Social Responsibility Image Research Articles

Enhancing CSR and purchase intent in service recovery: investigating the interplay of prosocial compensation, hedonic and luxury purchases

Purpose As a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) image can protect from the backlash of a service failure, it is important to remind customers of the company’s CSR commitment when a service failure occurs. One novel mechanism for doing so is through a prosocial service recovery. However, explorations of such service recovery strategies are relatively unknown. Thus, this paper aims to examine how recoveries including prosocial elements compare to those only utilizing monetary compensation strategies and to explore boundary conditions for such effects. Design/methodology/approach This research utilizes an experimental design approach across three studies. Participants were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Findings This research demonstrates that a recovery including prosocial (vs only monetary) elements can positively impact purchase intent through the firms’ CSR perceptions. The authors show that the benefits of prosocial compensation are contingent on the motivation for visiting a company (e.g. hedonic vs utilitarian) as well as the degree to which the company is perceived as luxurious. Originality/value The series of studies provides important theoretical contributions to services marketers by advancing the understanding of novel recovery strategies and demonstrating when companies should initiate such strategies. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are explored.

Construction of Overseas Social Responsibility Image of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises Based on Corpus: Overseas Social Responsibility Image of Chinese State-Owned Enterprises

As the "cornerstone" of the socialist economy with Chinese characteristics and the "pioneer" in expanding international markets, state-owned enterprises' overseas social responsibility image directly affects the nation's image and reputation. Drawing on the latest achievements in discourse analysis, this study constructs a multidimensional analytical framework for the overseas social responsibility image of Chinese state-owned enterprises based on a corpus. Using state-owned enterprise social responsibility reports as the corpus, the study examines the linguistic features of the texts and the constructed social responsibility image from the perspectives of thematic words and phrases, intertextuality and interdiscursivity, modal verbs, and explores the underlying socio-cultural context. The findings of the research are as follows: 1) State-owned enterprise social responsibility reports construct multiple social responsibility images, including those of loyal party patriots, guardians of social stability and sustainability, practitioners of shared prosperity, industry leaders, and promoters of firm theoretical beliefs, thereby promoting traditional culture. 2) Furthermore, the reports exhibit positive traits such as openness, diversity, innovation, inclusivity, moderation, and friendliness. The research also indicates that the multifaceted and three-dimensional corporate social responsibility image of state-owned enterprises is closely related to their unique mission and status, as well as China's distinctive cultural context. This study also aims to provide insights into the construction of social responsibility images for non-state-owned enterprises.

Trust in Corporate Image and Its Impact on Customers' Loyalty

Customer loyalty plays an important role in Industrial production and service. This banking industry is an industry based on the principle of trust (agent of trust), so it is necessary to create an image first so that prospective customers grow trust in our company first. The phenomenon that occurs in the field today seems to be starting to show a decline in customers due to several current economic conditions, customers who often use credit are starting to decline but prefer to switch to savings products even though the credit process is easy and fast, competing with commercial banks. Research objectives (1) to analyze the effect of corporate ability image and corporate social responsibility image on trust; (2) Analyzing the influence of corporate ability image and corporate social responsibility image on loyalty; (3) Analyzing the influence of corporate ability image and corporate social responsibility image on loyalty through trust; (4) Analyzing the effect of trust on loyalty. The research method is descriptive quantitative method. The sampling method used in this study is Accidental Sampling, which is a sampling technique carried out by appointing anyone or by chance provided that they have used a product from a BPR. Corporate ability image has a positive and significant impact on customer trust. Corporate Social Responsibility Image has a positive and significant influence on customer trust. Corporate Ability Image affects customer loyalty through trust. Corporate Social Responsibility Image affects customer loyalty through trust affects customer loyalty. Trust has a significant influence on customer loyalty.

How does green operational policy impact on corporate social responsibility and enterprise image Evidence from South Korean construction enterprises

How does green operational policy impact on corporate social responsibility and enterprise image Evidence from South Korean construction enterprises

CSR Image and Customer Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Customer Trust and Customer Loyalty

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) image on customer satisfaction in the context of the banking sector of Pakistan. Further, the intervening role of customer trust and customer loyalty in the relationship between CSR image and customer satisfaction is also examined.
 Design/Methodology/Approach: Present research is quantitative in nature and collects the data through structured questionnaires. By employing the Smart PLS technique to test the proposed hypothesis.
 Findings: This study reveals the following salient findings: 1) the response of CSR image to customer satisfaction is positive (p<0.01); 2) customer trust and customer loyalty both significantly mediates the impact of CSR image on customer satisfaction.
 Implications/Originality/Value: Based on novel findings, the current study will help the organizations to realize the significance of CSR practices to enhance the customers’ satisfaction level.

An Examination of The Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Image and Customer Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Customer Attitude

This study aimed at understanding the effects of corporate social responsibility, corporate image, customer attitude, and customer loyalty. The method used for this study was causality and non-probability sampling and purposive sampling were used as the data collection methods. The data source in this study was primary data collected using questionnaire instruments. The number of samples of the study was 100 respondents. The data analysis model in this study used path diagrams in the form of regression equations. The results of the statistical study showed that: (1) Corporate social responsibility and customer immunity both partially and simultaneously had a positive effect on customer attitude, (2) Corporate social responsibility and corporate image, both partially and simultaneously, had a positive effect on customer loyalty. (3) Corporate social responsibility, customer image, and customer attitude simultaneously had a significant effect on customer loyalty. Partially, only corporate social responsibility and customer image had a significant effect on customer loyalty, while customer attitude had no significant effect. (4) The customer attitude variable was able to mediate the effects of corporate social responsibility and customer image on customer loyalty.

Kurumsal Sosyal Sorumluluk, Tüketici-Firma Özdeşleşmesi, Marka Prestiji ve Satın Alma Niyeti Arasındaki İlişki

Bu makale, kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk, tuketici-firma ozdeslesmesi, marka prestiji ve satin alma niyeti arasindaki iliskiyi analiz etmektedir. Arastirma kisminda toplamda 270 tuketici uzerinde anket uygulanmistir. Elde edilen bulgulara gore ku - rumsal sosyal sorumluluk imajinin, marka prestiji ve tuketici-firma ozdeslesmesi uzerinde pozitif etkisi vardir. Marka presti - ji, tuketici-firma ozdeslesmesini pozitif olarak etkilemektedir. Tuketici-firma ozdeslesmesi ise satin alma davranisini olumlu olarak etkilemektedir. Tuketici-firma ozdeslesmesi ayni zamanda kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk imajinin tuketicilerin satin alma niyetine olan etkisini yonlendirmektedir. Bu sonuc gostermektedir ki kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk imaji tuketicilerin firma ile ozdeslesmesini saglamakta ve bu da satin alma niyetine olumlu yansimaktadir.

Organic food corporate image and customer co-developing behavior: The mediating role of consumer trust and purchase intention

The impact of organic food corporate image on customers' surpassing purchasing behavior is absent in prior literature. Based on the S–O-R framework, the current study focuses on organic food member customers to explore the influence of corporate ability (CA) image and corporate social responsibility (CSR) image of organic food company on the consumption behavior and co-developing behavior of customers. The consumer samples came from 269 member customers of an organic food enterprise in southwest China. The results show that organic food company CA and CSR image positively affect consumer trust and co-developing behavior. CSR image enhances consumer trust and co-developing behavior than CA image does. Additionally, consumer trust and purchase intention play a multi-step mediating role in the relationship between corporate image (CA and CSR) and consumers' co-developing behavior. In conclusion, our findings provide new insights for understanding the relationship between the corporate image of organic food and the co-developing behavior of customers. The research results provide support for organic food companies that can effectively promote consumer trust, continuous purchase, and active engagement in the co-development of products and services by creating an image of ability and social responsibility.

Can donations be too little or too much?

Purpose Charities depend on giving behaviors of organizations to fulfil their purpose, whereas corporations seek to improve their image in return. Accordingly, the purpose of this research is to investigate optimal donation thresholds for organizations to enhance their corporate social responsibility (CSR) image. Design/methodology/approach Experiment 1 (N = 482) tests whether CSR image improves with donation amount up to the point at which it becomes excessive (H1) and whether this point differs between firms in a positive versus negative economic situation (H2). Experiment 2 (N = 432) examines the role of consumer attribution of firm motives through mediation of these effects (H3), while also exploring consumer donation expectations by testing an “undefined” amount. Experiment 3 (N = 400) validates the role of attributions through the moderating effect of motives. Findings The experiments demonstrate an optimal interval between inferior and superior donation amounts that maximize the impact of corporate giving on CSR image through the attribution of society-serving motives. Furthermore, the economic situation of the company alters these thresholds – higher donations are required to positively influence the CSR image when the company is in a favorable situation. Research limitations/implications This research answers a long-term call to provide more reliable tools on which to base charitable giving decisions. It also identifies perceived donating motives as the psychological process underlying consumers’ response to donation magnitudes. Practical implications The authors determine psychological donation thresholds by examining amounts perceived as insignificant in comparison to excessive and provide managers with an easy-to-implement method to determine optimal donation amounts from their target market. Originality/value By examining charitable giving at the micro-level, this research provides practical advice to companies on how to determine, ahead of time, how much to donate and what exactly to communicate in which economic situation.

Corporate social responsibility image and emotions for the competitiveness of tourism destinations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perception of tourists in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the city of Porto as a tourism destination in three main domains as follows: community, environment and customer’s perception on the effect of the creation of corporate social responsibility image (CSRI) and if this produces a direct effect in brand love (BL). At the same time, it evaluates the effect of tourist engagement in the BL destination.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 958 complete answers that were collected through a questionnaire, which was administered to tourists in the city of Porto is used. The exploratory factor analysis, the confirmatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling are appliedto analyze the data.FindingsEmpirical results indicate that the city of Porto should invest to increase the CSR activities to develop a positive CSRI in the tourist’s perceptions, thus reinforcing their emotions and engagement. The feelings of BL and brand engagement (BE) are sensations characterized by a strong character that can increase the competitiveness of a tourism destination with favourable and unique associations.Practical implicationsThis is the first time that this evaluation has been carried out for the city of Porto, providing useful information to design the destination’s brand identity so as to differentiate it from other competing destinations.Originality/valueThis research aims to fulfil the aforesaid gaps related to the effect of the three dimensions of CSR in the consumer perceptions of CSRI applied to tourism destinations and use the BE and the consumer perception of CSRI to establish a positive relationship, as a BL, with a city destination.

CSR Image Construction of Chinese Construction Enterprises in Africa Based on Data Mining and Corpus Analysis

Since there is negative coverage of some western media on the business activities of Chinese overseas enterprises, which has adverse impact on the image of Chinese enterprises and even the national image of China, this study aims to detect the corporate social responsibility image (hereafter CSR image) of Chinese construction enterprises in Africa (hereafter CCEA) through analyzing the coverage of Financial Times (hereafter FT) from the UK and The Wall Street Journal (hereafter WSJ) from the US and dig up the motives behind their coverage. Octopus is first applied to mine and collect the reports data on CCEA from 2011 to 2019 by the two media. Two small corpora including the reports are then built. NVivo is next used to do the statistical analysis and clustering analysis of the keywords in two corpora as a whole and AntConc is finally utilized to do the statistics of high-frequency evaluative adjectives and nouns modified by evaluative adjectives as well as the concordance of the low-frequency words but closely relevant to corporate social responsibility (hereafter CSR) in two corpora, respectively. The results of the detailed analyses of the keywords are combined to unveil the CSR image of CCEA, which is followed by a discussion about the motives behind the coverage and finally some suggestions are put forward to improve the CSR image of CCEA. Theoretically, the present study promotes the interaction among data science, management, communications, and linguistics; practically it offers some advice to CCEA to elevate their CSR image.

Solar Bait: How U.S. States Attract Solar Investments from Large Corporations

Past solar adoption literature has focused primarily on households without significant attention to the potential of commercial properties as sites for solar generation. We examine firms’ decisions to install solar panels on their properties using state and firm level data from the U.S. We are interested in the effects of state level characteristics, including policies and regulations, on firm decisions regarding solar investments. We find that state characteristics that influence the return-on-investment from solar installations, most notably solar intensity, are important for commercial adoption decisions. Further, the results suggest that certain state level policies, including solar carve-outs in renewable portfolio standards, financing programs and tax breaks, can incentivize firms to install solar panels. Across different model specifications, we observe that firm installation decisions are correlated with personal electric vehicle ownership rates. This may indicate a ‘green’ business marketing strategy, whereby firms install solar to improve their social responsibility image.

Does Fashionization Impede Luxury Brands’ CSR Image?

To sustain their growth worldwide, luxury brands are increasingly adopting the codes of fast fashion. They continually introduce new designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to stay on-trend, resulting in short and constantly renewed collections. But does this fashionization impede luxury brands’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) image? This article investigates this question building on the ephemerality–scarcity dual-route model. Findings from a first experiment involving a fictitious luxury brand show that fashionization increases both perceptions of ephemerality (negative route) and scarcity (positive route), with opposing resulting effects on the brand’s CSR image. Extending these results to a real-life luxury setting, findings from a second experiment show that the influence of fashionization on the brand’s CSR image is only mediated by the positive scarcity route. This study provides a number of noteworthy theoretical insights and relevant managerial implications for luxury managers involved in CSR communication.

COMPANY CREDIBILITY: A TOOL TO TRIGGER POSITIVE CSR IMAGE IN THE CAUSE-BRAND ALLIANCE CONTEXT IN INDONESIA

Purpose of study: This research aims to analyze the mediating effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) image in the effect of company credibility dimensions (trustworthiness and expertise) on participation intention, in the cause–brand alliance (CBA) context.
 Methodology: The sample design which is used is purposive sampling with the sample criteria as the stakeholders of the University of Lampung, Indonesia. Data were collected by direct interview. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses with 160 university’s stakeholders, using purposive sampling.
 Result: The results show that trustworthiness and expertise have a directly positive significant effect on CSR image. However, expertise statistically has a greater positive significant effect on consumer participation intention toward the CBA than trustworthiness. This finding is contrary to the contrast-effect theoretical framework (Dean, 2003) and balance theory (Heider, 1958). Newly finding is that CSR image considered a mediating role in the effect of trustworthiness and expertise credibility on participation intention.
 Implications: This implies that in the context of CBA, the company’s trustworthiness and expertise can be a more useful tool to trigger the positive CSR image in encouraging the stakeholders’ perception to buy the products and services or brand of the company implementing CSR, because CBA practices are considered as a genuine social cause, not as a promotion tool.
 Novelty/Originality of this study: In this study, the collected data uses the cross-sectional design and the CBA context uses CBA practices implemented by agriculture, education service, beverage industry, and a bank stated-owned enterprise.

The role of environmental CSR practices on the formation of behavioral intentions in a certified hotel context

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationships among green practices, environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) image, customers’ trust and their behavioral intentions in a certified hotel context and examine the moderating effect of customers’ involvement in the buying process.Design/methodology/approachA survey was used to collect data from Spanish hotel customers. A structural equation model was developed to assess the research hypotheses.FindingsConsumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels has a direct effect on their behavioral intentions. Environmental CSR image has a direct effect on consumers’ trust on environmentally certified hotels, but it does not exert significant influence on consumers’ behavioral intentions. Additionally, the results support a positive and significant influence of consumers’ perceptions of green practices on the environmental CSR image of hotels. Finally, there is not a moderating effect of consumers’ involvement on the effects of green practices on CSR environmental image and of this variable on behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implicationsTo cross validate the results of this study, it is recommended that the formation of behavioral intentions in various types of environmentally certified hotel settings be investigated in future research.Practical implicationsHospitality managers should design strategies to raise the perception of the green-related features of environmentally certified companies.Originality/valueNo prior study investigates the relationship between green practices, customers’ trust, their degree of involvement in the buying process and their behavioral intentions in relation to companies’ environmental CSR image in the hotel sector.

Cause-related marketing strategy types: assessing their relative effectiveness

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of four types of cause-related marketing (CRM) strategies on consumer responses to a fashion brand and to assess the relative effectiveness of each.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment was conducted with young adult consumers (n=344) and undergraduates (n=415). Using a between-subject design, each participant was randomly assigned to one of four CRM scenarios and completed a questionnaire.FindingsAcross all CRM conditions, the effect of CRM strategy on consumer responses (e.g. perceived brand distinctiveness/credibility/attractiveness, customer–brand identification, brand attitude, customer loyalty) was significant. The effect of corporate social responsibility image on perceived brand distinctiveness was strongest for cause-related event marketing, followed by cause-related experiential marketing, transaction-based CRM and sponsorship-linked marketing.Practical implicationsBy providing information about the relative effectiveness of four types of CRM strategies, this research aids fashion marketers in their selection of the CRM strategy that generates the best performance. Adding an event component to their CRM activity would increase the effect of CRM strategies on consumer responses.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the extant literature on CRM by identifying types of CRM strategies, their relative effectiveness, and key variables (e.g., C–B identification) that explain the impact of CRM strategies on consumer responses.

CSR and Customer Outcomes: The Mediating Role of Customer Engagement

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) image positively affects customer outcomes. Despite researchers’ interest in the investigation of company favoring outcomes still, there is a need to further examine the psychological mechanisms that generate these outcomes. Customer engagement (CE) is a state of mind that drives customer behavior. The role of CE has been fully ignored in CSR literature. We suggest that CSR engenders CE and examine the mediating role of CE between CSR and behavioral outcomes. A survey of 455 customers of banking services in Pakistan provided empirical evidence for hypothesis testing. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. We find that CSR image induces CE that gives rise to behavioral responses i.e., customer loyalty, word-of-mouth (WOM) and customer feedback. This is the first study to examine the impact of CSR on customer feedback and to investigate the mediating role of CE.

The effect of customer citizenship in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on purchase intention: the important role of the CSR image

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether the corporate social responsibility (CSR) image of a firm is influenced by consumer citizenship and the consumer’s involvement in CSR and the extent to which this affects purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachA total of 304 usable responses were obtained from a sample of 313 consumers who were 18 years of age or older.FindingsThe result of study indicates that consumer citizenship and involvement in CSR activities have significant effects on CSR image, and that consumer citizenship has a significant effect on involvement in CSR activities. CSR image also has a positive effect on product attitude but no significant influence on purchase intention.Originality/valueThe consumer perception of a firm’s CSR image is an important factor to consider while implementing CSR strategies; therefore, it is strategically important to understand the antecedents and consequences of creating a positive CSR image because of its effect on the responsible purchasing behavior of people who adhere to strong consumer citizenship.

Contribution of terroir store brands to retailers’ legitimacy and CSR and price images

This research shows that consumers’ attitude toward terroir store brands has a positive and significant influence on the store price image and on the retailer’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) image, regardless of the store format considered (hypermarket, supermarket, and convenience). It thus affirms that the terroir store brand, with a price–quality ratio considered satisfactory by consumers, contributes to the development of a positive price image and a favorable CSR image. This research also indicates that consumers’ attitude toward terroir store brands has a direct positive and significant influence, or indirect influence through its CSR image, on two dimensions of territorial legitimacy (territorial impregnation and territorial rooting). Terroir store brands are thus shown to be a factor in retailer legitimization.

Relationships Among Attitude, Corporate Image, and Purchase Behavior in Korean Running Event

The purpose of this study was to verify the relationships among attitude, corporation image, and purchase behavior in Korean running event. Through this study, running event of Korea may attempt to develop sports event and sports industry infrastructure. To achieve the goal of this study, 432 surveys were collected form male and female adults who planned to participate in Korean running event in October 2016 to February 2017 were delineated as the study population. A convenient, non-random sampling method was used to select participants. After examining the correlation among attitude, corporation image, and purchase behavior, the relationships among the three variables was assessed through multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this were as follows. First, regarding sub-factors of event attitude and brand attitude had positive effects on corporate image. Second, the sub-factors of event attitude and brand attitude had positive effects on purchase behavior. Third, the sub-factor of corporate social responsibility image had positive effects on purchase behavior, and good image of corporation was statistically significant.