Morally transgressive companies and sustainable guidelines: seeking redemption or abusing trust?

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the impact of a sustainable production action on consumer trust and purchase intention by a company involved in moral transgression and also analyze the effect on consumer trust and purchase intention if a company, after green marketing, is identified as greenwashing spreader. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative nature (n = 121) study uses scale’s discriminant and convergent validity analyses, structural equation modeling and Student’s t-test. Findings Even for previously morally transgressive brands, actions of social legitimation, such as embracing environmental causes, positively impact consumer trust and purchase intention. However, consumers drop brand trust and purchase intention when verifying that this action was greenwashing. Research limitations/implications Mediating or moderating variables of ecological awareness, such as religiosity or political view, were not tested. Practical implications This article combines the impact of positive, sustainable management actions for morally transgressive companies and the effects of new transgression on their sustainable management action. Thus, it aims to reduce the gap between organizational practice and management research. Social implications This article shows that embracing society’s emerging causes and helping the world be a better place to live, moving toward the 2030 United Nations agenda, have practical repercussions for organizations. Originality/value This article contributes both to the literature and managerial implications by combining the impact of positive, sustainable management actions for morally transgressive companies and the effects of new transgression on their sustainable management action, thus reducing the gap between management research and organizational practice by unveiling the relations between sustainable actions and their perceived consequences.

Inovação no Agronegócio:

“…Attributes linked to credibility are central to the consumer. The most important construct in the eyes of the consumer in terms of its impact on satisfaction (βCREDIBILITY=0.28) dialogues closely with the brand management literature (Munaier et al, 2022;Sowell, 2015). Brands are a symbol that act as a beacon for consumers.…”

“…Brand trust is an extremely important element for consumers when purchasing (Song et al, 2019). Brand reputation is a valuable competitive advantage for businesses, including in the agricultural products sector (Munaier et al, 2022). American economist Thomas Sowell (2015) points out that brands efficiently optimize limited consumer knowledge, encouraging producers to compete on both quality and price.…”

The relationship between green packaging awareness, initiatives, and behavior: an exploratory study on India rural population

“…We measured all the constructs on a Likert-type five-point scale (1 = “strongly disagree;” 5 = “strongly agree”). We adapted the measures of seven constructs from the previous literature (Júnior, Silva, Moretti, & Lopes, 2012; Jerzvk, 2015; Koenig-Lewis et al, 2014; Magnier & Schoormans, 2015; Munaier et al, 2022; Walker & Kent, 2013), and modified them by consulting expert faculty members before collecting data from the respondents. We followed the construct conceptualization using the prior validated scales and found that indicators associated with each construct are highly correlated (Hair, Anderson, Tatham, & Black, 1998).…”

“…This variable relates to various options available for packaging, including jute bags, banana leaves, newspapers and cardboard. (Magnier & Schoormans, 2015; Munaier et al, 2022; Walker & Kent, 2013). When several alternatives are available, individuals can easily choose the alternative suitable for packaging their products.…”

“…However, some researchers found that green packaging positively relates to consumers' purchase intention (Pan, Lei, Wu, & Wang, 2021). Their studies focused on greenwashing effect and green consumption (Braga Junior, Martínez, Correa, Moura-Leite, & Da Silva, 2019), ecological awareness, brand trust and purchase intention (Munaier, Miyazaki, & Mazzon, 2022) and sustainability models from start-up companies (Nunes, Morioka, & Bolis, 2022).…”