Examining the Relationship between Ethical Strategies and Consumer Perceptions in the new age of social technology

Technology’s growing influence on the daily lives of individuals in modern society is ubiquitous. The increased demand for transparency in business has affected not only consumer perception but the ethical strategies of firms as well. Today, consumer trends illustrate the importance of ethically sourced products and services. They use the platform of technology to gather and disseminate company information and discuss their satisfaction, or lack thereof, with the ethical strategies of firms. This higher value placed on ethical practices and transparency has transformed our previous viewpoint of conventional business. Firms must be able to meet the demands of consumers to maintain long-term success and create value for the consumer. This thesis examines the relationship between the ethical behavior of firms and consumer perceptions. The significance of technology lies in the firm’s ability to engage with consumers and promote their ethical practices. From this, consumers are able to gather and disseminate information to form their perceptions of the firm. Firms that mismanage their reputation can fall victim to consumers gaining social control of the brand. However, it is argued that the level of consequence a firm experiences from questionable ethical practices is related to the type of business system in which it functions. Literature review is analyzed to lay the foundation for key concepts in developing ethics for individuals as well as in a firm. A case study on the Monsanto Company, an American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, will also be used to investigate the issue. Monsanto has recently become the face of corporate evil due to multiple cases of documented questionable ethical acts and legal battles. Given that the end consumer only interacts with the channel partners of Monsanto, we conclude that the consequences transfer to those intermediaries. These firms whose raw materials are supplied by Monsanto have begun to rely on the firm to achieve cost efficiencies in business operations. Monsanto’s partners place more importance on the business value the product provides for them, rather than their practices in other areas. Monsanto still remains profitable and untouched. We can conclude that this is due to the ease in concealing unethical behavior, as there is less available information about the actions in the supply chain of business-to-business firms. The ethical strategy of a firm can simply be one aspect in a consumer’s decision-making process when purchasing a good or service. Modern consumers not only expect, but also favor firms that appear genuinely interested in utilizing their profits to give back to the community. However, the implementation of the strategy can determine the success in the image of the firm very quickly. Firms interacting at a level that is closer to the consumer are more influenced by customer perception in comparison to those that interact through an intermediary

Counterfeit Luxury Businesses in China: The Impacts of Counterfeit Consumption on Global Economy

Today, counterfeiting is growing prevalent all over the world due to enormous returns on investment and low levels of risk. Despite of all the intellectual and ethical issues proposed by criminologists and policy makers, the issue of counterfeit products has been addressed in the economic sector. It is conspicuous that global businesses are raising awareness in problems caused by counterfeit products. The purpose of this study is to investigate Chinese consumer’s purchasing behaviours in counterfeit luxury products and discuss how they will potentially influence the global luxury market

The impact of supplier corporate social irresponsibility on MNEs sales performances: a consumer approach

In the early 1990s, MNEs came under public scrutiny for their irresponsible sourcing practices, after revelations that their supplier’s workers in developing countries were working under exploitative conditions. Nevertheless, irresponsible behaviour and poor working conditions in global supply chains remain contemporary issues in developing countries. Managing corporate social responsibility issues in global supply chain is an important area of research. However, research has mainly focused on the business case for CSR: determining the positive impact CSR initiatives may have on corporate performances. Contrary to the business case for CSR, this master’s thesis assumes that there is a negative relationship between supplier CSI and MNEs sales performances. The literature review of this thesis is mainly built around the corporate social responsibility literature and the attribution theory literature. The research model and related hypothesis are derived from previous research in those fields. The empirical data was collected in spring 2017 through an online self-administered vignette-based experiment survey. Walloon consumers were set as the studied population. The data collection resulted in 202 observations for each vignette. The empirical data was analysed with descriptive statistics and factor analysis and the examination of the relationships derived from the research model is done by means of structural equation modeling. In studying how consumers react to supply chain incidents and how supply chain incidents impact sales of MNEs, I find that consumers negatively react to supply chain incidents caused by irresponsible suppliers and consumers negative reactions deteriorate sales of MNEs through boycott. Those findings contribute to existing international business research by demonstrating that contrary to the business case for CSR there is a negative relationship between supplier CSI and MNEs sales performances because understanding what factors impact sales performances of MNEs and whether consumers can affect MNEs sales is key to incite MNEs to address their suppliers’ irresponsible behaviour and to eliminate CSI behaviour from supply chains. This would therefore resolve supply chain social issues and improve working conditions in supply chains. Additionally, those findings have managerial implications. Indeed, supplier CSI negative impact on MNEs sales suggest a fundamental revision of offshoring advantages and disadvantages. This paper suggest that captive offshoring is most fitted to address consumer negative reaction to supply chain incidents and related sales decrease while maintaining most of the advantages derived from offshorin

Antecedents, Wide-Spread Consequences, and Strategic Implications of Organizational Corruption

Antecedents, Wide-spread Consequences, and Strategic Implications of Organizational Corruptio

Money: An integrated review and synthesis from a psychological perspective

Many empirical studies have demonstrated the psychological effects of various aspects of money, including the aspiration for money, mere thoughts about money, possession of money, and placement of people in economic contexts. Although multiple aspects of money and varied methodologies have been focused on and implemented, the underlying mechanisms of the empirical findings from these seemingly isolated areas significantly overlap. In this article, we operationalize money as a broad concept and take a novel approach by providing an integrated review of the literature and identifying five major streams of mechanisms: (a) self-focused behavior; (b) inhibited other-oriented behavior; (c) favoring of a self–other distinction; (d) money’s relationship with self-esteem and self-efficacy; and (e) goal pursuit, objectification, outcome maximization, and unethicality. Moreover, we propose a unified psychological perspective for the future—money as an embodiment of social distinction—which could potentially account for past findings and generate future work

Corporate social responsibility in online retail – Perceptions from online discussions on Amazon

Online retail has experienced substantial growth due to the increased utilization of digital technologies. The growth in the industry has created numerous multinational corporations, which serve customers all around the world. As a result, the online retailers’ efforts in sustainability have been more often in publicity. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the efforts going beyond the company’s interest in order to bring social good, have been discussed in the academic community for decades. While the various effects of CSR in retail and business generally have been realized, the research aims to make a contribution by examining the concept from the viewpoint of online retail by focusing on interaction at online discussion forums. The main research question asks: What is the role of online retailer CSR in the online discussion forum context? In order to answer this question, additional three sub-research questions are suggested: 1) What elements of CSR are relevant in the online retailer context? 2) How are discussion forums used in communication regarding CSR and online retail by different discusser types? 3) What kind of company perceptions and consumer behavior appear in online discussions of Amazon’s CSR? The study is qualitative of nature, using the content analysis research method to examine posts found from four different public online discussion forums. A qualitative, interpretative analysis was used, although quantitative measures regarding discussion posts were also presented. The analysis contains a coding process, where attributes are attached to discussion posts. As a result of the process, specific patterns can be indicated in order to categorize the posts. As the research uses Amazon as the case company, the case study method is also adopted. In the online retail context, ethics regarding the online retailer’s tax and labor policies are found as most relevant elements. Customers, using discussion forums to share their experiences and opinions regarding online retailer CSR efforts, are realized as the most prominent stakeholder. The research also highlights the role of online retailer employees providing details on internal business practices. However, the not realize the possibility to participate in discussions. Most discussion posts refer either to a positive, negative or mixed reaction towards CSR efforts, it is suggested that the concept is relevant also in online retail. Although online retailer CSR efforts are somewhat linked to company perceptions, the concept has a minimal role in consumer behavior. In online retail, CSR efforts can reduce the risk of being involved in discussions related to controversies. In addition, online retailer CSR efforts should communicate how the retailer contributes locally.siirretty Doriast

The impact of negative media coverage, brand-hate, or consumer boycotts on the employer brand (in the example of Amazon)

This thesis aims to examine the potential impact of brand hate and negative media coverage on a specific element of brand structure—the employer brand—using the example of Amazon. Despite facing numerous public media crises that have specifically targeted its brand, Amazon continues to be recognized as one of the most desirable employers, as evidenced by its consistent high rankings in global employer surveys. The study seeks to understand this paradox and analyze the factors that contribute to Amazon's enduring appeal as an employer despite negative media attention. To examine the subject of study, this thesis utilizes Schwartz's theory of basic values (2012), Empathy (Batson et al., 1981; Wondra & Ellsworth 2015), and Consumer responsibilization theories (Giesler & Veresiu, 2014) as theoretical underpinnings. Additionally, the analysis of the Employer Brand structure is approached using the Brand Equity framework proposed by Alshathry et al. (2017). First and foremost, this thesis reveals a fragmented structure within the Amazon Employer brand, demonstrating the existence of multiple employer brand images for the company. Consequently, the perception of the Amazon Employer brand significantly varies between white-collar and blue-collar employees. As a result, brand crises impacting one image may have minimal repercussions on the other, and vice versa. Moreover, this thesis proposes that personal well-being, financial success, and career growth remain primary drivers in the job search among young adults. Therefore, as long as the Employer Brand maintains its economically successful brand image, the influence of scandals and public outbreaks on it can be muted. However, this study acknowledges that continuous crises could negatively impact the employer's brand image, leading to an ambiguous perception and brand associations for Amazon. Overall, this thesis contributes to the field of employer branding studies by helping to understand the employer brand structure and proposing an updated framework for treating the employer brand in managerial studies. The findings indicate that when it comes to scandals and public crises, the influence of the Employer Brand on the Corporate Brand and Consumer Brand may be considerably less compared to the influence of the latter two in their trilateral relationship

Authentic Leadership\u27s Ethical Influence on Retail Telecom Performance Management Systems

This qualitative study of retail telecommunication salespeople and their employers supported the existing literature about authentic leadership’s positive influence on organizational citizenship behavior, affective commitment, ethical climate, and employee motivation in balancing performance management systems. Through salesperson self-regulation, this study also supported goal setting and other task-based motivation theories. The study added to the paucity of research on the relationship of pressure to unethical behavior and found the time dimension of goals was less important than threatening pressure. Both ethical codes and personal values were found to motivate ethical behavior more than either one by itself. Also, the study found the store manager relationship was critical to salesperson motivation and performance which should be studied further, especially when dysfunctional, adding to leader membership exchange (LMX) constructs. Finally, more telecom salespeople were motivated relationally than financially, and their emotional depletion was more related to negative interpersonal interactions than task-based effort as reflected in expectancy-value theory. This requires further study. The study incorporated a philosophical assumption of a Biblical worldview

Creating green consumer loyalty; How to strategically market CSR and obtain consumer preference

Sustainability is an important social theme that is taking on increasing significance in many areas, including the supermarket sector. This report presents the findings of a literature study looking at the opportunities available to supermarkets to gain a preferential position in the eyes of consumers for their efforts regarding sustainability. Duurzaamheid is een belangrijk maatschappelijk thema, dat ook in de supermarktbranche van steeds grotere betekenis wordt. Dit rapport presenteert de bevindingen van een literatuurstudie naar de aangrijpingspunten die supermarkten hebben om voor hun duurzaamheidsinspanningen een voorkeurspositie bij de consument te verkrijgen

COOPERATION OR COMPETITION: A STUDY OF SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PRODUCTION DECISION UNDER POTENTIAL VERTICAL COMPETITION

Since the 2000s when retailers recognised the huge market potential, the growth of private labels has been unstoppable worldwide. As a result of the recession of national brands, manufacturers are in a relatively weaker position when dealing with large retailers. The relationship between manufacturers and retailers has transformed from pure cooperation to a delicate balance of cooperation and competition. Yet, how such a balance influences supply chain dynamics is an intriguing and overdue issue. This thesis explores the influence of social capital over manufacturers’ perceptions regarding their retailers’ trustworthiness in the presence of potential vertical competition, as well as the consequential performance from the perspective of cognitive abilities. Data was collected through an online scenario-based role play (SBRP) experiment, where 371 participants were recruited and put in three groups. In each group, participants were provided with a scenario depicting the product substitution level between a newly launched private label and a national brand. The data was analysed statistically to test the hypotheses. The results identify relational capital as the most influential dimension of social capital in suppressing manufacturer’s perception of opportunistic information sharing behaviour from retailers, and suggest that such suppression is moderated by the level of product substitution between private labels and national brands. This thesis has reference value to academia by looking into the overlapping issues of supply chain management and marketing and providing empirical evidence of the influences induced by the introduction of private labels. It also benefits industry, especially manufacturers, by giving a brief standard regarding whether to cooperate or compete when faced with potential vertical competition with retailers