Chinese Consumer Ethical Beliefs: A Scale Development and Comparison

Based on the Muncy-Vitell Consumer Ethics Scale (CES), this study develops a Chinese version of CES. Three dimensions are added, they are (1) consumer hegemony, (2) uncivil or discourteous acts in public and (3) drawing upon public funds or resources for personal consumption. The study also compares the present scale with the previous ones. Results show that ´passively benefiting acts´ were considered as more ethical than those obtained from previous studies. In addition, in Chinese consumers mind, ´uncivil or discourteous acts in public´ is as unethical as ´actively benefiting from illegal activities´. The reasons for these interesting findings are discussed.