The research subject in the study is conducted on the members of Consumers¡¦ Foundation, and the study intends to realize their behavior intention of ethical consumerism. The study derives from the theory of planned behavior of Ajzen, by utilizing questionnaires and surveys to verify those pre-factor variables for the inclusion of personal aspect toward the behavior (AT), subject norm (SN), and perceived behavior control (PBC), and those post-factor variables are identified by personal behavior intention of ethical consumerism. Ultimately statistical analysis is performed based on information obtained from the survey. 75 copies of valid questionnaires are acquired from those 100 published, among them 23 copies from males (30.7%) and 52 from female (69.3%) in the study. The statistical analysis finds that the factors which affect the members to take action in behavior intention of ethical consumerism include ¡§subject norm (SN, £]=0.471)¡¨, ¡§attitude toward the behavior (AT, £]=0.454)¡¨, and ¡§perceived behavior control (PBC, £]=0.387)¡¨ and that subject norm being the most influential. Furthermore, the result also finds the participants agree on the following conclusions: 1. Ethical consumerism manifests to be most effective in minimizing the damage to the natural environment. 2. Organizations of consumer protection concur on ethical consumerism and it is executed based on their opinions and inputs. 3. Relevant information related to ethical consumerism can be difficult to acquire; therefore, the key factor is rather informational rather than financial. 4. Information on ethical consumerism is obtainable from organization of consumer protection, magazines, periodicals and experts. Nevertheless, 11.7% of the surveyed participants are unfamiliar with the terminology and practice. 5. The anticipation of willingness to adopt ethical consumerism will elevate.

Workplace learning is essential to the continuous improvement and competitiveness of organizations. Antecedent training conditions are crucial for training participation. Despite its recognized importance, few studies have proposed theory-based models for predicting the antecedents of training participation. The principal objective of this study was to test the theory of planned behavior (TPB) for predicting public sector training participation. The second aim was to elucidate the factors that influence, directly or indirectly, employee intentions to participate as well as training participation behavior. The third aim was to test the psychological mediators of past behavior and perceived organizational support on training participation intention of public sector. A sample of 1,108 participants was analyzed by structural equation modeling and hierarchical regression analysis to assess path suitability and significance. The empirical results confirmed the applicability of theory of planned behavior for predicting training participation in the public sector. However, the relationship between past behavior/perceived organizational support and intention to participate was only partially mediated by the direct measures of the TPB. This research adds to the extant training participation literature in several ways. First, it applies the TPB model to develop and examine the behavior and intention of participation in training, and the empirical studies conducted to date have not focused on this field. Second, it identifies several constructs and relationships that are new to this area. Third, this study demonstrates that TPB is a proper way to conceptualize the relevant training constructs. This study can help the public sector managers to encourage employees¡¦ participation in training by improving the time availability and assigning current workload, strengthening social support from family members, co-workers and supervisors. Finally, research limitations and areas for future research are discussed.

The earth ecosystem is seriously damaged due to the self-interest behavior of human, which nonetheless poses a huge threat to the survival of human. The ecological environment and public health in Taiwan also face increasingly deteriorating situation, which is compounded with the problem of a dramatic increased number of families eating out with the most popular choice as lunch boxes mostly. To improve this situation, visionaries push for organic lunch boxes. However, there are still some factors lacking and some problems persisting for marketing organic lunch boxes. It is hoped that the result of this study can be beneficial to the relevant organizations as a reference for promoting organic lunch boxes. Literature review and in-depth interviews are conducted as the basis for developing questionnaire in this study. I also propose a behavior model for purchasing organic lunch boxes based on the theory of consumption values by Sheth, Newman, and Gross (1991), Theory of planned behavior by Ajzen (1991), and the EKB model by Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1993) This model consists of nine variables: the functional value of organic lunch box, its social value, its emotional value, its curious value, its conditional value, the subjective norms, self-efficacy, shopping environment, and the degree of involvement etc. To test this model, regression analyses are conducted using those nine variables and two behavior intention dependent variables in this study. These two behavior intention variables respectively are: the subject¡¦s behavior intention to purchase organic lunch boxes when price is not specifically mentioned (BI1) or they are suggested to assume that the price of the organic one will be close to that of a regular one (BI2). The result shows that the functional value and the degree of involvement both have significant influence on BI1 and BI2; while the conditional value, the emotional value, and self-efficacy are only have significant influence on BI2, which can explain the 22.1% variation of BI1 and the 26.2% variation of BI2 respectively. Furthermore, in order to investigate the variation of the behavior intention BI1 to purchase organic lunch boxes due to the difference of personal attributes, t test and single factor ANOVA are adopted. The result shows that marital status, age, occupation, personal monthly income, knowledge of organic product, purchasing frequency for organic ingredients, and the amount of money for purchasing organic ingredients all have significant influence on the variation of behavior intention for purchasing organic lunch boxes (BI1); while gender, educational level, self health status, and family's health status do not have significant influence on the variation of behavior intention for purchasing organic lunch boxes. We will propose application from these results and make relevant recommendations to industries and government based on this study.

The focus of this thesis is on the behavior of Taiwanese consumers in the organic food market in Taiwan. The theory of planned behavior is used to determine what role attitudes, social influences and perceived control has on Taiwanese consumers¡¦ intention to purchase organic food. Furthermore, a fourth construct testing the role of one¡¦s attitude towards the environment on consumer behavior is tested. The importance of demographics on the organic food market is also tested to determine a target market for the marketers of organic food in Taiwan. The data for this thesis was collected through several interviews which provided detailed information on the beliefs and attitudes of Taiwanese consumers on organic food. The results from the interviews were used as the foundation of the questionnaire which was hosted online. This thesis determined that the main factors influencing consumer behavior of the organic food market in Taiwan are the attitudes of Taiwanese consumers towards organic food and social influences on Taiwanese consumers. Marketing efforts of organic food in Taiwan should therefore focus on attitudes and social influences on Taiwanese consumers. Perceived control is less influential, while the attitude of Taiwanese consumers towards the environment did not prove to have a positive significant relationship with intention to purchase organic food. This thesis proved that there is no significant difference in intention to purchase organic food between Taiwanese consumers¡¦ of different genders, areas of residence and income levels, however those aged over 50 and 30-39 years old are significantly more inclined to purchase organic food than those aged 18-29.

High Technology Industries have always bragged and boasted of their less-pollution or even non-pollution, while constantly environmental conflict as well as pollution illustrates that environmental pollution problems relatively exist in the wholeness of Science Park. Besides, there is still wide gap between individual factory owner¡¦s ecological thinking and enforceable policy. The research background retraces that industries are obviously under the global drives for sustainable development and friendly environment. Based on Industrial Ecology, the study constructs eco-behavior for the Science Park, and then verifies the relationship and effect among factories¡¦ inner cognition, external driving group and affective intention. Constructed on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the study model includes inner attitude toward the behavior, external subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and eco-behavioral intention. The relationship among the above hypotheses are modified and analyzed by applying the Structural Equations Modeling, the real information are compared with hypotheses, the results are contrasted with modeled theory, and furthermore concluded as the followings. The survey objects are factories in Southern and Central Taiwan Science Park, the questionnaires targets are mainly their first level managers and environmental department supervisors. The total effective surveys are 154, with retrieved rate of 63.9%. Various targets are tested and proved they are all way beyond the acceptable standard. The above three behavior models are all legitimately reached. Both represent that the TPB in the study offers future factories¡¦ eco-behavior a sensible interpretation for prediction and rationalization. The factories¡¦ management behavior for eco-industrial development tends to industrial symbiosis; that is, the current drive is voluntary, while their productive behavior comes from external driving pressure. Finally, the study indicates invigorating way to eco-industrial intention and proposes enhancing voluntary drive to eco-industrial thinking.

Efforts to reduce the United States’ dependence on foreign petroleum encourage the production of fuels from bioenergy crops. Recent energy mandates have therefore “opened doors” for alternative feedstock sources for ethanol production. Switchgrass is a candidate feedstock. Under the University of Tennessee’s Biofuels Initiative, the University of Tennessee, partnering with DuPont-Danisco Cellulosic Ethanol LLC, contracted for the production of switchgrass with local farmers to guarantee biomass feedstock supply for an ethanol conversion research facility. This study used methods borrowed from the social psychology literature in combination with economic theory to analyze factors influencing switchgrass farmers’ intentions to continue growing switchgrass after contracts with the granting agent expired. Understanding what motivates producers to make long term commitments to switchgrass production as an energy crop may be important information for private investors who will rely on a fixed supply of switchgrass.A probit model was used to determine the factors affecting producers’ intentions to continue producing switchgrass after their contract expires. Results suggest that community perceptions about the production of switchgrass as a dedicated energy crop may have an important impact on farmers’ intentions to make a long-term commitment to produce switchgrass. Therefore, educating and involving community and extension personnel may have a positive impact on farmers’ decisions to make long-term commitments to grow switchgrass as a dedicated energy crop.

Thesis (B. Arch.)--Roger Williams University, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Feb. 4, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B. Arch.)--Roger Williams University, 2009. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Dec. 5, 2009) Includes bibliographical references.

This paper contributes to the emerging discussion about the modified behavioural intention of consumers abstaining from pirating and acquiring music through legal means (again) and aims at accurately depicting the key factors influencing the intention of Swedish consumers to acquire music legally. METHODOLOGY This quantitative study followed a deductive approach whereby hypotheses have been deduced from and formulated based on previous studies and present theories. Primary data has been collected by means of a paper-pencil and web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire encompassed a total of 22 questions, was structured on the basis of the different factors that influence consumers’ behavioural intention to acquire music legally and has been both pre-tested on a small sample of the actual population and reviewed by a skilled professor specialised in marketing and research. By using a combination of the purposive sampling and snowball sampling method, 267 valid surveys have ultimately been taken into account. In order to analyse the data adequately, the statistical tool SPSS has been utilised. The analysis was subclassified into different phases: (1) Pearson’s correlation coefficients have been regarded to test the construct validity, (2) Alpha’s Cronbach was tested in order to receive information about the reliability of the sets of items and (3) a multiple linear regression as well as various ANOVA tests were run in order to test the hypotheses. FINDINGS The attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control toward music piracy as well as the perceived prosecution risk and magnitude of consequences proved to be significant predictors for consumers’ behavioural intention to acquire music legally, whereas the legitimate price of music and the idolization of artists were measured to be statistically insignificant. In addition, significant differences among female and male consumers and the different age and income levels could be revealed as well. IMPLICATIONS As predominantly younger consumers were engaged in music piracy, it is suggested to strengthen teenagers’ comprehension of copyrights through ethical education. In addition, an intensification and proliferation of visible signs pronouncing against music piracy on il/legal networking sites, physical formats, online libraries and stores may also yield to a change in consumers’ intention to acquire music legally in the future. LIMITATIONS This study was limited in terms of generalising the results and developing statistical inferences from the actual sample to the population having been studied. Despite the goal to yield a balanced proportion between female and male, younger and older as well as less wealthy and wealthy consumers, the actual sample predominantly consisted of younger and middle-aged consumers caused by youngsters’ and older individuals’ unwillingness and / or lack of interest in (a) the study or (b) music. In addition, due to time and financial limitations, the handing out of the paper-pencil questionnaire was only realised in Kronobergs län’s four largest municipalities Växjö, Ljungby, Alvesta and Älmhult. Furthermore, in view of the developed measurement instrument, it should be underlined that of the seven developed variables, three were constructed by merely two items so that interpretations were considered tentatively. FURTHER RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS A replication of the study is suggested in order to generalise and confirm the stability of the results. The inclusion / development of more items per factor is recommended in order to increase the attainment of significant, representative numerical data. Among the factors introduced in this study, consumers’ rebelliousness in terms of consumers’ feeling to be compelled to behave contradictory to inducted rules and standards and additional aspects having been of relevance within the area of software and movie piracy might be taken into account, adapted to and tested on the field of music infringement as well. In addition, a broader scope of the sample concerning respondents’ demographics and accessibility is desirable in order to warrant an appropriate reflection of the population. Special emphasis may also be placed on (1) direct comparisons between Swedish consumers’ behavioural intentions toward the il/legal acquisition of music in the past and in recent times, (2) other provinces in order to reveal possible differences between consumers from the Northern and Southern part of Sweden or even (larger) cities and the countryside and (3) the execution of a similar research by selecting qualitative data collection methods in order to receive in-depth information and thus answer the question why consumers tend to regard a specific factor as more influencing than another one.

Bakgrund: Endast ett fåtal kvinnor i Norden väljer en planerad hemförlossning. I Sverige har en studie gjorts för att undersöka vilka karaktärsdrag som går att urskilja hos dessa kvinnor men liknande studier saknas för Norden. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva vad som är karaktäristika för kvinnor i Norden som väljer en planerad hemförlossning samt jämföra karaktäristika hos kvinnor i Sverige med kvinnor från tre andra nordiska länder. Metod: Studien är en retrospektiv tvärsnittsstudie med kvantitativ ansats. Materialet är insamlat mellan 2009-2011 inom ramen för forskningsnätverket ”Nordic Homebirth” via enkätformulär på internetsidan www.nordichomebirth.com. Icke-parametriska analyser genomfördes med hjälp av Chitvå-test. Resultat: Totalt svarade 778 kvinnor på enkäten. Kvinnorna i Sverige var i genomsnitt två år äldre och i högre grad omföderskor och sammanboende/gifta. Fler kvinnor i Norden var ensamstående/ej sammanboende jämfört med de svenska kvinnorna. Ingen skillnad i utbildningsnivå fanns mellan kvinnorna i Sverige och Norden. Slutsats: Skillnader i karaktäristika för kvinnor som väljer en planerad hemförlossning i Norden finns avseende ålder, paritet, civilstånd och ursprungsland. Bättre registrering av planerade hemförlossningar behövs för att kunna göra säkrare undersökningar av denna grupp. Nyckelord: planerad hemförlossning, karaktäristika, kvinnor, Sverige, Norden