Operational definitions and measurement

Brand image is consumer’s perception about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer’s mind and memory (Keller, 1993). It is a subjective perception that is formed in the consumer’s mind (Dobni & Zinkhan, 1990). Brand image reflects consumer perception and is usually viewed as consumer mental picture

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of a brand that is linked to an offering (Cretu & Brodie, 2007). Hence, this study defines brand image as consumer’s perception and association with the brand that is linked to the offering of natural skin care products held in their minds. This study adopts the three image dimensions and the scale established by Park et al. (1986), including functional image, symbolic image, and experiential image to measure the brand image. The questions of items are shown as Table 3-1.

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Table 3-1 The Operational Definitions and Measuring Item of Brand Image Dimensions Operational definitions Questions

Functional Image

The brand matches consumer’s demand for natural skin care product due to its quality and functional performance

1. The varieties of this brand’s natural skin care product can satisfy my needs 2. I can feel safe if using this brand’s natural skin care product

3. This brand’s natural skin care product is always new products available

4. This brand’s natural skin care product benefits environment Symbolic

Image

The brand meets consumer’s demand for natural skin care products due to internally generated needs for self-enhancement, role position, group membership, or ego-identification

5. This brand’s natural skin care product catches up with the trend 6. This brand’s natural skin care product meets the need of consumer’s lifestyle

7. This brand’s natural skin care product has good reputation Experiential

Image

The brand fulfill consumer’s need for natural skin care products due to personal experiences, cognition, and past behaviors

8. I will feel respected if I buy this brand’s natural skin care product 9. I will feel responsible for environment if I buy this brand’s natural skin care product

10. I think this brand’s natural skin care product can fulfill my expectation Reference: Park et al. (1986)

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3.3.2 Brand awareness

Brand awareness means that consumers have abilities to recall and recognize a brand in different situations (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 2001). It can strengthen consumer’s memory to the brand and make consumers have ability to identify various brands (Farhana, 2012). Brand awareness makes the brand come to consumer’s mind at once when they make purchase decision (Keller, 2001). Therefore, this study defines brand awareness as the abilities of consumers to recall and recognize the brand that manufactures natural skin care products associated with their memories at once. This study measures brand awareness using the scale developed by Keller (1993) on the two dimensions: brand recall and brand recognition. The negatively worded item 2 is designed to avoid Common Method Variance (CMV).

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Table 3-2 The Operational Definitions and Measuring Item of Brand Awareness Dimensions Operational definitions Questions

Brand

1. I often hear this brand’s natural skin care product

2. I am unfamiliar with this brand’s natural skin care product

3. When I would purchase natural skin care product, I will immediately associate with this brand

4. I can identify this brand’s natural skin care product from other competitors 5. I think this brand’s natural skin care product is my ideal natural skin care product’s pattern

6. I have heard other people recommend this brand’s natural skin care product Reference: Keller (1993)

3.3.3 Country of origin image

Country of origin image is the stereotype that consumers perceive toward a specific country’s products (Nagashima, 1970). It is the consumers’ perceptions of products that are from a particular country, based on their prior perceptions of that country’s production (Roth & Romeo, 1992). Country of origin is an image element, including country associations about a country’s characteristics and products also associated with it (Jiménez & Martín, 2010). Hence, this study defines country of origin image as consumers’ perceptions in their minds toward natural skin care

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product that is from a particular country, which includes country and natural skin care product associations. This study adapts the scale developed by Teas and Agarwal (2000) to measure country of origin image. The negatively worded item 4 is designed to avoid CMV.

Table 3-3 The Operational Definitions and Measuring Item of Country of Origin Image

Dimensions Operational definitions Questions Country of

origin image

Consumers’ perceptions in their minds toward natural skin care product that is from a particular country, which includes country and natural skin care product associations

1. I think this natural skin care product’s original country has high quality in natural skin care product

2. I think the original country of this natural skin care product has prestige on natural skin care product

3. I have high value on the natural skin care product made in the original

country of this natural skin care product 4. I think the natural skin care product made in the original country of this natural skin care product is unreliable Reference: Teas and Agarwal (2000)

3.3.4 Perceived quality

Perceived quality is the consumer’s evaluation on a product’s superior value added capability (Bhuian, 1997). It is consumer’s judgment about the superiority or excellence of a product (Hanzaee & Yazd, 2010). Perceived quality is consumer’s

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perception of a product’s overall quality and is also a result of their subjective judgments and feelings on product quality (Dodds et al., 1991; Zeithaml, 1988).

Therefore, this study defines perceived quality as consumer’s subjective perception and judgment on the brand’s superior value added capability of natural skin care product. This study uses five dimensions (reliability, workmanship, quality, dependability, and durability) and the scale developed by Dodds et al. (1991) for measurement.

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Table 3-4 The Operational Definitions and Measuring Item of Perceived Quality Dimensions Operational definitions Questions

Reliability Consumers evaluate the reliability of this brand’s natural skin care product

1. Comparing to non-natural skin care product, I think this brand’s natural skin care product is reliable

Workmanship Consumers perceive the workmanship of this brand’s natural skin care product

2. Comparing to non-natural skin care product, I think this brand’s natural skin care product is workmanlike

Quality Consumers judge the quality of this brand’s natural skin care product

3. Comparing to non-natural skin care product, I think this brand’s natural skin care product has high quality Dependability Consumers perceive the

dependability of this brand’s natural skin care product

4. Comparing to non-natural skin care product, I think this brand’s natural skin care product is dependable

Durability Consumers evaluate the durability of this brand’s natural skin care product

5. Comparing to non-natural skin care product, I think this brand’s natural skin care product is durable Reference: Dodds et al. (1991)

3.3.5 Purchase intention

Purchase intention is the possibility that consumers will have tendency to purchase a certain product in the future (Wu et al., 2011). The possibility of purchasing will increase as purchase intention increases (Dodds et al., 1991). Thus, this study defines purchase intention as the possibility that consumers will be willing

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to purchase this brand’s natural skin care product. This study measures purchase intention by using scale developed by Dodds et al. (1991) and Zeithaml (1988). All items are measured on a 7-point Likert scale anchored from “1 = Strongly Disagree”

to “7 = Strongly Agree”. The negatively worded item 3 is designed to avoid CMV.

Table 3-5 The Operational Definitions and Measuring Item of Purchase Intention Dimensions Operational

1. I have high intention about purchasing this brand’s natural skin care product

2. In the condition of the equal quality, I would like to purchase this brand’s natural skin care product compared with non-natural skin care product 3. I will not recommend this brand’s natural skin care product to other people

4. I will still choose this brand’s natural skin care product next time

Dodds et al.

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education. Besides gender and age, Torgler and Valiñas (2007) also stressed differences in environmental preferences according to occupational status, marital status, geography, income, and education. Moreover, Tseng and Hung (2013), Torgler and Valiñas (2007), and Levin (1990) highlight the relationship between income and education and environmental sensation: the consumer's ecological consciousness is partly related to income, but income limits the consumer's ability to purchase green products; the education level may also impact on consumer attitude in their treatment of eco-information and their knowledge of environmental issues (Brécard et al., 2009).

Thus, a positive relationship between formal education and environmental attitudes can be observed (Torgler & Valiñas, 2007). However, some studies have stated that the relationship between demographic characteristics and consumer environmental behavior is weak (Akehurst, Afonso, & Gonçalves, 2012; Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch, Sinkovics, & Bohlen, 2003). Hence, although demographic variables are important, it is inappropriate to identify green consumers by using traditional demographic variables because the findings is inconclusive and limit (Leonidou, Leonidou, & Kvasova, 2010; Tseng & Hung, 2013). In order to create a clear and complete picture about the respondents’ characteristics, this study involves demographic characteristics, such as the participant’s basic background, including gender, age, education, career, marital status, living province, monthly income, and the monthly payment on skin care products. Besides, consumers’ environmental concern and preference for green products are also important and cannot be neglected because both of them connect to consumers’ attitudes toward green products. Hence, the environmental concern and green products’ preference would also be involved in and considered.

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