The joint effect of corporate social irresponsibility and social responsibility on consumer outcomes

Abstract

The questions of when and what consumer outcomes corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) would elicit when both are present in the same company remain unclear. This study conducted two between-subjects experiments that explored the independent and interaction effects of CSR/CSI order (CSI first, CSR first, or CSR/CSR at the same time), CSR-CSI domain congruity (congruent or incongruent), and the CSR commitment (high or low) on different consumer reactions. Based on two samples (Study 1 N = 361, Study 2 N = 291) recruited in the United States, the results showed that consumers' negative responses toward the company were stronger when CSI followed CSR than vice versa. Specifically, CSI following CSR triggered consumers’ perceived corporate hypocrisy, which in turn led to negative behavioral intentions. Furthermore, we found that companies face more backlash from consumers if their irresponsible behavior was in the same issue domain (versus different domain) as prior CSR.