IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/joreco/v64y2022ics0969698921003763.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainabilty and retail marketing: Corporate, product and store perspectives

Author

Listed:
  • Elg, Ulf
  • Welinder, Axel

Abstract

This paper investigates sustainability in retailing based on three different perspectives: i) the overall corporate management, ii) the development of an attractive product range, iii) the daily in-store management and activities. The purpose is to identify a set of main themes for each perspective, investigate contradictions and areas of conflict, and discuss how to bridge the perspectives. A qualitative case study approach is applied investigating the global retailer IKEA. The study includes Sweden, Germany and the UK. The research showed that the corporate, product and store perspectives are complementary but also involve contradictions and barriers to giving a higher priority to sustainability. These concern the time perspective, the set of stakeholders considered and the overall priority. Developing goals and benefits linked to sustainability, using effective arenas for interactions and linking sustainability to the legend and culture are suggested as three bridges that may overcome the contradictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Elg, Ulf & Welinder, Axel, 2022. "Sustainabilty and retail marketing: Corporate, product and store perspectives," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:64:y:2022:i:c:s0969698921003763
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102810
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698921003763
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102810?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. de Brito, Marisa P. & Carbone, Valentina & Blanquart, Corinne Meunier, 2008. "Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: Organisation and performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(2), pages 534-553, August.
    2. Park, Eunil, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility as a determinant of corporate reputation in the airline industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 215-221.
    3. M. de Brito & V. Carbone & C. Blanquart, 2008. "Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe:Organisation and performance," Post-Print hal-00506351, HAL.
    4. Gupta, Shruti & Pirsch, Julie, 2008. "The influence of a retailer's corporate social responsibility program on re-conceptualizing store image," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 516-526.
    5. Ragna Nilssen & Geoff Bick & Russell Abratt, 2019. "Comparing the relative importance of sustainability as a consumer purchase criterion of food and clothing in the retail sector," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(1), pages 71-83, January.
    6. Stacy H. Lee & Jung Ha-Brookshire, 2017. "Ethical Climate and Job Attitude in Fashion Retail Employees’ Turnover Intention, and Perceived Organizational Sustainability Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Longinos Marin & Pedro J. Martín & Alicia Rubio, 2017. "Doing Good and Different! The Mediation Effect of Innovation and Investment on the Influence of CSR on Competitiveness," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 159-171, March.
    8. Wenlong Yuan & Yongjian Bao & Alain Verbeke, 2011. "Integrating CSR Initiatives in Business: An Organizing Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 75-92, June.
    9. Park, Hyejune & Kim, Youn-Kyung, 2016. "Proactive versus reactive apparel brands in sustainability: Influences on brand loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 114-122.
    10. Tobias Hahn & Jonatan Pinkse & Lutz Preuss & Frank Figge, 2015. "Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: Towards an Integrative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 297-316, March.
    11. Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee, 2001. "Managerial perceptions of corporate environmentalism: interpretations from industry and strategic implications for organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 489-513, June.
    12. Pratima Bansal, 2005. "Evolving sustainably: a longitudinal study of corporate sustainable development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 197-218, March.
    13. Ganesan, Shankar & George, Morris & Jap, Sandy & Palmatier, Robert W. & Weitz, Barton, 2009. "Supply Chain Management and Retailer Performance: Emerging Trends, Issues, and Implications for Research and Practice," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 85(1), pages 84-94.
    14. Jeffery Bray & Nick Johns & David Kilburn, 2011. "An Exploratory Study into the Factors Impeding Ethical Consumption," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 98(4), pages 597-608, February.
    15. Rob Tulder & Jeroen Wijk & Ans Kolk, 2009. "From Chain Liability to Chain Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 85(2), pages 399-412, April.
    16. Magdalena Öberseder & Bodo Schlegelmilch & Verena Gruber, 2011. "“Why Don’t Consumers Care About CSR?”: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Role of CSR in Consumption Decisions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(4), pages 449-460, December.
    17. Dang, Van Thac & Nguyen, Ninh & Pervan, Simon, 2020. "Retailer corporate social responsibility and consumer citizenship behavior: The mediating roles of perceived consumer effectiveness and consumer trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    18. Stacy H.N. Lee & Jung Ha‐Brookshire & Pui‐Sze Chow, 2018. "The moral responsibility of corporate sustainability as perceived by fashion retail employees: a USA‐China cross‐cultural comparison study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1462-1475, December.
    19. José Luis Ruiz-Real & Juan Uribe-Toril & Juan Carlos Gázquez-Abad & Jaime De Pablo Valenciano, 2018. "Sustainability and Retail: Analysis of Global Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-18, December.
    20. Perry, Patsy & Towers, Neil, 2009. "Determining the antecedents for a strategy of corporate social responsibility by small- and medium-sized enterprises in the UK fashion apparel industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 377-385.
    21. Rudolf R. Sinkovics & Elfriede Penz & Pervez N. Ghauri, 2008. "Enhancing the Trustworthiness of Qualitative Research in International Business," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 689-714, December.
    22. Simões, Cláudia & Sebastiani, Roberta, 2017. "The Nature of the Relationship Between Corporate Identity and Corporate Sustainability: Evidence from The Retail Industry," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(3), pages 423-453, July.
    23. Laure Lavorata, 2014. "Influence of retailers’ commitment to sustainable development on store image, consumer loyalty and consumer boycotts: Proposal for a model using the theory of planned behavior," Post-Print halshs-01764748, HAL.
    24. Lavorata, Laure, 2014. "Influence of retailers’ commitment to sustainable development on store image, consumer loyalty and consumer boycotts: Proposal for a model using the theory of planned behavior," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(6), pages 1021-1027.
    25. Donal Crilly & Pamela Sloan, 2012. "Enterprise logic: explaining corporate attention to stakeholders from the ‘inside‐out’," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(10), pages 1174-1193, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Kumar, Prashant & Utkarsh,, 2023. "Effects of in-store information quality and store credibility on consumer engagement in green retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Xing-Xin & He, Ai-Zhong, 2022. "The impact of retailers’ sustainable development on consumer advocacy: A chain mediation model investigation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    2. Saloua Bennaghmouch & Martine Deparis & Hanene Oueslati & Marie-Catherine Paquier & Gerald Cohen & Laurent Grimal & Hocine Sadok, 2021. "Franchise et RSE : impact social et environnemental de la franchise," Working Papers hal-03694438, HAL.
    3. Tian Zeng & Anne‐Françoise Audrain‐Pontevia & Fabien Durif, 2021. "Does corporate social responsibility affect consumer boycotts? A cost–benefit approach," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 796-807, March.
    4. Kong, Hyun Min & Witmaier, Alexander & Ko, Eunju, 2021. "Sustainability and social media communication: How consumers respond to marketing efforts of luxury and non-luxury fashion brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 640-651.
    5. Wu, Guo-Ciang & Ding, Jyh-Hong & Chen, Ping-Shun, 2012. "The effects of GSCM drivers and institutional pressures on GSCM practices in Taiwan’s textile and apparel industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(2), pages 618-636.
    6. Jean‐Pierre Imbrogiano & Elizabeth Nichols, 2021. "How to serve sustainability performance in businesses? An appetizing recipe to link practices to performance in business sustainability research," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1610-1622, May.
    7. Tobias Hahn & Jonatan Pinkse & Lutz Preuss & Frank Figge, 2015. "Tensions in Corporate Sustainability: Towards an Integrative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 297-316, March.
    8. Tobias Hahn & Frank Figge & Jonatan Pinkse & Lutz Preuss, 2018. "A Paradox Perspective on Corporate Sustainability: Descriptive, Instrumental, and Normative Aspects," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 235-248, March.
    9. Tang, Ailie K.Y. & Lai, Kee-hung & Cheng, T.C.E., 2016. "A Multi-research-method approach to studying environmental sustainability in retail operations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(P3), pages 394-404.
    10. Pilar Fernández‐Ferrín & Sandra Castro‐González & Belén Bande, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility, emotions, and consumer loyalty in the food retail context: Exploring the moderating effect of regional identity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 648-666, March.
    11. Luca Carollo & Marco Guerci, 2018. "‘Activists in a Suit’: Paradoxes and Metaphors in Sustainability Managers’ Identity Work," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 249-268, March.
    12. Lin, Jialing & Lobo, Antonio & Leckie, Civilai, 2017. "The role of benefits and transparency in shaping consumers’ green perceived value, self-brand connection and brand loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 133-141.
    13. Mario Vaupel & David Bendig & Denise Fischer-Kreer & Malte Brettel, 2023. "The Role of Share Repurchases for Firms’ Social and Environmental Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 401-428, March.
    14. Simone Carmine & Valentina De Marchi, 2023. "Reviewing Paradox Theory in Corporate Sustainability Toward a Systems Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(1), pages 139-158, April.
    15. Maël Sommer & Karine Gauche, 2021. "Certification de groupe ISO 14001 et gestion des problèmes de durabilité en petite entreprise : une analyse lexicale du discours des agriculteurs," Post-Print hal-03791169, HAL.
    16. Seles, Bruno Michel Roman Pais & de Sousa Jabbour, Ana Beatriz Lopes & Jabbour, Charbel José Chiappetta & Dangelico, Rosa Maria, 2016. "The green bullwhip effect, the diffusion of green supply chain practices, and institutional pressures: Evidence from the automotive sector," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 342-355.
    17. Cai, Ya-Jun & Chen, Yue & Siqin, Tana & Choi, Tsan-Ming & Chung, Sai-Ho, 2019. "Pay upfront or pay later? Fixed royal payment in sustainable fashion brand franchising," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 214(C), pages 95-105.
    18. Bouguerra, Abderaouf & Gölgeci, Ismail & Gligor, David M. & Tatoglu, Ekrem, 2021. "How do agile organizations contribute to environmental collaboration? Evidence from MNEs in Turkey," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1).
    19. Francesco Perrini & Angeloantonio Russo & Antonio Tencati & Clodia Vurro, 2011. "Deconstructing the Relationship Between Corporate Social and Financial Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(1), pages 59-76, March.
    20. Fung, Yi-Ning & Chan, Hau-Ling & Choi, Tsan-Ming & Liu, Rong, 2021. "Sustainable product development processes in fashion: Supply chains structures and classifications," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:64:y:2022:i:c:s0969698921003763. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-retailing-and-consumer-services .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.