Submit to Sustainability Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2018) | Viewed by 72696

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Grażyna Śmigielska

E-Mail
Guest Editor

Cracow University of Economics, Poland
Interests: retailing; competitive advantage; sustainability; corporate social responsibility

Prof. Dr. Ann Fairhurst

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Department Head of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Tennessee, 1215 W. Cumberland Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996-1911, USA
Interests: international retailing; purchasing behavior of local and sustainable foods; tourism retailing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of this Special Issue is to show that, in the contemporary economy, retailers could significantly contribute to sustainable development. Such an approach, from the industry point-of-view, is taken as large multinational companies, operating in many countries and managing supply chains, are so powerful that they often indicate how goods should by manufactured, as well as are able to shape consumer preferences. Although their impact on the environment is not as bad as other industries, e.g., chemicals, they still could do a great deal to reduce the emission of CO₂ and waste, while at the same time reducing costs (eco-efficiency). Retailers could also promote sustainable consumption by offering sustainable products (also own brand) and information campaigns; sustainable production by responsible procurement policies; contribute to the careers of women (who make up the majority of sales forces in retail) and to make men and women more equal, and so on. Conceptual and empirical research on these topics, from emerging economies, well-developed countries, as well as comparative studies of these problems in well- and less-developed countries, is welcomed. Work can be located, e.g., in the theories of competitive advantage development, institutional, and internationalization of retail activities, as well as the development of CSR concepts.

Prof. Dr. Grażyna Śmigielska
Prof. Ann Fairhurst
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable development;
retail companies;
sustainable own brand products;
eco-efficiency;
competitive advantage;
sustainable consumption;
procurement policy;
women’s rights

Published Papers (13 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

19 pages, 488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Fairness Concerns on the Formation of Retailers Alliance with Consideration of Transshipment

by Xiaohong Yu, Sujuan Wang and Xindong Zhang

Sustainability 2019, 11(3), 708; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030708 - 29 Jan 2019

Viewed by 2166

Abstract

This paper investigated the impact of fairness concerns on the formation of the inventory transshipment strategy alliance through its impact on the ordering decisions and profits of two retailers. The paper introduced reference point dependency to describe the retailer’s fairness concerns utility function, and modeled the strategic alliance system consisting of two retailers involved in transshipment. The conditions for the existence of Nash equilibrium solutions were given. The paper solved the impact of the fairness parameters on order quantities and profits by the implicit function theorem. Based on the theoretical analysis and numerical examples, this paper investigated the formation of a strategic alliance under asymmetric and symmetric fairness concerns. The results are as follows: (1) under asymmetric fairness concerns, when the transshipment price of the retailer with no fairness concerns is no more than the transshipment price of the retailer with fairness concerns, an inventory transshipment strategy alliance can be formed. Otherwise the retailer with no fairness concerns may need to pay the retailer with fairness concerns certain fees in order to form a strategic alliance; (2) under symmetric fairness concerns, two completely symmetric retailers can form strategic alliances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 1608 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Sustainability Analysis on Retailer’s Sales Effort in A Closed-Loop Supply Chain

by Dexiang Yang, Lei Zhang, Ying Wu, Sidai Guo, Hua Zhang and Lijian Xiao

Sustainability 2019, 11(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010008 - 20 Dec 2018

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3235

Abstract

With the development of the Internet, many brand name manufacturers including Apple, Lenovo, and Canon offer remanufactured products through their official website. Confronting the competition from remanufactured products that are available from the manufactured-owned channel, more and more retailers have recognized that customer service level is one of the most important performance metrics and have aggressively attempted to obtain larger market shares by providing high levels of post-sale services. Although numerous researchers have studied various competitive strategies in remanufacturing, to the best of our knowledge, there is little research highlighting whether and how economic performance and sustainability issues related to remanufacturing operations are affected by the retailer’s service levels. In this paper, we fill this gap by developing two models for the closed-loop supply chain where all remanufactured products are available from the manufactured-owned channel, while the equilibrium behavior of the retailer can be characterized under two possible scenarios: (1) Confronting the cannibalization from direct channels where the retailer only responds on prices (i.e., Model P); or (2) on providing competitive prices and high service levels for new products (i.e., Model S). Our analysis suggests that, from managers’ perspective, if the manufacturers care more about economic benefits, encouraging the retailer to provide higher levels of post-sale services is a beneficial strategy. If they are more concerned with environmental performance, Model P is preferred. However, from the angle of environmental groups and agencies, if the level of eco-centrism is too pronounced, though Model S has a greater profitability for both parties, a more significant welfare loss due to environmental hazard is perceived by the society. As a result, besides avoiding indulging in overproducing on new products, environmental groups and agencies should take emissions trading or taxation into consideration to stimulate remanufacturing operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 2923 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability and Retail: Analysis of Global Research

by José Luis Ruiz-Real, Juan Uribe-Toril, Juan Carlos Gázquez-Abad and Jaime De Pablo Valenciano

Sustainability 2019, 11(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010014 - 20 Dec 2018

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 12366

Abstract

In recent years, the topic of sustainability has gained prominence in many retail sectors. Sustainability is a key element for retailers, who have seen that sustainable development could become an important source of competitive advantage. The purpose of this work is to highlight state of the art sustainability in retailing, for which a bibliometric analysis has been carried out using Web of Science online and Scopus database. Our findings show the most influential countries, journals, authors, and areas of knowledge interested in the topic. By using a fractional counting method to analyze co-occurrence of the author’s keywords, this paper identifies the most frequent terms and seven clusters. This article represents a contribution by identifying the main trends in sustainability and retail research and proposes future research initiatives, such as: analyze under which conditions the sustainability initiatives give better results to retailers; selection of suppliers and supply chain management; evaluate different types of sustainable products; store sustainable management; sustainability actions and retailers image; how to communicate the sustainability actions of retailers; how sustainability actions influence different types of brands; and international and cross-cultural analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 307 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Online Voluntary Transparency in Spanish Retail Firms. Measurement Index and CSR-Related Factors as Determinants

by Luis Ignacio Álvarez-González, Nuria García-Rodríguez and María José Sanzo-Pérez

Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3542; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103542 - 02 Oct 2018

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2835

Abstract

Information transparency is a key aspect of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. The new information and communication technologies, such as the Internet, allow companies to disseminate relevant corporate information to different stakeholders and society, promoting voluntary online transparency. The analysis of social responsibility information published on corporate websites permits, among other issues, the development of disclosure and transparency indexes that facilitate comparisons between companies, and the assessment of potential drivers of the transparency strategy. In this sense, this study has two main objectives: (1) To develop a measurement index of voluntary online transparency, and (2) to identify relevant factors that influence on such transparency. The empirical research was carried out by analyzing the websites of a 176 large Spanish retail companies. Regression analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. The results obtained show that online voluntary transparency is encouraged by the implementation of CSR principles in store management and by the particular type of contributions in which the social commitment of the retail is materialized (monetary versus non-monetary), as well as by the fact that employees and/or society as a whole represent the main beneficiaries of CSR activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

22 pages, 448 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Retailer–Consumer Sustainable Business Environment: How Consumers’ Perceived Benefits Are Translated by the Addition of New Retail Channels

by Jing Zhu, Muhammad Awais Shakir Goraya and Yu Cai

Sustainability 2018, 10(9), 2959; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10092959 - 21 Aug 2018

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 6213

Abstract

In the current era, consumers are living in a multi-channel shopping environment. Retailers are expanding their business channels to get the most out of their ongoing multi-channel businesses and to create a sustainable shopping environment for consumers. The extant literature is quite elaborative about the impact of new online channels on retailers, but a very limited part of the said literature discusses the impact of adding both new online/offline channels to the retailers’ existing business channels and the perceived benefits they create for consumers. This paper makes the comparison of multi-channel additions and their impacts on consumer benefits in creating a sustainable retailer–consumer business environment. This dimension of research is quite new regarding the subject of multi-channel shopping. In this paper, a simulated experimental design is adopted to analyze the impact of the multi-channel structure with a mix of different product types (experience and search) and the perceived benefit to consumers (perceived variety, perceived convenience, and perceived risk). The results show that, compared to the newly added offline channels, newly added online channels can make consumers more aware of the overall variety, increase perceived convenience, and reduce perceived risk. However, for retailers selling search products, the newly added online channel does not create any significant difference to the consumers’ overall perceived variety of the retailers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 773 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Role of Human Resource Management (HRM) for the Implementation of Sustainable Product-Service Systems (PSS)—An Analysis of Fashion Retailers

by Marcus Adam

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2518; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072518 - 18 Jul 2018

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 15023

Abstract

Implementation of product-service systems (PSS) requires structural changes in the way that business in manufacturing industries is traditionally conducted. Literature frequently mentions the importance of human resource management (HRM), since people are involved in the entire process of PSS development and employees are the primary link to customers. However, to this day, no study has provided empirical evidence whether and in what way HRM of firms that implement PSS differs from HRM of firms that solely run a traditional manufacturing-based business model. The aim of this study is to contribute to closing this gap by investigating the particular HR components of manufacturing firms that implement PSS and compare it with the HRM of firms that do not. The context of this study is the fashion industry, which is an ideal setting since it is a mature and highly competitive industry that is well-documented for causing significant environmental impact. PSS present a promising opportunity for fashion firms to differentiate and mitigate the industry’s ecological footprint. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to analyze data of 102 international fashion firms. Findings reveal a significant higher focus on nearly the entire spectrum of HRM components of firms that implement PSS compared with firms that do not. Empirical findings and their interpretation are utilized to propose a general framework of the role of HRM for PSS implementation. This serves as a departure point for both scholars and practitioners for further research, and fosters the understanding of the role of HRM for managing PSS implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2144 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selling Remanufactured Products under One Roof or Two? A Sustainability Analysis on Channel Structures for New and Remanufactured Products

by Yan Liu, Yongsheng Cheng, Hong Chen, Sidai Guo and Yujia Lu

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2427; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072427 - 11 Jul 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3702

Abstract

Even though many manufacturers integrate remanufacturing into existing business models, it should be noted that such efforts are usually accompanied by a major concern for cannibalization of new product sales from remanufactured products. To deal with this problem, many manufacturers, such as Dell, adopt a “two-roof policy” where the sale of new products takes place in a store and their remanufactured products in another. However, in contrast, some manufacturers, including Apple and HP, adopt a “one-roof policy”, by which all new and remanufactured products are sold through one store/chain. Although the literature on remanufacturing has extensively addressed sustainability issues within operations management, little attention has been paid to how “differentiated roof policy” for the marketing of remanufactured products affects sustainability issues. To fill this gap, in this paper, the authors develop two theoretical models in which manufacturers have the flexibility to distribute new and remanufactured products (1) through a one-roof policy (Model O) or (2) through a two-roof policy (Model T), respectively, and strive to address the question of how differentiated roof policies impact sustainability issues related to remanufacturing operations. Among other results, the central result suggests that, if the manufacturers care about economic performance, distributing both products through a two-roof policy is an advantageous strategy. Conversely, if they care about environmental sustainability, one roof is the preferred strategy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consumer Preferences of Locally Grown Specialty Crop: The Case of Taiwan Coffee

by Jong-Wen Wann, Chia-Yung Kao and Yu-Chen Yang

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2396; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072396 - 10 Jul 2018

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4746

Abstract

The role of retailers in the local coffee niche market is to add value with unique characteristics such as creativity, cultural identity, and innovation in order to differentiate their products. Producers/retailers can provide customized services for special products according to different consumer preferences and needs. They can gain the trust and loyalty of consumers in this way. This study aims to understand consumer assessments of the different attributes of local specialty coffee provided by coffee retailers in order to help them develop strategies for increased sales in the niche market. Regarding internal quality, atypically, as the empirical results of conjoint analysis has shown, Taiwanese consumers do not prefer the attributes of coffee such as extra aroma and strong acidic taste. Therefore, they are not willing to pay the premium for these attributes. With regards to external quality, consumers prefer the attributes of specialty café style and product featured packaging. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

28 pages, 584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organic Private Labels as Sources of Competitive Advantage—The Case of International Retailers Operating on the Polish Market

by Hanna Górska-Warsewicz, Sylwia Żakowska-Biemans, Maksymilian Czeczotko, Monika Świątkowska, Dagmara Stangierska, Ewa Świstak, Agnieszka Bobola, Julita Szlachciuk and Karol Krajewski

Sustainability 2018, 10(7), 2338; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072338 - 05 Jul 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5222

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine how chains of modern international retailers can achieve a competitive advantage (CA) by introducing private labels (PLs) in the organic category and can, in turn, stimulate the consumption of food produced with respect to sustainability principles. The research was conducted with the use of a qualitative approach and involved two steps. First, in order to select retailers with organic private labels (OPLs) and producers delivering products under OPLs, in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with the representatives of management boards of 17 enterprises. Second, in order to analyze the assortment-based competitive advantage of the OPLs in depth, 8 enterprises were analyzed. In order to explore the price-related competitive advantage, three products offered under PLs, organic PLs, producer brands, and imported brands were selected for subsequent analysis. For retail chains, it was found that the introduction of OPLs is the source of CA via six contributors, namely, price, range of assortment, type of PLs, image of the retailer, sustainability and specific process, and product-related attributes of organic food. Extension of offers with organic private labels makes it easier for consumers to buy organic food at more affordable prices and follow the principles of proper nutrition and a sustainable diet with low environmental impact. At the same time, the international retailers can position themselves as chains contributing to more sustainable consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 871 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Challenging Ingrained Thoughts? The Joint Effect of Stereotypes and Awareness of Related Information on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China

by Majid Ghorbani and Liyan Xuan

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1986; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061986 - 13 Jun 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3356

Abstract

This research applies a positive stereotype perspective to test the effect of individuals’ choices between pro-environmental versus pro-safety behavior, while considering the role of media exposure. We test our hypotheses in China, where both food-safety and environment are major issues and are widely covered by the media and government reports. Based on a quasi-experiments and survey questionnaires focused on attitudes towards disposable chopsticks, we find that individuals form cognitive perceptions in ways that either have stronger positive environmental or safety stereotypes. Based on these stereotypes, they either believe that reusable chopsticks are more environmentally friendly or that disposable chopsticks are safer, each impacting individuals’ choices differently. In addition, awareness of information related to the environment augments the link between environmental stereotypes and pro-environmental behavior, while having no influence on the effect of safety stereotypes on pro-safety behavior. On the other hand, while awareness of safety-related information accentuates the link between safety-related stereotypes and pro-safety behavior, it has no impact on the effect of environmental stereotypes on pro-environmental behavior. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 445 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Does Consumer Empathy Influence Consumer Responses to Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility? The Dual Mediation of Moral Identity

by Ghi-Feng Yen and Hsin-Ti Yang

Sustainability 2018, 10(6), 1812; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061812 - 31 May 2018

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5272

Abstract

The present study examined consumer responses to strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) from the perspectives of consumer moral emotions (empathy) and cognition (moral identity), and investigated charitable activities conducted by convenience stores in Taiwan from theoretical and practical perspectives. The research method involved a comparison between two actual charitable activities conducted by convenience stores, namely “donation platform services” and “cause-related marketing”. A questionnaire was distributed into four regions spanning southern to northern Taiwan by using a convenient sampling method, and 332 valid responses were collected. The present study employed structural equation modelling to verify its hypotheses. In terms of theoretical contributions, the present study constructed two theoretical models and subsequently verified that empathy influences moral identity; this constitutes a major contribution to investigations of the causal relationship between moral emotions and cognitive theory. In practice, the present study recommends that convenience stores implement more cause-related marketing to reduce consumer suspicions that firms are motivated purely by profit and increase consumer trust in firms. Subsequent studies are recommended to conduct in-depth investigations of the underlying causes of moral identity internalization and symbolization generating different responses in consumers, as well as other possible situational variables. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Retailer’s Procurement Strategy under Endogenous Supply Stability

by Chengxiao Feng, Zongjun Wang and Zhenyu Jiang

Sustainability 2017, 9(12), 2261; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122261 - 07 Dec 2017

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3539

Abstract

In this paper, a dynamic model is presented to study retailer’s procurement strategy when supply stability is endogenously determined. The optimal supply stability as well as the optimal purchasing strategy are characterized with a quadratic cost function. Based on these models, the following findings are brought about. Firstly, when the difficulty level of building supply stability exceeds a certain threshold, it would be more profitable for the retailer to choose a less reliable supplier. Secondly, given that the suppliers can get positive profit, the retailer would choose the one who has the strongest ability to be reliable. Thirdly, the equilibrium supply to the retailer would always meet the demand on the retailing market. Finally, emergency procurement is shown to be an effective way to reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions. To better fit the real situations, an extended model which considers the impact of the stability on costs is further discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

518 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Jatropha Suppliers as Contributors to the Sustainability of the Production of Bioelectricity in Ecuador

by Marilyn A. Muñoz Mayorga, Eva Iglesias Martínez and Natalia Caldés Gómez

Sustainability 2017, 9(11), 1946; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9111946 - 26 Oct 2017

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3660

Abstract

The “Jatropha for Galápagos” (JFG) project in Ecuador aims to progressively replace diesel with jatropha oil in the generation of electricity in The Galápagos Islands. Thus, understanding and motivating the participation of jatropha suppliers is a priority for the sustainability of JFG. For this reason, the factors influencing their decision-making to participate in the project have been identified and analyzed using a binomial logit model. The results show that factors found to positively influence the likelihood of participation include, amongst others, the supplier’s experience within the project, their participation in local organizations, and the degree of satisfaction with the price of jatropha oil. In addition, children from producer families’ collaboration in the harvest of jatropha increases the overall likelihood of participation within the project. Similarly, the distance to the collection center positively influences the chances of participation. Conversely, those suppliers with higher wages and those who declared that jatropha harvest starts in April have a reduced likelihood of participating in the project. The findings obtained from this project can help decision-makers develop new measures to improve the sustainability of the project through initiatives to motivate the participation of jatropha suppliers in the program. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

How Retailers Could Contribute to Sustainable Development

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (13 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI