Can SMEs in the food industry expect competitive advantages from proactive CSR when CSR trade-offs exist?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeonsoo Kim ◽  
Nandini Bhalla
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Price Differences ◽  
A Company

PurposeThe study aims to examine the effects of proactive vs passive environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), factoring in the moderating effects of price and the mediating effects of company–consumer identification(C-C identification) on consumer responses.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment with general consumer samples was conducted. A randomized 2 (CSR levels: proactive CSR vs passive CSR) × 2 (price as a CSR trade-off: higher price vs lower price) full factorial design was used.FindingsThe study findings revealed that proactive environmental CSR not only engendered more positive C-C identification but also resulted in more favorable consumer attitudes, stronger supportive communication intent and purchase intent. In addition, when a company demonstrates proactive CSR, consumers' C-C identification is generally positive irrespective of price differences, and in turn, more positive reactions follow. When a company takes a passive approach and offers lower prices, respondents showed significantly less positive C-C identification, and less favorable responses. This indicates that passive environmental CSR programs can potentially backfire, especially when combined with lower prices. This study also shows the important mediating impact of C-C identification on consumer responses.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few to explore consumer perceptions of and reactions toward the food industry's environmental CSR programs by degree of CSR involvement and price differences in the context of SMEs. This study's findings provide useful information to SME managers and public relations practitioners who work closely with SMEs, allowing them to make informed strategic decisions, especially when they evaluate the extent of their company's commitment to environmentally proactive CSR practices and its communication to consumers.

Exploring the effects of social media features on the publics’ responses to decreased usage CSR messages

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyejin Kim ◽  
Hao Xu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Public Relations Practitioners ◽  
Corporate Managers ◽  
Message Source ◽  
Social Cause

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the way the message source and presence of positive social cues influence the evaluations (attitude toward the corporate social responsibility (CSR) message and company, and word-of-mouth intention to support the campaign) of the decreased use CSR messages on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach In the context of Facebook, this study adopted 2 (message source: a CSR message in a sponsored ad format vs a CSR message posted by another Facebook user) × 2 (social cue: highly salient, positive social cues vs no social cues) factorial experimental design. Findings The main effects of message source types and presence of positive social cues on decreased usage CSR campaigns proved to be effective in generating better consumer responses to the company and campaign. Research limitations/implications The findings are expected to advance the CSR literature by offering a detailed understanding of CSR campaigns that discourage consumption of the company’s own product to support a social cause. It is suggested to test the effects with other CSR examples to increase the ability to generalize the results further. Practical implications The results suggest campaign strategies on social media for public relations practitioners and corporate managers who work for companies conducting social responsibility campaigns that discourage consumption of their own products. Originality/value This study contributes to the CSR literature by examining the concept of CSR campaigns that advocate decreased usage, which has received scant scholarly attention to date.

Consumer empowerment in corporate social responsibility: the effect of participatory CSR on company admiration and word-of-mouth communications

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyojung Park ◽  
Soo-Yeon Kim
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Consumer Empowerment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Csr Communication ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis study conceptualizes participatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a consumer empowerment strategy and examines the effect of participatory CSR on consumer responses in a social media setting.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a 2 (type of CSR campaign) × 4 (tone of consumer comments) between-subjects experimental design. The sample comprises college students and nonstudent participants recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk.FindingsData indicate that the participatory CSR program leads to higher levels of perceived self-efficacy and social worth, which subsequently results in stronger intentions to spread positive word of mouth about the company’s CSR efforts. The findings suggest that participatory CSR has the power to boost a company’s reputation as an “admired” company through consumer empowerment.Originality/valueThis study advances the scholarship of CSR by explicating participatory CSR communication as a consumer empowerment strategy and providing empirical evidence for the effect of participatory CSR on public responses. The overall findings support the notion that CSR communication as an important function of public relations can generate public engagement with the organization and further co-create meaning with publics for mutual benefit.

Consumer responses to environmental corporate social responsibility and luxury

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Schill ◽  
Delphine Godefroit-Winkel
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Consumer Attitudes ◽  
Shopping Mall ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Consumer Emotions ◽  
Quality Dimensions ◽  
Service Quality Dimensions ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) framework, this study presents an original model examining the influence of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR), luxury and service quality dimensions on consumer emotions that in turn influence consumer attitudes towards the shopping mall. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling is applied to data from a sample of 706 French consumers to test the hypotheses. Findings The results highlight the importance of environmental CSR, luxury and service quality dimensions as stimuli influencing positively consumer emotions, which in turn positively influence consumer attitudes. Research limitations/implications This study extends prior work in the field of services marketing and the S-O-R framework while considering environmental CSR, luxury and service quality dimensions as relevant stimuli. It further contributes to the literature of the shopping mall while examining relevant and unexplored antecedents to consumer emotions. Practical implications This paper provides tailored recommendations for shopping mall managers. It details how managers can use environmental CSR and luxury dimensions besides service quality as relevant stimuli in their positioning strategies to enhance consumer emotions and attitudes. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into shopping mall dimensions, i.e. environmental CSR, luxury and service quality, influencing consumer responses.

The Company and the Product: Corporate Associations and Consumer Product Responses

1997 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom J. Brown ◽  
Peter A. Dacin
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Shopping Mall ◽  
Systematic Research ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Corporate Associations ◽  
Corporate Ability ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
To Receive ◽  
A Company ◽  
Influence Perceptions

Although brand theorists suggest that what a person knows about a company (i.e., corporate associations) can influence perceptions of the company's products, little systematic research on these effects exists. The authors examine the effects of two general types of corporate associations on product responses: One focuses on the company's capabilities for producing products, that is, corporate ability (CA) associations, and the other focuses on the company's perceived social responsibility, that is, corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations. The results of three studies, including one that measures respondents’ CA and CSR associations for well-known companies and one that uses consumers recruited in a shopping mall, demonstrate that (1) what consumers know about a company can influence their beliefs about and attitudes toward new products manufactured by that company, (2) CA and CSR associations may have different effects on consumer responses to products, and (3) products of companies with negative associations are not always destined to receive negative responses. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for marketing managers and further research.

Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility interface: a case study of private equity

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-717 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virgo Süsi ◽  
Krista Jaakson
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Private Equity ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to explore why private equity (PE) cares about corporate social responsibility (CSR) of its investees given their relatively short investment time-horizon and how it designs corporate governance (CG) bundle to achieve both financial and CSR goals of the private firms it invests in. Design/methodology/approach Case study design is applied to get deeper insights on the why and how questions posed. Analysis is based on triangulation of secondary data and in-depth interviews with both PE and their investee firms. Findings The authors find that long-term sustainability supported by CSR increases firm value. They also outline specific CG bundle that the PE uses to achieve both its financial and CSR goals. CG mechanisms appeared to reflect agency theory, but even more resource dependence theory. Practical implications The outlined CG bundle could be used as a template for all types of private firm owners to improve both financial and CSR performance of the firm. Originality/value The paper adds to fragmented area of CG and CSR interface. The authors specifically focus on several under-researched contexts of this interface: private small and medium size firms (SMEs), emerging markets and PE investors.

Consumer responses to corporate offshoring practices

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 698-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Grappi ◽  
Simona Romani ◽  
Richard P Bagozzi
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Regulatory Fit ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Consumer Evaluations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
The Public ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Psychology Theory ◽  
A Company

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer responses to company communication of offshoring strategies and tries to discover which psychological mechanisms govern these responses. To do these, the authors examine offshoring strategy communication from the point of view of Regulatory Focus Theory. Design/methodology/approach – The authors tested the hypotheses in two different studies. Study 1 examines the associations between company offshoring motives and consumer’s prevention or promotion inferences about the company’s practices. Study 2 tests if and how the interaction effect between respondents’ self-regulatory focus and the company offshoring motive affects respondents’ attitude toward the offshoring company. Findings – The study demonstrated that each of three offshoring motives activates unique self-regulatory orientations (promotion or prevention focus) in consumers, and regulatory fit positively affects consumer attitudes toward the offshoring company. Practical implications – Results suggest how to communicate company offshoring decisions to consumers. By trying to instill a particular regulatory focus in the public with their communication tools, companies can create a better match in the public eye, gaining more positive consumer evaluations. Originality/value – This research shows the mechanisms through which consumers respond differently to specific offshoring motives communicated by a company. By building on psychology theory, the study gains insights into the consumer reactions to company offshoring and, to the knowledge, no research to date has examined these mechanisms.

Recency effects in the buffering of negative news by corporate social responsibility advertising

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joon Hye Han ◽  
Gary Davies ◽  
Anthony Grimes
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recency Effects ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Negative News ◽  
Attribution Of Blame ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
A Company

PurposeDrawing from the theory of how relevant items are processed in memory when making judgements, this study aims to test for recency effects between CSR advertising and related, negative news on how a company is perceived and the explanatory roles of environmentalism, attribution and both feelings and attitudes towards the advertising itself.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses between-subjects experimental design with pretests.FindingsOrder effects exist, which, when ads and news are similarly influential, evidence a recency effect. The process is explained by both the mediating influence of attribution of blame and the moderation of this influence by attitude towards the environment. Differences between the effectiveness of ads are explained by the mediating influence of attitudes towards and feelings about the ad together with the moderation of this influence by involvement in the ad context.Practical implicationsCorporate social responsibility (CSR) ads should be pretested in the context of related but negative news, and not just on their own, to ensure they can buffer such news. CSR ads can be more effective when following rather than preceding such news and should not be withdrawn if such a crisis occurs.Originality/valueThe research first attempts to explain recency effects theoretically from the influence of CSR ads on negative CSR-related news. It also shows the determining factors in how such effects influence consumers by considering attribution, environmentalism, attitude to the context and attitude and feelings towards CSR ads.

Organizational culture: does it influence the way a company deals with CSR?

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Sandra Castro-González ◽  
Belén Bande
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company ◽  
Do So

PurposeThis paper aims to show how managers model culture for employees to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices.Design/methodology/approachThe proposal begins by highlighting the importance of culture for CSR implementation and then explains the impact of culture on employees.FindingsCurrently, many companies carry out activities under the CSR umbrella, but they may do so without considering whether their company’s context is ideal for such initiatives. They may also not consider the types of employees composing the workforce or their disposition toward CSR. In these circumstances, organizations may miss out on the added value of CSR practices.Originality/valueThe important influence of CSR practices on employees’ attitudes and behaviors at work requires organizations to implement these types of actions. Therefore, the contextual factors that are most likely to aid in developing and maintaining these practices must be acknowledged. This paper seeks to offer a new perspective to managers and human resource managers regarding the implementation of CSR activities.

scholarly journals Effects of country-of-origin stereotypes on consumer responses to product-harm crises

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Barbarossa ◽  
Patrick De Pelsmacker ◽  
Ingrid Moons
Keyword(s):  
Country Of Origin ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Consumer Ethnocentrism ◽  
Blame Attributions ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Consumer Country ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate “how” and “when” the stereotypes of competence and warmth, that are evoked by a foreign company’s country-of-origin (COO), affect blame attributions and/or attitudes toward a company’s products when a company is involved in a product-harm crisis. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 (n=883) analyzes the psychological mechanisms through which perceived COO competence and warmth differently affect blame attributions and evaluative responses. Study 2 (n=1,640) replicates Study 1’s findings, and it also investigates how consumer ethnocentrism, animosity toward a country, and product category characteristics moderate the hypothesized COO’s effects. Findings COO competence leads to more favorable attitudes toward the involved company’s products. This effect increases when the company sells high-involvement or utilitarian products. COO warmth leads to more favorable attitudes toward the involved company’s products directly as well as indirectly by diminishing blame attributions. These effects increase when consumers are highly ethnocentric, or the animosity toward a foreign country is high. Originality/value This paper frames the investigation of COO stereotypes in a new theoretical and empirical setting, specifically, a product-harm crisis. It demonstrates that consumers differently evaluate a potential wrongdoing company and its harmful products in a product-harm crisis based on their perceptions of a company’s COO competence and warmth. Finally, it defines the moderating effects of individual, consumer-country-related and product characteristics on the hypothesized COO effects.

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