Abstract
This study assessed consumers' perceptions toward corporate sustainability and whether the moral spectrum toward corporate sustainability exists. After reviewing the corporate sustainability reports of 22 consumer product companies considered sustainable, 44 unique sustainable business activities were identified. These activities were then tested by a national sample of 271 US consumers. The results showed that participants perceived working conditions and environmental support activities to be the most important corporate duties (or perfect duties), followed by community development and transparency enhancement activities (or imperfect duties). This study also found differences in perceptions according to participants' demographic characteristics. These findings add knowledge to the area of corporate moral responsibility, and help firms have a clear understanding of consumers' expectations on corporate moral responsibility toward sustainable development.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 326-340 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2017 |
Keywords
- consumer
- corporate sustainability
- imperfect duty
- moral responsibility
- perfect duty
- sustainable development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Development
- Strategy and Management
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law