TY - JOUR
T1 - Traceability in luxury
T2 - Harnessing B2B relationships to enhance ethical practices in the luxury industry
AU - Holmqvist, Jonas
AU - Kowalkowski, Christian
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank Domenic Winfrey and Marlena Ciszek, Kedge Business School, for having read and commented on previous versions of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - The luxury industry is a rapidly growing sector, with several luxury conglomerates among the world's largest companies. This growth is reflected in the increasing number of studies on luxury research. However, most existing research focuses only on the consumer perspective and overlooks the potential of B2B relationships in the luxury industry. This paper addresses this research gap by developing how strong B2B relationships are crucial to an emerging key topic in luxury, namely traceability. Specifically, we highlight the growing significance of traceability in luxury supply chains and explain how it elevates the relevance of B2B relationships. We further identify a dual purpose for traceability in luxury: it showcases ethical practices to customers and highlights areas for improvement. We present seven research propositions for luxury companies to improve ethical practices and enhance traceability through their B2B relationships. Integrating extant research with managerial insights, we highlight the importance of two new perspectives—managerial practices and B2B relationships—as key cornerstones to understanding and improving business ethics in the luxury industry.
AB - The luxury industry is a rapidly growing sector, with several luxury conglomerates among the world's largest companies. This growth is reflected in the increasing number of studies on luxury research. However, most existing research focuses only on the consumer perspective and overlooks the potential of B2B relationships in the luxury industry. This paper addresses this research gap by developing how strong B2B relationships are crucial to an emerging key topic in luxury, namely traceability. Specifically, we highlight the growing significance of traceability in luxury supply chains and explain how it elevates the relevance of B2B relationships. We further identify a dual purpose for traceability in luxury: it showcases ethical practices to customers and highlights areas for improvement. We present seven research propositions for luxury companies to improve ethical practices and enhance traceability through their B2B relationships. Integrating extant research with managerial insights, we highlight the importance of two new perspectives—managerial practices and B2B relationships—as key cornerstones to understanding and improving business ethics in the luxury industry.
KW - 512 Business and Management
KW - Digitalization
KW - Ethics
KW - Luxury industry
KW - Supply chain
KW - Sustainability
KW - Traceability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85153794823&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.04.008
DO - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2023.04.008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85153794823
SN - 0019-8501
VL - 111
SP - 257
EP - 267
JO - Industrial Marketing Management
JF - Industrial Marketing Management
ER -