The Multicultural Business of CSR: How to Ensure a Positive Consumer Response

Abstract

Though widely considered to be a force for good, corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can spark negative fallout. What the leaders of a particular firm assume to be beneficial to society may not necessarily be perceived as such by their current and potential customers. In today's globalized market, consumers from varied cultural backgrounds are likely to espouse different norms, values, and beliefs, which will certainly influence their response to CSR programs. To ensure that social responsibility programs further organizational objectives without alienating customers, the leaders of profit‐making entities working in multicultural environments must learn to distinguish between the normative and instrumental grounds for CSR initiatives, factor in the cultural concerns of their stakeholders, and strategically assess the legitimacy of their CSR efforts early in the design and implementation stages. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.