HOW CONSUMERS MAY JUSTIFY INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR IN MARKET SETTINGS -AN APPLICATION ON THE TECHNIQUES OF NEUTRALIZATION

Consumer-initiated fraud is an ongoing problem for marketers, The abil ity of marketers to combat the problem is undermined by the fact that otherwise principled individuals often selectively engage in consumer fraud. The techniques of neutralization (Sykes and Matza, 1957) are in vestigated as a possible explanation for how consumers may diminish th eir perceived guilt for their inappropriate behaviors in retail settin gs. The techniques of neutralization appear more appropriate as an exp lanatory framework in situations that involve the unethical dispositio n, as opposed to the acquisition, of retailing goods. Approaches by wh ich retailers might be able to reduce unethical disposition behavior a re discussed.