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Consumer Ethics in the European Union: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Views

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Abstract

There is a growing interest in understanding consumer ethical actions in relation to their dealings with firms. This paper examines whether there are differences between Northern and Southern European Union (EU) consumers' perceptions of ethical consumer behaviour using Muncy and Vitell's (1992) Consumer Ethics Scale (CES). The study samples 962 university students across four Northern EU countries (Germany, Denmark, Scotland, The Netherlands) and four Southern EU countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece). Some differences are identified between the two samples, which might question the ability of organisations to consider the EU as one homogeneous market.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marketing and Enterprise Group, School of Management, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, 2380, Australia

    Michael Jay Polonsky

  2. Universidade do Porto, Faculdade de Economia do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200, Porto, Portugal

    Pedro Quelhas Brito

  3. Universidade de Aveiro, Secção e Engenharia Indstrial, Campus Universitário, 3810, Aveiro, Portugal

    Jorge Pinto

  4. University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Nicola Higgs-Kleyn

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  1. Michael Jay Polonsky
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  2. Pedro Quelhas Brito
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  3. Jorge Pinto
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  4. Nicola Higgs-Kleyn
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Polonsky, M.J., Brito, P.Q., Pinto, J. et al. Consumer Ethics in the European Union: A Comparison of Northern and Southern Views. Journal of Business Ethics 31, 117–130 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010780526643

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