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The purpose of this paper is to explore the potentially conflicting positive and negative ethical aspects of wool apparel and the relative importance of these ethical attributes when consumers in the USA make wool apparel purchase decisions.

A two-stage mixed-method approach was used to explore the positive and negative ethical aspects of wool apparel and the relative importance of these ethical attributes in wool apparel purchase decisions. First, focus groups were used to identify ethical attributes that were important to wool apparel consumers in the USA. In the second stage, a conjoint survey was used to estimate the relative importance of the ethical and product attributes that were identified in the focus groups and the trade-offs made within this attribute set.

Seven themes of ethical issues related to wool apparel consumption emerged during the focus groups: animal welfare, workers’ rights, environmental impact, extrinsic attributes, natural wool, country of origin (COO) and fair trade. In the conjoint analysis respondents identified COO as having the highest relative importance, followed by price, brand, ethical attributes and style. A cluster analysis of survey responses suggested there were two clusters that differed in the importance they attached to ethical labelling issues in wool apparel. The first cluster, did not place a great deal of importance on the ethical labelling issues included in the study, however, the second smaller cluster, ethical issues, specifically the humane treatment of sheep, were considered most important.

The study identified wool apparel attributes that were valued by American consumers. That product attributes were more important than ethical attributes suggests a focus on ethical credentials alone may not be effective in wool marketing. Wool apparel was more likely to be purchased by American consumers if they were made in the USA, reasonably priced, made by an independent brand, from humanely produced wool and in a comfortable style.

Social Farming (SF) is an expression of agricultural diversification and multifunctionality, due to its ability to create positive externalities through the inclusion of vulnerable individuals. For this reason, products derived from SF are characterized by social quality attributes, which, however, are not often recognized by the market. This study aims to investigate the reasons behind the lacked recognition of the value created by SF analyzing the willingness to pay (WTP) for such products and the factors affecting citizen-consumers' purchasing behavior.

Data were collected through a convenience sample (N = 350) via a web-based structured questionnaire. Psycho-attitudinal scales, previously validated in literature, were adopted to characterize the citizen-consumers interviewed. A logistic regression was run in order to determine those characteristics of respondents affecting their intention to purchase SF products, while an ordered logistic regression was performed to uncover the determinants of consumers' WTP for SF products.

The results show the relevant role of the level of education, household size and ethical self-identity in affecting the willingness to support SF activities by paying a price premium for its products. Lack of availability and information about SF products are the main factors limiting their purchase.

The study offers interesting results outlining future research fields about market penetration strategies and policy implications.

The purpose of this study is to expand the existing knowledge on fashion consumption in general and age/gender effects on clothing choice in particular. This study was undertaken to empirically examine the importance of various sustainable and non-sustainable apparel cues, as well as the functional, aesthetic, symbolic, financial, environmental and social/ethical aspects of clothing. Although Poland's economy has been transformed remarkably over the last decade, there is still a paucity of empirical research focusing on this area has been conducted.

A self-administered online survey was employed for this study. Twenty product cues (10 non-sustainable cues and 10 sustainable), eight items of ‘environmental commitment and behaviour’ measuring scale and demographic questions were used for data collection and empirical testing.

A total of 288 useable surveys were collected for analysis. The results revealed that many Polish consumers would not purchase a sustainable or ‘green’ product if it did not provide enough aesthetic, functional and financial benefits to satisfy their needs and aspirations. Women were more reliant on garment fit and style than men. Our findings underscore several meaningful implications and useful information. Sustainable fashion is not merely about environmental, social and ethical benefits, but their aesthetic, functional, symbolic and financial values must be factored in as well.

There is limited empirical research examining the age and gender effects in relation to sustainable and non-sustainable apparel cues. Unlike many previous research that only focused on one dimension or single aspect of clothing (e.g. aesthetic/hedonic attribute or functional/utilitarian attribute).

An attempt is made in this study aims to examine the extent to which the role of environmental agencies in Nigeria, i.e. DEPARTMENT for Petroleum Resources (DPR), National Environmental Standard and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), influences firms’ attributes on sustainability reporting.

Both primary and secondary data covers 2015-2019 were used to collate information for the analyzes. The analysis was done using Stata 13 to determine the moderating impact of policy administrators on the relationship between corporate attributes and sustainability reporting.

The findings showed a very low level of sustainability reporting (27.53%), with a high significant level. Moreover, a positive and significant relationship exists between the major corporate attributes and sustainability reporting. A highly significant moderating impact of environmental policy administrators exists on these attributes, except for board size.

The theoretical and practical implications of this study show that there is an indication of the inefficiency of the environmental policy administrators in Nigeria as the significance of the political economy theory as it affects the interactive impact on sustainability reporting. Further research is recommended on political-economic theory so as to know the economic implications of the effects of corporate attributes on environmental disclosure as it impacts governments and societies.

Results show that there is an indication of inefficiency by Nigeria’s main environmental policy administrators such as DPR, NESREA and NSE as it affects environmental, economic and social issues by listed firms.

This work emphasizes the moderating impact of environmental agencies on the relationship between firms’ characteristics and sustainability disclosure through the GRI4 framework standard. More so, it applied company attributes essential for a firm’s sustainable growth and development in the developing economies of sub-Saharan Africa.

Global investors demand, regulators require, and companies disclose their sustainability performance information, and scholars have started to conduct research on sustainability performance, reporting and assurance. The goal of firm value creation can be achieved when management considers the interests of all stakeholders and integrates all five economic, governance, social, ethical, and environmental (EGSEE) dimensions of sustainability performance into managerial strategies, actions and reporting. This paper provides a synthesis of research on sustainability and presents a theoretical framework consisting of theories and standards relevant to all five EGSEE dimensions of sustainability performance and risks and their integration into corporate culture, business models and reporting in creating stakeholder value.

In the past decade much has been written on the need to develop social, ethical and environmentally responsible performance reporting frameworks that engage with all organisational stakeholders. The theoretical development of these frameworks has spanned nearly a century culminating in the release in 2000 of voluntary guidelines developed by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies and the United Nations Environment Programme through the offices of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The release of the sustainability reporting guidelines perhaps could not have been more inopportune insofar as it coincided with a concerted effort on the part of the accounting regulators toward global harmonisation of financial reporting standards. This paper reports the findings of a survey of Company Secretaries and company provided information examining the extent to which these guidelines have been adopted by the leading public companies in the United Kingdom. The findings suggest limited acceptance and in the resource‐constrained environment of the twenty‐first century business implementation of mandatory requirements are given priority. Further research needs to be conducted to determine whether the GRI has a role to play in future stakeholder engagement.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) constructs, which include economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities, on the intended buying behaviour of Malaysian consumers. The study also aims to investigate the perceived value of whether the consumers considered an organisation’s CSR initiatives before deciding any purchase of products or services.

An online Google form survey successfully obtained 295 usable responses through a snowballing and networking approach. Statistical analyses such as Pearson correlation, ANOVA and standard multiple regression were used to examine the correlation and the strength of relationship, as well as the prediction between the CSR attributes and their impact on consumer buying behaviour.

The results represented a significant positive association between all the four constructs (social, ethical, legal and philanthropic) and consumer intended buying behaviour. These constructs also significantly contributed to the prediction of consumer behaviour towards the CSR initiatives. Conversely, the demographic profile of consumers had no effect on the relationship between CSR and consumer buying behaviour.

Examining basic concepts of CSR awareness and understanding might add to the flavour and rigour of this study, which future research should consider. The positivist approach of the current research could be supplemented with a more interactive qualitative in-depth study investigating why and how consumers behave.

The implication for Malaysian companies is that it is imperative for their long-term survival that a strategic view, rather than just a tactical, reactive or operational view, is taken of their CSR activities. Furthermore, it will help organisations to confidently predict positive intentions towards the sales of goods and services.

The outcome of this study has filled the CSR lacuna in the context of a developing country, as well as adding new insights into the influence and perceived value of CSR on intended consumer buying behaviour. Consumers, irrespective of their age and background, are getting wiser and cautious in purchasing products from companies which are CSR-oriented, in particular, in relation to social, legal, ethical and philanthropic perspectives.

From an interdisciplinary position, I discuss the historical and epistemological roots of the objectification and commodification of nature, which emerged from the hegemony of instrumental rationality. This rationality—synthetically, a technological, political, social, ethical, and esthetical universe of thought and action—has created both wealth and environmental destruction due to the progressive domination of nature through science and technology. The objectification of nature and nonhuman animals is associated with the legacy of René Descartes based on some excerpts of his famous Discourse on the Method in which the idea of animals as machines established a powerful and pervasive metaphor that remains today. Speciesism, which involves forms of discrimination practiced by humans against other animal species, also dominates Western perspectives. However, studies reveal that nonhuman animal sentience and conscience is a scientific fact. While there is no ethical or scientific ground to support speciesism, the colossal number of animals commodified in a myriad of contexts, especially in animal agriculture, proves that our society is very far from overcoming this issue. A possible path to change is education. Nevertheless, profound transformations are mandatory as formal education—even “environmental education”—carries in its philosophical foundations the Cartesian, instrumental paradigm that favors the objectification and commodification of nature. I present how the concept of instrumental rationality, especially as proposed by Herbert Marcuse, establishes as a unifying and solid ground to address the roots of the objectification and commodification of nature (including nonhuman animals), as well as to confront the epistemological bedrock of our speciesist nonenvironmental, traditional education.

This paper aims to investigate the systemic causes of the failure of business ethics (BE) and suggest some possible remedies. The discipline and the movement of BE has at least three decades of history. BE has developed concepts and theories, and provided empirical evidences. However, BE as a movement and as a practice has failed to deliver the expected results.

The paper uses results from management ethics, moral psychology and corporate governance to analyze the underlying causes of corporate unethical behavior.

The failure of BE is deeply rooted in today’s corporation-ruled business world. BE has failed to realize systemic features of modern business and therefore missed its target. The social, ethical and environmental problems caused by corporations may require a different kind of treatment based on law, politics and social institutions.

The paper uses models outside ethics to help business organizations to become more ethical in their functioning.