Authentic brand ethicality: conceptualization, measurement, and validation in the fashion industry

Both brand ethicality and brand authenticity focus on the moral behavior of a brand, yet the link between these two constructs is only poorly understood. Building on and integrating findings from prior research, this article suggests that authentic brand ethicality (ABE), defined as the degree to wh...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Zeugner-Roth, Katharina Petra (Author) ; Fischer, Peter Mathias 1982- (Author) ; Hessel, Isabella Margaux (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of business ethics
Year: 2025, Volume: 196, Issue: 4, Pages: 883-915
Further subjects:B Perceived ethicality
B Consumer–brand identification
B Aufsatz in Zeitschrift
B Ethically minded consumer behavior
B Authentic brand ethicality
B Brand authenticity
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Description
Summary:Both brand ethicality and brand authenticity focus on the moral behavior of a brand, yet the link between these two constructs is only poorly understood. Building on and integrating findings from prior research, this article suggests that authentic brand ethicality (ABE), defined as the degree to which consumers perceive a brand’s moral behavior as genuine, real, or true, represents an important extension of extant brand ethicality scales available. Using a multistep scale development procedure, this study provides a robust 12-item full scale and a 7-item parsimonious scale of ABE that are sound in their psychometric properties and show predictive and known-group validity. Furthermore, placing ABE into a broad theory-based nomological network reveals its mediating role between important brand-, customer-, and employee-related antecedents and outcomes as well as its function in moderating relationships. Overall, this research yields a deeper understanding of ABE’s conceptualization, measurement, drivers, consequences, and role in mediating and moderating relationships and provides managerially relevant outcomes.
ISSN:1573-0697
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05873-y