Ethics in Practice: How Working Conditions Affect Consumers’ Perception of Brands : A quantitative study on the impact work environment has on consumer trust

This study is based on established theories such as ethical consumer behavior, brand association, CSR, employer branding, stakeholder theory, and consumer perception. The data was collected through a consumer survey. The data was processed using descriptive statistics and analyzed with ordinal regression to test the study’s hypotheses. The collected data is presented using descriptive and analytical statistics to determine correlations between different variables. The study investigates to what extent do workplace scandals affect consumers’ trust in a brand? The results show that traditional purchase factors such as design and price are ranked highly, and social sustainability was considered more important than environmental sustainability. Only a small proportion of consumers actively seek information about companies’ working conditions, but when such information reaches consumers, it has a significant impact. In conclusiom working conditions have a direct impact on brand perception and consumers’ purchasing decisions. Despite the intention to support ethical companies, not all consumers act accordingly. Companies must ensure transparency and that their actions regarding working conditions align with their communication in order to build and maintain customer trust.