Over the past decades, the luxury sector has been constantly growing; consequently, luxury products have attracted the interest of many scholars. Nevertheless, only recently research has been started to investigate possible relations between luxury and activities in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability. This development was overdue: as luxury products often act as industry models, a shift towards sustainable luxury can pave the way for more sustainable mass products on a broad scope as well. Thus, a profound understanding of the mechanisms behind the successful combination of luxury and sustainability can provide insights for both enhancing individual firm success and achieving a shift towards more sustainable products, which is desirable from a societal perspective. To foster this research stream, the present paper provides a systematic literature review on luxury and sustainability in a broader sense, which, based on an inductive approach, identifies the various areas covered by existing research. This allows critical reflection of what is still missing in the ongoing discussions and shows where priorities within research have been set. We identify several major blind spots within extant research and discuss possible further research paths to close them.

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Purpose This paper aims to shed light on the emerging position of companies taking stances on sociopolitical issues and the impact this has on consumers. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses focus groups, interviews and consumer experiments in various countries, to provide insights as to why brands are taking sociopolitical stances. Findings Consumers expect brands to take a stance on sociopolitical issues. However, to be credible, a stance needs to be rooted in a long-term commitment that aligns with the brand’s strategy and values. Perceived authenticity is key. Research limitations/implications Future studies should aim at broader generalizability and should address various industries. Practical implications Differentiating a brand through a sociopolitical stance requires a strategic approach. Brand managers need to identify which issues they should support, how to engage with them and the risks and opportunities involved. Originality/value While the impact of brands adopting a sociopolitical stance has been discussed in the mainstream media, there has been a lack of empirical evidence to support the arguments. The results of the four studies discussed in the paper provide insights and demonstrate the brand-related opportunities and risks of taking a sociopolitical stance.

PurposeThe primary goal of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that addresses how market, entrepreneurial and brand orientation influence the performance of different types of social entrepreneurial organisations (SEOs) with different founders and in different markets. Design/methodology/approachThis is essentially a conceptual paper that integrates three main specifications regarding the broader concept of strategic orientation (market, brand and entrepreneurial orientation) in a single framework. FindingsIn this paper, a framework about the nature of market, entrepreneurial and brand orientation is developed. It is argued that these orientations consist of a cultural and a behavioural layer, and an influence of the cultural layer on the behavioural layer is proposed. It is also proposed that all strategic orientations influence the performance of an SEO, which consists of the dimensions of economic survival, social effectiveness and institutional legitimacy. The framework implicitly suggests that an SEO could follow several strategic orientations -to a different degree -at the same time.

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