Dr. Sandhya G.

Values lie at the core of an individual's belief system, from which attitudes and behaviours are subsequently evolved. In emerging economies, consumers are interested in protecting their environment, improving their lifestyles and living sustainably. Consumers are more conscious in making purchase decisions when it comes to health. Personal values has a major role in influencing their purchase decisions. Price is yet another factor that can moderate the decision making process among consumers. The shift in the attitude of consumers towards organic products is due to the change in the lifestyle and concern for the environmental issues. This relationship has not yet been explored in the Indian context and it is interesting to understand the consumer behaviour in a country like India. In this study, we have attempted at measuring the role of personal values on understanding the consumers' purchase intention for organic products. A descriptive research design was conducted. Samples design followed was judgmental sampling procedure. Sample size for the study was 207 respondents. The findings from the study showed evidence on personal values and price to have a significant influence on consumers intention for purchase of organic products.

Consumer behavior is dynamic, and there is a beauty in trying to understand consumer’s intention for a product category like organic apparel, especially when it is a unique phenomenon that is scantly explored in an emerging economy like India. This paper is an attempt at understanding the factors that influence Indian consumer’s intention to purchase organic apparel. A purposive sampling procedure was adopted in selecting participants. A focus group discussion was conducted to capture data for the thematic analysis. Theoretical thematic analysis was conducted by relying on the theory of planned behavior model. Inductive thematic analysis gave way for other dimensions like product knowledge and involvement, environmental knowledge, and skepticism that evolved out of the themes. Product knowledge and involvement, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitude had an influence on the intention. Environmental knowledge and skepticism indicated a chance to negate the relationship. The textile manufacturers, who are innovating with sustainable fabrics, can look at the dimensions that consumers seek for while making a choice of organic apparel. Domestic and international organic apparel manufacturers can capitalize on the behavioral dimensions of the factors that influence consumer’s intention for organic apparel, thereby facilitating identifying the prospect.

Bequest behavior is a highly delicate and complex subject which requires considerable attention by researchers across all disciplines including economics, sociology and psychology. Studying the motives behind bequests becomes critical not only from a socio-psychological perspective but also from a policy
perspective. This paper attempts to explore the socio- economic reasons which influence the intention to bequest focusing specifically on the effect of religious affiliation. This study uses survey data from India to test the hypotheses drawn from the anthropology, sociology and consumer behavior literature using logistic regression technique. The results indicate that self-interest negatively impacts the probability of leaving a legacy. Surprisingly, the study finds evidence for negative relationship between religious affiliation and leaving a bequest. This study also reveals that unmarried women are less likely to leave a bequest. Unlike in the philanthropic literature, the research could not find satisfactory evidence of altruism and social norms driving bequest behavior among Indians.