Due to increasing awareness towards environmental issues and consumer demand for environmental-friendly products, companies are shifting their management from brand equity to green brand equity. This will lead to the novel marketing phenomenon: green brand equity. Most of the previous studies on green branding, green marketing initiatives and social economies have been conducted in developed countries, and there is a lack of such studies in fast developing Asian countries like India. Therefore, this research tries to fill in the gap to measure the green brand equity in developing economies like India. This research measures green brand equity and its impact on consumer attitude. In addition, this research also measures the difference in the degree of green brand equity in metro and non-metro city. Consumer behaviour of metro and non-metro cities in India has found similarity and dissimilarity in many ways. The present study presents the different dimensions of green brand equity and its impact on consumer attitude. Green brand image, satisfaction, trust, loyalty, reference group and green advertisement emerged as a strong influencing agent of customer attitude towards green brand equity. The result of measurable difference of these construct revealed that there is a significant difference in all constructs, except green advertisement. Marketers have to understand these differences and formulate different market strategies while moving from metro to non-metro cities. This research not only provides green brand equity dimensions as a conceptual contribution, but also establishes the relationship between green brand equity and consumer attitude as an empirical contribution.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between employees’ perception of an inclusive workplace, namely, inclusive practices, inclusive climate and inclusive leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). It also attempts to examine the difference in perception toward the inclusive workplace along the three major dimensions of diversity, namely, gender, category they belong to and their religious orientation. Design/methodology/approach Non-probability sampling technique is employed to collect primary data through a self-administered questionnaire from 492 academicians of a higher education institution situated in western Uttar Pradesh of India. The data set was analyzed using statistical tools like descriptive statistics (z-test and ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis. Findings Results of the multiple regression analysis reflected direct and significant relationship between inclusive workplace and OCB. It has been observed that organizations with a conducive climate of inclusion, a well formulated inclusive practices and strong leaders’ commitment will result into high level of OCB which is apparent among employees working in a higher education institution western Uttar Pradesh. The results of z-test reflected that male and female employees have similar perception toward inclusive climate. However, there is a significant difference in perception toward inclusive practices and inclusive leadership on OCB. On the other hand, results of ANOVA reflected that with respect to religious orientation there is no significant difference among perceptions toward inclusive workplace. However in case of category employees have similar perception toward inclusive climate in contrast with inclusive practices and inclusive leadership. Research limitations/implications The present study established the concept of inclusive workplace, entirely on the basis of individual viewpoint. While to examine the cause and effect relationship of an inclusive workplace on OCB, it is recommended to incorporate some moderating or intervening variables. Practical implications This study provides guidelines for academic institutions to understand and foster an inclusive workplace that will encourage the academicians to exhibit OCB. Originality/value Very little research had examined the relationship between inclusive workplace and OCB. This research will add value to the existing literature on inclusive workplace and its probable impact on organizations and individuals by examining this relationship with respect to gender, category and religious orientation of employees working in higher educational institution of India.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the growing construct of ethical leadership and its related concepts that focus on the importance of the moral aspect of leadership. It focuses on the idea of ethical leadership, personality attributes of ethical leaders and develops a conceptual framework including various propositions related to the antecedents and outcomes of ethical leadership. Design/methodology/approach This is a review paper based on a synthesis of leadership literature from existing research journals and articles on ethical leadership. Authors analyzed selected papers on ethical leadership to propose a conceptual framework that shows the antecedents and outcomes of ethical leadership. Findings An ethical leader is one who strongly believes in following the right set of values and ideals in their decisions, actions and behavior. One has to be honest with high integrity, with people orientation and communicates assertively. Among the other attributes of an ethical leader, one needs to be responsible for taking unbiased decisions in benefit and overall interest of people and organization. This ethical leadership plays a vital role in developing positive outcomes such as followers’ organizational commitment and organizational identification. Trust in leadership can moderate this relationship. Practical implications This paper offers opportunities for researchers to explore discoveries in leadership style and also helps to understand the ways the organizations can develop ethical leaders at the workplace. An effective and efficient leader integrates ethics with leadership and thus makes its presence felt and emerges as a role model to play a more positive and valuable role in an organization. Originality/value This paper helps the strategist and educators to conceptualize ethical leadership and its framework including leaders’ ideal traits, similarities and differences of ethical leadership with other leadership styles and its role in developing positive outcomes in an organization. It presents a framework of ten testable propositions about ethical leadership that are relevant for both the practitioners and the scholars.

The purpose of this article is to find out the green advertising factors affecting purchase intention literature, and then to develop a simpler and more precise model of purchase intention. In this article, green advertising is taken as the instrument of measuring difference in purchase intention for metro and non-metro consumers. It is obviously hypothesized that metro and non-metro customers exhibit different degree of purchase intention for eight variables taken in the present study. The conceptual framework of factors affecting customer attitude—including credibility, consumers’ trust, viewers’ attitudes, brand image, the media, green education, reference group influence and perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour—is developed by examining the theoretical foundation for general products and services. Linear regression and the z-test method were used to measure the impact of these attributes of green advertisement on purchase intention and difference in metro and non-metro customers, respectively. Results show that the purchase intention develops through the dimensions of green advertising, such as viewers’ attitudes, brand image, the media, green education, reference group influence and perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour; these have a significant difference in these two regions and purchase intention based on credibility and consumers’ trust have no significant difference. Regression results establish a significant positive linear relationship between green advertising and purchase intention variables taken for the study in both the region. The article proposes a conceptual framework of green advertising factors affecting purchase intention. Results on difference of the green advertisement lead to purchase intention in metro and non-metro customers and linear impact of the same on purchase intention will help marketers, academicians and strategists in better understanding of these markets in formulation of better policies.

Purpose With the tremendous increase in the number of netizens, online consumer behavior has become an important issue nowadays. One of the important issues of online consumer behavior is e-consumer conformity. This paper aims to explore prominent factors of e-consumer conformity and its impact on consumer attitude, which helps marketers to understand this new business arena and involve this relationship to enhance their business. Design/methodology/approach For the purpose, convenience sampling was used with sample size of 510. Offline as well as online mode of survey was applied. The resultant hypotheses (based on the developed model depicting normative and informational consumer conformity effect on attitude) were examined by structured equation modeling. Findings The present study presents the different dimensions of e-consumer conformity and its difference in metro and non-metro cities on which marketers have to frame their strategies. The study revealed that the customer attitude is largely affected by others expectations (conformance with others expectations, NCC) rather others knowledge and expertise (ICC). Additionally, the comparison of virtual conformity behavior of metro and non-metro customers was made, and it was found that conformity behavior does not significantly differ in these two contexts. Practical implications Business saturation in metro cities, infrastructural growth and technological advancement in non-metro cities, companies are moving toward non-metro cities. Due to contextual differences existing between metro and non-metro market, it is difficult to trace the changes in the marketing policies and device the appropriate strategy accordingly for the marketers. In lieu of this, the present study presents the different dimensions of e-consumer conformity and its degree of difference in metro and non-metro cities on which marketers have to frame their strategies. Originality/value Good number of research has been conducted on consumer conformity in India; however, there is a scarcity of literature in virtual consumer conformity in India. This research is not only establishing the relationship between virtual consumer conformity and consumer attitude but also establishing the difference of virtual consumer conformity in metro and non-metro cities in India.