Authors: Vince W Mitchell George Balabanis Bodo B Schlegelmilch T Bettina Cornwell
Publish Date: 2008/11/20
Volume: 88, Issue: 2, Pages: 395-412
Abstract
The huge amounts spent on store security and crime prevention worldwide not only costs international businesses but also amounts to a hidden tax on those lawbinding consumers who bear higher prices Most previous research has focused on shoplifting and ignored many other ways in which consumers cheat businesses Using a hybrid of both qualitative research and survey approaches in four countries an index of 37 activities was developed to examine consumers’ unethical activities across UK US France and Austria The findings indicate that around three quarters of consumers in all four countries can be classified as heavy offenders for these minor cheats The paper argues that government agencies marketers and retailers should adopt more proactive preventative approaches rather than reactive loss limitation measures to combat unethical behavior
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