Purpose Controversies about meat consumption mainly stem from health and environmental concerns, and as a result a substantial number of consumers avoid consuming meat. Meat anti-consumption is a central topic in nutrition, and a relevant issue for consumer studies. The purpose of this paper is to understand why and how consumers avoid meat consumption. Design/methodology/approach A content analysis of web forums was conducted. Findings Meat avoiders think that meat is unhealthy and expensive. Other reasons for meat anti-consumption include concerns associated with lifestyle and sustainability, but the prevalence of these factors is considerably lower than health and economic concerns. Research limitations/implications Attitudes toward all kinds of meat were evaluated in the forum data. Further studies can be conducted on separate preferences for red or white meat. Since these data were collected from web forums in Turkey, research can also be extended to other countries. Practical implications Regarding health and sustainability concerns, consumer trust in producers and consumer consciousness about the environment may be improved by social marketing. To address lifestyle concerns, marketers can provide meatless offerings in convenient servings. Originality/value This study provides a coherent four-dimensional conceptual framework about the motives for meat anti-consumption, focusing on sustainability, personal health, economic concerns and lifestyle.

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PurposeConsumers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) expectations have increased in the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, while many financial institutions have supported society with their health-related CSR actions. This study examines the impact of CSR actions and brand origin on consumer attitudes, CSR perceptions, customer-based brand equity (CBBE) and supportive communication intent in retail banking during the crisis from signaling and stakeholder theory perspectives.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (foreign vs. local brand) x 2 (COVID-19-related vs. another CSR action) between-subjects factorial design was used to analyze consumer data.FindingsCSR actions of local brands created more positive attitudes, CSR perceptions and greater CBBE and supportive communication intent than foreign banks. However, CSR action (COVID-19-related vs. another) did not significantly influence consumer attitudes, CSR perceptions, CBBE and supportive communication intent.Originality/valueThis research has shown the significant impact of brand origin on consumer perceptions in response to CSR actions during the pandemic. It has suggested an original conceptual framework and presented timely empirical findings for retail banking in the pandemic period, which can exemplify a crisis period shaped by uncertainty. Besides, it extended the previous literature by focusing on the interaction between brand origin and CSR actions in shaping consumers’ CSR and brand perceptions. It is among the first studies examining brand origin’s impact on supportive communication intent.

PurposeThis study examines the salesperson-driven unethical behavior toward consumers in the retail banking context.Design/methodology/approachConsumer posts on an online social platform were analyzed using content analysis. Cluster analysis and word association analyses were conducted to analyze the posts across ethics dimensions, customer intentions and banking services.FindingsComplaints about salesperson-driven unethical behavior were classified into three clusters: disrespect, fee deception and other deception. Four themes of consumer intentions emerged from data: expecting an action regarding the staff, fixing the problem, exiting the bank, or just expressing the problem on the social platform. There was a significant difference among clusters in terms of intentions. The deception clusters had a stronger association with fixing the problem, while the disrespect cluster had a stronger association with consumers’ willingness to express their complaints and requests regarding corrective actions for the salespeople.Practical implicationsBanks must differentiate their service recovery approach depending on the problem. While a refund can be more appropriate for recovering deception, a corrective action regarding misbehaving sales staff is expected by the customers for the disrespect problem.Originality/valueThis study contributed to the need for current research on personal selling practices and salesperson ethics in banking services. The unethical sales practices were linked to customer intentions, and several associations were found. An unethical sales behavior framework that can be used in future research was represented.

Purpose The voluntary simplification (VS) movement has stemmed from Western societies and gained momentum in the 1980s, but the trend has failed to become a primary perspective for most consumers. The accompanying concepts of conscious consumption, minimalism and accepting that sometimes “less is more” are still vivid in the digital era. The purpose of this study is to provide a deep and recent understanding of the consumer comments about minimalism in Turkey and examine their associations with the prominent themes in the VS literature. Design/methodology/approach Consumer comments posted on online platforms were analyzed by content analysis and word frequency analysis. Findings Consumer comments were in parallel to the themes in the VS literature and were classified under personal growth, material simplicity, sustainability, proper technology usage and self-sufficiency categories. Personal growth, material simplicity and sustainability were the first three dimensions mentioned. The prominent sub-themes that emerge from data were psychological well-being, inner peace, freedom, meaningful experiences and getting rid of belongings. A word frequency analysis pointed out that “life” and “owning” were the evident words in the personal growth category, “purchasing things” were mostly mentioned in the material simplicity category and “plastic litter” and “excessive consumption” were the prominent concerns in the sustainability category. Originality/value VS required further research in different national contexts. Besides, an analysis of the dimensions of VS was needed. This study contributes by providing recent and rich findings from a developing country, connecting them with the VS themes in the literature and suggesting a conceptual framework enriched by sub-themes that emerged from data.