Fair Trade:An Exploratory Study of Coffee within a Branch of 'Urban Angel'

Purpose: The case study aims to understand and evaluate consumers' perceptions of fair trade, within the café Urban Angel. From a marketing perspective, an emerging area of literature is needed based around the concept of fair trade mainly within Edinburgh and this is what this research endeavour will bring to light. Design/methodology/approach: This dissertation adopted a qualitative research approach in the form of in-depth semi-structured interviews. 10 interviews were conducted within the Edinburgh based ethical café called Urban Angel. Findings: It was identified that one of the most crucial factors towards whether someone would chose a fair trade coffee or not was price. This was the most significant finding, although additionally 4 other themes were explored which can be found in the results, analysis and discussion section of the paper. Research limitations: Due to time restrictions a mixed methods approach was not feasible which could possibly have provided a more varied sample. Cost restraints was also another limitation. Originality/value: This research will be of value for ethical organisations, academics and marketers looking to gain an insight into consumers' perceptions of fair trade in Edinburgh. Keywords: Fair Trade, The Fairtrade Foundation, Fair, Ethical, Coffee, Urban Angel, Café, Equality. Paper type: Honours dissertationba_manmarkunpub1409_ethesesunpu