Stakeholder Response to CSR: The Mediating Role of Authenticity Judgments

Abstract

Research indicates that stakeholder support and engagement can be critical to the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Stakeholders interpret signals and draw conclusions about the motives and authenticity of CSR programs and these assessments influence how stakeholders respond to such programs. Further, values-beliefs-norms theory (VBN) suggests that individual cognitive factors affect stakeholder evaluation of CSR programs. While judgments and attitudes relate to stakeholder behavior, they are incomplete predictors of stakeholder response. The purpose of this study is to integrate VBN theory, authenticity judgments, and theory of planned behavior to examine the influence of stakeholders’ authenticity judgments on the relationship between their environmental attitudes and their responses to corporate sustainability programs. Findings support that authenticity judgments partially mediate, in an additive fashion, the effect of stakeholders’ environmental attitudes on their support for corporate sustainability initiatives. The relationship between environmental attitudes and stakeholder intentions to become engaged with such programs is also shown to be partially mediated by authenticity judgments. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.