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The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of ethical branding and its link to corporate reputation. Brands have traditionally been studied only as an economic construct. Brands, as a social construct, have not yet been fully understood due to the lack of research.

The paper discusses major issues with references to existing literature and practical examples.

In the conventional brand models the value of brand equity is defined and measured by its economic performance in financial terms. This model has a number of deficiencies. First, two basic elements are missing: legality and ethics, which form the foundation of brand equity. A good brand must be a legal as well as ethical one. Thus brand value needs to be assessed by both financial and ethical measures. Second, conventional brand models focus largely on product brands rather than corporate brands. Brands and branding have such a profound impact on the society as whole and not just on these people who buy them. There is a wider public, in addition to shareholders and consumers, who may be potentially affected by the branding decisions. The impact of branding on these stakeholders should also be taken into consideration. An ethical brand enhances the firm's reputation; such a reputation reinforces the brand in turn. On the other hand, any unethical behaviour will severely damage or even destroy the total intangible asset as evidenced by the recent high profile corporate scandals.

The paper questions the conventional branding practice, and explores the links between ethical branding and corporate social responsibility. Many questions remain to be addressed.

Ethical branding could provide the company with a differential advantage as a growing number of consumers become more ethically conscious. It could also help overcome the increasing consumers' scepticism and cynicism towards branding communications.

The paper is perhaps the first to raise the importance of ethics in branding.

The study investigated the strategic contribution of COVID-19 preventive measures in building corporate reputation in the hospitality industry when mediated with ethical branding.

The hypothesized model was developed and tested using a cross-sectional research design among 404 customers of hospitality organizations (i.e. hotels and restaurants). The collected data were analyzed quantitatively using structural equation modeling.

The results showed that COVID-19 preventive measures are important drivers in building or rebuilding corporate reputation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also showed that ethical branding acts as a mediator between COVID-19 preventive measures and corporate reputation.

The study used a nonprobability sampling technique, i.e. convenience sampling and a cross-sectional survey research design. It is therefore necessary to be careful when generalizing the findings.

The study recommends that managers in hospitality organizations should ensure proper and effective compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures during service delivery. Among others, the study highlighted areas for further study to include an investigation using a longitudinal approach to observe behavioral changes toward COVID-19 preventive measures and their consequences on the overall corporate reputation of the hospitality industry. This recommendation is based on the fact that, currently, new cases and mortality rates have decreased considerably. As a result, customers in the hospitality industry have started to have different opinions about complying with COVID-19 preventive measures.

The study is among new endeavors to investigate drivers that can rebuild and sustain the corporate reputation of hospitality organizations during a pandemic like COVID-19.

This study aims to offer the intellectual structure and dynamics of the sustainability branding field, involving the identification of influential authors and journals, current and emerging themes, theories, methods, contexts and future research directions.

The study conducted a bibliometric approach of 1,509 articles retrieved from Scopus to analyze the evolution of the knowledge of sustainability branding and suggest future research. The analysis used various methods such as performance analysis, keyword analysis, cluster analysis and bibliographic coupling.

The topics of corporate image, philanthropy and stakeholder pressures were core in the foundation phase. Then rose the topics of sustainable development goals and global supply chains. Green marketing and the new paradigms of circularity, ethical consumerism and hyperconnected societies emerged more recently. Six thematic clusters represent the field’s knowledge structure: (1) corporate branding and reputation, (2) sustainable business development, (3) sustainable branding and ethical consumption, (4) corporate social responsibility, (5) brand equity and green marketing and (6) sustainability branding in hospitality and tourism.

This paper provides readers with an overview of sustainability branding core themes, key contributions and challenges, which can be used as a toolkit for brand management studies and practice.

The study’s uniqueness lies in bibliometric analysis (combined with network analysis and science mapping techniques) of the sustainability branding field from the identification and evolution of the thematic clusters to propose future research directions.

Ethical consumerism is gaining importance as consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about brands' moral intentions and social and legal practices. Hence, in a quest to advance the current application of ethics in branding, this study substantiates literature by investigating consumer-perceived brand ethicality's (CPBE) role in affecting psychological, affective and behavioral responses of consumers (i.e. psychological brand ownership (PBO), brand commitment and willingness to pay a price premium (WPPP). Further, the authors test self-congruence as the boundary condition for CPBE.

Online survey method resulted in 408 responses, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

CPBE emerged as a predictor for PBO, brand commitment and WPPP. However, counterintuitively, self-congruence failed to reflect any moderating effect on the relationships between CPBE and PBO and CPBE and brand commitment.

Brands are encouraged to indulge in and reflect ethical practices to generate favorable consumer responses, i.e. PBO, brand commitment and WPPP.

Based on the ethical and psychological ownership theories, the investigation adds to the scholarship on CPBE and its outcomes. Arguably, it remains the first study to document the linkage between CPBE and PBO.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the Ethical Positioning Index (EPI), an innovative ranking scale based on the ethical issues in brand positioning. This paper is based on the core idea that ethics can be used as a product differentiator and can create a strategic advantage.

Five basic elements of brand positioning, brand identity, brand image, brand personality, brand awareness, and brand communication, are blended with the three basic elements of ethics; beliefs, values, and symbols and customs. The EPI emerges from the established ethical brand positioning framework and the analysis from the conducted survey which was composed of brand positioning and ethics questions.

Consumer driven weights have been obtained and a mathematical model has been proposed to evaluate the total score and finally the ranking of the brands.

The EPI parameters' weight will vary owing to the non‐existence of universal ethics and hence subsequently every cohort will have its own weight.

EPI will be an important tool from the managerial point of view as it serves as a step‐by‐step guide to compare the position of the brand in an integrated and ethical manner.

The EPI will bring a change in the ideology of the brands, making them employ more ethical perspectives in their branding, which will be highly welcomed by consumers and society.

The role of ethics in brand positioning has been studied and blended to generate a novel‐ranking scale (EPI).

The purpose of this paper is to present a compendium of small research studies that have been conducted in Malaysia. Issues of branding and its related constructs have gained widespread recognition amongst practitioners and academics in this country.

Inter alia, this paper examines six facets of branding across different industries and contexts. The first study examines issues of branding in the Islamic financial services. The second paper investigates airline brand reputation. The third paper explores employer branding in the context of hotels. The fourth study explicates online brand personality in the banking sector. The fifth project evaluates the aspect of brand loyalty in the telecommunication industry and the final paper unfolds the industrial brand loyalty and ethical brand.

The paper highlights six findings across six different industries in Malaysia.

The paper gives a Malaysian perspective on branding in Asia.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a perspective that ethical practices in higher education institutions can be a powerful tool for branding and attaining competitive advantage. The paper proposes that an ethical institutional brand can be built on the basis of just and fair practices at the institution, and quality admission and assessment processes.

A survey was conducted in seven different higher education institutions in and around Delhi NCR, India. The data were collected from 167 respondents through a self‐constructed questionnaire based on a five‐point Likert‐type scale. The reliability of the data was computed to have a Cronbach's α of 0.83.

The key findings of the research show a relationship between the perception of the respondents towards the quality of admission process and the development of an ethical institutional brand (r=0.284, p≤0.01). They also show that with just and fair academic processes, an ethically strong institution can be built (r=0.411, p≤0.01) and development of an ethical institutional brand will lead to attaining competitive advantage in the academic world (r=0.558, p≤0.01). Also, the perceptions of undergraduate‐ and postgraduate‐level students on the different variables of ethical practices leading to brand building are found to vary.

The sample chosen for the study was taken from Delhi, NCR, and hence does not incorporate the perception of students from Tier II and Tier III cities. Apart from this, the social desirability factor of the respondents (as applicable to all survey research) may also be one of the important limitations that may affect the research findings.

The study is a step forward in establishing a higher education system where ethically branded institutes will have an edge over others. The research may add key value for educational entrepreneurs who wish to establish an educational institution, helping them to work towards long‐term competitive advantage. This research endeavour is of help to policy makers, management of institutions, faculty, students and for the improvement of society as a whole. It is an attempt to explain the role of ethics in sustaining long‐term competitive excellence rather than a cutting edge for short‐term gains. It is practically of greater use in understanding the education industry scenario in the context of India, which has seen its education sector grow from philanthropy to being a business.

This paper identifies the need to rethink on the ethical functioning of institutions in the dramatically changed business environment of higher education in India. It is probably the first attempt to highlight the importance of ethical practices in higher education, and tries to draw a relationship between these practices and building the brand of higher education institutions. In light of the Education Bill passed in India, which gives great emphasis to ethical practices, the study is of pertinence to all who are willing to establish institutions or compete in the sector of education.

The purpose of this paper is to validate previous research in ethical branding by testing a conceptual framework on corporate branding using “the conscientious dimension”.

This article tests a framework for conscientious corporate brands (CCBs) by investigating environmental and climate change issues as well as internal and external corporate codes of ethics as CCB dimensions. The empirical context is based upon South African business‐to‐business relationships.

The findings indicate that four distinctive conscientious corporate brand dimensions exist.

This current study contributes to the better understanding of and more knowledge on conscientious corporate brand values. Opportunities for future research are provided as the study has explored new aspects of corporate branding.

This study offers managerial implications particularly for practitioners located in emerging markets such as South Africa.

This study validates the multidimensional nature of CCBs.

We are beginning to observe the growth of Islamic finance beyond the borders of traditionally Islamic markets such as the Middle East and the Far East. The proliferation of such religious financial institutions in non-Islamic and more secular markets has raised some pertinent questions about how these quasi-religious institutions brand themselves in light of the need to balance the conflation of Islamic theology with that of financial economic principles.

The study adopts a process-based qualitative methodology proceeded with an initial data reduction-theoretical conceptualization of the extant literature. This is followed by data display via quote research of participants’ precepts and concludes with a synthesis the extant academic conceptualizations with empirical perspectives.

The findings highlight a framework explaining the interface between Islamic and non-Islamic participation on the branding of Islamic financial institutions in the UK. The findings also set forth a need for consideration of non-religious and purely economic participation in the Islamic financial system in light of branding.

This study derives its incremental contribution by extending the extant academic literature on the branding and consumption of Islamic financial products and services within non-Islamic and secular markets. Furthermore, by adopting a multi-disciplinary, qualitative lens and engaging pertinent individuals within the field, the study provides a rich framework from which to explore the branding of these quasi-religious institutions and the interface between religious and non-religious consumption. This framework puts forth to the leaders of Islamic financial institutions of the between- and within-group interactions in terms of religio-financial consumption and branding.

To demonstrate how a company's retail store design relates to its brand and is influenced by, and contributes to, its corporate values.

The case study briefly summarises the significance of corporate values, branding and design in the retail industry, and subsequently explores The Body Shop's application of these elements to its business. The case study is contextualised by The Body Shop's retail environment forming a particularly important communication channel for the company.

The Body Shop has in many ways been the victim of its own success. Being a unique proposition, and having effectively created its own retail category, it has appeared slow to evolve its brand identity. The strong association between the company and its campaigning founder, increasing competition and changing consumer attitudes, have been significant factors in the company's struggle to re‐align and update its brand.

The case study largely draws on secondary sources. However, it is informed by one of the authors' experience and knowledge of The Body Shop's design process, which has previously remained unpublished.

The problems of planning and managing store design as a communications channel are highlighted. In particular, it demonstrates the difficulties in aligning a retailer's visual identity with its brand and market.

The case study examines the under‐researched relationship between retail branding and design, and contributes to knowledge of the problems created over time by strongly held ethical values, for both branding and design.