Sustainability and Consumer Behavior
Center for Retailing at the Stockholm School of Economics are pleased to invite interested academics and practitioners to a Research Seminar on “Affording Disposal Control: The Effect of Circular Take-Back Programs on Psychological Ownership and Valuation” on May 16, 2023, in Stockholm. Remi Trudel (Boston University), one of the most prolific scholars at the interface of sustainability and consumer behavior will present his research.
Title: Affording Disposal Control: The Effect of Circular Take-Back Programs on Psychological Ownership and Valuation
Remi Trudel, Associate Professor, Questrom School of Business, Boston University
Abstract: A circular economy is a “closed-loop” system designed so that products flow back into the production cycle after use. With many companies implementing take-back programs as part of their circular strategy, this presents a fundamental shift in consumption, where considering disposal happens during or even before making the purchase decision. One real behavior and eight online experiments reveal that consumers indicate a greater willingness to pay when considering a circular product. An increase in psychological ownership underlies the difference in product valuation. Specifically, the additional disposal control uniquely afforded by circular products increases the capacity to garner psychological ownership. Experimentally manipulating antecedents of control (i.e., allowing participants to choose which charity to donate the product to) and psychological ownership (i.e., whether the product is bought for the self or for someone else) provides evidence of the conceptual framework. Observational data consisting of 2368 consumers participating in a retailer’s take-back program provide further insight into the effect of take-back programs on consumers' behavior over time.
Register here to participate (in person or via Zoom)
General questions: alexander.mafael@hhs.se
Organizers:
Emelie Fröberg
Alexander Mafael
Wiley Wakeman
About the speaker
Remi Trudel's research interests focus on consumer well-being. His research agenda is driven by a desire to understand consumer decision making in three substantive areas – sustainability, health and diet, and personal finance – so as to provide consumers, marketers, and policy makers with the means to make better, more sustainable decisions for themselves, society, and the environment. He has published in the top academic journals including the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. His research has been covered on NPR, in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Scientific American, The Atlantic, The Globe and Mail, Science 2.0, Harvard Business Review (HBR.org) and many other regional news outlets. In 2012, he was awarded the Broderick Prize for Excellence in Research Scholarship at the Questrom School of Business. He was also recognized for his contribution to the doctoral program and was awarded the 2015 Broderick Prize for Outstanding Faculty Contribution to the Doctoral Community and Program. Trudel joined Boston University in July of 2009. He earned his PhD from the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario.
Previous and scheduled visitors
Stefano Puntoni (The University of Pennsylvania)
Joyce Liu (City, University of London)
Hannes Datta (University of Tilburg)
Remi Trudel (Boston University)
The Center for Retailing Visiting Researcher Program (CFR VRP) aims to attract world-leading researchers to Sweden to disseminate, communicate and produce (retail) knowledge at the frontier.