Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Since the COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly hit the world, the tourism industry has been impacted in every conceivable area. Environmental issues are recognized and considered essential to solve especially in the tourism industry. It is unavoidable that tourists bring both positive and negative impacts to a destination. Meanwhile, the tourism industry is eager to return to its pre-pandemic tourist numbers and levels of spending that traveler previously engaged in. The young generations, specifically Gen Y and Z, play an important role in the tourism market, and they often embody a mindset that takes into consideration issues of sustainability. However, they are not as active as expected in practicing sustainable travel behaviors. Sustainable tourism development and "green" travel practices are becoming increasingly necessary. The main purpose of this study is to identify the gaps between Gen Y and Z's intentions and their behaviors regarding sustainable travel. This study developed and tested a conceptual framework to understand this dynamic. This study identified two gaps: (a) the behavior-intention gap, which exists between Gen Y & Z's intentions and their behaviors in sustainable travel, and (b) daily life and sustainable travel gap, which is the gap between individuals’ daily sustainable habits and sustainable travel behaviors. The results of quantitative study indicated the factors contributed to the gaps included: (1) individuals who have bachelor’s degrees are more likely to conduct sustainable travel behaviors; (2) individuals who have daily sustainable habits; (3) individuals who have higher perceived consumer effectiveness. The implications of the study provide suggestions for destinations to promote sustainable travel and ways to encourage more sustainable traveling choices by travelers.

Research Questions: “What knowledge do Generation Y consumers’ have about sustainability in the fast fashion industry?” and “How do the factors of the attitude-behavior gap influence the Generation Y consumers in their decision making for fast fashion clothes?”       Problem Formulation: Sustainability as a topic has regained great attention over the last couple of years. Generation Y consumers’ demand for more sustainable actions, especially in fast fashion, puts increasing pressure on the industry. As the biggest consumer cohort, it is important for fast fashion companies to meet their needs and demands for more sustainable actions to stay competitive. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the perception of sustainability of Generation Y consumers’ in the fast fashion industry by looking at eight factors that influence the attitude-behavior gap, namely Price Sensitivity, Ethical Obligation, Lack of Information, Subjective Norm, Quality, Inertia, Cynicism and Guilt. Additionally, the previous knowledge about sustainability in the fast fashion industry of this generation will be investigated by using the triple-bottom line approach of economic, environmental and social aspects. Methodology: This thesis utilized a qualitative methodology by conducting semi-structured interviews. The research consists of 6 participants from the Generation Y. The interviews were performed personally face-to-face. Findings/Conclusions: The findings indicate that the factors of the attitude-behavior gap still influence Generation Y consumers’ in their purchase decisions for fast fashion brands. They are more hesitant to invest in acquiring clothes from fast fashion retailers, as they see them as violating to the society and the environment. Therefore, Generation Y consumers would rather purchase sustainable clothes from sustainable companies that are behaving and producing their clothes in a right, sustainable and ethical way. Hence, their attitude indicates to be similar to their potential purchasing behavior. Furthermore, Generation Y consumers’ hold a broad, detailed knowledge about sustainability of all three parts of the triple bottom line.

The increased global consumption has a severe effect on the environment. In order to reduce the environmental impact, there is a need for more environmentally friendly consumption choices. Several studies have confirmed that consumers have a positive attitude towards environmentally friendly products, but that the attitude is, in most cases, not put in to practice. To increase the degree of explanation behind the gap between Swedish consumers intention and behavior regarding the consumption of organic fruits, this study used Ajzen’s (1985) theory of planned behavior. The purpose of this bachelor thesis was to examine if attitude, social norms and experinced behavior control can explain the consumption behavior regarding organic fruits in Sweden. An online-survey with several Likert items was conducted in order to gather data. The respondents were asked about their age, income, education, attitudes, social norms and their experienced behavior control. A correlation test and a multiple regression analysis was conducted in order to see how the determinants of intention correlated with the behavior and how well they could influence the behavior. The results showed that attitude was the determinant that had the strongest correlation (0.522) and contributed the most to the behavior of buying organic fruits. Subjective norm (0.294) and perceived behavior control (0.245) had not as strong correlation as attitude and subjective norm could only influence the behavior to a minimal level. However, it was found that perceived behavior control could influence the behavior. The total rate of explanation for all determinants of intention on the behavior was R2 = 0.568 (56.8%). The conclusions that were made from this study were, firstly, that attitude can influence most of the behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Secondly, subjective norm can to a minimal degree influence the behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Thirdly, perceived behavior control can to a minimal degree influence behavior regarding consumption of organic fruits among Swedish consumers. Furthermore, there is a need for more studies who includes behavioral data and more added variables to the TpB model in order to deepen the knowledge about environmentally friendly consumption behaviors.

Title: Talking green, behaving brown - A study about consumers intention-behavior gap among eco-labels Level: Bachelor thesis in Business & Administration   Authors: Emma-Sophie Doksaeter & Julia Nordman   Supervisor: Jonas Kågström   Date: January 2019   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze consumers intention-behavior gap towards eco-labeled products based on Carrington’s et. al. model considering more recent studies regarding different variables such as relations, moral and knowledge.   Method: A quantitative survey design was developed based on variables from Carrington et al. (2010) and variables from more recent studies. Four surveys were made divided into three different countries; Sweden, Norway and Finland. The total number of participating respondents were 540. We used cluster, factor and SEM analysis to interpret our results.   Result & analysis: The result shows that it exists a gap between intention and behavior when speaking of eco-labels among consumers. Variables such as knowledge, actual behavior control have a big impact on implementation intention. Situational context and relations have low significance on implementation intention. Although, by considering all of these variables, it is possible to close the gap. To close the gap, it is also important to consider different consumer groups.     Contribution of the thesis: The study shows that it exists a gap between what consumers say they are going to do, and what they actually do, and that it is possible to close the gap between intentions and behavior when talking about eco-labels.   Suggestions for future research: The study shows cultural differences in intentions and behavior towards eco-labels. It would be possible to study this further. Another study could look at how organizations could increase eco-labels credibility towards consumers.    Keywords: Green marketing, behavior economics, intention-behavior gap, eco-labels, environmental intention

 The majority of Americans profess to hold pro-environmental attitudes and intend to engage in environmentally friendly behavior. Yet their actions tell a different story. The goal of this study was to explain the gap between widely held pro-environmental attitudes and the lack of corresponding individual and collective behavior. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods and applying the principles of grid-group cultural theory, cognitive sociology, and identity theory I examined the meanings people ascribe to the environment, how they think about behavior relative to the environment, and justifications for the performance of environmentally significant behavior. I administered an on-line survey to a nationally representative sample of individuals. By applying grounded theory methods to the textual data generated by open-ended survey questions I developed a model of environmentally signficant behavior which describes the underlying factors that influence the performance of pro-environmental behavior. Individuals develop environmental socio-cognitive schemas based on the ways in which they use the six cognitive acts (perceiving, focusing, classifying, signifying, remembering, and timing) in thinking about the environment. They use these environmental socio-cognitive schemas to filter and interpret environmental discourse, construct a body of environmental knowledge, and guide environmentally significant behavior. According to this study, the explanatory link between pro-environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior lies in the concept of proximity. Performance of pro-environmental behavior is driven by the distance individuals perceive themselves to be from environmental issues. Attitudes toward the environment remain abstractions whereas behavior is situational. Individuals from different cultural groups hold different ideas about the relationship between humans and nature, the extent and severity of environmental issues, and how those issues should be addressed. The findings from this study provide a foundation for developing effective strategies for influencing environmentally significant behavior. This study is important because environmental issues are real, their potential impact is substantial, and time is of the essence in addressing them.

Background: In the last decade, the world has been facing global challenges of climate change as the climate has worsened significantly. Excessive consumption has been identified as one of the biggest contributors to the climate change where people purchase more products than what meets the basic needs. The excessive consumption of products has been prominent in the fashion industry, where female consumers generally purchase more clothes than men. Today, the fashion industry is dominated by fast fashion, where consumers purchase more clothes with a shorter life span. Thus, the fashion waste increases, leaving serious environmental effects. Sweden is said to be one of the greenest countries in the world but is still one of the countries with the highest levels of consumption globally. The private consumption is high in Sweden and one of the biggest consumer markets that have a negative effect on the environment is the fashion industry. As a result, sustainable fashion consumption is becoming more important.   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the sustainable behavior of Swedish female consumers and later understand how different factors is affecting the IB gap in sustainable (secondhand) fashion consumption.   Method: To be able to achieve the purpose of this exploratory study, a qualitative research strategy was applied. The empirical data was collected through in-depth interviews held with Swedish female consumers with intentions to purchase secondhand fashion, which later was interpreted and analyzed through an abductive approach, incorporating a thematic analysis.   Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the behavior of intenders can be characterized by sustainable intentions that do not translate into behavior. Further, the behavior can be characterized by a weak social support system (barrier), poor availability (barrier), low task- and maintenance self-efficacy, high recovery self-efficacy, and no planning. In addition, the results of this study showed that the behavior of actors can be characterized by sustainable intentions and sustainable behavior. Further, the behavior can be characterized by a strong social support system, good availability, high task- and recovery self-efficacy, medium to high maintenance self-efficacy, and planning. The comparison between intenders and actors showed that the perceived barriers for intenders was contributing factors to the IB gap together with their low task- and maintenance self-efficacy through their most likely negative effect on intenders planning. Intenders lack of planning was shown to serve as a negative mediator between intention and behavior, which thereby contributes to the IB gap. While the recovery self-efficacy was high for both intenders and actors, actors has recovery self-efficacy for the desired behavior of purchasing secondhand on a regular basis, while intenders does not.

Background: Even though the health benefits of regular exercises are common knowledge, a concerning trend of obesity due to a lack of physical activity in the population exists. As Digital Technology is largely adapted among consumers, the question is if and how it can be used as a tool to close the intention behavior gap concerning physical activity. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to understand the intentions behind executing PA and to explore the role of digital technologies within PA. As a result, the aim of this research is to find potential opportunities to bridge the IB-Gap offered by DT and to suggest options for app developers and digital companies to improve their products to better meet customers' needs for utilizing them as tools to bridge the IB-Gap. Method: To understand and explore the intentions behind and ways how people are using Digital Technologies within physical activity a qualitative study was conducted. This included a two-week diary study capturing the intentions and behaviors, and in-depth interviews describing the usage of Digital Technology in more details. Conclusion: The results indicate that Digital Technology can support people in closing the Intention Behavior gap when it comes to Physical Activity. The study further showed that people use Digital Technology in different ways depending on factors such as motivation or proficiency towards Physical Activity. Therefore, Digital Technology should be tailored to the individuals needs to best support their efforts.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that influence consumers to act socially responsible (CnSR) to provide guidance for CSR work practices in the context of fast food. Method: To answer the research questions a qualitative method has been used where empirical findings have been collected through secondary data and 16 semi-structured interviews. The study has been guided by a deductive approach where an analytical framework, based on previous research, has been the basis when collecting and analyzing the data. Conclusions: One conclusion that can be drawn is that fast food companies are working with the environmental aspect of CSR. Although, the current efforts are not enough to encourage consumers’ socially responsible (CnSR) behavior. Another conclusion of this study is that even though consumers have a positive attitude toward CSR, internal and external factors, especially environmental knowledge, motivation, and economic factors, have an influence on CnSR behavior not being achieved in the context of fast food. Value was the only factor that seemed to result in CnSR behavior. For this reason, fast food companies should provide more concrete information and offer smaller menus or trial samples at a lower price to increase consumers’ motivation to behave socially. Consequently, this could also make them value the more sustainable products in the future. Lastly, another conclusion is that Consumer-Company congruence (C-C congruence) was not achieved as there existed a lack in consumer CSR credibility and consumer CSR awareness. Based on this, it is obvious that fast food companies need to improve both their marketing communication on social media and their in-store promotion.

The largest generation on earth, Generation Z, holds substantial market power. They were born onto a planet that is overheating, in a society characterized by high growth and technological advancements at an accelerated speed, and are inheriting substantial sustainability, socio-economic, and climate change challenges. Given this, they are aware of the importance of incorporating sustainability into their purchasing decisions. Since the contemporary topic of sustainable decision-making of Gen Z is still in its nascent stage, this research further investigates the process an individual goes through when deciding what aspects guide them in decisions as well as what could possibly hinder Gen Z to turn sustainable purchasing intentions into behavior. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with individuals of Europe’s Gen Z cohort and subsequently processed using thematic analysis. Based on the EBM customer decision model, the information integration theory, and the green intention-behavior gap model, three categories focusing on rational, value-based, and intentional themes were derived. Results show that Gen Z goes through a complex decision process which is based on their strongly held values. Their intention to act sustainably is prevalent throughout the process, where they often combat internalized consumerism, search for authentic and honest information, rely on family, friends, their sustainability education and knowledge, their favorite brands, and are skeptical about claims made by companies. Even if individuals desire to purchase sustainably all the time, price, availability and accessibility, missing aesthetics as well as skepticism and the lack of transparency and regulations in terms of sustainability terminology hinders them to turn intentions into actions.

Children have an early-emerging expectation that resources should be divided fairly amongst agents, yet their behavior does not begin to align with these expectations until later in development. This dissociation between knowledge and behavior raises important questions about the mechanisms that encourage children to behave how they know they should behave. Here I tested whether explicitly invoking fairness norms encourages costly fair decisions in 4- to 9-year-old-children. I examine children’s responses to unequal resource allocations in the Inequity Game by varying the direction of inequity (advantageous versus disadvantageous inequity) and normative information (to be fair or to act autonomously). The results show children are more likely to reject advantageous allocation in the Fairness norm condition than in the Autonomous norm condition, but I did not see this difference when children are presented with disadvantageous allocations. This study showcases children’s costly fairness norm enforcement as a flexible process, one that can be brought in and out of alignment with their knowledge of fairness by shining a spotlight on how one ought to behave.