What is Status Consumption and Why it is Important for Marketers of Premium Goods ?
With the advent of globalization, marketers have had the opportunity to market to a global audience from many countries and cultures. Products are no longer the traditional goods and services and instead the emphasis is on brand building and marketing brands as part of a comprehensive marketing effort to reach out to consumers. In this […]
SWOT Analysis of Unilever
Introduction Unilever operates in nearly 190 countries around the world and has been a traditional paragon of excellence and quality in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector. The company derives its competitive advantage from its global footprint and its track record of enhancing value for the consumers around the world. Even in the current recessionary […]
Modern Retail Store Design – A Perspective
When you think of any Retail Store, instantly you recall the layout and your experience connected with the store. We tend to build our likes and dislikes around the Store environment and ambience and our loyalty to any one store may be influenced by our perceptions of that particular store environment. Store Design and Layout […]
Brand Extension – A Success or Failure ?
Brand management has become quite a challenge for brand managers as well as the Organizations today. Intense competition and the decreasing product life of a brand add further dimensions to the brand management problem. Brand managers by and large opt for brand extensions now days. You can check any shelf in the super market and […]
Food Retailing: Indian Perspective
Food Retailing in India is witnessing a progressive change with the emergence of the hypermarkets/supermarkets and rapid expansion of organized retail sector in India across various parts of the country. With the world’s second-largest population and rising composition of Middle-Income group, India has emerged as the world’s most attractive retailing destinations especially in the Food […]
One of the positive effects of the rapid globalization is the increasing awareness amongst people and society about ethical and moral as well as environmental issues.
While political leaders and global organisations as well as scientists are concerned about global warming and loosing energy crises, we see the birth and rapid growth of green earth concept covering all fields of enterprise. The building of awareness and addressing issues and concerns is actively promoted by NGOs and interest groups.
In recent years we have also seen the rise of expectations with reference to social responsibilities of the Corporate and Business Houses. The issues that are socially relevant are not limited to the above issues but extend to other humanitarian and environmental issues as well including animal welfare.
Fashion industry has had to be responsible for ethical issues concerning child labour and working conditions of labour at the Supplier’s end. As principle employers, the International Retailers are held responsible in case where the suppliers default on providing the right working conditions and payments to labour.
In the third world countries and south Asian countries there have been practices of using child labour, discriminating between men and women for wages as well as not providing basic amenities and safety to the labour.
In certain instances the retails like GAP and Nike had to face the wrath for the irregularities found at their supplier sites. With rising public outcry and mounting pressure from the interest groups as well as from authorities, the fashion retailers had to stop procurements from the suppliers and make amendments.
As the awareness groups and animal protection groups are becoming more and more visible as well as aggressive, they are raising voice against use of fur and leather in fashion clothing.
Use of animals for testing in by cosmetic industry as well as use of rabbits farming for wool production and culling of some species for their skin are forcing the fashion industry to abandon such product range and cultivate environment and animal friendly products. The proactive action to move away from such practices and follow ethical fashion is seen to be limited to the big and well known fashion brands and houses alone. The smaller as well as local companies continue to push products for commercial gain.
Fashion houses are also turning to be environmentally conscious and finding suitable environmental friendly dyes and chemicals as well as other ingredients that go into making their products and avoid harmful chemicals. Sometimes the products are slightly priced higher when they are environmentally friendly.
In all cases, the trend that we see is that the awareness of the consumer is increasing and the common man is asking questions to the fashion retailers, thus forcing the retailers to adapt ethical practices in fashion business.
In the coming years, the consumer voice and the activities of the interest groups is expected to get stronger pushing for ethical rules to be brought in place holding the International Retailers responsible to ensure they follow ethical practices as well as ensure their suppliers follow the same.
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International Retail Store Design Principles – The Principle of Totality
February 12, 2025
