International Journal of Business Ethics in Developing Economies

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Legal and Ethical Orientation of Indian Retailers


Affiliations
1 Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations, Srinagar/Jammu, India
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, University of Jammu, Jammu, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


With the ongoing process of globalisation, complex competition, increase in consumers' income and shift in the shopping patterns of Indian consumers, the retail marketing has changed from traditional family run stores to highly modernised large departmental stores and shopping malls. With corporate world's significant attention to marketing ethics, retail marketers too give adequate cognisance to ethical values and compliance of legal norms in their dealings with different stakeholders, particularly consumers. Consumer is one of the most significant stakeholders on whom the retailers' existence matters. Consumers buy variety of goods, broadly classified in marketing literature as convenience, shopping and specialty. Consumers are increasingly sensitive in choice making especially in shopping goods because today, due to global business everywhere, they have to choose among various alternative brands of products. It is in this context the retailers are supposed to serve the consumers by fulfilling their expectations in a legal and ethical manner in addition to mere customer satisfaction. This paper is, thus, an attempt to study the various legal norms and ethical values in retail practices through the perception of consumers with special reference to shopping goods. The paper is based on the data obtained from 470 randomly selected consumers from Jammu city. The data were purified through Factor analysis. The results provide that retailers are moderate in terms of abidance of legal norms as well as ethical values. The study suggests a plan of action for higher legal norms and ethical values in retailers selling shopping goods so that the expectations of customers can be fulfilled in an ethical manner.

Keywords

Retailing, Shopping Goods, Legal Norms and Ethical Values
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Abratt, R., Bendixen, M. & Drop, K. (1999). Ethical Perceptions of South African Retailers: Management and Sales Personnel. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, 27(2), pp. 91 - 105.

  • Berman, B. & Evans, J. R. (2007). Retail Management. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd.

  • Dornoff, R. J. & Tankersley, C. B. (1975-1976). Do Retailers Practice Social Responsibility. Journal of Retailing, winter, 51, pp. 33 - 42.

  • Dubinksy, A. J. & Levy, M. (1985). Ethics in Retailing: Perceptions of Retail Salespeople. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 13, pp. 1 - 16.

  • Dubinsky, A. J., Nataraajan, R. & Huang, V. (2004). The Influence of Moral Philosophies on Retail Salespeople's Ethical Perceptions. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 38(2), pp. 297 - 317.

  • Fassin, Y. (2009). The Stakeholder Model Refined. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, pp. 113 - 135.

  • Field, A. (2003). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS for Windows. New Delhi: Sage Publication.

  • Kurt, G. & Hacioglu, G. (2010). Ethics as a Customer Perceived Value Driver in the Context of Online Retailing. African Journal of Business Management, 4(5), pp. 672 - 677.

  • Lavorata, L. & Pontier, S. (2005). The Success of a Retailers' Ethical Policy: Focusing on Local Actions. The Journal of Academy of Marketing Science Review, 12, pp. 1 - 9.

  • Levy, M. & Dubinsky, A. J. (1983). Identifying and Addressing Retail Salespeople's Ethical Problems. Journal of Retailing, 59, pp. 46 - 66.

  • Malhotra, N. (2008). Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India.

  • Pettijohn, C., Pettijohn, L. & Taylor, A. J. (2008). Salesperson Perceptions of Ethical Behaviours: Their Influence on Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions. Journal of Business Ethics, 78, pp. 547 - 557.

  • Roman, S. & Munuera, J. L. (2005). Determinants and Consequences of Ethical Behaviour: An Empirical Study of Salespeople. European Journal of Marketing, 39(5), pp. 473 - 495.

  • Sarma, N. N. (2007). Ethics in Retailing-Perception of Management and Sales Personnel. Retrieved September 2, 2012 from http:// dspace.iimk.ac.in/bitstream/2259/388/1/61-68.pdf.

  • Sharma, R. D. & Sharma, B. R. (2011). Legal Provisions and Ethical Values in Retail Sector: Study of Convenience Goods. Arash: A Journal of ISMDR, 1(1), pp. 1 - 9.

  • Sharma, R. D. & Sharma, B. R. (2009). Ethics in Retailing: Perceptions of Consumers. Saaransh: RKJ Journal of Management, 1(1), pp. 43 - 55.

  • Valenzuela, L. M., Mulki, J. P. & Jaramillo, J. F. (2010). Impact of Customer Orientation, Inducements and Ethics on Loyalty to the Firm: Customers' Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 93, pp. 277 - 291.

  • Whysall, P. (2000). Stakeholder Mismanagement in Retailing: A British Perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 23, pp. 19 - 28.

  • Whysall, P. (1998). Ethical Relationship in Retailing: Some Cautionary Tales. Business Ethics: A European Review, 7(2), pp. 103 - 110.


Abstract Views: 296

PDF Views: 0




  • Legal and Ethical Orientation of Indian Retailers

Abstract Views: 296  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

R. D. Sharma
Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Board of Professional Entrance Examinations, Srinagar/Jammu, India
Bodh Raj Sharma
Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, University of Jammu, Jammu, India

Abstract


With the ongoing process of globalisation, complex competition, increase in consumers' income and shift in the shopping patterns of Indian consumers, the retail marketing has changed from traditional family run stores to highly modernised large departmental stores and shopping malls. With corporate world's significant attention to marketing ethics, retail marketers too give adequate cognisance to ethical values and compliance of legal norms in their dealings with different stakeholders, particularly consumers. Consumer is one of the most significant stakeholders on whom the retailers' existence matters. Consumers buy variety of goods, broadly classified in marketing literature as convenience, shopping and specialty. Consumers are increasingly sensitive in choice making especially in shopping goods because today, due to global business everywhere, they have to choose among various alternative brands of products. It is in this context the retailers are supposed to serve the consumers by fulfilling their expectations in a legal and ethical manner in addition to mere customer satisfaction. This paper is, thus, an attempt to study the various legal norms and ethical values in retail practices through the perception of consumers with special reference to shopping goods. The paper is based on the data obtained from 470 randomly selected consumers from Jammu city. The data were purified through Factor analysis. The results provide that retailers are moderate in terms of abidance of legal norms as well as ethical values. The study suggests a plan of action for higher legal norms and ethical values in retailers selling shopping goods so that the expectations of customers can be fulfilled in an ethical manner.

Keywords


Retailing, Shopping Goods, Legal Norms and Ethical Values

References