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1 – 10 of over 13000Gomaa Agag, Ahmed El-masry, Nawaf Sulaiman Alharbi and Ahmed Ahmed Almamy
The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of e-retailing ethics from the consumers’ perspective and to develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of e-retailing ethics from the consumers’ perspective and to develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a quantitative survey conducted among Egyptian consumers aged 18 and above. These were measured on a five-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity of this six-factor scale are verified using empirical data collected randomly from Egyptians’ online consumers. Structure equation modelling used to test the suggested model.
Findings
The results showed that buyer perceptions about seller ethics (BPSE) is a second order construct composed of six factors (e.g. privacy, security, reliability, non-deception, service recover, and shared value). The results also showed that the BPSE has strong predictive capability in relation to online customer satisfaction and repurchase intention.
Originality/value
This project is one of the first empirical studies that develop a reliable and valid measurement instrument of BPSE. The findings provide several important theoretical and practical implications for online retailing and academic researchers as well as making a significant contribution to the body of knowledge in the online retailing context.
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Ibrahim Elbeltagi and Gomaa Agag
The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to online retailing ethics. Therefore, the purpose of this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to online retailing ethics. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test a comprehensive model of online retailing ethics.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a survey amongst a sample representative of universities across Egypt. In total, 310 questionnaire were collected and analysed using structure equation modelling using WarpPLS.
Findings
The results indicate that the consumer perceptions of online retailing ethics (CPORE) as a second-order construct is composed of five constructs (security, privacy, non-deception, fulfilment/reliability, and service recovery) and strongly predictive of online consumer satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors find a significant mediating effect of trust, and commitment on the relationship between CPORE and customer satisfaction. The results also show that individualism had moderate effects on the relationship between CPORE and customer satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, power distance had no significant effect.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the contributions of this study some research limitations need acknowledgment. First, this study employed a convenience sample. The authors encourage future studies to use random sampling of general consumers. The ethics literature identifies some factors which influence ethical judgments of consumers (e.g. sex, age, and education). Such research could identify how each variable, individually and cooperatively, impacts consumer ethical evaluations of online retailing. The authors did not collect data from non-internet shoppers because the focus of this study was online consumers referring to their latest purchase online. It may be an interesting extension, however, to test this conceptual model for other populations like non-online consumers.
Originality/value
This study developed and empirically tested a comprehensive model of CPORE with its multidimensional constructs and evaluated its impact on both consumer satisfaction and repurchase intention via trust and commitment.
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Russell Abratt, Michael Bendixen and Karen Drop
Reports on the ethical beliefs of retail salespeople, managers and executives in South Africa. Little is known about the ethical perceptions of retailers despite the fact that…
Abstract
Reports on the ethical beliefs of retail salespeople, managers and executives in South Africa. Little is known about the ethical perceptions of retailers despite the fact that retailing plays a vital role in the economy. A review of the ethics literature regarding retailing and sales is presented. A survey of 579 retailing employees was undertaken. Findings indicate differences in the ethical beliefs of salespeople when compared to managers. The specific differences are discussed, as well as implications and recommendations for retailers.
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Yam B. Limbu, Marco Wolf and Dale L. Lunsford
This paper aims to examine the effects of consumers' perceptions concerning the ethics of online retailers on web site satisfaction and loyalty.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effects of consumers' perceptions concerning the ethics of online retailers on web site satisfaction and loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey instrument was administered to a sample of 220 students who were enrolled in various business undergraduate classes at a mid size university located in the southwestern USA. Participants completed a questionnaire based on their latest online purchase. The measurement model and structural relationships were estimated using AMOS 18.
Findings
Non‐deception, fulfillment, and security are significant predictors of web site satisfaction. Only privacy is related directly with loyalty. While direct effects of fulfillment and non‐deception on loyalty are not significant; satisfaction mediates these relationships. Results provide a strong support for the web site satisfaction‐loyalty relationship.
Practical implications
Internet retailers must address ethical issues surrounding their web sites by protecting financial and personal information, delivering accurate products, and avoiding deceptive practices.
Originality/value
The current research is one of few studies in online retailing that examines the relationship between perceived online ethics, satisfaction and loyalty. By offering evidence to prior conflicting results in the literature, a strong association between what consumers perceive as ethical online retailing, their satisfaction and loyalty to online retailers was confirmed.
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Yam B. Limbu, Marco Wolf and Dale Lunsford
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumers' perception of online retailers' ethical behavior on consumer purchase and revisit intentions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of consumers' perception of online retailers' ethical behavior on consumer purchase and revisit intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 259 online shoppers was employed to test the relationships between perceived ethics of online retailers and the intention to revisit and purchase. The measurement model and structural relationships were estimated using AMOS 18.
Findings
Results show that perceived ethics of an Internet retailer's website significantly affect consumers' trust and attitudes to the retailer's website that eventually have positive impacts on purchase and revisit intentions. Website trust was positively related to attitude toward the site. The results do not show support for a direct effect between perceived ethics and behavioral intentions, but attitude and trust toward the website mediate these effects.
Practical implications
The findings support the idea that despite the physical distance between online retailers and customer, behaving ethically has an effect on revisit and purchase intentions. This suggests that online vendors should invest in methods that strengthen consumers' trust of websites. To convey a sense of ethics of the website, websites should ensure that privacy policies are easy to understand, explain clearly how customer information is used, offer secure payment methods, display clearly the terms and conditions of the online transactions, fulfill the orders, and avoid deceptive practices and exaggerations of product characteristics.
Originality/value
Research integrating perceived ethical conduct of retailers and consumer behavior is still in the beginning, and has not explored all outcomes of perceived ethics. This study is an initial attempt to investigate the effects of perceived ethics of retailers on revisit and purchase intentions. This study contributes to the knowledge of consumer perceived ethics and behavioral intentions.
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Cross‐cultural variations in the international ethical environment has the potential to hamper the international activities of the unwary international retailer. This study…
Abstract
Cross‐cultural variations in the international ethical environment has the potential to hamper the international activities of the unwary international retailer. This study investigated differences in preferences for policies addressing potentially ethically troublesome retail sales situations among future business personnel from two differing cultures. The results suggest the existence of cultural differences in such preferences. Implications are discussed.
To define erotic retailing in the context of shops selling sexually arousing products to women, and the ethical implications of High Street “porno‐chic”. Its purpose is to assess…
Abstract
Purpose
To define erotic retailing in the context of shops selling sexually arousing products to women, and the ethical implications of High Street “porno‐chic”. Its purpose is to assess the moral implications of access to sexual imagery and products in the High Street and examines the boundaries of its acceptability in society.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is inter‐disciplinary, with two objectives; firstly to demonstrate the value of archived source materials to explore and structure the research problem in depth and secondly to turn directly to a primary philosophical source, to provide a new ethical approach to the research problem.
Findings
The findings demonstrate a typology of erotic retailing, the interrelatedness of the commercial opportunity with social and cultural developments in the late twentieth century and propose a philosophical answer to the ethics of erotic retailing.
Research limitations/implications
It is concerned with the development of new theoretical frameworks through the use of complementary research methods.
Practical implications
Its practical implications concern the future opportunities for a rapidly expanding field of commercial activity and a solution to the ethical problem of “selling sex”.
Originality/value
It engages with an emerging area of retailing, exploring and defining an emerging problem concerning the marketing and selling of erotic products and the ethical evaluation of the problem using a philosophical analysis.
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The Internet has important ethical connotations for retailing. This paper briefly provides examples of retailers’ difficulties in this respect, before considering use of the…
Abstract
The Internet has important ethical connotations for retailing. This paper briefly provides examples of retailers’ difficulties in this respect, before considering use of the Internet for ethical scrutiny of retailers by a spectrum of activists and agencies. Positive use of the Internet to publicise retailers’ social responsibility contrasts with questionable exploitation of the Web’s anonymity. The Net not only offers freedom of speech, but also widens opportunities for irresponsible activity, with low barriers to entry. Thus tensions exist between rights and freedoms, on the one hand, and abuses of freedoms, provoking calls for regulation, on the other. Ethical issues relating to e‐commerce are identified, and privacy is highlighted both as central to the ethics of e‐retailing and as a critical factor in its development. While retail interest in the Internet thus far has focused around e‐commerce, impacts on retailer image – both positive and negative – should also be recognised.
Saptarshi Bhattacharya, Rajendra Prasad Sharma and Ashish Gupta
Consumers are worried about sharing their sensitive information during online shopping due to the e-tailer’s unethical practices and hacking-related concerns. Prior research has…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers are worried about sharing their sensitive information during online shopping due to the e-tailer’s unethical practices and hacking-related concerns. Prior research has established the country of origin (COO) as a trust-building cue; however, it requires empirical testing in the online retailing context. The present study aims to examine the e-tailer COO’s effect on consumer privacy, trust and purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey floated a seven-point Likert scale questionnaire and invited the receivers to participate in the investigation over e-mails and text messages. A total of 355 usable responses were analyzed using R programming.
Findings
This study empirically validated a proposed conceptual model examining the influence of COO on consumer privacy, trust and purchase intention. The findings suggest that COO influences consumer privacy, trust and purchase intention. This study further found that the privacy practices of online retailers positively impact consumer trust. Trust acts as a mediating factor in influencing purchase intention.
Practical implications
This study offers valuable insights for advancing the research agenda and actionable inputs to e-commerce managers for alleviating consumer privacy concerns in emerging economies. Future researchers can test the proposed model in other demographic and e-commerce settings.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the present knowledge on consumer privacy in online retailing in the Indian context. This paper also examines the relationship of COO with consumer privacy, trust and purchase intention, an underexplored research area in emerging markets.
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This paper investigates purchasing ethics within the UK clothing retail sector in the context of structural changes in the sector and the growth of international sourcing as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates purchasing ethics within the UK clothing retail sector in the context of structural changes in the sector and the growth of international sourcing as a necessary strategic tool to maintain competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses the background to retailer interest in sourcing ethics and the development of codes of conduct to guide retail purchasing professionals. The primary research is an exploratory examination of the experiences of UK retail buying personnel working in the global market for garments, who are required to make decisions “on the ground” that reflect the ethical codes of their companies, yet who are also constrained by the need to make profitable sourcing decisions.
Findings
The conclusions assess what can be learnt from these experiences and offer suggestions for future research.
Originality/value
The paper is of interest to any retail academics, personnel and employees.
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