Society and Economy
Volume/Issue:
Volume 33: Issue 1
Sustainability issues in the ethical codes of hypermarkets
A case for inefficient self-regulation
Author:
Emese Gulyás Association of Conscious Consumers Budapest Hungary

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Pages:
111–129
Online Publication Date:
18 Apr 2011
Publication Date:
01 Apr 2011
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/socec.33.2011.1.9
Keywords:
sustainability; retail chain; hypermarket; ethical code; code of ethics; self-regulation; Hungary; Q56
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Large retail chains have become the dominant purchasing places for Hungarian consumers. At the same time when the first large scale retail unit was opened in Hungary the first critical voices were heard on the environmental effects of hypermarkets. In the new century economic critiques have overtaken the environmental ones. In countries with longer history of retail chains and market economies the most intensive discussion is about the social effects of big box retailing. Nonetheless these social debates have had almost no effect on the Hungarian regulation of large retail chains, yet some of the problems are addressed by self-regulation. This paper consists of two parts. First it gives an overview of the critical academic literature on the effects of large retail chains on the environment, on communities and on local economies. Second it analyses how these problems are reflected in industrial self-regulation, namely in the codes of ethics of retail companies.

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Society and Economy
Print ISSN:
1588-9726
Online ISSN:
1588-970X

Editor-in-chief: Balázs SZENT-IVÁNYI

Co-Editors:

  • Péter MARTON (Corvinus University, Budapest)
  • István KÓNYA (Corvinus University, Budapest)
  • László SAJTOS (The University of Auckland)
  • Gábor VIRÁG (University of Toronto)

Associate Editors:

  • Tamás BOKOR (Corvinus University, Budapest)
  • Sándor BOZÓKI (Corvinus University Budapest)
  • Bronwyn HOWELL (Victoria University of Wellington)
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  • Zsolt DARVAS (Bruegel)
  • Szabina FODOR (Corvinus University Budapest)
  • Sándor GALLAI (Corvinus University Budapest)
  • László GULÁCSI (Óbuda University)
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  • Lacina LUBOR (Mendel University in Brno)
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Society and Economy
Language English
Size B5
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Foundation		 1972
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 4
Founder Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem
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ISSN 1588-9726 (Print)
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