Corporate Social Responsibility History Research Articles

The effect of perceived CSR effort on consumer brand preference in the clothing and footwear sector

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the influence of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort on consumer preference in the case of brands with different CSR histories in the clothing and footwear sector.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the conjoint analysis method and analyzes a sample of 381 French consumers. Two sports brands were tested in this experiment: Nike and Patagonia.FindingsThe results show that despite the sensitivity of the respondents to the social and environmental conditions involved in the manufacture of the shoes they purchase, they mainly preferred Nike – regardless of its shorter CSR history and significant criticism for social issues in its value chain. Customer recognition of a greater CSR effort by Patagonia does not seem to change this preference.Research limitations/implicationsOne fictional product was tested, and the two selected brands have different levels of recognition by French consumers. To strengthen the external validity of the results, it would be interesting to repeat the study using other, real products and other brands with a similar offer on the market and level of consumer awareness.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that the ethical dimension of the product should not be put forward as the main selling point, but rather as an added value for the product.Originality/valueAlthough there has been an increasing number of studies of consumer behavior toward ethical attributes in recent years, none to date have compared this behavior for products of ethical brands with different CSR histories.

Corporate Apology After Bad Publicity: A Dual-Process Model of CSR Fit and CSR History on Purchase Intention and Negative Word of Mouth

This article proposes and tests a dual-process model of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Building on the framing theory and associative network theory, the authors examine how including statements about a company’s CSR fit and CSR history in apology statements can affect purchase intention and negative word of mouth (NWOM). Perceived integrity, attitude toward the apology statement, and attitude toward the company are sequential mediators that will subsequently affect purchase intention and NWOM. The results show that CSR fit will positively affect purchase intention and negatively affect NWOM through increased perceived integrity and attitude toward the apology statement, which will positively affect their attitude toward the company. The findings also show that CSR history will positively affect purchase intention and negatively affect NWOM through increased perceived integrity and attitude toward the apology statement, which will positively affect their attitude toward the company.

Examining the effectiveness of using CSR communication in apology statements after bad publicity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to understanding the effects of framing apology statements with corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications after a company has suffered negative publicity. Specifically, this study examined the role of CSR fit on consumers’ skepticism toward the apology statement and attitude toward the company compared to a no-CSR message condition. In addition, the study also analyzed the interaction effects between CSR fit and history on skepticism toward the apology statement and attitude toward the company.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (CSR fit: high or low) × 2 (CSR history: long or short) between-subject design was employed to examine the hypotheses. In addition, a no-CSR message group without any mention of CSR activities was included. To test the hypothesized constructs of main interest (i.e. CSR fit and CSR history) and incremental validity in the same set of model equations, this study used a hierarchical regression approach.FindingsThe high CSR fit condition led to less skepticism toward the apology statement and a more positive attitude toward the company than the no-CSR message condition did. The low CSR fit condition, in contrast, led to more skepticism toward the apology statement and a less positive attitude toward the company than the no-CSR message condition did. In addition, the results showed that the interaction effects between CSR fit and history will predict skepticism toward the apology statement and attitude toward the company.Originality/valueThere is little research on the effectiveness of high (congruent) and low (incongruent) CSR fit compared to a no-CSR message condition. To address this gap, this paper compared the effectiveness of the two conditions to a no-CSR condition.

The Role of CSR in Crises: Integration of Situational Crisis Communication Theory and the Persuasion Knowledge Model

Despite widespread discussion of the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on consumer perceptions, little research has examined how consumers cope with CSR-based crisis response messages as a bolstering strategy. To fill this gap, we propose a framework integrating situational crisis communication theory with the persuasion knowledge model, applying the model to an experiment with a 2 (topic knowledge − crisis type: accidental vs. intentional) × 2 (persuasion knowledge− CSR motives: intrinsic vs. extrinsic) × 2 (agent knowledge− CSR history: long vs. short) between-subjects factorial design. In Study 1, we found interaction effects between CSR motives and crisis type on word-of-mouth intention and purchase intention. In addition, inferences about CSR motives interacted with perceptions about CSR history on purchase intention. In Study 2, we replicated study 1 and found that crisis responsibility mediated the main effect of crisis type on behavioral intentions, but neither the main effect of CSR motives and CSR history nor the interactions effects among those variables were mediated by crisis responsibility. Our results indicate that consumer inferences from a company’s CSR-based crisis communications play a significant role in increasing consumer behavioral intentions in two situations: when a crisis is accidental and when a CSR history is short. Ethical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Handling negative publicity

PurposeBased on the framing theory and the associative network theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model that examines the impact of employing corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication in apology statements after negative publicity. Specifically, this study examines the role of CSR fit and CSR history in reducing anger and negative word-of-mouth (NWOM). This study also examines whether perceived CSR motivation and skepticism toward the apology statement mediate the effect of CSR fit and CSR history on anger and NWOM.Design/methodology/approachThis study was a 2×2 between-subject design manipulating CSR fit (high or low) and CSR history (long or short).FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that strategically employing CSR communication in an apology statement after negative publicity may reduce negative consumer reactions.Originality/valueThe effects of CSR history and CSR fit have been studied in different contexts, but the effects of mentioning the two components in terms of apology statements had been understudied. This paper fulfills an identified need to study how employing CSR communication in apology statements after negative publicity can mitigate negative audience reactions.

When a good company transgresses: A study of the influences of CSR, moral decoupling, and ethnocentrism

Transgressions can result in negative consequences, especially when committed by global companies. Some of the biggest multinational companies in the world take extra steps to be socially responsible and to have positive reputations in domestic and foreign markets. Despite the extra steps that may be taken, it is a common occurrence for some of these companies to commit transgressions. The knowledge of the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) history and the country of origin of transgressing companies is scarce in studies that examine the consumers’ reasoning process to forgive or not to forgive the transgression. While the moral reasoning process to forgive transgressions has been examined in instances with public figures, studies are lacking in the instance of companies. This study will bridge these gaps by examining the effects of CSR history and consumer ethnocentrism on the evaluation of companies before and after transgressions. This study will also examine the effects of company evaluations before and after transgressions in the reasoning process of consumers. The authors conclude the study by discussing implications for marketing managers and the potential for further research.

Bombay textile mills: exploring CSR roots in colonial India

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the Bombay textile mills of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to provide an account of the roots of business–society relationship in India and contribute to postcolonial perspectives on corporate social responsibility (CSR). This search is premised on the understanding that India has embarked on industrialisation from a set of productive relations that differ from European feudalism. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study have been obtained from published works on Bombay Textile Mills such as Chandavarkar (1994, 2008), Morris (1965), Wolcott (2008) and Clark (1999) and some Annual Reports of Bombay Mill Owners Association. Further Kydd (1920) has been used for history of factory legislation in India. Findings Evidence suggests that practices in mills were informed by notions of custom and fairness, which resulted in flexible hours, socially acceptable wage outcomes and work sharing. Individual reputations built through use of discretion within networks of patronage spanned both workplace and neighbourhood, interlinking the social, ethical, political and economic lives of owners, jobbers and workers. Jobbers’ authority was earned in return for providing support to a production process, mirroring Birla’s (2009) “layered sovereignty” differing markedly from delegated managerial authority. Workers’ share in surplus value was important along with autonomy, both of which were negotiated through customary networks and protest. Research limitations/implications The paper suggests that a postcolonial approach to CSR implies an expansive notion of responsibility that goes beyond a Western focus on wages to encompass worker autonomy and countervailing power. Postcolonial accounts of CSR history can only be understood as emerging from a triadic interaction of imperial interest, subordinated native business and native societal relationships. This contrasts with conventional approaches that look at CSR’s emergence simply as a process internal to that society. Account of Indian CSR trajectory is in part a journey of native business from responsible practices to a messy tessellation of legal exploitation and illegal customary concerns. Practical implications The findings of this paper suggest that it is possible that customary practices of care and concern might still be surviving in Indian business even if only in the illegal and informal realm. Thus CSR programs in the Indian context might be useful to bring to centre stage these customary practices. Originality/value This study documents the evolution of business–society relations in a post-colonial context and shows how they are different from the Western trajectory.

The effect of bad reputation: The occurrence of crisis, corporate social responsibility, and perceptions of hypocrisy and attitudes toward a company

Based on attribution theory, this study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and media coverage of corporate reputation, crisis, and CSR history affect the attribution of corporate hypocrisy and subsequently shape attitudes toward a company. The study found that perceptions of corporate hypocrisy mediated corporate reputation and attitudes toward a company during a crisis. The study suggested that CSR might be utilized best when a company has a good reputation with no crisis, whereas corporate hypocrisy is perceived most when a bad reputation and/or a company crisis lead the public to infer ulterior motives in CSR. Theoretical and practical implications for corporate communication and effective CSR communication strategies are discussed.

“Too Good to be True!”. The Effectiveness of CSR History in Countering Negative Publicity

Corporate crises call for effective communication to shelter or restore a company’s reputation. The use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims may provide an effective tool to counter the negative impact of a crisis, but knowledge about its effectiveness is scarce and lacking in studies that consider CSR communication during crises. To help fill this gap, this study investigates whether the length of company’s involvement in CSR matters when it uses CSR claims in its crisis communication as a means to counter negative publicity. The use of CSR claims in crisis communication is more effective for companies with a long CSR history than for those with a short CSR history, and consumer skepticism about claims lies at the heart of this phenomenon.

Sea change: Santa Barbara and the eruption of corporate social responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs have proliferated among the world's largest corporations. While the lion's share of scholarly attention has been devoted to the competitive advantage of CSR as a branding strategy, very little notice has been taken of CSR's history, particularly the emergence of CSR programs during the politically turbulent l960s and l970s. The paucity of historical attention has led to several distortions, including the failure to recognize CSR's origins as a survivalist reaction to crisis, and the resulting overemphasis of CSR as an unambiguously ethical model of managerial proactive effectiveness. Based on an examination of newspaper records of a politically crystallizing oil spill in the waters off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, and an analysis of CSR's market penetration and rhetoric, this paper offers an alternative framework for reexamining corporate social responsibility.