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Doing Right Leads to Doing Well: When the Type of CSR and Reputation Interact to Affect Consumer Evaluations of the Firm

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Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy of three corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives—sponsorship, cause-related marketing (CRM), and philanthropy—on consumer–company identification (C–C identification) and brand attitude and, in turn, consumer citizenship behaviors. CSR reputation is proposed as the moderating variable that affects the relationship between CSR initiatives, C–C identification, and brand attitude. A conceptual model that integrates the hypothesized relationships and the moderating effect of CSR reputation is used to frame the study. Using a between-subjects factorial designed experiment, the results showed that all three CSR initiatives have a significant effect on C–C identification and brand attitude. The level of that influence, however, varied according to a firm’s CSR reputation. Managerial implications of these findings are also discussed.

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  1. Starbucks corporate website: http://pledge5.starbucks.com/.

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  1. Department of Marketing, College of Business, Feng Chia University, 100 Wenhwa Road, Seatwen, Taichung 407, Taiwan

    Yuan-Shuh Lii

  2. School of Business and Economics, Indiana University South Bend, 1700 Mishawaka Avenue, South Bend, IN, 46615, USA

    Monle Lee

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  1. Yuan-Shuh Lii
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Lii, YS., Lee, M. Doing Right Leads to Doing Well: When the Type of CSR and Reputation Interact to Affect Consumer Evaluations of the Firm. J Bus Ethics 105, 69–81 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0948-0

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