ABSTRACT
This chapter draws some conclusions about which external governance pressures and internal governance conditions were the most important influences on the sector, and about the characteristics of these conditions that affected their level of influence. It focuses on how one particular stakeholder group, consumers, has influenced corporate strategy and performance. The chapter consolidates the insights on consumers and the retail sector from the case-study chapters. It describes the emergence of consumer interest in climate change, the intensity of this pressure, how these pressures have been perceived by retailers and how retailers have responded. The chapter considers in more general terms the governance processes that influence corporate practice and performance, the manner in which these have been deployed in the retail sector. The evidence from the retail sector demonstrates the important role played by corporate action in determining whether external pressures for action will emerge and the intensity of these pressures.
