Volume 13, 2016
Denni Arli, Andre Pekerti
Pages 19-40
The Role of Cultural Attributes on Consumer Ethics
Does It Matter?
The total number of international migrants has increased significantly in the last 10 years such that people are faced with various ethical situations in their new host country, which challenge their previous moral philosophies. Studies have found that culture is one of the most important variables influencing ethical decision-making. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of self-concept (i.e. independent and interdependent) and cultural intelligence on consumer ethics in two cultures, Australia and Indonesia. With a total sample of 1,142 respondents, the analyses showed that the interdependent self-concept influenced all dimensions of consumer ethics while cultural intelligence had an effect on attitudes toward “recycling” and “doing good” toward others. The findings have important implications for businesses, marketers, and policymakers to develop better strategies to include consumers’ ethical characteristics.