypotheses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). A pre-test was held in Scotland and data collection took place in Brazil, in The Netherlands and in Australia during 2005 and 2006. 816 valid questionnaires were obtained from the surveys and 400 cases were used on the cross-cultural multivariate analysis. Results obtained from this study confirmed most of the hypothesized relations. The authors confirmed the direct, statiscally significant effect of attitude, habit and subjective norm on consumption behaviour. The mediating role of behavioral intention from attitude and subjective norm to consumption behaviour, by contrast, was not confirmed, as postulated by the TPB. A direct relation, from habit to attitude was also found significant. The inclusion of habit as a TPB extension was considered appropriated, helping to explain beef consumption behavior. Consumers from Porto Alegre and Australia confirmed to have stronger relation from attitude to behavior and to have higher degrees of involvement with beef than consumers from São Paulo and The Netherlands. Anticipated emotions were also considered satisfactory moderator variables based on the findings that groups with higher emotional expectations showed stronger relationships in the model. Groups presenting a lower moderating impact were found to show a less cognitive, more habitual consumption pattern, and yet more susceptible to subjective norms influence. From a managerial perspective, Brazilian, European and Australian beef sector will benefit from the results, since marketing campaigns and sales efforts can be addressed to specific groups of consumers, based on their behaviour trends. The entire beef productive chain can improve its competitive advantage via consumer-driven or market-oriented actions.

O objetivo principal desta tese foi testar um modelo teórico que pudesse relacionar os construtos atitude, norma subjetiva, hábito e intenção de comportamento no consumo de carne bovina. Também se propôs uma análise do impacto das emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas), do grau de envolvimento e de diferenças culturais como variáveis moderadoras no modelo. Buscou-se ainda contribuir com a Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (Theory of Planned Bahviour – TPB, AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) em estudos sobre o consumo de alimentos pela inclusão do construto hábito como um regressor independente no modelo (VERPLANKEN, 1998) e pela exclusão do construto controle percebido de comportamento (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER; SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Até recentemente os alimentos eram considerados simplesmente commodities, e seu estudo na área de marketing foi negligenciado por muitos anos. A abertura global dos mercados e o surgimento de novos padrões de consumo mudaram esta realidade, trazendo para a área do comportamento do consumidor tão importante discussão. No entanto, apesar da importância do agronegócio, estudos relacionando hábitos, emoções antecipadas, nível de envolvimento, cultura, atitudes, intenção e comportamento de consumo de produtos alimentares ainda são escassos no Brasil, e, portanto, totalmente abertos à exploração. Os construtos foram analisados como um modelo teórico quantitativo e a Modelagem em Equações Estruturais (MEE) foi utilizada para o cálculo dos parâmetros e teste das hipóteses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). O pré-teste foi realizado na Escócia e coleta de dados ocorreu no Brasil, na Holanda e na Austrália em 2005 e 2006. Foram obtidos 816 questionários válidos nas surveys realizadas, sendo que 400 casos foram usados para a análise cross-cultural multivariada dos dados. Os resultados obtidos confirmaram a relação existente, direta e estatisticamente significante entre os construtos atitude, hábito e norma subjetiva com o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. No entanto, o papel mediador da intenção de comportamento entre a atitude e a norma subjetiva com o comportamento, postulado pela TPB, não foi confirmado. Uma relação direta, do hábito para atitude também foi um achado teórico relevante. A inclusão de hábito como uma extensão à TPB foi considerada apropriada, pois ajudou a explicar o comportamento de consumo de carne bovina. Os consumidores de Porto Alegre e da Austrália apresentaram a relação entre a atitude e comportamento mais positiva e níveis de envolvimento mais altos com carne bovina do que os consumidores de São Paulo e Holanda. As emoções antecipadas também foram consideradas variáveis moderadoras satisfatórias, tendo em vista que os grupos com expectativas emocionais (positivas e negativas) mais altas mostraram relações mais fortes e significativas no modelo. Os grupos que sofreram menor impacto das variáveis moderadoras emoções antecipadas (positivas e negativas) demonstraram um padrão de consumo menos cognitivo, mais habitual, e mais influenciável pelas normas subjetivas. Sob o ponto de vista gerencial, as cadeias produtivas de carne bovina no Brasil, Holanda e Austrália se beneficiarão dos resultados, pois campanhas e esforços de marketing poderão ser direcionados a grupos específicos de consumidores, com base no seu comportamento de consumo. Vantagens competitivas poderão ser alcançadas por todos os elos da cadeia pela orientação para o mercado e satisfação das demandas dos consumidores a partir do conhecimento gerado. / The main objective of this thesis was to test a theoretical model relating attitude, subjective norm, habit and behaviour intention in beef consumption. We also proposed to analyze the impact of anticipated emotions (positive and negative), degree of involvement and cultural differences as moderator variables in the model. The author aimed to contribute to the Theory of Planned Behaviour - TPB (AJZEN, 1985, 1988, 1991) in food consumption through the inclusion of habit as an independent regressor in that model (Verplanken, 1998) and exclusion of perceived behaviour control (BREDAHL; GRUNERT, 1997; TOWLER;SHEPHERD, 1991/1992). Until recently food was regarded as a commodity and marketing scholars neglected its study for many years. Although, with the global opening of markets and new consumption patterns, this reality changed, bringing up to the study of consumer behaviour such important discussion. Amazingly, in spite of the importance of the agribusiness sector, studies relating food consumption, habits, anticipated emotions, involvement, culture, attitudes and behaviour intention are scarce in Brazil, and therefore, totally open to exploration. The constructs were presented as a theoretical quantitative model and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to estimate parameters and test the hypotheses (ARBUCKLE, 1999). A pre-test was held in Scotland and data collection took place in Brazil, in The Netherlands and in Australia during 2005 and 2006. 816 valid questionnaires were obtained from the surveys and 400 cases were used on the cross-cultural multivariate analysis. Results obtained from this study confirmed most of the hypothesized relations. The authors confirmed the direct, statiscally significant effect of attitude, habit and subjective norm on consumption behaviour. The mediating role of behavioral intention from attitude and subjective norm to consumption behaviour, by contrast, was not confirmed, as postulated by the TPB. A direct relation, from habit to attitude was also found significant. The inclusion of habit as a TPB extension was considered appropriated, helping to explain beef consumption behavior. Consumers from Porto Alegre and Australia confirmed to have stronger relation from attitude to behavior and to have higher degrees of involvement with beef than consumers from São Paulo and The Netherlands. Anticipated emotions were also considered satisfactory moderator variables based on the findings that groups with higher emotional expectations showed stronger relationships in the model. Groups presenting a lower moderating impact were found to show a less cognitive, more habitual consumption pattern, and yet more susceptible to subjective norms influence. From a managerial perspective, Brazilian, European and Australian beef sector will benefit from the results, since marketing campaigns and sales efforts can be addressed to specific groups of consumers, based on their behaviour trends. The entire beef productive chain can improve its competitive advantage via consumer-driven or market-oriented actions.

A popular school of thought in the study of publishing, exemplified by the influential Long Tail theory, suggests that the economic advantages of e-books will lead to a boom in self-publishing. However, this position focuses on economic factors at the expense of other potential influences. This thesis applied Azjen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour to explore which factors have the most influence on authors' decision to self-publish e-books, and, conversely, which factors influence others' decision not to. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 authors in the Ottawa area who have self-published or who are considering doing so in the near future. We discovered that there is significant resistance to e-books as a format for self-publishing, and that normative factors such as a lack of prestige and different promotional requirements were particularly influential. While e-books were seen to reduce economic risk, they were believed to be a less prestigious format, and so to represent an elevated risk to what Bourdieu called symbolic-capital. Some authors were also resistant because they felt unable to promote e-books in the way they are expected to. However, most said they would be willing to abandon their resistance if they perceived sufficient demand from their audience. These results open up paths for future study, including more focused examinations of the resistance factors that emerged; more longitudinal studies to see how authors' opinions change over time, particularly those of the non-adopters; and a further examination of the digital skills developed by adopters.

Due to the growing involvement of external stakeholders including pressure groups such as Greenpeace, sustainability issues have increasingly become a focus point in the business sector. Thereby, many businesses began to integrate sustainability into their corporate mission and vision. Similar to fast food consumption, fast fashion consumption has decreased well-being of both nature and humans. With the goal of reducing harmful impact on people and planet, apparel and fashion firms such as C&A, H&M, and Nike have been gradually shifting the use of conventional cotton to bio-cotton in their production of clothing. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to investigate the influence of different factors on purchasing intention of bio-cotton clothing among young business students. In connection to this, the research question of the present study is formulated as follows: “What kind of impacts do attitude, social norm, perceived efficacy of consumer, perceived availability as well as functional, monetary, and psychological risk have on the purchase intention of bio-cotton clothing among young business students?”  The present study was conducted quantitatively by using online survey method. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 220 young business students at Umeå School of Business and Economics (USBE). The research model of this study comprises seven hypotheses. Each hypothesis is assigned with a unique independent variable and a dependent variable (i.e. purchase intention). All the constructs are derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour as well as from the Theory of Perceived Risk. Following a multiple linear regression analysis, it was revealed that independent variables including attitude, social norm, perceived efficacy of consumer, and perceived availability significantly affect the purchase intention. All influencers except perceived availability was found to have a negative influence on purchase intention. Although none of the constructs from the Theory of Perceived Risk was found to significantly affect purchase intention, a significant quantity of variance in the purchase intention was explained by all independent variables combined. This contributes to the current research gap since numerous studies have focused on the behavioural intention of organic food rather than bio-cotton clothing. This study’s findings provide insights to businesses that intend to market their bio-cotton clothing among young business students. Since the availability of bio-cotton clothing was found to be low, managers are advised to increase the visibility and benefits of such products by using online and offline communication instruments. Policy makers, especially those from developed countries, are advised to support informational campaigns to transform consumer behaviour.

Background: Mindful consumption is considered to be a process that is beneficial forconsumers, society and environment. Food consumption and mindfulness are two concepts thatwork very well together. Practicing mindful food consumption often results in behaviour that issocially and environmentally responsible. For the vast majority of consumers consumption isviewed in a positive light.In modern day society mindful consumption is on the rise. This isespecially true for food consumption. Practitioners of mindful consumption contribute topreservation of the environment and are socially responsible and this has a correlation withindividual consumers interest and societal interest.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe what the driving forces of mindfulconsumerism are from the perspective of food consumption.Methodology: Researchers decided on deductive approach, established theory of plannedbehaviour is used to observe. Furthermore the researchers used qualitative research sincemindful consumerism is not expanded enough to test in a quantitative approach. The researchdesign of the study is defining a research question, actually defining the research, data collectionprocess, analysing the data and writing a research report on it. For the data collected theresearchers focused on primary data collection methods in order to better understand thephenomenon and lastly for the data collection instruments a focus group interview has beenchosen with a thematic analysis to analyze the results. Lastly the sampling method chosen is thegeneric purposive sampling where researchers chose specific participants that exhibit certaincharacteristics.Theoretical framework: The researchers question was what leads to mindful consumerism, inorder to achieve that the planned behavioural model was used. In this paper the researchers havefocused on four themes that can be connected to mindful food consumption. Environment andsustainability, health and wellbeing, self preservation, social and moral implications. By applying3theory of planned behaviour to these four topics the researchers could pinpoint what factorsexactly lead to mindful consumerism.Findings: The authors argue that some of the four themes have more influence on mindfulconsumption of food and lastly that consumers themselves are responsible for the decision toengage in mindful consumption of their food.

The apparel and textile industry plays an enormous role in the depletion of natural resources, pollution and other environmental problems. Pro-environmental efforts should thus be encouraged in all stages of the apparel supply chain, but also more specifically at the disposal stage during which consumers should be encouraged to adopt eco-friendly options such as donating, recycling and/ or reselling apparel. The aim of this study was to explore and describe female consumers' pro-environmental disposal motivation and intent regarding apparel in the South African context. The hypothesis and conceptual framework for this study was based on a combination of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Norm Activation Theory's (NAT) constructs as the underlying motivational factors that contribute to pro-environmental disposal intent. The research was carried out in the Gauteng province, South Africa. The sample comprised of 315 female consumers; female consumers were of particular interest since they tend to engage in pro-environmental behaviour to a larger extent than males. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional survey design for which a Qualtrics web-based questionnaire was developed. Data was captured and coded to be further subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses. The findings indicated that most respondents are aware of environmental consequences related to the disposal of apparel. Social norms influenced respondents' personal norms, as well as their behavioural intent to make pro-environmental decisions regarding the disposal of apparel. It seems that consumers' attitudes also influence their pro-environmental behavioural intent significantly. In contrast, perceived behavioural control had a weaker influence on pro-environmental intent. The theoretical contribution of this study relates to the relevance of TPB and NAT constructs in the local context. In so far as practical implications are concerned, it was concluded that government and businesses should get involved in promoting pro-environmental apparel disposal options and educating consumers about the benefits of disposing apparel in a pro-environmental manner. / Die klere en tekstiel bedryf speel 'n noodsaaklike rol in die vermindering van natuurlike bronne, besoedeling en ander omgewingsprobleme. Pro-omgewings pogings moet dus aangemoedig word in alle stadiums van die klere voorsienings kettings, maar meer spesifiek ook in die wegdoen fase waarin verbruikers aangemoedig moet word om omgewings vriendelike opsies te oorweeg soos skenking, herwinning en herverkoping. Die doel van hierdie studie was vroulike verbruikers se pro-omgewings klere beskikkings motivering en bedoeling te verken en beskryf in 'n Suid Afrikaanse konteks. Die hipotese en konseptuele raamwerk vir hierdie studie is gebaseer op 'n kombinasie van die Teorie van Beplande Gedrag (TPB) en die Norm Aktiverings Teorie (NAT) se konsepte as die onderliggende motiverende faktore wat bydra tot verbruikers se pro-omgewings wegdoen voorneme. Die navorsing was uitgevoer in Gauteng provinsie, Suid Afrika. Die steekproef het uit 315 vroulike verbruikers bestaan; vroulike verbruikers was van besondere belang aangesien hulle geneig is om betrokke te raak in pro-omgewings gedrag tot 'n groter mate as mans. Hierdie kwantitatiewe studie het 'n deursnit opname-ontwerp gebruik waarvoor 'n Qualtrics web-gebaseerde vraelys ontwikkel is. Die data was ingevoer en verder gekodeer om beskrywende en inferentiële statistiek ontledings te ontwikkel. Die bevindings het aangedui dat die meeste respondente bewus is van hoe die wegdoen van klere die omgewing beïnvloed. Sosiale norme het die respondente se persoonlike norme beïnvloed, asook hul gedragspatrone intensie om pro-omgewings besluite te maak ten opsigte van die wegdoen van klere. Dit blyk dat die houdings van verbruikers hul pro-omgewings gedrags intensie ook aansienlik beïnvloed. In teenstelling hiermee, het waargeneemde gedrags beheer 'n swakker invloed op pro-omgewings voorneme. Die teoretiese bydrae van hierdie studie het betrekking tot die toepaslikheid van TPB en NAT konsepte in 'n plaaslike konteks. In terme van praktiese implikasies, was die gevolgtrekking dat die regering en besighede betrokke moet raak in die bevordering van pro-omgewings wegdoen opsies en die opvoeding van verbruikers oor die voordele van die afhandeling van klere op 'n pro-omgewings wyse. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Consumer Science / MConsumer Science / Unrestricted