The contributions of corporate social responsibility in textile and apparel industry toward consumers’ purchase intention: Perceived quality and corporate image as mediators

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays a pivotal role in the development of enterprises and entire industries, serving as a communication bridge between business organizations and consumers. Grounded in the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), this study aims to investigate the contribution of CSR in the textile and apparel industry to consumers’ purchase intentions, with perceived quality and corporate image as mediators. To achieve this objective, the study first formulates hypotheses and a theoretical model based on relevant works. Subsequently, through an extensive review of literature and interview surveys, key indicators for CSR, perceived quality, corporate image, and purchase intention are identified, along with their corresponding scales. These scales are then distributed to consumers to collect questionnaire data, which is further integrated into a stepwise regression model and mediating model to test the theoretical model. The results provide insights into the contribution of various dimensions of CSR to consumers’ purchase intentions and validate the role of perceived quality and corporate image as mediators. There are two contributions out of this work: (1) unveiling the important role of perceived quality and corporate image in connecting CSR and consumers’ purchase intention, offering a novel theoretical framework for the study of sustainable development in the textile and apparel industry and other industries or settings. (2) furnishing the textile and apparel industry with insights to better comprehend and respond to the relationship between CSR, perceived quality, and purchase intention, thereby achieving more substantial economic and social benefits.