scholarly journals College students’ responses to prosocial marketing claims on apparel hang tags

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen H. Hyllegard ◽  
Jennifer Paff Ogle ◽  
Ruoh-Nan Yan
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Experimental Design ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Component ◽  
Intercept Survey ◽  
Apparel Companies ◽  
Responsible Business Practices ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore consumers’ responses to prosocial marketing claims presented on apparel hang tags. Guided by the theory of reasoned of action, this study examined the impact of varied prosocial claims (environment, labor, cancer charity) upon college students’ evaluations of hang tags used to promote university-branded apparel (i.e. t-shirts) as well as their attitudes and patronage intentions toward the apparel. Design/methodology/approach – An intercept survey approach, with an experimental design component, was used to administer a written questionnaire to 262 college students. The experimental design component required participants to examine a university-branded t-shirt and to read the information provided on the product hang tag attached to the t-shirt. Findings – In total, 60 percent of college students read apparel hang tags on a very frequent or frequent basis to gain information about brand name, care instructions, and fiber content. Further, college students evaluated apparel hang tags featuring prosocial marketing claims more positively than they evaluated hang tags with no prosocial marketing claim. In turn, these evaluations positively predicted the amount of money students were willing to pay for a university-branded t-shirt as well as their attitudes and purchase intentions toward university-branded apparel. Research limitations/implications – Findings suggest that apparel companies engaged in socially responsible business practices may wish to develop hang tags that address both desired product attributes as well as company engagement in prosocial initiatives. Originality/value – This study extends the understanding of the role that prosocial marketing claims play in informing consumer's attitudes and behaviors relative to apparel.

How Michelin-starred chefs are being transformed into social bricoleurs? An online qualitative study of luxury foodservice during the pandemic crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wided Batat
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Response Strategies ◽  
Responsible Business Practices

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine response strategies and the change in Michelin-starred chefs' practices to adapt to the global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis that has strongly affected the foodservice sector.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an exploratory qualitative research that used mixed-method, combining online interviews with 12 French Michelin-starred chefs and archival data. A manual thematic analysis method was used to analyze the data and identify relevant themes following an iterative coding process.FindingsThe findings show that Michelin-starred restaurants implement multilevel response strategies by developing dynamic capabilities while playing a social role through the development of new forms of business practices. The results show that Michelin-starred chefs adopt social bricolage entrepreneurial thinking to deal with the extreme situation and use diverse resources and response strategies to tackle social issues and improve the collective and individual well-being. The authors identified three major response strategies implemented by luxury restaurants: philanthropic activities targeting the well-being of the community, socially responsible business practices to support the foodservice actors and initiatives centered on consumer's food well-being.Research limitations/implicationsThe limits of this study are related to the small sample size and the elimination of psychographic criteria such as age and gender, which can extend our understanding of response strategies implemented by female and male owners or by age range during crises in the foodservice sector. Also, given that France is the country of Haute gastronomy, the conclusions of this study may not be generalizable to other countries where the gastronomic culture might be different.Practical implicationsRestaurants with high-end or luxury positioning must use multilevel – i.e. individual, sector and societal – response strategies to play a social role while sustaining their businesses during times of crisis. These insights seek to provide a roadmap which can be applied to other sectors to assess response strategies driven by various motives, resources and capabilities.Social implicationsThis research contributes to transformative service research literature by providing insights regarding how service providers can rethink their activities during the crises to play an active social role. Also, the findings point to several ways in which service actors can help customers and the community to improve their well-being.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, no prior research examined both the type of response strategies deployed by companies to survive and the importance of playing a social role and developing socially responsible business practices during times of crisis.

scholarly journals The Impact of Socially Responsible Marketing on TV Viewership and Household Conflicts: A Theoretical Descriptive Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 396-401
Author(s):  
Ahmed M. Asfahani
Keyword(s):  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Conflict Theory ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Uses And Gratification ◽  
Uses And Gratification Theory ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Responsible Business Practices ◽  
The Impact

Marketing is used by business organizations to promote the beneficial attributes of their product and services. The increased focus on promoting ethical and socially responsible business practices has contributed to the emergence of socially responsible marketing. This study explores this concept and how it promotes good/positive social and cultural norms. The research demonstrates how businesses are forced to practice socially responsible marketing though its impact on TV viewership and household conflict remains unknown. A qualitative descriptive study is carried out to examine the effect of socially responsible marketing on TV viewership and household conflict. Data was collected from a sample of 15 marketing experts using a self-administered question and analyzed through thematic analysis. The study found no significant link between socially responsible marketing and TV viewership. Additionally, this research found that socially responsible marketing reduces household conflict. These findings are supported by the Uses and Gratification Theory, Functionalist Theory, and Conflict Theory.

Effects of CSR initiatives on company perceptions among Millennial and Gen Z consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seoyeon Kim ◽  
Lucinda Austin
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Initiative ◽  
Csr Communication ◽  
Responsible Business Practices ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Comparative Examination

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine Millennial consumers’ responses to two corporate social initiative types – socially responsible business practices and corporate philanthropy – in combination with proactive and reactive CSR communication strategies. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (corporate philanthropy/socially responsible business practices) ×2 (proactive/reactive CSR communication) between-subjects experiment was conducted. Findings The socially responsible business practices were largely perceived more positively than the philanthropic initiatives. Likewise, greater public-serving motives were attributed to the socially responsible business practices compared to the philanthropy. While philanthropic initiatives were perceived more negatively when communicated reactively, there were no significant differences between proactive and reactive socially responsible business practices. Originality/value As an attempt to initiate the comparative examination of the effects of different corporate social initiative types, this study suggests outperformance of the socially responsible business practices type of corporate social initiatives over the resources-giving (i.e. philanthropy) type of initiatives even in the reactive communication setting where reputational threat resides.

scholarly journals The impact of cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ ethical practices

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Local Society ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Stance ◽  
Economic Constraints ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Anecdotal evidence suggests that in times of economic constraints particularly in countries such as Greece that have long been stereotyped as corrupt, business practices amongst small- and medium-sized organisations that make up the majority of these nations’ tourism operators may become less than ethical or legal. The purpose of this paper is to explore these issues empirically in order to understand the impact of both cultural values and economic constraints on tourism businesses’ practices. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory case study using mixed methods has been adopted. Quantitative data were gathered from tourism business owners, managers and employees via questionnaires to establish the nature and scope of various unethical, illegal or immoral practices. Qualitative data were gathered to explore the ways these issues are considered and enacted. Findings Results show that there are many unethical and illegal practices that have been witnessed first-hand. Businesses’ attempts at acting in an ethical and socially responsible manner tend to be affected by not only cultural issues, but also economic constraints, yet there remains a desire to act in a way that does not impact negatively on tourists or on the local society and environment. Originality/value This research fills a gap in the literature relating to the ethical stance and practices of tourism entrepreneurs. It also presents an original conceptualisation of these issues in light of their location within the extant literature on ethics, corporate social responsibility and both sustainable and responsible tourism.

Measuring and understanding the engagement of Bangladeshi SMEs with sustainable and socially responsible business practices: an ISO 26000 perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 584-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Nazmul Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Low Income ◽  
External Support ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Iso 26000 ◽  
Responsible Business Practices

Purpose Drawing on the “ISO 26000: 2010 – Guidance on social responsibility” handbook, this paper aims to investigate the extent to which Bangladeshi small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) are incorporating social responsibility (SR)/sustainability into their regular business activities. It is also aimed at providing insights into how Bangladeshi SME owner-managers perceive the concept of SR, and exploring the key drivers of and barriers to socially responsible and sustainable business practices. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method research was carried out in two sequential phases. During the first phase, 110 printed questionnaires (59 of which were eventually used) were distributed among the owner-managers of the selected SMEs. The second phase involved seven in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings reconfirm the existence of the so called “attitude-behaviour” gap. The barriers that hinder the sustainable engagement of SMEs include corruption, a weak regulatory environment, inefficient or ill-suited government and external support and a lack of awareness of the environmental aspects of SR. In addition, this research reveals that Bangladeshi manufacturing SMEs do, to a certain degree, implement SR; only those few issues that suit the owner-managers’ personal motives are addressed, while many others (e.g. environmental issues) are neglected. Finally, it has been found that the business type and size, and the owner-managers’ educational attainments have no significant influence on the degree of adoption of socially responsible business practices by Bangladeshi manufacturing SMEs. Originality/value This paper develops a tool suited to meaningfully assess the socially responsible and sustainable business activities of SMEs. By using the four key elements identified in ISO 26000, namely, labour practices, the environment, consumer issues and community involvement and development, and by using an innovative and effective technique, a sustainability score and implementation level were calculated quantitatively for the selected SMEs. The tool developed here can be used to study the sustainability related issues faced by SMEs based in other low-income developing countries.

The effects of materialism on consumer evaluation of sustainable synthetic (lab-grown) products

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 579-590
Author(s):  
Jessica Keech ◽  
Maureen Morrin ◽  
Jeffrey Steven Podoshen
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Evaluation ◽  
Positioning Strategy ◽  
Consumer Markets ◽  
The Future ◽  
Promotion Strategies ◽  
Alternative Sources ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The increasing desire of consumers for socially responsible luxury products combined with fluctuating supplies in consumer markets are leading various industries to seek alternative sources to be able to meet the needs of its customers. One possible solution that may meet the demands of the future is lab-grown products. Because these products confer multiple benefits, this study aims to investigate the most effective ways to appeal to consumers by aligning the benefits of the products with their values as marketers seek to find effective promotion for these items. Design/methodology/approach We examine the effectiveness of an ethical positioning strategy for two types of luxury lab-grown (synthetic) products among high versus low materialism consumers in three experiments. Findings Findings suggest that a positioning strategy stressing product ethicality is more effective for low materialism consumers, whereas the strategy is less effective, and may even backfire, for high materialism consumers. The impact on social status consumers perceive from a lab-grown product explains why this effect occurs among low materialism consumers. Therefore, marketers should take caution and use specific appeals for different segments based on values such as consumers’ materialism levels. Originality/value If lab-grown products represent the wave of the future, it is important to understand how consumers will respond to this emerging technology and how promotion strategies may enhance their evaluation.

Optimisation of geotechnical surveys using a BIM-based geostatistical analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Mahmoudi ◽  
Marcel Stepien ◽  
Markus König
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Data Structures ◽  
Digital Design ◽  
Ground Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Design Environments ◽  
Spatial Estimation ◽  
Computational Performance ◽  
Geological Models ◽  
The Impact

PurposeA principle prerequisite for designing and constructing an underground structure is to estimate the subsurface's properties and obtain a realistic picture of stratigraphy. Obtaining direct measure of these values in any location of the built environment is not affordable. Therefore, any evaluation is afflicted with uncertainty, and we need to combine all available measurements, observations and previous knowledge to achieve an informed estimate and quantify the involved uncertainties. This study aims to enhance the geotechnical surveys based on a spatial estimation of subsoil to customised data structures and integrating the ground models into digital design environments.Design/methodology/approachThe present study's objective is to enhance the geotechnical surveys based on a spatial estimation of subsoil to customised data structures and integrating the ground models into digital design environments. A ground model consisting of voxels is developed via Revit-Dynamo to represent spatial uncertainties employing the kriging interpolation method. The local arrangement of new surveys are evaluated to be optimised.FindingsThe visualisation model's computational performance is modified by using an octree structure. The results show that it adapts the structure to be modelled more efficiently. The proposed concept can identify the geological models' risky locations for further geological investigations and reveal an optimised experimental design. The modifications criteria are defined in global and local considerations.Originality/valueIt provides a transparent and repeatable approach to construct a spatial ground model for subsequent experimental or numerical analysis. In the first attempt, the ground model was discretised by a grid of voxels. In general, the required computing time primarily depends on the size of the voxels. This issue is addressed by implementing octree voxels to reduce the computational efforts. This applies especially to the cases that a higher resolution is required. The investigations using a synthetic soil model showed that the developed methodology fulfilled the kriging method's requirements. The effects of variogram parameters, such as the range and the covariance function, were investigated based on some parameter studies. Moreover, a synthetic model is used to demonstrate the optimal experimental design concept. Through the implementation, alternative locations for new boreholes are generated, and their uncertainties are quantified. The impact of the new borehole on the uncertainty measures are quantified based on local and global approaches. For further research to identify the geological models' risky spots, the development of this approach with additional criteria regarding the search neighbourhood and consideration of barriers and trends in real cases (by employing different interpolation methodologies) should be considered.

Understanding how social responsibility drives social innovation: characteristics of radically innovative projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duygu Turker ◽  
Y. Serkan Ozmen
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Radical Innovations ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Innovation Characteristics ◽  
Sustainability Challenges ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to analyze how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives address sustainability challenges by focusing on the congruence between process and outcome variables of CSR.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a theory-driven model, a content analysis was conducted on 63 award-winning social responsibility projects.FindingsThe study reveals that the adoption of a proactive approach during environmental assessment, which manifests itself in a focus on emerging sustainability challenges with a deeper interest, affects the centrality of social responsibility initiative by increasing its learning and partnership potential and leads organizations to produce radical innovations.Practical implicationsThe findings provide a valuable understanding for practitioners on organizing the decision making process of CSR initiatives in order to unlock its learning potentials.Social implicationsRadically innovative projects with their higher levels of proactivity, centrality and generalizability are better than incremental ones at transferring and integrating company resources and capabilities to address emergent sustainability challenges.Originality/valueThe impact of CSR on society and nature has been a neglected area of literature. To reduce this gap, this study analyzes how the configuration of process variables shapes the outcomes of socially responsible initiatives on sustainability. It also provides a new typology on the relevance of CSR initiatives to company mission/model that can show how CSR can unlock organizational learning and innovation potentials.

Delivering warmth and expediting love: just-in-time CSR in the midst of COVID-19 mega disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei (CJ) Lin ◽  
IpKin Anthony Wong ◽  
Shuyi Kara Lin ◽  
Yun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Resonance ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Crisis Responses

Purpose This study aims to move beyond the current understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to propose the concept of just-in-time (JIT) CSR as a metaphor that reflects hospitality operators’ endeavors to expedite socially responsible measures to both internal and external organizational stakeholders during times when functional and emotional supports are urgently needed. Design/methodology/approach This research used a qualitative approach in two studies. Study 1 engaged a media analysis to better grasp the knowledge of the research problem at hand. Study 2 involved interviews from stakeholders to assess their emotions and perceptions of meanings of major contents discerned from the first study. Findings This research highlights a process in which operators’ CSR practices (e.g. for business practices, for organizational strategy and for stakeholder well-being) during the COVID-19 crisis are imbued with connotative meanings (e.g. place-as-safety, place-as-partnership and place-as-warmth) that ultimately give shape to three core outcomes (e.g. individual rejoinder, brand resonance and societal resilience). Research limitations/implications While JIT CSR is not an antidote for all devastations caused by COVID-19, it is posited as a needed mechanism that operators could use to ameliorate the situation and to go beyond their own stake to bring a broader array of societal benefits to humanity. Originality/value This research underscores how hospitality operators expedite crisis responses to the pandemic, and how their societal objectives transform the image of a place from a commercial venue into a place imbued with meaning associated with safety, partnership and warmth.

Towards a more ethical market: the impact of ESG rating on corporate financial performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Landi ◽  
Mauro Sciarelli
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper fits in a research field dealing with the impact of Corporate Ethics Assessment on Financial Performance. The authors argue how environmental, social and governance (ESG) paradigm, meant to measure corporate social performance by rating issuance, can impact on abnormal returns of Italian firms listed on Financial Times Stock Exchange Milano Indice di Borsa (FTSE MIB) Index, developing a panel data analysis which runs from 2007 to 2015. Design/methodology/approach This study aims at exploring whether socially responsible investors outperform an excess market return on Italian Stock Exchange because of their investment behavior, testing statistically the relationship between the yearly ESG assessment issued by Standard Ethics Agency on FTSE MIB’s companies and their abnormal returns. To verify the impact of an ESG Rating on a company’s abnormal return, the authors developed a panel data analysis through a Fixed Effects Model. They measured abnormal returns via Fama–French approach, running a yearly Jensen’s Performance Index for each company under investigation. Findings The empirical results denote in Italy both a growing interest to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability by managers over the past decade, as well as an improving quality in ESG assessments because of a reliable corporate disclosure. Thus, despite investors have been applying ESG criteria in their stock – picking operations, the authors found a not positive and statistically significant impact in terms of market premium, when they have been undertaking a socially responsible investment (SRI). Practical implications The findings described above show that ethics is not yet a reliable fundraising tool for Italian-listed companies, despite SRIs having a positive growth rate over past decade. Investors seem to be not pricing CSR on Stock Exchange Market; therefore, listed companies cannot be rewarded with a premium price because of their highly stakeholder oriented behavior. Originality/value This paper explores, for the first time in Italy, when market extra-returns (if any) are related to corporate social performance and how managers leverage ethics to build capital added value.

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