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This paper examines the relationship between turnover among chief executive officers (CEOs) and corporate sustainability performance (CSP) by identifying the influence of two major types of succession to the top job (internal or external promotion) and the reasons for change. Our model also integrates the firm's past prioritization of CSP and the impact of a company's participation in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Upper echelons theory and agency theory frameworks are adopted to understand CSP. Using an analysis of panel data for 88 public companies across 13 years in France, we find that a change of chief executive has a positive and significant effect on CSP 5 years after the change. This positive effect is stronger when the new CEO is recruited from outside the firm. The impact on CSP is invariably positive and significant, except for voluntary departures. The arrival of a new CEO affects CSP less when the firm has already achieved a high standard of CSP and participates in the GRI. These results are obtained after controlling CSP determinants already validated in the literature (financial performance, size, profitability, etc.). The findings show that expectations of CEOs are not solely economic and financial but also concern CSP. In terms of governance, they should prompt shareholders looking to strengthen CSP to choose new CEOs from outside the firm and to encourage the firm to participate in the GRI.

Purpose This paper aims to better understand an increasingly prevalent practice whereby firms affix certified ethical logos (e.g. Fairtrade, 100% organic, Ecolab, etc.) to their products, leveraging perceived product social responsibility (PSR) to enhance purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experiment was conducted among 484 French consumers, focusing on two brands of chocolate bars. Findings The study reveals a significant increase in purchase intentions when products feature an ethical logo, with PSR acting as a mediator. Additionally, three variables – logo equity, brand equity and the attribution of altruistic motivations to the brand – emerge as significant predictors of PSR in the presence of an ethical logo. Surprisingly, neither the fit between the brand and the logo nor the attribution of strategic motivations influence PSR. Moreover, the impact of PSR on purchase intention is found to be moderated by consumers’ moral identity. Research limitations/implications The research continues and deepens the work of Brown and Dacin (1997) by precisely defining and measuring PSR. In addition, its antecedents are identified, and it is shown that PSR is almost a complete mediator of the identified variables on purchase intention. This result demonstrates that the PSR construct provides both greater explanatory and predictive power than similar concepts and is therefore very useful. The research also contributes to a better understanding of ethical logos as a special kind of brand and sheds light on the complex mechanism of consumers’ attribution. Practical implications From a managerial perspective, this work contributes to explaining why, how and for which target it is relevant to certify consumer goods with ethical logos. Some guidelines on labeling strategy are thus provided. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature on labeling and social responsibility by delineating the concept of PSR, assessing its measurement and identifying its antecedents and consequences for purchase intention.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand an increasingly widespread practice consisting, of a brand, in signaling the domestic origin of its products aimed at domestic consumers, that is, the “made in the domestic country” (MIDC) strategy. To this end, it is proposed to analyze the MIDC label as a cue interacting with the brand’s characteristics (brand equity and country of origin of the brand). Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experiment is conducted among 293 French consumers on four different brands of pasta. The overall design is a 2 (with/without the MIDC label) × 2 (high/low brand equity) × 2 (domestic/foreign brand) mixed design. Findings The results show that intention to buy the product increases significantly with the presence of the MIDC label, but not so willing to pay. The positive effect on buying intention is greater when: the product has rather low brand equity, consumer ethnocentrism is high and/or consumers are strongly attached to their national identity. Research limitations/implications The present research extends the literature on country-of-origin effects by taking into account the role of the brand equity of the product. However, the study focused on only one low-involvement product category (pasta) and one country (France). Practical implications This study shows that adding an MIDC label to the product is empirically justified. Originality/value While moderate or high scores on “patriotic” variables reinforce the positive impact of the MIDC label, low scores reverse the trend, that is, cause rejection.

Purpose – To encourage sustainable consumer practices, public policy makers introduce new ecological measures, including mandatory programmes that require companies to provide environmental information about their products, even if the information is not flattering. Few academic studies consider the potential impacts of such mandatory eco-labels on consumer behaviour; the purpose of this paper is to seek to identify conditions in which a generalized eco-label in stores might modify consumers’ purchase choices. Design/methodology/approach – Two quasi-experimental studies (n=333, 126) manipulate environmental information with a simple, traffic light – shaped eco-label. The measures focus on respondents’ choice or purchasing intentions, perceptions of the environmental harmfulness of each product, and individual characteristics (i.e. environmental concern, price sensitivity, familiarity with environmental information about the product category). Findings – The presence of an eco-label influences consumers’ beliefs about products’ environmental harm and thus choice. The effect of perceived harmfulness on choice is moderated by environmental concern and price sensitivity, though combined effects arise for only one of the two product categories tested (dish soap, not yoghurt). With a third product category (paper towels), Study 2 confirms the influence of familiarity with environmental information. Research limitations/implications – Familiarity with environmental information accounts for some differences across product categories, but other factors also come into play. These results must be interpreted carefully due to the use of a fictive eco-label. Originality/value – This paper examines the potential effects of a generalized, mandatory programme. It also addresses the lack of consistent label effectiveness across product categories, with a possible explanation based on perceived familiarity with environmental information.

This study examines whether references to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the editorials of sustainable development reports have any predictive influence with respect to firms’ inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSWI). Signalling theory proposes hypotheses that can be tested by textual analysis of sustainable development report editorials published by French firms. The results suggest that these editorials may serve as leading indicators of CSR. The predictive power of editorials is strengthened when they are signed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), published in a sustainability report and written in a clear and readable style.

This study focuses on the effect of the “Made in France” label of origin on buying intention and willingness to pay for a fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) according to two types of characteristics: those related to the brand (brand equity and brand origin) and those related to the individual (ethnocentrism and national identity). It draws on the theoretical framework of co-branding, considering that the “Made in France” label is similar to a co-brand that interacts with the product brand. An experiment conducted with 293 French consumers shows that the buying intention of the product increases significantly with the presence of the “Made in France” label, which is not the case for willingness to pay. This positive effect on buying intention is greater when (1) the product is signed by a brand whose brand equity is weak rather than strong, (2) the consumer’s ethnocentrism is high, and/or (3) the consumer is strongly attached to his/her French national identity. These results help to identify the conditions for the success of the strategy of indicating the national origin of the product.

L’article met en évidence l’importance d’une forme particulière de mémorisation des prix par les consommateurs : les connaissances sémantiques (ou relatives). En s’appuyant sur la notion de ligne numérique mentale, un cadre conceptuel unifié est proposé pour rendre compte de ces connaissances. L’approche novatrice qui en découle permet d’appréhender de multiples connaissances relatives se rapportant aux prix telles que les images-prix ou les prix de référence internes. Une expérimentation permet, d’une part, de tester des outils de mesure des connaissances sémantiques se rapportant aux prix et d’autre part, d’apporter une première validation du modèle conceptuel proposé. Plusieurs implications marketing de ces résultats sont tirées. Mots-clés : prix, mémorisation, encodage, ligne numérique mentale, prix de référence interne. And if prices were not always numerals in the consumer’s head ? The role of the mental number line The article emphasizes the importance of a form of price memorization by consumers : semantic (or relative) knowledge. Based on the notion of mental number line, a unified conceptual frame is proposed in order to account for this kind of knowledge. The resulting innovative approach helps to understand multiple concepts relative to prices, such as price-images and internal reference prices. Through an experiment, tools for measuring semantic knowledge relating to prices were tested and a first validation of the proposed conceptual model was provided. Several marketing implications of these findings are finally drawn. Keywords : price, memorization, coding, mental number line, internal price reference.

The article emphasizes the importance of a form of price memorization by consumers: semantic (or relative) knowledge. Based on the notion of mental number line, a unified conceptual frame is proposed in order to account for this kind of knowledge. The resulting innovative approach helps to understand multiple concepts relative to prices, such as price-images and internal reference prices. Through an experiment, tools for measuring semantic knowledge relating to prices were tested and a first validation of the proposed conceptual model was provided. Several marketing implications of these findings are finally drawn.