One strike and you're out: Qualitative insights into the formation of consumers' ethical company or brand perceptions

Drawing on 20 long interviews (McCracken, 1988) with general consumers, this research suggests that the impact of various kinds of un/ethical business practices of a given company on consumers' perceived ethicality (CPE) is asymmetrical. The resulting taxonomy identifies three distinct dimensions of varying directions and impacts on CPE, with the personal interest of the evaluating person moderating and mediating the dimensions' slopes: (1) Monovalent ethical dissatisfiers which have a negative effect; (2) Bivalent ethical dis/satisfiers that either favorably or unfavorably influence ethical perceptions, commensurate with a company's efforts; and (3) Monovalent ethical satisfiers, capable of generating a positive impact. The achievement of positive CPE appears highly challenging for a variety of reasons identified. Only one instance of perceived misconduct can be sufficient to contaminate a company/brand's CPE, despite otherwise exemplary behavioral records or altruistic engagement. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for managers and academics.     

Kommunen zentral für Jahrzehnt der Zukunftsinvestitionen

Wirtschaftsdienst - In the coalition agreement, the new federal government holds out the prospect of a “decade of investment for the future”. It thus recognises that considerable...     

Subjekt,Objekt, Didaktik

Heilberufe - In diesem Artikel wird die Orientierung der Pflege am Subjekt im Kontext der Ausbildung betrachtet. Es werden Beispiele für didaktische Prinzipien, sowie Methoden, die einem...     

Restoring Credible Economic Governance to the Eurozone

This paper discusses new institutional rules for a stable and lasting European Monetary Union (EMU). We propose a return to a strict and sustainable economic governance framework, which is mainly driven by market forces within a smart rule‐based environment. Our recommendations are: (a) ex ante conditionalities with a tough monitoring process to avoid moral hazard in the future; (b) further enhancement of the Stability and Growth Pact; and (c) ultimo ratio punishment to be able to respond to the unique constellation of fiscal–monetary interaction and new rescue facilities. Countries violating fiscal rules for more than four years in a row will thus lose their fiscal sovereignty or will have to resign from the Eurozone. After fulfilling the ex ante conditionalities as well as all required criteria, the country either will recover its fiscal sovereignty, or, in case of exclusion, will be given the option to rejoin EMU under certain conditions.     

Consumers’ everyday food choice strategies in Finland

In developed countries, choosing and purchasing food is today perhaps more complex than ever. In recent years, European consumers have experienced several food crises. We face a rapidly expanding range of novel food products, the food chain has become longer, and the origin of food more anonymous. At the same time, consumers confront increasing amounts of information on food every day. Consumers build their conceptions of modern food‐related risks on the basis of their everyday knowledge and coping strategies. Hence, the focus of this paper is on consumers’ food choices and everyday practices in relation to food safety and quality as well as food‐related risks. The paper is based on a Finnish study 1 examining consumers’ food choices. The data for the study were collected in September 2004 using an Internet‐based food diary accompanied by open‐ended questions on food‐related views and strategies. Altogether, 92 consumers completed the diary. The method combining the tradition of dietary intake and food consumption surveys with open‐ended questions was developed in order to gain an insight both on the types of foods purchased and on consumers’ conceptions of food‐related issues. In this paper, we focus on the key findings of the study as regards to consumers’ notions on food quality and safety issues and the practices they use in their everyday lives. We found eight everyday strategies consumers use. We suggest, first, that the strategies are important in simplifying food choice and making daily life easier, and second, that consumers use food‐related information flexibly in creating these strategies.     

Age matters: How developmental stages of adulthood affect customer reaction to complaint handling efforts

This research examines how age moderates the impact of justice perception (i.e., distributive, procedural, and interactional justice) on post-complaint satisfaction. By tracking the three justice dimensions' effect sizes across different ages, we identify four developmental stages of adulthood, which are separated by five-year transition periods. The stages are young (18–27 years of age), early (33–43), middle (49–57), and late adulthood (≥63). The moderation results show that the impact of distributive justice on satisfaction peaks in middle adulthood and the effect of procedural justice in early adulthood. Finally, the effect of interactional justice dips in early adulthood. Managerial and theoretical implications are discussed.