Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
Consumer Shopping Habits for Wellness and Environmentally ...
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Evaluating Responsible Companies<br />
Transparency <strong>and</strong> Authenticity: Two Overarching Dimensions of Responsibility<br />
<strong>Consumer</strong>s contextualize their interpretations of a company‗s responsibility initiatives, whether<br />
social, economic, or environmental, regardless of how well-intended or successful those initiatives<br />
may be, within judgments of its transparency <strong>and</strong> authenticity. <strong>Consumer</strong>s want to know: ―Are a<br />
company‘s activities transparent? Are they authentic?‖<br />
These basic questions undergird all consumer judgments of a company‗s per<strong>for</strong>mance. Moreover,<br />
consumer perceptions of a company‗s transparency <strong>and</strong> authenticity with regard to sustainability<br />
have a larger impact in legitimating or discrediting its sustainability ef<strong>for</strong>ts than the actual practices<br />
themselves. The following figure reflects this, by illustrating how transparency <strong>and</strong> authenticity frame<br />
consumer judgments in the four zones of sustainability. The image also demonstrates that<br />
transparency <strong>and</strong> authenticity are also closely related ideas that overlap; a company‗s authenticity<br />
influences how transparent its<br />
actions are <strong>and</strong> vice versa.<br />
Transparency is evaluated by<br />
consumers in terms of access to<br />
its values, policies, <strong>and</strong> practices,<br />
<strong>and</strong> the openness of<br />
communication between a<br />
company <strong>and</strong> its customers, as<br />
indicated by the following points:<br />
Easy to find in<strong>for</strong>mation:<br />
Background in<strong>for</strong>mation about<br />
the company <strong>and</strong> products<br />
should be as available as its<br />
marketing materials<br />
Figure 23 – Evaluating Responsible Companies<br />
Sources of in<strong>for</strong>mation:<br />
<strong>Consumer</strong>s are more receptive of<br />
in<strong>for</strong>mation that is made<br />
available through a variety of<br />
internal <strong>and</strong> external channels<br />
(e.g., advertising, product<br />
packaging, third-party organizations)<br />
Complete in<strong>for</strong>mation: In<strong>for</strong>mation that is not just positive but also includes in<strong>for</strong>mation less favorable<br />
to the company or product<br />
Truthful in<strong>for</strong>mation: In<strong>for</strong>mation that obscures or contradicts other relevant, sometimes negative,<br />
facts is considered disingenuous<br />
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