The Ethical Consumer

'This book is not simply the best book on the remarkable phenomenon of today's ethical consumer. It is a gift of advice and insight, from the people that know best, to the cause of tomorrow. Many of the writers deserve the plaudits of being pioneers of a new consumer movement. These are the issues of our time' - Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of the UK's National Consumer Council (NCC)

Who are ethical consumers and why are they on the rise? Leading the way towards answering this question, The Ethical Consumer is an indispensable introduction to the subject. Exploring areas like boycotts and fair trade projects, it gathers together the diverse experiences of scholars, campaigners and business practitioners from the international community.

The chapters in this book explore:

- ethical consumer behaviours, motivation and narratives

- the social, political and theoretical contexts in which ethical consumers operate

- the responsibilities of businesses and the effectiveness of ethical consumer actions

Contributions are informed by a broad range of research methods, from case studies, focus groups to surveys and interviews.

The text is of interest to business related graduates, undergraduates and their tutors on courses relating to consumption. It will also be relevant to academics in other disciplines, as well as to politicians, producers, practitioners, campaigners and not least consumers.

Plenty of books describe how to become ethical consumers, but few focus on the behaviors of ethical consumers, their discourses and narratives, the social and political contexts in which they operate, and how effective they are in influencing business decisions. In this collection of 14 articles contributors describe the theories behind ethical consumption, the campaigners and consumers behind the movement, the business models beneath that, and the methods of responding to ethical consumers. Individual articles address such topics as the history of consumer activism, the influence of pressure groups, using existential- phenomenological interviewing to explore meanings of consumption, modeling consumer decisions, forming and using focus groups, and meeting the ethical gaze. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Terry is currently Lecturer in Consumer Behaviour at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. He has two key areas of interest. One is in the changing relationship between healthcare professionals and patients given the wider availability of information. The other is in ethical consumption in a world where human activity is increasingly seen as having a detrimental affect on our environment. In both cases he in primarily interested in understanding the diversity of consumer perspectives.