Consumer processing of environmental impact cues and brands in wool fibre based textiles

Candidate requirements:
Applicants are sought holding a first class or upper second class honours degree in Marketing, Psychology, Food, Textile or Agricultural Science from a recognised University. Candidates should be numerate, and familiarity with classical experimental design would be advantageous. A good command of English is essential.

Supervisor
Dr. Robert Hamlin, Dept. of Marketing, Univ. of Otago ([Email Address Removed])

Background
There has been a substantial focus on environmental issues in recent years, with the introduction of several large scale political and diplomatic initiatives such as the Kyoto protocol, emissions trading and the Grenelle laws in France.
These initiatives seek to change consumer behaviour patterns. They are based upon the assumption that improvements in the environmental impact of modern societies can be achieved if consumers can be motivated to make ‘green choices’, in which they consistently favour the more environmentally desirable of several alternative courses of action. This consumer pressure would then be transmitted down the chains of supply, resulting in changes of behaviour throughout it.
These government initiatives have been matched by commercial and not for profit branding activity with the same objectives. Most of these initiatives have been based upon some point of difference that is expressed as a brand mark/cue at the point of sale e.g. ‘organic’.
Despite the considerable effort and resource directed towards these initiatives by both governmental, non-profit and commercial organisations, very little is known about one of the critical issues that underlies their mechanics: How do consumers assess environmental desirability at the point of sale as part of the comparison of alternative offers that informs their purchasing behaviour?
Thesis objectives & structure
This thesis aims to contribute to knowledge by building on research already undertaken by the Supervisor and previous thesis students in the area of consumer choice and evaluation at the point of sale. Research will take place within the context of the wool fibre industry. It will contain the following elements:
1) A detailed review of current theories of consumer evaluation and choice at point of sale in the relevant context.
2) A detailed review of theory and practice of environmental communication for the purposes of influencing consumer choice in all consumer contexts, both at the point of sale and remotely. This would include a review of the organic movement and how its history and communication behaviour relates to that of broader environmental communication.
3) The use of these two theoretical reviews to build a set of potential platforms for communicating environmental desirability of organic woollen yarn at the point of sale.
4) The comparative field testing of these platforms using experimental instruments that are capable of isolating the impact of point of sale communications on consumer evaluations and choice (These instruments, based on classical experimental designs, are already available as an outcome of earlier research, and therefore do not have to be developed by the candidate). There is NO requirement for multivariate statistics!
5) A detailed synthesis of the research results and their implications for: 1) The theory of point of sale consumer choice: 2) the theory of environmental/organic communications at the point of sale: 3) The practice of marketing eco-favourable wool yarn. The significant contribution required of a Ph.D. thesis will be drawn from the implications for ‘1’ and ‘2’.

Project timeline and other comments
Otago operates the English style ‘thesis only’ model of the Ph.D. However, students with no marketing background may be required to take the Department’s graduate level courses on marketing theory and marketing research in their first year of study.
The thesis will be produced in three years of study, commencing October 2013-February 2014. The following timeline is envisioned:
Year 1: Production of the complete literature review of the thesis, including initial research propositions. (Take taught courses if required)
Year 2: Finalise propositions, finalise methodology, commence field research 2nd half of year. Prepare and submit first research article
Year 3: Complete field research 1st third of year, write up research results, discussion and conclusions.
Expected outputs would include a research article based on the literature review, the thesis itself, and at least one further research article based on the thesis.