Consumer responses to corporate social responsibility programs

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Lu ◽  
Xia Wei ◽  
Kungchi Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Consumer Involvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Evaluation ◽  
Corporate Associations ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The paper aims to establish a causal relationship model that helps to realize how consumer involvement with the cause moderates the effect of company-cause fit on consumers’ corporate associations, and how their corporate associations regarding a company’s social responsibility programs influence their satisfaction with the company and the company’s corporate image, in the backdrop that the use of corporate social responsibility initiatives to affect consumers’ preference has become a common strategy. Design/methodology/approach – In the main study, the authors conducted a between-subjects factorial design to test the research model. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed, and a valid sample of 389 participants was obtained. Findings – The results show that high-fit programs have a positive influence on the perceived corporate ability (CA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations. CA associations directly influence corporate image and consumer satisfaction, while CSR associations indirectly impact consumer satisfaction through corporate image. Furthermore, consumers’ involvement with the cause increases the relationship between company-cause fit and CA associations. Originality/value – These conclusions have important implications for a better understanding of consumer evaluation of CSR initiatives. Theoretically, this research increases understanding of the interaction effects of perceived company-cause fit and consumer involvement with the cause on consumer evaluation of a company engaged in CSR, and a richer insight into the role of CA and CSR associations in consumer evaluations of companies engaged in CSR campaigns. Managerially, this research shows how managers can choose CSR programs causes that are most likely to promote favorable customer CA and CSR associations, thereby improving the company’s corporate image and customer satisfaction.

Do corporate social responsibility practices yield different business benefits in eastern and western contexts?

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Chen Wei ◽  
Carolyn P. Egri ◽  
Carol Yeh-Yun Lin
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Research Design ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Employee Commitment ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which societal culture has a moderating effect on the business benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – A cross-national research design was conducted using survey data collected from 164 firms in Taiwan and 196 firms in Canada. Findings – We found societal differences in the positive influence of CSR on corporate image and employee commitment. Specifically, we found that the relationships between CSR (customer-oriented and employee-oriented) and corporate image were stronger for Taiwanese firms than for Canadian firms. In addition, employee CSR was found to be more strongly associated with higher employee commitment in Taiwan than in Canada. While customer CSR was associated with enhanced customer loyalty, this relationship was similar for firms in both countries. Research limitations/implications – Multi-informants for data collection and longitudinal research design in future research would be required for further understanding of the relationships among the variables in this study. Practical implications – This paper suggests that the business benefits of customer and employee CSR practices may yield relatively greater competitive advantages in East Asian countries where CSR is not as established or taken for granted as in Western countries. Originality/value – This study draws on the strategic perspective to investigate the value of CSR practices yielding different business benefits in contrasting cultural contexts.

The effect of corporate social responsibility on firm risk

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 324-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Nguyen ◽  
Anna Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Fixed Cost ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Single Measure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aggregate Index ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and risk for a sample of US firms rated by KLD. Design/methodology/approach – The authors’ approach involves three distinctive features. First, the authors use individual indicators of CSR to highlight which CSR dimension matters most for a firm’s risk. Second, the authors distinguish CSR strengths and concerns to reveal potentially nonlinear relationships. Third, the authors use a measure of risk that takes into account the predictable changes in a firm’s performance and that does not collapse the panel data into a single cross-section. This allows the CSR–risk relationship to be estimated by the variation within each firm and the variation across firms. Findings – Consistent with existing results, the authors find that CSR concerns relating to diversity, employee relations and corporate governance increase the risk to shareholders. More interestingly, the authors show that CSR strengths relating to diversity and employee relations are also associated with higher risk. The positive influence of both CSR strengths and concerns on a firm’s risk is confirmed using aggregate CSR indicators. Research limitations/implications – The results confirm that CSR strengths and concerns represent distinct constructs that should not be aggregated into a single measure. The effect of poor CSR on firm risk is more significant than what would appear to be the case using an aggregate index. Practical implications – Although lack of CSR engagement may not affect (and may even benefit) a firm’s current performance, it may seriously damage its performance in the future. Firms should be aware of this risk. Originality/value – The positive relationship found between CSR and firm risk underscores the inherent conflict between the interests of employees and those of shareholders. By committing to a more favorable treatment of their employees, firms incur a fixed cost that inevitably transfers more risk to their shareholders.

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Trust

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Swaen ◽  
Ruben C. Chumpitaz
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Consumer Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

This research aims at analyzing the impact of consumers' perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities on their trust toward the company and at highlighting the underlying mechanisms and conditions of this impact. This paper is based on a questionnaire survey administered to a sample of 618 consumers about cosmetics and sportswear. Results show that consumers' perceptions of CSR activities have a positive influence on their trust toward the company, directly and indirectly through the influence on perceived quality of the products offered and consumer satisfaction.

Exploration of patriotic brand image: its antecedents and impacts on purchase intentions

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufan Li ◽  
Weichen Teng ◽  
Tien-Tien Liao ◽  
Tom M.Y. Lin
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Integrity ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe recent rise of economic nationalism intensifies consumers' patriotic attitudes toward goods or services and thus encourages enterprises to build patriotic brand images. Nevertheless, few studies have discussed how a patriotic brand image is developed. The purpose of this study aims to fill the gap by examining whether and how a positive corporate image helps a domestic brand establish a patriotic brand image and in turn enhances consumers' purchase intentions in relation to domestic brand products.Design/methodology/approachA research model identifying the antecedents of patriotic brand image (the components of corporate image) is proposed and empirically tested using structural equations with a questionnaire investigating Taiwanese college students' attitudes toward Taiwanese smartphone brands. Three competing models are also proposed and tested to confirm the appropriateness of the research model.FindingsIn addition to the widely recognized impact of perceived quality on purchase intentions, patriotic brand image is found to be effective in enhancing local consumers' intentions to purchase domestic brand products. To shape a patriotic brand image, perceived quality, perceived corporate ability and perceived corporate integrity are the direct approaches, while perceived corporate social responsibility works through perceived corporate integrity, and perceived employer brand enhances only perceived corporate social responsibility.Research limitations/implicationsPotential sampling (college students) and subject (smartphones) biases may limit the generalizability of the presented findingsPractical implicationsWhile patriotic appeals have long been used in marketing communication, they are also likely to precipitate negative brand associations (e.g. nationalism), offending consumers in other countries. By contrast, the development of a positive corporate image serves as an implicit and neutral approach to building a patriotic brand image and can help domestic brands attract local consumers with less harm to foreign markets.Originality/valueThis study is one of notably few studies discussing patriotic brand image and its impacts on purchase intentions. This study also identifies the antecedents of patriotic brand image and how each of them affects patriotic brand image. The findings can help guide domestic brands in building a patriotic brand image.

Corporate social responsibility and employee pro-environmental behaviors

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 246-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahid Hameed ◽  
Ikram Ullah Khan ◽  
Tahir Islam ◽  
Zaryab Sheikh ◽  
Safeer Ullah Khan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Organizational Citizenship ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature by examining the influence of a firm’s external CSR activities (efforts directed toward external stakeholders of the firm) and internal CSR activities (efforts directed toward employees) on employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment (OCBE) via organizational pride. The authors also examine the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS) between CSR and organizational pride. Design/methodology/approach A total of 324 questionnaires were collected from the hospitality industry of Pakistan. Findings The results of this research revealed that dimensions of CSR (external and internal) have a positive influence on organizational pride. Also, organizational pride is found as an underlying mediating mechanism between the relationship of CSR and OCBE. The results also indicated that a higher level of POS strengthens the relationship between CSR and organizational pride. Practical implications The findings are limited to only hospitality industry. Organizations can enhance employees’ sense of pride through CSR activities, which subsequently enhance employees OCBE. The findings also suggested that organizational pride contains intrinsic motivation that can help employees to enhance their OCBE. Originality/value This research suggests that organizational pride and POS are important factors which influence the relationship between CSR and OCBE. Further, it also empirically tests this model in a developing country context.

Impact of corporate social responsibility on bank’s corporate image

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 710-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zainab Al Mubarak ◽  
Anji Ben Hamed ◽  
Muneer Al Mubarak
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the corporate image in the banking sector. The focus of the study is on four main components of CSR, which are economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic. Design/methodology/approach A model was used in this study to show the impact of different CSR’s factors on corporate image; (240) banks customers were approached using a questionnaire, where (155) responses were received and (144) valid responses entered for analysis. Findings The findings revealed that customers perceive CSR activities as a main element when dealing with banks. The corporate image is strengthened when banks adopt such activities, and positive and significant relationships were statistically found between CSR activities and corporate image. These activities differ in importance as perceived by banks’ customers. Research limitations/implications Enlarging sample size, involving more stakeholders such as employees and managers, and replicating the study in other countries would enrich the findings. Practical implications Banks are advised to consider the study factors in their activities and act as champions of CSR for the welfare of the society to strengthen their corporate image. Originality/value Many studies have discussed the issue of CSR, but very few are found in the Middle East, particularly in Bahrain, and in the banking sector. This paper calls for more investigation in this area for a better understanding of CSR activities and their effects on the corporate image.

Consumers’ proneness to value corporate social responsibility as predictor of extra-role and intra-role behaviors

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Silva ◽  
António Azevedo ◽  
Minoo Farhangmehr
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Role Behaviors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the perceived importance of economic, ethical/legal and philanthropic dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) can influence the consumer–brand identification (CBI) and the brand identity attractiveness (BI). Moreover, the paper examines how these constructs affect the in-role behaviors (purchasing intention), the extra-role behaviors (feedback, recommendation and word-of-mouth (WOM) and behavioral loyalty. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire collects data using a snow ball/convenience sampling method, obtained in 356 valid responses. The paper adopts both path analysis and structural equation modeling approaches. Findings The importance of CSR is positively correlated with perceived BI and is a significant predictor of loyalty. However, the results do not support the hypothesis that the CSR influences CBI. Research limitations/implications This study proposes a new model describing the antecedents and consequences of buying decision-making. Practical implications Consumers may want to reward those brands that direct part of their budgets to social causes or are truly concerned with the general well-being of society. Social implications The findings confirmed that social responsibility initiatives will improve the corporate image and reputation thus fostering the development of a sense of identification moderated by brand familiarity. Originality/value The major contribution of this paper relies on the proposed conceptual model that provides a holistic approach to the buying decision process, thus facilitating a deeper comprehension of the role of brand’s CSR practices, in particular in self-expression and emotional categories such as perfumes.

Categorizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in B2B markets: the why, when and how

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1172-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Blenkhorn ◽  
H.F. (Herb) MacKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Conceptual Frameworks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Do So

Purpose This paper aims to address the questions of why, when and how business-to-business (B2B) firms engage in sustainability initiatives. The authors believe that this is the first attempt to address all three questions in a single paper, and one of the earliest to focus on these in B2B markets. Design/methodology/approach The sustainability initiatives of B2B firms throughout the value/supply chain were examined. Input data came from external sources and the firms themselves. Two conceptual frameworks were developed, illustrating why firms partake in sustainability initiatives and when and how they may do so. Findings This paper provides two conceptual frameworks that address why, when and how firms get involved in sustainability initiatives, and how they can better communicate their involvement to stakeholders. Research limitations/implications To obtain a broader perspective of B2B firms’ involvement in sustainability initiatives, a variety of third-party sources were used, augmented with data from firm websites. Examples of firms the authors selected were constrained by the collection of firms described in student research papers. Practical implications This paper suggests useful guidelines for firms considering starting or expanding sustainability initiatives by providing frameworks that address why, when and how firms do so, with examples of firms illustrating engagement in each area. It also provides communication guidelines, necessary for enhancing stakeholder relations. Social implications Integrating environmental sustainability within a firm’s strategy can improve corporate image and increase efficiency, while contributing to a better world environment. Originality/value A review of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature indicated that most research has focused on business-to-consumer markets. This paper addresses CSR in B2B markets, examining players at all levels of the value/supply chain: manufacturers, channel intermediaries and end-users.

How does corporate social responsibility create customer loyalty? The role of corporate image

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 409-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mert Gürlek ◽  
Ertugrul Düzgün ◽  
Selma Meydan Uygur
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Independent Hotels ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether corporate image has a mediating effect on the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer loyalty in independent hotels. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from customers of five-star hotels located in Istanbul in Turkey. The theoretical model was tested with 404 usable data. The results were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings Findings show that CSR creates customer loyalty partially through corporate image in the independent hotels. In addition, it was found that the hotels included in the study carried out moderate level of CSR activities. Research limitations/implications The research model was tested in independent five-star hotels. Further studies could be carried out using different independent hospitality companies. In addition, the research was conducted on a limited sample, as hotel managers were not willing to allow direct contact with customers. Further studies could be carried out on larger samples. Practical implications This study recommends that independent hotels carry out more CSR activities on social and environmental issues. In addition, direct effect of CSR on customer loyalty is lower than its indirect effect via corporate image. Therefore, if companies desire to create customer loyalty through CSR, they should introduce their CSR activities to customers via communication tools (website, media etc.) Originality/value This study examines CSR in terms of sustainable development in the independent hotels. Furthermore, it explains relationships between CSR and corporate image and customer loyalty through the principle of generalized reciprocity specified in the theory of social change.

The impact of corporate governance characteristics on banks’ corporate social responsibility disclosure

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Matuszak ◽  
Ewa Różańska ◽  
Małgorzata Macuda
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Csr Disclosure ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Majority Shareholder

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and trend of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting in commercial banks in Poland and examine the link between corporate governance characteristics, namely size of the bank, ownership, boards size, board diversity and CSR disclosures in the banks. Design/methodology/approach The annual reports and CSR reports of the banks were examined between 2008 and 2015 using content analysis and panel data analysis. Findings The results indicate that banks improved their CSR reporting practices during examined period. There are statistically significant differences in the level of CSR disclosures between banks with a different ownership structure. Both foreign majority shareholder group as well as state majority shareholder group have a positive influence on CSR as compared with Polish majority shareholder (PMS) group (excluding State). Moreover, being listed on stock exchange has a positive influence on CSR as compared with not being listed. Further, the results also revealed that there is a significant positive effect of almost all variables related to the management board, namely, size, female board leadership and foreign board members on CSR disclosure, whereas all supervisory board variables and all considered ownership variables have no statistically significant impact on CSR disclosure. Originality/value This research contributes to the existing literature because the banking sector is often excluded from CSR studies due to its specific legal regulations and seemingly little environmental impact. Moreover, there are only few studies analysing the effect of boards characteristics on the banks CSR disclosure, especially in emerging countries. This study is also the first of this kind focusing on the two-tier system. Furthermore, the study provides the instrument to measure CSR in the banking industry. Finally, the research stresses the crucial implications for banking sector, shareholders and regulatory bodies.

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