What is Perceived Unfairness

While consumerism seems to be on the rise in many societies, little attempt has been made to link consumerism to unethical behavior and its antecedents namely work ethic and perceived unfairness. The purpose of this study is to compare female and male perceptions of work ethic, unethical behavior and consumerism, and use this as a basis to examine whether unethical behavior and its antecedents explain consumerism in an emerging market context where consumer protection is at a minimum. Based on a cross sectional survey research design, this study uses valid measures from previous studies to collect data from a systematic sample of students from a large private university, Findings indicate that women and male students do not differ much on most of the items on the three scales. Further the study finds a direct link between perceived unfairness, unethical behavior and consumerism, while work ethic and consumerism are mediated by unethical behavior. Implications for government and business organizations are discussed.