Search

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the conditional relationships among sustainability implementation, brand awareness, brand attitude and brand loyalty through the lens of transformative service research (TSR). The research also aims to explain how brand loyalty moderates the mediated effect of brand awareness and attitude in the context of social and environmental sustainability initiatives. Design/methodology/approach: Using both primary and secondary data sources from 31 prominent service companies and their 6,891 customers, this paper investigates the impact of sustainability practices and brand awareness on customer attitude. The paper also examines the moderated mediation effect of brand loyalty, explaining how it alters brand attitudes in the context of sustainability implementation. Finally, the study conducts a comparative analysis of how environmental and social shape brand attitudes in loyal customers. Findings: Sustainability implementation has a negative impact on both brand awareness and customer attitude. However, this negative influence is mitigated for highly brand-loyal customers, resulting in a positive brand attitude. Further, the comparative analysis reveals that social implementation positively influences brand attitude in high-loyalty contexts. Research limitations/implications: This research uses subjective judgments of researchers regarding companies' sustainability practices, combining them with customer attitudes gathered through survey questionnaires. Additionally, the data set comprises data from 31 large service companies, potentially limiting the generalizability of findings to large service companies. Nevertheless, this paper extends TSR into the realm of sustainability and branding. Practical implications: The positive outcomes of sustainability implementation practices are most pronounced when customer loyalty toward a brand is strong. Social implementation has a more potent effect on brand attitude, particularly among loyal customers. Companies can tailor their sustainability efforts more effectively. Originality/value: With the lens of TSR, this research deepens our understanding of how sustainability affects consumer psychology but also offers a methodological advancement by using advanced statistical models and a variety of data sources. The distinctiveness of this research is also highlighted in the examination of how environmental and social sustainability initiatives influence brand attitude, especially among customers who exhibit strong brand loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to focus on the housing situation in Indian cities and the various stakeholders involved in the housing sector. This study addresses the conflict in expectations of the supply and demand side of the housing and establishes the factors crucial to making housing successful for all the stakeholders, essential for sustainable urban development. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is developed using the content analysis of preceding independent reviews on housing sustainability by authors across the globe, a review of the current housing situation in Indian cities and a Pilot study of the desired qualitative aspects of housing by the consumer group. Findings: This paper identifies the challenges and constraints of the various stakeholders involved in the housing sector. A comprehensive list of all the parameters, both qualitative and quantitative, essential for successful housing implementation, focused on the preferences of the demand side, also referred to as the "Critical Success Factors (CSFs)" is generated. The results advocate a strict consideration and integration of these CSFs with the housing policies for all future housing projects. Research limitations/implications: Most of the studies conducted in the past have reviewed the housing situation in India from the perspective of the government authorities and the initiatives undertaken by them to improve the housing crisis. However, a gap exists in achieving a balanced understanding of the supply-side constraints, with the demand-side expectations from the housing. Focusing only on the supply without adequately understanding the consumption can only lead to further chaos in the already turbulent housing situation. Originality/value: To the best of author's knowledge, this is among the first attempts to address the housing scenario in urban centers of India, simultaneously from the perspective of both the demand side and the supply side of the housing, giving additional impetus to the expectations of the demand side which are often ignored. This study becomes more relevant in the ongoing pandemic situation to be able to provide appropriate and acceptable housing solutions to all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Numerous service organizations involve employees in strengthening customer relationships. While the literature has emphasized the importance of a sustainable market orientation (SMO) for an organization's image, it has not explored how employees' behavior in sustainable service organizations influences the reputational effect. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of SMO-aligned employee behavior on customer attitude and behavior, while considering different SMOs and the role of value-based brand choice. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a 2 (SMO-aligned vs nonaligned) × 3 (social, environmental or economic SMOs) between-subject, scenario-based experiment with 313 participants to test the hypotheses. A moderated mediation analysis was also conducted. Findings: The results show that SMO-aligned employee behavior has a positive impact on customers' trust in contrast with SMO-nonaligned behavior independent of the SMO. The relationship between employee behavior and customer word-of-mouth is mediated by trust. Furthermore, the effect on trust is moderated by value-based brand choice. Originality/value: This study contributes to employee behavior research by examining the impact of SMO-aligned employee behavior on customer outcomes in sustainable service organizations. Adding to previous research on employee behavior, it further considers the impact of value-based brand choice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings Customer concern about sustainability is growing within the luxury fashion sector. However, importance attached to sustainability varies. Firms need to better understand the different customer types, factors which motivate their purchase of luxury fashion items and the degree to which sustainability influences their decision-making. Such knowledge can provide firms with valuable opportunities within an expanding market in which middle-class Chinese consumers are playing an increasingly significant part.Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Using the combined theoretical umbrella of organizational legitimacy theory, service-dominant logic, fairness heuristic theory and two-factor theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of different food recall strategies (recall proactiveness and compensation) in terms of both how consumers react (perceived organizational legitimacy and purchase intention) and how recall norms would influence the effectiveness in three countries. In addition to the reporting of important results, this paper provides implications for food companies to handle effectively the recalls, especially when the recalls are cross-country. Design/methodology/approach - A 2 compensation (high vs low) X2 recall strategy (proactive vs passive) scenario experiment was conducted in Hong Kong, the USA and Mainland China. After checking the effectiveness of manipulation, the paper tested the main effect and interaction effect of recall proactiveness and compensation on perceived organizational legitimacy and purchase intention. In addition, the mediating effect of perceived organizational legitimacy between recall strategies and purchase intention was also tested. Findings - Significant main effect, interaction and mediation effect were found across the three countries with a different pattern. For the USA and Mainland China which have strong recall norms, the interaction found followed the predictions of the two-factory theory. However, the pattern found in Hong Kong, which has weak recall norms, followed the predictions of the fairness heuristic theory. Full mediation effect of perceived organizational legitimacy between compensation and purchase intention was found in the USA and Mainland China, while it was only partial in Hong Kong. For the mediation between proactiveness and purchase intention, full mediation was found in Hong Kong and the USA, while it was only partial in Mainland China. Originality/value - First, this study differentiated food recall strategy into two dimensions - recall proactiveness and compensation. Second, this study tested the applicability of two-factor theory and fairness heuristic theory in recalls by testing the competing hypotheses proposed according to the two theories. Finally, this study can further help our understanding of the recall effectiveness across different recall norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the impact of cosmopolitan consumer orientation (CCO) on sustainable apparel consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 469 US responses collected using MTurk were retained for the analysis after screening for unengaged responses. Structural equation modeling was used to confirm the factor structure of the measurement model and to analyze the structural model. A two-step cluster analysis using log-likelihood distance measure and Akaike's Information Criterion was conducted to explore consumer profiles and past behavior. Findings: Based on the model results, CCO positively impacts apparel sustainability knowledge, attitude toward purchasing sustainable apparel, perceived norm and sustainable apparel purchase intention. Attitude and perceived norm also impact sustainable purchase intention. The two-step cluster analysis, based mainly on sustainable past behavior, reveals that the group of sustainability engaged consumers knows more about apparel sustainability, has a stronger intention to purchase sustainable apparel, is more cosmopolitan and shows a higher tendency to follow social norms. Consumers in this group also tend to live in metropolitan areas and are slightly younger than unengaged consumers. Originality/value: This study expands CCO research linking two major trends in society and industry: cosmopolitanism and sustainable apparel consumer behavior. The study reveals that CCO uplifts consumers' sustainable behavior and provides evidence in support of CCO as a driver of sustainable consumer behavior. Moreover, results imply a positive future outlook for the diffusion of sustainable apparel, as well as a much-needed mainstream consumer adhesion to more sustainable lifestyles. Given the repercussions of the findings, this research has numerous theoretical as well practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how the role of marketing for luxury brands can be re-thought in order to ensure that such brands establish a strong connection between their luxury image and positive social and environmental values. Design/methodology/approach – The findings are based upon qualitative empirical research which informed a new categorisation of consumer motivations, through the application of self-determination theory which shows how concerns for environmental and social sustainability can be integrated with individual psychological needs. Findings – The findings provide a deep understanding of consumers of luxury-eco products which could be used by marketing practitioners to shape socially responsible purchasing decisions. Research limitations/implications – The research was designed for theory building, not theory-testing, so future research would be needed to study the efficacy of the recommended strategies for encouraging eco-luxury behaviour. Practical implications – To increase the likelihood of practical applications, the authors follow the presentation of their findings with suggestions and examples for marketing to each of the consumer types identified by their research. Social implications – The findings of this research have implications of a global, environmental and social kind. The societal adoption of eco-luxury consumption is about educating consumer desire, shifting it from its current focus on personal satisfaction, to a higher level of personal and social flourishing. Originality/value – The findings effectively support the claims of self-determination theory by demonstrating how and why consumer motivations differ and how an improved sense of well-being can be achieved through internalised levels of self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the conditions under which US consumers, known for their "green" skepticism, are more (less) likely to respond favorably to a firm's environmental initiative in today's marketplace. Design/methodology/approach – The research paper investigates whether the general positive impact derived from the implementation of societal initiatives found by other researchers carries over when specific environmental initiatives are put into operation. The authors test hypotheses related to consumer responses to information about a firm's environmental initiative with varied salience of its public- and self-serving motives. Next, they test how consumer responses are affected by the level of perceived sincerity associated with a firm's environmental initiative. The role of brand commitment is also examined across both studies. Findings – The results reveal that consumers use a rather skeptical approach when interpreting a firm's environmental initiative and that these responses vary based on the level of brand commitment, as well as how the initiative is presented to them. Research limitations/implications – The generalizability of results is currently limited to a particular brand with strong brand equity, large market share, and highly experiential service (Starbucks). Practical implications – The authors provide insights into what marketers and policy makers should consider in the development of environmental initiatives, in order to increase the likelihood of positive consumer responses. Originality/value – The present research contributes to the development (and application) of more accurate models of consumer responses to a firm's environmental initiative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings Many people in developed countries – mothers in particular – worry about the environment and the state of the world in which their children are growing up. In the food industry, supermarkets work hard to align their image with consumers’ sustainable preferences. Sales of organic foods are increasing; there is widespread recognition of Fairtrade branding and understanding of food miles as a measure of sustainability. Strange, then, that so few clothing retailers make any effort to deal with consumer concerns about the environmental impact of fashion production or the exploitation of garment workers.Practical Implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations.Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study identifies barriers faced by online e-waste collection platforms in India and proposes a novel approach to manage strategies that contribute towards making such online platforms economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable by mitigating their interacting barriers. Design/methodology/approach: The approach consists of a barrier assessment process and a strategy evaluation and planning process. The barrier assessment process uses multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) based method to evaluate the interactive effects of the barriers to derive their direct and indirect impacts on sustainability. The strategy evaluation and planning process evaluates the overall contribution value of strategies for mitigating interacting barriers and then categorizes them into planning zones based on their contribution and feasibility. Findings: The interaction among the barriers is a significant component of the overall impact of the barriers on sustainability. The most impactful barriers are the lack of dissemination of information, lack of government support, insufficient infrastructure, and awareness and attitude of consumers. Lack of government support is the most influential causal barrier. Lack of information dissemination is a significant causal barrier with the highest overall impact on sustainability. Priority strategies that must be implemented to ensure sustainability include government support, offering higher prices or discounts for giving up e-waste, and increasing information dissemination. Originality/value: Different from existing approaches for evaluating sustainability strategies, the strategies in this study are identified and evaluated based on their overall contribution towards mitigating interacting barriers to sustainability. The approach is applied in the Indian context to reveal the most influential barriers to the sustainability of online e-waste collection platforms and the most effective strategies for mitigating these barriers. The outcomes of this study contribute to strategy planning for sustainable online e-waste collection platforms in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this study is to examine whether consumers demonstrate a multi-dimensional understanding of sustainability in their decision-making and addresses the situational influence of confidence and compromise on sustainable product choices. Design/methodology/approach -- Using three choice-based conjoint experiments the authors examined the importance of sustainability, compromise and confidence to consumers across two contexts. Two-step cluster analyses were used to segment consumers based on the importance scores. Findings -- Data indicates that the environmental dimension of sustainability is the most influential followed by economic and social. The responses suggest three distinct segments identified as self-focused, trend motivated and reality driven that demonstrate significantly different characteristics in their approach to sustainable products. Research limitations/implications -- Current research tends to focus on the environmental dimension, while paying little heed to the economic and social dimensions. This research indicates that consumers consider all three dimensions when making sustainable product choices and highlights that differences may emerge with respect to product utility. Practical implications -- Firms must be aware that consumers differ in the importance they place on sustainability. The reality-driven segment is the most attractive segment, as they are highly engaged and are willing to invest time in understanding the complexities of sustainability. The trend-motivated segments are more fickle with superficial knowledge, and the self-focused segments are self-serving in their orientations and use price as a key decision variable. Originality/value -- The paper addresses an important oversight in the sustainability literature. It provides both a theoretical contribution to advance marketing research and a practical contribution that may be of interest to those trying to market sustainable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to determine the effects of consumers' perceptions of value and environmental concerns toward recycled content clothing on consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward these products. Design/methodology/approach: The research methodology consisted of consumer survey. Female consumers registered in the labor market in the province of Konya in Turkey constituted the sample of the study. A total of 296 female consumers selected by a simple random sampling method, and taking into account time, cost and accessibility criteria, constituted the sample of the study. Findings: Perceived customer values and environmental concerns were found to be much more effective on purchase intentions, although they were weak in positively affecting customers' attitudes toward recycled content clothing. Findings show that emotional, epistemic and conditional values and environmental concerns positively affect purchase intentions. Research limitations/implications: The sample in this study consisted of just female consumers with income in the city of Konya, Turkey. The results might be different in different demographic groups and different cities of Turkey. Practical implications: Consumers have positive attitude toward the idea of using recycled fibers in their clothes. Originality/value: The literature generally includes research examining consumers' behavior toward sustainable fashion. This research focuses on the value perceptions and attitudes of Turkish consumers toward recycled content clothing – a market and topic that have not been studied much before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The circular economy is a production and consumption model that encourages people to share, lease, reuse, repair, refurbish and recycle existing materials and products for as long as possible. The blockchain-based circular economy is being used in many industries worldwide, but Indian electronic MSMEs face many problems in adopting a blockchain-based circular economy. The research aims to discover the barriers the electronic MSMEs face in adopting a blockchain-based circular economy and pull back from achieving environmental sustainability in their operations. Design/methodology/approach: Fifteen barriers are identified from the literature review and finalized with experts' opinions. These barriers are evaluated by using interpretive structural modeling (ISM), MICMAC analysis and fuzzy TOPSIS method. Findings: Lack of support from distribution channels, lack of traceability mechanism and customer attitudes toward purchasing remanufactured goods are identified as the most critical barriers. Practical implications: The study will benchmark the electronic MSMEs in achieving environmental sustainability in the blockchain-based circular economy. Originality/value: It is a study that not only establishes a hierarchical relationship among the barriers of blockchain adoption in Indian electronic MSMEs but also verifies the results with fuzzy TOPSIS method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Adopting sustainable practices is highly required in hotels. This study aims to assess consumer behaviour towards adopting sustainable practices in hotels. In addition, mediating role of consumer attitude (CAtt) is assessed between consumer awareness (CA) and willingness to pay. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was carried out to analyse the integrative research model of CA, CAtt and willingness to pay premium price (WTPPP) for sustainable practices adoption in five-star hotels in emerging economies. Responses from 447 respondents were collected and analysed. Structural equation modelling was performed using SPSS 21.0. Findings: The research outcomes indicate the partial mediation of CAtt between CA and WTPPP. Furthermore, consumer satisfaction has been found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between CAtt and willingness to pay a premium price. Originality/value: The research results add to the literature by analysing prominent factors affecting willingness to pay premium for adopting sustainable practices in five-star hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Firms employ various forms of disclosure to demonstrate commitment to and involvement in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. This research provides guidance to firms employing framing strategies when communicating their SSCM with external stakeholders like consumers as part of their supply chain transparency efforts. Design/methodology/approach: The authors employed a middle-range theorizing approach to understand the context of SSCM practices and mechanisms of variously framed communication methods to disclose sustainability information to consumers. The authors conducted two experiments in an e-waste recycling context, studying how sustainable information disclosed to consumers using attribute framing and goal framing can affect consumers' attitudes. The authors also examined the moderating role of consumers' environmental involvement. Findings: Results suggest that when attribute framing is used, firms should avoid framing the attribute from a negative valence. When goal framing is used, messages with consequences stated as "avoid loss" yield the most substantial effect. Additionally, framing effects are more significant for consumers with higher-than-average environmental involvement. Originality/value: The authors' results contribute to the ongoing theorization of SSCM by providing contextual understanding of how to communicate sustainability information. Corroborating evidence from marketing, framing effects are found to be context specific, thereby elucidating the framing literature more fully to the SSCM context. The authors extend this literature by studying attribute framing and comparing the effectiveness of all possible goal framing combinations of valence and gain/loss perspective in the SSCM communication context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to test for factors affecting environmental sustainability and purchase intention in the fashion industry. Accordingly, the authors developed a framework that depicts the relationships between perceptions of social responsibility, consumer attitude, trust, purchase intention and perceived consumer effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was conducted with an internationally diverse sample of 216 consumers. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings: The results indicated that perceptions of social responsibility directly affect consumers' attitudes towards these fashion brands, as well as trust and perceived consumer effectiveness. Also, consumers need to perceive sustainability efforts of these brands as altruistic, and trust was found to be a direct predictor of purchase intention. However, both consumer attitude and perceived consumer effectiveness did not predict purchase intention. Research limitations/implications: The survey was primarily distributed to young people. Therefore, a generalisation of the findings to other age groups might be limited. Practical implications: Practicing managers should emphasise the fact that environmental sustainability and fast fashion brands could be sustainable to increase trust among consumers. Social implications: When it comes to environmental issues, positive perceptions regarding the companies' social responsibility efforts are vital to enhance both consumers' trust towards the brands and their individual feeling of empowerment. Originality/value: This study intends to shed light on the key elements that shape consumers' attitudes and willingness to purchase green apparel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- This research aims to explore the factors that lead to the prevalence of the green gap. Currently, an overwhelming majority of consumers voice concern about the state of the environment; however, only a select few mirror their intentions with actual green behaviors. Design/methodology/approach -- A critical incident technique is utilized in the first study, followed by a quantitative study analyzed via cluster analysis for the second study. Findings -- Results suggest the green gap exists for several reasons, of which price is most commonly noted. However, factors such as poor perceptions of quality, lack of green product availability and brand loyalty to conventional products appear to be important issues leading to the gap as well. Additionally, the type of product sought for purchase appears to impact the prevalence of the green gap. Research limitations/implications -- Future research should seek to extend the present study by monitoring actual usage rather than intentions, as well as an examination of strategies that may help to minimize the green gap. Practical implications -- Consumers need to understand why green products are priced higher, the benefits they offer and the impact they can make as an individual. Additionally, firms competing in specific product categories can alter their strategies to better capitalize on the motivations of their target markets. Originality/value -- Past research has focused on why consumers buy green, but there is a lack of research on why consumers fall into the green gap -- that is they have the intention of going green, but don't. This research examines factors surrounding the green gap and the role of product type in the prevalence of the green gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]