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Consumers and Ethical Considerations in the Fashion Industry

Understand how ethics plays a role in consumer behaviour and how this affects decisions in the fashion industry.

A group of models walk the runway wearing fur garments.

Consumers and Ethical Considerations in the Fashion Industry

  • 3 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    3 weeks
  • Weekly study

    2 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Explore approaches that can be used to address ethical dilemmas

The way in which consumers view a fashion brand is hugely influential. With consumer demands becoming increasingly influenced by ethics, fashion companies must align themselves with their consumer ethics to remain competitive.

On this three-week course, you’ll delve into the concept of ethics to help you better understand its role in today’s fashion industry.

You’ll uncover the history of ethics as well as philosophers’ contributions to ethical theory. This knowledge will help you explore the various approaches that can be used to address ethical dilemmas in both everyday life and the fashion industry.

Unpack ethical decisions in the fashion industry

With your knowledge of ethics, you’ll start to connect ethical decision-making to fashion industry applications.

You’ll explore the decisions of both the consumer and fashion companies as you unpack various perspectives related to ethics. This knowledge will help you understand more about your customers and what they consider in their decision-making process, and how this affects the decisions made by fashion companies.

Explore consumer’s ethical behaviour

You’ll identify how consumers seek to exercise positive ethical behaviour in their purchasing choices.

This knowledge will help you explore the barriers consumers face to positive ethical behaviour and how these can be overcome.

Understand the actions of fashion companies with the experts at Bloomsbury Academic

With the knowledge of consumer ethical behaviour, you’ll be able to summarise the effects that fashion companies’ unethical actions can have on consumer decisions.

Guided by the expertise of Bloomsbury Academic, you’ll finish the course with a deep understanding of how ethics influences consumer behaviour and how this in turn affects fashion companies.

What topics will you cover?

  • Values, emotions, and ethics
  • Ethics in the news
  • Ethical dilemmas and approaches to ethics
  • The role of ethics in social media and the fashion industry
  • Consumer sovereignty
  • Consumer information sources
  • The evolving conscientious consumer

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify and explain the concept of ethics
  • Describe the history of ethics and recall major philosophers’ contributions to ethical theory
  • Discuss the various approaches that can be used to address ethical dilemmas
  • Compare ethical decision-making to fashion industry applications, by defining the role consumers play in decisions made by fashion companies
  • Identify ways that consumers seek to exercise positive ethical behavior in their acquisition of goods and services as well as barriers that they might face that limit their ability to exercise positive ethical behavior
  • Identify consumer cohorts and understand the consumer characteristics associated with generational groups, and the effects that fashion companies’ unethical actions can have on consumers’ decisions

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for anyone interested in consumer behaviour and ethics as you learn from top authors V. Ann Paulins and Julie L. Hillery. It is most suited for those working in the fashion industry or with aspirations to.

Who will you learn with?

Astrid deRidder

I lead a team of content experts who work with educators to create, develop and deliver high quality and inspiring content that changes lives.

Who developed the course?

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Bloomsbury Publishing

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes.and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names.

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Fairchild Books

With a history stretching back over more than 100 years, Fairchild Books is a world-leading publisher in the fields of fashion and interior design.

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FutureLearn

FutureLearn is a leading social learning platform and has been providing high quality online courses for learners around the world over the last ten years.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 26 Feb 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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