Quality assessment methods for index of community sustainability

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to design and test a user satisfaction model to evaluate the contribution of biodiesel production and consumption to the sustainability of a semi-urban community in the Cowichan Valley in British Columbia Canada. This case study is part of a larger research study whose purpose is to create a model for an index of sustainable community production and consumption. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical approach selected was the national indices of consumer satisfaction models. The methodology was qualitative and quantitative, in-depth interviews were used to learn the opinion of active and non-active consumers of biodiesel. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed with specialized software for qualitative studies. A structural equation model, whose innovation is the inclusion of the sustainability variables, was designed and analyzed with statistical technique partial least squares. Findings The designed model and methodology were useful to identify the principal cause variables of consumer satisfaction of biodiesel in two types of users: active users and non-active users. The determination coefficient R2 of the latent variables satisfaction and loyalty for the prediction of biodiesel active users model is 0.82 and 0.72, respectively, while the result for the non-active users model is 0.90 for satisfaction and 0.73 for loyalty. Sustainable consumption at community level is statistically significant as a direct cause of the variable sustainability of the community for both models, and in turn the sustainability of the community variable has a significant impact on loyalty for the active users model. Originality/value This case study is part of a larger research study whose purpose is to create a model for an index of sustainable community production and consumption which will be measured longitudinally to detect changes in the sustainable consumption of the community members.

Prosumer's commitment model: The case of a biodiesel cooperative

“…In 2017, the IMSU had a first approach with the active and nonactive users of the biodiesel cooperative under study, in order to evaluate their satisfaction and loyalty through variables such as expectations, perceived quality, sustainable production, sustainable consumption, price versus quality, price versus sustainability, and contribution of the co-op to sustainable development of the community (Figure 2); finding that this last variable has a significant relationship towards loyalty (Lobato et al, 2018).…”

“…The design of the indicators of participatory commitment and affective commitment was carried out based on the theory presented above, as well as on the results of qualitative studies, whereas the indicators of the variables sustainable consumption, expectations, and contribution of the cooperative to sustainable development were adapted from the empirical research of the IMSU (Lobato et al, 2018).…”

“…Further along the scale are users whose social commitment encourages them to select and consume products from brands that demonstrated social responsibility (Lobato, Fabila, Carrera, & Carrera, 2016). At the active end of the scale are users who not only seek their own benefit but also a local benefit through their consumption (Lobato, Fabila, Shaw, & Roberts, 2018), and finally, a subgroup of prosumers is detected within the latter, characterized by a degree of commitment that leads them to act in favor of the organization and collaborate with it, in order to achieve a goal that benefits the community in which they live.…”

“…They have been successful in understanding the relationship between what the company offers (quality, price, and sustainability) with respect to user loyalty (Lobato et al, 2018), but they have not been used to identify the biodiesel prosumer's commitment and its causes and effects that leads the prosumer to act and add value in order to ensure the survival of the organization to which they belong.…”