Consumers' processing of mindful commercial car sharing

Abstract

Commercial car sharing offers a form of market‐mediated, access‐based consumption with a markedly lower impact on the natural environment than that of car ownership. Consumers adopting such alternative transportation modes are manifesting a marketplace behavior that can be said to be mindful because of the innovative and sustainable nature of car sharing. This study employs behavioral reasoning theory to examine how consumers' value orientations, as well as reasons for and against car sharing, might be used in consumers' processing of mindful commercial car‐sharing adoption. Findings suggest that subjective norms (thoughts of important others for consumers, such as co‐workers) serve an important mediating role for both consumers' value orientations and reasons for car sharing in their relationship with car‐sharing behavior. These results provide marketing researchers important knowledge about green consumption and suggest that practitioners would do well to emphasize the social dimension when marketing environmentally oriented services, such as car sharing.

Organizational mindfulness, mindful organizing, and environmental and resource sustainability

“…Moreover, the effect of organizational mindfulness can be translated into resources and environmental sustainability through mindful organizing. For example, Peterson et al (in this issue) show that mindful organizations can advance environmental sustainability through its employees' actions. The mediation analysis shows that mindful organizing mediates in the relationship between some of the dimensions of organizational mindfulness and resources and environmental sustainability.…”

“…A common emphasis of both perspectives is the enhancement of positive outcomes and the minimization of negative functioning in several life domains including behavioral regulation. For example, Peterson, Simkins, and Claudy (in this issue) show how management of behaviors of individuals and strategies of organizations can help to maximize environmental quality and resources sustainability and to minimize environmental vulnerabilities.…”

“I like it, but I don't use it”: Impact of carsharing business models on usage intentions in the sharing economy

“…Recently, Namazu et al () posited that carsharing usage could be increased by improving accessibility, and Peterson and Simkins (, p. 463–463) illustrate that “consumers' awareness of car sharing as a flexible, convenient, and cost‐efficient mode of travel matters much in the cognitive processing of car‐sharing adoption.” We move a step further and illustrate that not only the availability and convenience but most importantly also the mode of drive (specifically e‐mobility as a lifestyle dimension) as well as other factors (foreseeable price model as a safety need dimension) influence the usage intention of carsharing business models. Furthermore, Schaefers () argued in his exploratory study that although environmental motives are present when deciding to use carsharing, they seem to be merely a side effect.…”

“…Several studies illustrate that demographic factors, for example, age, influence the utilization of carsharing services (e.g., de Luca & Di Pace, ; Jian, Rashidi, & Dixit, ; Prieto, Baltas, & Stan, ). Furthermore, consumer psychographic variables and motivations have been identified as important factors for the use of access‐based and sharing programs in general (e.g., Benoit, Baker, Bolton, Gruber, & Kandampully, ; Lamberton, ; Moeller & Wittkowski, ; Roos & Hahn, ) as well as carsharing in particular (Peterson & Simkins, ; Schaefers, ).…”

“…Carsharing is often described as ecological alternative to car ownership, and these environmental effects of carsharing have received significant scholarly attention (e.g., Baptista, Melo, & Rolim, ; Firnkorn & Müller, ; Peterson & Simkins, ; Rabbitt & Ghosh, ). However, carsharing services differ in their environmental impacts partly due to their different business model design, for example, free‐floating and station‐based systems (Münzel, Boon, Frenken, & Vaskelainen, ).…”