**Author details**

on an income tax return," "I think it is okay to not tell the truth when negotiating the price of a new automobile," and "I think it is okay to download music that I did not actually purchase." These statements were deemed unsuitable and were difficult to understand among the pretest participants. Pretest participants stated that these statements were not relatable to the people of China. As such, in order to more effectively examine Chinese consumers' ethical values, future researchers should consider developing and testing the applicability and reliability of other scales measuring this variable which is more reflective of the Chinese culture. This

Another possible reason for the finding that ethical values are positively related to attitudes of counterfeit goods is that participants, overall, lacked an understanding of the negative consequences of buying counterfeit goods. This result opens an opportunity for further research, investigating the reasons why Chinese consumers do not feel unethical when purchasing counterfeit apparel products. Is it simply because Chinese consumers lack a basic understanding of the negative impacts of the production, distribution, and consumption of counterfeits? An advanced understanding about this would also aid in fostering greater individual social responsibility among consumers in China as it relates to the demand of counterfeits in the marketplace. In order to emphasize individual social responsibility, more effective tools for educating consumers on the destructiveness of counterfeits are warranted. Previous studies have suggested anti-counterfeit education as a potential means in reversing the demand of counterfeit goods [8, 42, 47], but a lack of empirical evidence on this topic currently exists.

This study set out to examine the roles of face-saving values, materialistic values, and ethical values in relation to counterfeit apparel products among Chinese consumers. An analysis of the difference in knowledge and attitudes toward apparel counterfeits was also explored. In previous studies, consumers, around the globe, have been reported to: (1) maintain limited knowledge in respect to individual and corporate socially responsible practices in the apparel supply chain, (2) are unfamiliar with the counterfeiting phenomenon, and (3) are unaware of the negative connotations and illicit activities associated with counterfeits, such as terrorism, child labor, and drug cartels [14, 16, 40, 54–57]. As part of this study, it was discovered that Chinese participants were mostly unaware of counterfeits and unsure of their attitudes toward apparel counterfeits. Participants also held strong face-saving, materialistic, and ethical values, which had a significant impact on their attitudes toward counterfeits. Coupled with the findings reported by previous researchers studying along the same parameters, the results of this study are poignant in encouraging individual social responsibility as it pertains

The findings of this study are also beneficial to Western and Eastern apparel firms in corporate socially responsible thinking and training. Sustainable product development and methods for researching efficient marketing strategies to curb the demand of counterfeits in the Chinese marketplace can produce valuable information. The results of this study serve as reference for other scholars on further examining the subject of counterfeits, sustainability, and social and

to the demand of counterfeits in the global marketplace.

research will involve the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data.

**5. Conclusion**

138 Social Responsibility

Joy M. Kozar<sup>1</sup> \* and Shuyi Huang2

