1,720,999 research outputs found
"I wanna be sustainable, but I don't wanna show it!": The effect of sustainability cues on young adult consumers' preferences
No full textGiven the urgent need to address plastic pollution, fashion companies are implementing diverse strategies to reduce plastic in their production processes. To communicate their commitment to plastic waste reduction, companies have started including symbols on their products (i.e., sustainability cues). However, the effect of these symbols on consumer behaviour remains unclear. Thus, through a mixed method involving three focus groups and two online experiments, we investigate the effect of sustainability cues on consumers' preferences. Our findings show that including sustainability cues on a product is not always an effective business strategy. Hence, we expand the ongoing debate on the effects of environmental strategies, offering new insights into consumers' perceptions of sustainability cues and demonstrating the importance of perceived proximity and environmental concern in enhancing or reducing buying intentions towards sustainable products. For fashion companies, we reveal if and how sustainability cues can represent a competitive leverage prompting environmentally friendly purchases
What is (and is not) stakeholder dialogue in CSR? A review and research agenda
No full textStakeholders increasingly expect to be engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) agendas through dialogue; the joint creation of meaning between firms and stakeholders, or among stakeholders. Dominant conceptions of stakeholder dialogue in CSR prioritize firm interests, and uncertainty as to what constitutes stakeholder dialogue, and how it should be practiced, permeates theory and practice. What is (and is not) stakeholder dialogue and how does it generate positive impacts for business and society? To unpack this question, we systematically reviewed 374 scholarly outputs across the CSR and stakeholder dialogue literatures over a 30-year timeframe. Operating at the intersection of these two literatures, we identify ‘conceptualizations’ of stakeholder dialogue in CSR as either integral (an intrinsic component of CSR) or incidental (a communicative response to CSR), as well as the ‘contours’ (i.e., boundaries) and ‘contexts’ of stakeholder dialogue in CSR. In doing so, we posit that the key to generating effective stakeholder dialogue for business and society lies not only in greater cohesion between CSR and stakeholder dialogue literatures, but in practicing dialogue that is ongoing, stakeholder (rather than firm) focused and avoids idealization. Herein, we stimulate a research agenda for scholars interested in communication and CSR at a time when the social and environmental demands placed on firms continue to escalate
Preventive and Remedial Actions in Corporate Reporting Among “Addiction Industries”: Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Hypocrisy Perception
No full textThe adoption and reporting of CSR policies have important ethical and managerial implications that need scrutiny. This study answers the call of CSR scholars for further studies in controversial sectors by focusing on the voluntary reporting practices of companies that market products or services that generate addiction among consumers. It contributes to the debate on organizational legitimacy and corporate reporting by empirically analyzing whether and how corporations in the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries disclose their CSR actions and what reactions such disclosures generate in stakeholders. Drawing on legitimacy theory and organizational façades, we apply a consequent mixed-methods design (initiation approach) built on (i) a content analysis of reports prepared by a large set of companies listed on the European, British, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges and (ii) an experiment on how different actions taken by the companies (preventive vs. remedial) elicit different perceptions of company hypocrisy and action effectiveness. While previous analyses have focused on “sin” or “harm” industries, this is one of the first to assess how companies account for “addiction”, which is more difficult for them to report and legitimate due to long-term negative consequences. This study contributes to the literature on the instrumental use of CSR reporting by empirically investigating how addiction companies shape their organizational façades and manage organizational legitimacy through disclosure. Moreover, the experimental evidence advances the knowledge of how cognitive mechanisms influence stakeholders in terms of legitimacy assessment and the perceived hypocrisy/effectiveness of CSR disclosure
The impact of communication and proximity on citizens’ sustainable disposal of e-waste
No full textPurpose: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how decision-makers can enhance citizens’ sustainable disposal of e-waste through bin proximity and ad hoc communication. Specifically, the authors discuss a two-year research project that took place in Northern Italy, where the authors documented the number of products disposed of sustainably in four towns. Design/methodology/approach: The project involved five main groups of stakeholders: i) four municipalities, ii) one social purpose organisation employing people with disabilities, (i.e. Andromeda), iii) one provider of bins (i.e. PubliCittà), iv) another social purpose organisation entity (i.e. Fondazione CRT) and v) the University of Portsmouth. After conducting three online pilot tests to confirm expectations of this study regarding how to enhance citizens’ sustainable disposal of e-waste, the authors have implemented the field pilot programme in a small municipality and successively in other three towns. Finally, the authors measured the impact of the programme on the actual recycling rate of citizens in the three target municipalities. Findings: The authors found that the positioning of drop-off bins in such a way as to reduce the distance from as many households as possible, along with the use of communication that facilitates the understanding of information related to sustainable disposal schemes, can improve the sustainable behaviour of citizens. The sustainable disposal of exhausted batteries after the intervention improved by 135% on average in the three municipalities that adopted the disposal scheme (Saluggia, San Benigno Canavese and Santhiá). The disposal rate of toners and electronics increased by 204.0% and 318.75% (San Benigno Canavese) and 138.7% and 85.4% (Santhiá), respectively. Research limitations/implications: The authors believe it would be cautious to consider potential differences in terms of recycling cultures and facilities before implementing the programme in other countries. Practical implications: The authors’ contribution shows decision-makers how to effectively design disposal schemes to enhance citizens' sustainable behaviour. The authors demonstrate how the thoughtful and responsible use of marketing levers can affect environmental sustainability and impact social development. Social implications: This paper has an actual impact on society by changing citizens’ behaviour, reducing harm to the environment and human well-being and supporting the inclusion of disadvantaged people in sustainability-oriented programmes. Originality/value: The structured and equitable engagement of scholars with multiple stakeholders can lead to the co-creation of societal value and knowledge and improve the well-being of multiple stakeholders. The collaboration between academics and practitioners enables the definition of effective strategies by observing the actual behaviour of individuals (i.e. citizens) and offers a direct and measurable impact on society. The involvement of social purpose organisations reinforces the shared primary aim of achieving measurable social and environmental impact
Consumer hypocrisy and researcher myopia: A scrutiny of the intention-behaviour gap in sustainable tourism
No full textA discrepancy between tourists' intentions and behaviour threatens the effectiveness of interventions to favour sustainable choices. To reduce the gap between intentions and behaviour, one should consider both the consumer's and the researcher's shortcomings. On the one hand, consumers amplify the discrepancy between their sayings and doings through their hypocritical behaviour. On the other hand, researchers often aggravate the intention-behaviour gap because of their methodological myopia (e.g., by focusing on non-behavioural outcomes, or by working with unrealistic research settings). This paper offers some specific recommendations to address consumer hypocrisy. We also provide researchers with some methodological advice on how to minimise possible biases by i) defining ambitious research goals, ii) mitigating the researcher's invasiveness, and iii) adopting strong behavioural measures
When sustainability backfires: A review on the unintended negative side-effects of product and service sustainability on consumer behavior
No full textThe existential need for more sustainable production and consumption has attracted substantial scholarly interest, which has focused on the positive outcomes of corporate sustainability. Negative side-effects have been largely neglected. This study contributes (1) by synthesizing past research into such negative side-effects from a diverse set of business disciplines; (2) by conceptualizing—for the first time—unintended negative side-effects of product and service sustainability; and (3) by developing a research agenda guiding researchers in addressing the most important knowledge gaps. The synthesis of 94 articles identifies three main cognitive mechanisms (information elaboration, product perception bias, and self-perception) and several emotionally aversive states (anxiety, shame, guilt, regret, distress, reduced enjoyment, frustration, discomfort, stress, and embarrassment) that are responsible for unintended negative side-effects resulting from product and service sustainability. Immediate managerial implications from this study include the critical importance of simple corporate sustainable communication that does not require consumers to dedicate substantial cognitive resources. Important future research directions include the investigation of the effects of green hushing and the development and testing of practical ways to help companies to avoid the sustainability liability trap, which leads to reduced demand because of sustainable features of products or services
How to enhance the sustainable disposal of harmful products
No full textThe effectiveness of sustainable disposable schemes remains an unsolved issue for policy-makers. This paper investigates the factors that can enhance consumers' ability to dispose of potentially harmful products sustainably. In a field experiment we demonstrate that the physical proximity to a drop-off point enhances the sustainability of consumer disposal of harmful products. We show that the influence of proximity on disposal behaviour is magnified if the consequences of disposal are described using metaphors. An online experiment complements these findings by showing that processing fluency – the ease to process information - is the mechanism behind this effect. These results provide practical implications for policy-makers and managers who want to enhance sustainable disposal of harmful products, underlying the critical importance of the simplicity of the disposal initiatives and the need to strategically place drop-off bins throughout the city
How to overcome the intention–behavior gap in sustainable tourism: Tourism Agenda 2030 perspective article
No full textPurpose: This study encourages a quantum leap knowledge encouraging tourism researchers to measure actual behavior. Design/methodology/approach: This study enhances the contribution of scholars to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals; it is key to understand how to alleviate the distance between consumers’ intentions and behavior. Findings: This study proposes a conceptual figure that shows how relative value, rationality and social desirability are the key determinants that hamper intentions in becoming behaviors. Originality/value: This study encourages scholars to consider consumers’ perceptions and the relative value they attribute to sustainability in their decision-making and to conduct field studies that observe consumer behavior in the real world and measure not just the intentions, but what is actually happening
Stakeholder engagement in green place branding:a focus on user-generated content
Full text linkThe purpose of this research is to investigate how the green image of a city can affect potential visitors' attitude toward the city in the context of user‐generated content. The study adopts a 2 × 2 experimental design in which the greenness of the city image and the social distance between the users and the authors of social media content are examined. The results demonstrate that green image has a significant effect on attitudes toward cities. Moreover, the effects of social media content vary according to the perceived social distance between the author of the post and potential visitors. This study contributes to the literature by assessing the role that social media content plays in place branding and communication. Furthermore, it provides relevant insights on how institutions should enhance the sustainable resources of cities with their environmental policy and encourage the generation of content from various stakeholders to contribute to the development of a city's image
Fashion and the metaverse: Implications for consumers and firms
Full text linkThe metaverse is transforming the fashion industry, offering novel consumer experiences and inventive prospects for businesses. This special issue delves into consumer behavior, business strategies, and future research avenues within the intersection of fashion and the metaverse. Key findings highlight consumer values guiding metaverse fashion consumption and the role of avatar resemblance in purchase intent. Firms leverage the metaverse for innovation through NFTs and immersive experiences. Distinct motivations guide luxury and fast fashion firms into the metaverse, where NFTs wield substantial influence over the fashion landscape. A stakeholder engagement framework facilitates navigation, and an industry-accepted definition of digital fashion categorises end-products. However, challenges such as psychological well-being, technology addiction, data privacy, and legal concerns must be addressed to ensure a safe and ethical metaverse experience for fashion consumers
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