scholarly journals Evaluating the factors of corporate website favorability: a case of UK and Russia

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Ageeva ◽  
T.C. Melewar ◽  
Pantea Foroudi ◽  
Charles Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Western Country ◽  
Corporate Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Website ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the significance of the corporate website favorability notion and examines its factors in developing competitive advantage in the context of retail and service settings in the UK and Russia. Design/methodology/approach Based on the attribution, social identity and signaling theories, this study adopted the qualitative exploratory approach by conducting 14 interviews with retail experts and eight focus groups with retail users in the UK and Russia, combined with experts in website design, communication and marketing. Findings The study findings indicated that it is crucial to build and maintain a favorable corporate website that reveals the corporate identity as part of the overall company strategy. The study suggests that navigation, visual, information, usability, customization, security, availability, website credibility, customer service, perceived corporate social responsibility and perceived corporate culture are the factors of corporate website favorability that contribute to the company’s competitive advantage. The findings show that consumers from Russia as well as from the UK found the significance of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability), as well as the factors affecting corporate website favorability. However, consumers in the UK are more critical and demanding in the level of expectation of the website overall and put more weight than consumers from Russia on the perceived corporate social responsibility, perceived corporate culture, customer service and website credibility. Practical implications Corporate website favorability should be adopted by the companies, as part of the overall corporate identity management. Furthermore, it is advised to take into consideration the variations in the level of importance of the factors of corporate website favorability in different countries. The findings of this study suggest that this investigation will make a considerable managerial contribution to the understanding of a company’s decision-makers, communication professionals and website specialists about the building of a favorable corporate website in line with corporate identity strategy of the company. Originality/value There has been little systematic study of the effect of corporate websites on consumer evaluations of the websites; also, there is a lack of research with regard to the factors that contribute to the development of a favorable corporate website (i.e. corporate website favorability). This is the first study of its kind to find the effect of corporate website favorability in Russia, representing a non-western country, and the UK, representing a western country. Therefore, it contributes to the corporate visual identity literature by presenting the corporate website favorability construct and demonstrating the factors that influence corporate website favorability.

Reflections on corporate reputations

2009 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Worcester
Keyword(s):  
Public Relations ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Corporate Identity ◽  
Corporate Image ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Senior Managers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of corporate reputation to the management of contemporary organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe approach takes the form of survey research and case studies. The paper is informed by corporate image and reputation research undertaken for major international corporations, governments and NGOs in the UK and in countries throughout the world dating back to the late 1960s.FindingsThe paper finds that corporate image is an important factor in the success or failure of virtually all major organisations; corporate reputation is the synthesis of many factors: the brand(s) image, the products (and/or services) class image(s), the brand user(s) image, the image of the country of perceived ownership of a corporation, and the corporate culture/personality; corporate reputations can be measured, and changes in corporate reputations can be tracked; and corporate responsibility is replacing corporate social responsibility as an increasingly important factor in how people regard the corporate reputation of organisations.Practical implicationsPolicy makers should actively research and manage their corporate reputation. Familiarity breeds favourability, not contempt. All too often senior managers and their advisers (brand and corporate consultants, design consultants, advertising and public relations advisers, etc.), who have responsibility for the organisation's corporate reputation, muddle the distinctions between corporate reputation, corporate image, corporate identity, corporate personality, corporate culture, and other ways by which the elements of the corporate reputation are defined, and therefore used and measured.Originality/valueThe paper shares some of the lessons learned from 40 years' experience of MORI. The paper also marshals insights from the published output, lectures, and image‐modelling work.

From corporate social responsibility activities to financial performance: role of innovation and competitive advantage

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoor Zahid ◽  
Hina Naeem ◽  
Iqra Aftab ◽  
Sajawal Ali Mughal
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the effect of corporate social responsibility activities (CSRA) of the firm on its financial performance (FP) and analyze the mediating role of innovation and competitive advantage (CA) in the relationship between CSRA and FP in the manufacturing sector of an emerging country, i.e. Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Data has been collected through an electronic structured questionnaire from 300 middle-level and top-level managers by surveying different manufacturing firms of Gujranwala, Pakistan. The study’s hypotheses have been checked by analyzing the reliability and validity of data and applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling through statistical package for the social sciences and analysis of moment structures. Findings Outcomes of this study supported the hypothesized model. It has been found that the CSRA plays a significant positive role in determining the FP of the firm. Furthermore, the CA and innovation have been proved as significant mediators between CSRA and FP. Originality/value The first time examining the intermediation of innovation and CA in the relationship between CSRA and FP is the primary input of this study to the literature. Practically, this study’s findings will help strategy makers of manufacturing firms in emerging countries develop better strategies for implementing CSRA, enhancing innovation, seeking CA and improving FP.

Corporate social responsibility, firm performance and tax risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1101-1130
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Lin ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Simon So ◽  
Desmond Yuen
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Business Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Ethical Work Climate ◽  
Tax Savings ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) can lower tax risk. Previous studies have demonstrated a negative link between CSR and tax aggressiveness. Generally, corporations engaging in social irresponsibility tend to undertake aggressive tax planning; whereas socially responsible firms enjoy tax savings. Because several recent studies have suggested that lower tax payments do not necessarily create higher tax risk, an exploration of the relationship between CSR and tax risk was not only interesting but also important. Design/methodology/approach Using an ethical perspective of CSR, this paper argues that executives who are nourished by an ethical climate tend to make responsible and reliable operating decisions. Therefore, their corporations would have better control of tax administration, and the corresponding tax risk would be constrained. Such corporations would enjoy greater tax savings while keeping their tax risk at relatively low levels. However, this reasoning ignores the fact that limited economic resources would constrain a firm from practicing CSR in the form of donations. This situation would also influence its attitude toward tax strategies. Specifically, when a firm’s performance is unsatisfactory, the cultural effect of CSR may diminish or even disappear. Findings Firms donating additional resources to CSR activities can construct a more ethical work climate that encourages executives to control tax risk while lowering tax expenses. For firms with unsatisfactory performance, the ethical benefits of CSR could disappear, thus suggesting a relationship with firm performance. This finding contributes to the knowledge on the ethical implications of CSR and proposes that the culture argument is conditional on satisfactory firm performance. Originality/value This study explores the association between corporate culture (CSR) and tax risk. The empirical results help shareholders, analysts and other investors to make their business decision better because CSR or corporate culture is less likely to change suddenly or dramatically in an abbreviated time. The finding of this study shed light on the importance of corporate culture on making an investment evaluation or decision. In addition, this study extends the research on CSR by demonstrating that the effects of CSR are conditioned on firm performance. The beneficial effect of CSR on tax risk would disappear when firms have unfavorable financial performance.

scholarly journals Between ethics and law

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Carminati
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Tax Avoidance ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Economic Globalisation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a critical and broad perspective on how transnational companies (TNCs) behave in the global context, focussing its attention on the controversial issue of tax avoidance in the UK. It pursues this aim by taking into account not only economic globalisation, mobility of capital and tax havens but also ethics and corporate social responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThis paper seeks to provide an interdisciplinary viewpoint drawing not only from well-established scholarly literature but also from real cases and evidence, such as the scandals involving corporate giants, such as Starbucks, Google and Amazon in the UK.FindingsThis paper highlights the fundamental interplay and mutual aid of ethics and international laws, underlining the increasing importance of corporate social responsibility principles in today’s business practices. However, it also emphasises the need of reinforcing these principles with either regional or universalistic legal approaches to tackle TNCs’ misconduct in the international arena.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that by establishing and enforcing international business laws, increasingly aligned with ethical principles, the gap between ethics and legislation can be consistently bridged. Hence, TNCs’ behaviour could be more efficiently controlled.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature on modern economic globalisation by providing a comprehensive and integrative perspective on TNCs’ behaviour, accounting for the interplay of socio-ethical, legal and business principles.

Promoting a strategic business focus to balance competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility – missing elements

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan J. Fish ◽  
Jack Wood
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Leadership Teams ◽  
Strategic Human Resource Management ◽  
Shared Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to highlight dysfunctional multi-stakeholder relations and negative business outcomes, evidenced in lose/lose results, exacerbated by failure to acknowledge strategic business focus as a means to redress problematic business thinking and practice amongst key leadership teams associated with achieving balance between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach The reframed strategic business focus has been developed using Eastern philosophy and Western organization theory and refers to four case examples of dysfunctional business thinking and practice. Findings Strategic business focus results from an interdependent and complementary positive mediating relationship between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility, which is moderated by organization culture (organization core values, including shared value) and strategic human resource management (talent and mindset). Research limitations/implications Strategic business focus as proposed has not been empirically tested but seeks to address a conceptualization that competing business and stakeholder agendas are interdependent and complementary. Practical implications Strategic business focus seeks to redress traditional win/lose and lose/lose business outcomes, by supporting win/win results, represented by shared value amongst multi-stakeholders. Social implications Strategic business focus seeks to provide a means whereby corporate social responsibility, particularly the social contract, plays a key role in the decisions and practices of key leadership teams and the behaviour of corporate staff in host environments when seeking competitive advantage. Originality/value Eastern thinking and behaviour are usually undervalued in the western business literature, particularly in western business practice. Joint attention, however, may improve competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility agendas in support of diverse management practices, including shared value.

Research of influence mechanism of corporate social responsibility for smart cities on consumers' purchasing intention

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meier Zhuang ◽  
Wenzhong Zhu ◽  
Lihui Huang ◽  
Wen-Tsao Pan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Corporate Identity ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Influence Mechanism ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to explore the influence mechanism of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for smart cities on consumers' purchase intention. The authors aim to identify the key components of CSR for smart cities based on the perspective of consumers, namely responsibility toward consumers, environment and community and validate their relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors exploit data collected by questionnaire surveys to estimate the effects of CSR for smart cities on consumers' purchase intentions and to investigate the statistical causality between them. The multilinear regression model is used to figure out the different impact levels of the three dimensions of CSR for smart cities on consumers' purchase intention.FindingsThe results illustrate that CSR for smart cities and its three dimensions all have significant positive impacts on consumers' purchase intentions. Besides, consumer–corporate identity (CCI) exerts a partial mediation effect on this influence mechanism.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on a rather small sample size. Besides, due to the time limitation and other factors, some other control variables are neglected in the regression model. Therefore, the impact level could be distorted.Practical implicationsThe authors put forward management implications according to research conclusions. Corporates should actively fulfill the CSR in the field of consumer responsibility to boost consumers' purchase intention. Corporate should strengthen the interaction with consumers to improve their corporate identity.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper is to provide convincing evidence of the impacts of CSR for smart cities on consumer purchase intention (CPI), thus proposing effective measures for corporates to win more consumers by taking on social responsibility for smart cities. This paper takes CCI as mediating variable to deepen the understanding of the impacts of CSR for smart cities on CPI, which is innovative and beneficial to enriching literature in related fields.

Exploring new worlds with corporate social responsibility

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 30-32
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Knowledge Creation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Considers ways in which corporate social responsibility can affect a firm’s value and therefore contribute to creating competitive advantage. More specifically, it includes an examination of the way an organization’s international presence can help with both reputation and knowledge creation. The researchers examined numerous Spanish companies who reflect these issues, including FC Barcelona. The story behind the soccer club’s acquisition of its biggest asset, Lionel Messi, is intriguing. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Corporate social responsibility: a corporate marketing perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1353-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo Hildebrand ◽  
Sankar Sen ◽  
C.B. Bhattacharya
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Corporate Identity ◽  
Social Identification ◽  
Corporate Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe main goal of this paper is to provide an integrative understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) from a corporate marketing perspective, highlighting the critical role of CSR in effective corporate marketing strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual and draws on the social identification, organisational identity and corporate marketing literatures from the European and US schools of thought.FindingsThe paper integrates and builds on extant thinking in corporate marketing and CSR to provide an identity‐based conceptualization of CSR. Based on this, it positions CSR as an optimal managerial tool for promoting alignment between multiple corporate identities (e.g. internal, external), which ultimately leads to key benefits for the company.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to highlight the unique role of CSR in being able to align multiple corporate identities. Furthermore, the paper threads together diverse perspectives on corporate identity and marketing to highlight the potential role of CSR in effective corporate marketing.

The impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and perceived brand quality on customer-based brand preference

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Tingchi Liu ◽  
Ipkin Anthony Wong ◽  
Guicheng Shi ◽  
Rongwei Chu ◽  
James L. Brock
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Brand Preference ◽  
Chinese Consumers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Quality ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate how corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance (i.e. to the environment, society and stakeholders) and perceived brand quality influence brand preference. The mediating effect of perceived brand quality on the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference is also studied. Design/methodology/approach – In 2011, 243 valid responses to questionnaire surveys were collected from a convenience sample in China. Regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings – Customers’ brand preference can be enhanced by CSR performance. Performance in each of the three CSR domains (i.e. environment, society and stakeholders) positively impacts brand preference, although to different degrees. The impact of CSR on stakeholders has the strongest influence on Chinese customers’ brand preference among the three CSR domains. Perceived brand quality was found to be a mediator of the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference. Research limitations/implications – This research studies the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference. Results show CSR performance is not the strongest predictor of branding outcomes, its explanatory power is comparatively weaker than that of perceived brand quality. Additionally, we found a mediating effect of perceived brand quality on the relationship between CSR performance and brand preference. Practical implications – Brands can be more attractive to Chinese consumers when brands take appropriate investments in CSR activities. A socially responsible brand is not guaranteed to yield a competitive advantage. Instead a competitive advantage will more likely result through the employment of the appropriate CSR strategies, with a focus on stakeholders’ interests. Originality/value – The current research contributes to the literature by finding that not all CSR activities are equally effective. Customers in emerging markets still appear to be focused more on the quality of brands and, to some extent, stakeholder CSR practice, as these provide direct benefits to customers. Findings of this study also support the notion that Chinese consumers are beginning to use CSR information to evaluate brands.

Content in the context of welfare configurations: a comparative institutional analysis of self-reporting on corporate social responsibility

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-506
Author(s):  
Brita Backlund Rambaree
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) content in the context of four differing national institutional arrangements for welfare. An analysis is presented on how self-reported CSR differs in content across two western welfare states (the UK and Sweden) and two emerging economies in southern Africa (South Africa and Mauritius). Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a qualitative content analysis of the CSR self-reporting of 40 companies. This involved 10 of the largest companies incorporated in four countries, namely, Sweden, the UK, South Africa and Mauritius. The content is categorised into community involvement, socially responsible production and socially responsible employee relations. For each category, an analysis is provided of the reported issues (the question of what), the geographic focus of reported issues (the question of where) and ways of working with these issues (the question of how), as well as the extent of reporting and level of reporting (the question of how much). Findings The study shows that companies place focus on aspects, issues and localities in ways that differ between countries and can be understood in relation to current institutional arrangements for welfare. The content of self-reported CSR can be both complementing and mirroring the welfare arrangements. Differences in self-reported CSR agendas are particularly evident between the two western welfare states on the one hand and the two emerging economies on the other, as these represent two distinct contexts in terms of welfare arrangements. Originality/value This paper contributes to research on the institutional embeddedness of CSR in three ways: first, by going beyond measures of country differences in terms of extent of CSR to consider differences in CSR content; second, by focusing on the social aspects of CSR and placing these differences in relation to welfare configurations; and third, by contributing with empirical findings on how CSR content differs across national settings and across the established/emerging economy divide.

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