Skip to main content
Log in

Retail Chains’ Corporate Social Responsibility Communication

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines determinants of retail chains’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication on their web pages. The theoretical foundation for the study is signaling theory, which suggests that firms will communicate about their CSR efforts when this is profitable for them and when such communication makes it possible for outsiders to distinguish good from bad performers. Based on this theory, I develop hypotheses about retail chains’ CSR signaling. The hypotheses are tested in a sample of 208 retail chains in the Norwegian market. As hypothesized, I find that foreign chains, chains using private brands, and vertically integrated chains are more likely to signal, but I find no relationship between pricing and signaling. In further analysis using chains’ CSR memberships and certifications as the measure of signals, only the relationship between organizational form and signaling is replicated. In total, the findings give partial support to signaling theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adams, C. A. (2002). Internal organisational factors influencing corporate social and ethical reporting: Beyond current theorising. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(2), 223–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ailawadi, K. L., & Keller, K. L. (2004). Understanding retail branding: conceptual insights and research priorities. Journal of Retailing, 80(4), 331–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amato, L., & Amato, C. (2012). Retail philanthropy: Firm size, industry, and business cycle. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(4), 435–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andhøyregistrene. (2011). Handelshus i Norge 2011. Lysaker: Andhøyregistrene.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakan, J. (2005). The corporation: The pathological pursuit of profit and power. New York: The Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bansal, P., & Hunter, T. (2003). Strategic explanations for the early adoption of ISO 14001. Journal of Business Ethics, 46(3), 289–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belkaoui, A., & Karpik, P. G. (1989). Determinants of the corporate decision to disclose social information. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 2(1), 36–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergen, M., Dutta, S., & Walker, O. C, Jr. (1992). Agency relationships in marketing: A review of the implications and applications of agency and related theories. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 1–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, S., & Sheen, A. (2013). The operational consequences of private equity buyouts: Evidence from the restaurant industry. Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/~shaib/BernsteinSheenDecember%208th.pdf.

  • Berrone, P., Gelabert, L., & Fosfuri, A. (2009). The impact of symbolic and substantive actions on environmental legitimacy. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1349063.

  • Bewley, K., & Li, Y. (2000). Disclosure of environmental information by Canadian manufacturing companies: A voluntary disclosure perspective. Advances in Environmental Accounting & Management, 1, 201–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, P. N., & Perry, V. G. (2001). Retailer power and supplier welfare: The case of Wal-Mart. Journal of Retailing, 77(3), 379–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouten, L., Everaert, P., & Roberts, R. W. (2012). How a two-step approach discloses different determinants of voluntary social and environmental reporting. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 39(5–6), 567–605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouten, L., Everaert, P., Van Liedekerke, L., De Moor, L., & Christiaens, J. (2011). Corporate social responsibility reporting: A comprehensive picture? Accounting Forum, 35(3), 187–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradach, J. L. (1997). Using the plural form in the management of restaurant chains. Administrative Science Quarterly, 42, 276–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradach, J. L., & Eccles, R. G. (1989). Price, authority, and trust: From ideal types to plural forms. Annual Review of Sociology, 15(1), 97–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brammer, S., & Millington, A. (2003). The effect of stakeholder preferences, organizational structure and industry type on corporate community involvement. Journal of Business Ethics, 45(3), 213–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brammer, S., & Pavelin, S. (2004). Voluntary social disclosures by large UK companies. Business Ethics: A European Review, 13(2–3), 86–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brammer, S., & Pavelin, S. (2008). Factors influencing the quality of corporate environmental disclosure. Business Strategy and the Environment, 17(2), 120–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Branco, M., & Rodrigues, L. (2008). Factors influencing social responsibility disclosure by Portuguese companies. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(4), 685–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brickley, J. A., & Dark, F. H. (1987). The choice of organizational form: The case of franchising. Journal of Financial Economics, 18(2), 401–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brickley, J. A., Dark, F. H., & Weisbach, M. S. (1991). An agency perspective on franchising. Financial Management, 20(1), 27–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. (2004). A longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of environmental disclosure in UK companies—a research note. The British Accounting Review, 36(1), 107–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cañón-de-Francia, J., & Garcés-Ayerbe, C. (2009). ISO 14001 environmental certification: A sign valued by the market? Environmental & Resource Economics, 44(2), 245–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chizema, A. (2008). Institutions and voluntary compliance: The disclosure of individual executive pay in Germany. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16(4), 359–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarkson, P. M., Li, Y., Richardson, G. D., & Vasvari, F. P. (2008). Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 33(4–5), 303–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connelly, B. L., Certo, S. T., Ireland, R. D., & Reutzel, C. R. (2011). Signaling theory: A review and assessment. Journal of Management, 37(1), 39–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connelly, B. L., Ketchen, D. J., & Slater, S. F. (2010). Toward a “theoretical toolbox” for sustainability research in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(1), 86–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cormier, D., Magnan, M., & Van Velthoven, B. (2005). Environmental disclosure quality in large German companies: Economic incentives, public pressures or institutional conditions? European Accounting Review, 14(1), 3–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Da Silva Monteiro, S. M., & Aibar-Guzmán, B. (2010). Determinants of environmental disclosure in the annual reports of large companies operating in Portugal. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 17(4), 185–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlstrom, R., Haugland, S. A., Nygaard, A., & Rokkan, A. I. (2009). Governance structures in the hotel industry. Journal of Business Research, 62(8), 841–847.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deegan, C. (2002). Introduction: The legitimising effect of social and environmental disclosures – a theoretical foundation. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(3), 282–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, M., & Cuerel Burbano, V. (2011). The drivers of greenwashing. California Management Review, 54(1), 64–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delmas, M. A., & Montiel, I. (2009). Greening the supply chain: When is customer pressure effective? Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 18(1), 171–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drumwright, M. E. (1994). Socially responsible organizational buying: Environmental concern as a noneconomic buying criterion. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eco-Lighthouse. (2014). About Eco-Lighthouse. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://eco-lighthouse.org/artikler/.

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. The Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 57–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • El Akremi, A., Mignonac, K., & Perrigot, R. (2010). Opportunistic behaviors in franchise chains: The role of cohesion among franchisees. Strategic Management Journal, 32(9), 930–948.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elfenbein, D. W., & McManus, B. (2010). A greater price for a greater good? Evidence that consumers pay more for charity-linked products. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2(2), 28–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ethical Trading Initiative Norway. (2014). About IEH. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://etiskhandel.no/English/About_IEH/index.html.

  • Ferreira, D. A., Avila, M. G., & de Faria, M. D. (2010). Corporate social responsibility and consumers’ perception of price. Social Responsibility Journal, 6(2), 208–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fifka, M. S. (2011). Corporate responsibility reporting and its determinants in comparative perspective—a review of the empirical literature and a meta-analysis. Business Strategy and the Environment, 22(1), 1–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flammer, C. (2015a). Does corporate social responsibility lead to superior financial performance? A regression discontinuity approach. Management Science,. doi:10.1287/mnsc.2014.2038.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flammer, C. (2015b). Does product market competition foster corporate social responsibility? Evidence from trade liberalization. Strategic Management Journal, 36(10), 1469–1485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frostenson, M., Helin, S., & Sandström, J. (2011). Organising corporate responsibility communication through filtration: A study of web communication patterns in Swedish retail. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(1), 31–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, D., Kalfagianni, A., & Arentsen, M. (2009). Retail power, private standards, and sustainability in the global food system. In J. Clapp & D. Fuchs (Eds.), Corporate Power in Global Agrifood Governance. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gamer, M., Lemon, J., & Fellows, I. (2012). Irr: Various coefficients of interrater reliability and agreement. R package version 0.84.

  • Gielens, K., & Dekimpe, M. G. (2001). Do international entry decisions of retail chains matter in the long run? International Journal of Research in Marketing, 18(3), 235–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gjølberg, M. (2010). Varieties of corporate social responsibility (CSR): CSR meets the “Nordic Model”. Regulation & Governance, 4(2), 203–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Global Reporting Initiative. (2013). G3.1 Guidelines. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from https://www.globalreporting.org/reporting/latest-guidelines/g3-1-guidelines/Pages/default.aspx.

  • Gray, R., Javad, M., Power, D. M., & Sinclair, C. D. (2001). Social and environmental disclosure and corporate characteristics: A research note and extension. Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, 28(3/4), 327–356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greve, H. R. (2003). Why are there so many multiunit organizations. Strategic Organization, 1(1), 109–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gripsrud, G., & Benito, G. R. (2005). Internationalization in retailing: Modeling the pattern of foreign market entry. Journal of Business Research, 58(12), 1672–1680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hackston, D., & Milne, M. J. (1996). Some determinants of social and environmental disclosures in New Zealand companies. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 9(1), 77–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haddock, J. (2005). Consumer influence on internet-based corporate communication of environmental activities: The UK food sector. British Food Journal, 107(10), 792–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haddock-Fraser, J., & Fraser, I. (2008). Assessing corporate environmental reporting motivations: differences between “close-to-market” and “business-to-business” companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(3), 140–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halme, M., & Huse, M. (1997). The influence of corporate governance, industry and country factors on environmental reporting. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 13(2), 137–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. F., & Krippendorff, K. (2007). Answering the call for a standard reliability measure for coding data. Communication Methods and Measures, 1(1), 77–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, T. S., & O’Riain, M. J. (2012). Landscape requirements of a primate population in a human-dominated environment. Frontiers in Zoology, 9(1).

  • Hossain, M., Perera, M. H. B., & Rahman, A. R. (1995). Voluntary disclosure in the annual reports of New Zealand companies. Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting, 6(1), 69–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyman, M. R., Kopf, D. A., & Lee, D. (2009). Review of literature—Future research suggestions: Private label brands: Benefits, success factors and future research. Journal of Brand Management, 17(5), 368–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jahn, G., Schramm, M., & Spiller, A. (2005). The reliability of certification: Quality labels as a consumer policy tool. Journal of Consumer Policy, 28(1), 53–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji, M., & Weil, D. (2015). The impact of franchising on labor standards compliance. ILR Review, 68(5), 977–1006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jin, G. Z., & Leslie, P. (2009). Reputational incentives for restaurant hygiene. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 1(1), 237–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, P., Comfort, D., & Hillier, D. (2006). Healthy eating and the UK’s major food retailers: A case study in corporate social responsibility. British Food Journal, 108(10), 838–848.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, P., Comfort, D., & Hillier, D. (2007). What’s in store? Retail marketing and corporate social responsibility. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 25(1), 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalnins, A., & Lafontaine, F. (2013). Too far away? The effect of distance to headquarters on business establishment performance. American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, 5(3), 157–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidwell, R. E., Nygaard, A., & Silkoset, R. (2007). Antecedents and effects of free riding in the franchisor–franchisee relationship. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(4), 522–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmani, A., & Rao, A. R. (2000). No pain, no gain: A critical review of the literature on signaling unobservable product quality. Journal of Marketing, 64(2), 66–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, N., & Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M. (2007). Private label strategy: how to meet the store brand challenge. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, K. (1981). Information and product differentiation. In M. Galatin & R. D. Leiter (Eds.), Economics of information (pp. 17–36). Boston: Nijhoff Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Laufer, W. S. (2003). Social accountability and corporate greenwashing. Journal of Business Ethics, 43(3), 253–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy, M., & Weitz, B. (2012). Retailing management (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X., & Anbumozhi, V. (2009). Determinant factors of corporate environmental information disclosure: An empirical study of Chinese listed companies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 17(6), 593–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llena, F., Moneva, J. M., & Hernandez, B. (2007). Environmental disclosures and compulsory accounting standards: The case of spanish annual reports. Business Strategy and the Environment, 16(1), 50–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lombard, M., Snyder-Duch, J., & Bracken, C. C. (2002). Content analysis in mass communication: Assessment and reporting of intercoder reliability. Human Communication Research, 28(4), 587–604.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lombard, M., Snyder-Duch, J., & Bracken, C. C. (2004). Practical resources for assessing and reporting intercoder reliability in content analysis research projects. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://ils.indiana.edu/faculty/hrosenba/www/Research/methods/lombard_reliability.pdf.

  • Luo, X., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2006). Corporate social responsibility, customer satisfaction, and market value. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mamic, I. (2005). Managing global supply chain: The sports footwear, apparel and retail Sectors. Journal of Business Ethics, 59(1–2), 81–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis, J. D., Elfenbein, H. A., & Walsh, J. P. (2009). Does it pay to be good…And does it matter? A meta-analysis of the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=1866371.

  • Matsa, D. A. (2011). Competition and product quality in the supermarket industry. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(3), 1539–1591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams, A., Siegel, D. S., & Wright, P. M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility: Strategic implications. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meiseberg, B., & Ehrmann, T. (2012). Lost in translation? The prevalence and performance impact of corporate social responsibility in franchising. Journal of Small Business Management, 50(4), 566–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, S. C. (1999). Do franchised chains advertise enough? Journal of Retailing, 75(4), 461–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, S. C. (2000). The effect of organizational form on quality: The case of franchising. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 43(3), 295–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michael, S. C. (2002). Can a franchise chain coordinate? Journal of Business Venturing, 17(4), 325–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ness, K. E., & Mirza, A. M. (1991). Corporate social disclosure: A note on a test of agency theory. The British Accounting Review, 23(3), 211–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nordic Ecolabelling. (2014). The Nordic Ecolabel´s requirements. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.nordic-ecolabel.org/criteria/.

  • O’Donovan, G. (2002). Environmental disclosures in the annual report: extending the applicability and predictive power of legitimacy theory. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 15(3), 344–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orlitzky, M., Schmidt, F. L., & Rynes, S. L. (2003). Corporate social and financial performance: A meta-analysis. Organization Studies, 24(3), 403–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patten, D. M. (2002). The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 27(8), 763–773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrigot, R., Oxibar, B., & Déjean, F. (2015). Corporate social disclosure in the franchising sector: Insights from French franchisors’ websites. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(2), 321–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramus, C. A., & Montiel, I. (2005). When are corporate environmental policies a form of greenwashing? Business and Society, 44(4), 377–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, A. R., & Monroe, K. B. (1989). The effect of price, brand name, and store name on buyers’ perceptions of product quality: An integrative review. Journal of Marketing Research, 26(3), 351–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Core Team. (2012). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renneboog, L., Ter Horst, J., & Zhang, C. (2008). Socially responsible investments: Institutional aspects, performance, and investor behavior. Journal of Banking & Finance, 32(9), 1723–1742.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Retriever, A. S. (2013). Atekst. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.mediearkivet.no/.

  • Reverte, C. (2009). Determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosure ratings by Spanish listed firms. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(2), 351–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rokkan, A. I., & Buvik, A. (2003). Inter-firm cooperation and the problem of free riding behavior: An empirical study of voluntary retail chains. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 9(5–6), 247–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, K., & O’Donnell, S. (1996). Foreign subsidiary compensation strategy: An agency theory perspective. The Academy of Management Journal, 39(3), 678–703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shenkar, O. (2001). Cultural distance revisited: Towards a more rigorous conceptualization and measurement of cultural differences. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(3), 519–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, D. S., & Vitaliano, D. F. (2007). An empirical analysis of the strategic use of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, 16(3), 773–792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steenkamp, J.-B. E. M., & Kumar, N. (2009). Don’t be undersold! Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 90–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tagesson, T., Blank, V., Broberg, P., & Collin, S.-O. (2009). What explains the extent and content of social and environmental disclosures on corporate websites: a study of social and environmental reporting in Swedish listed corporations. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 16(6), 352–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terlaak, A., & King, A. A. (2006). The effect of certification with the ISO 9000 Quality Management Standard: A signaling approach. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 60(4), 579–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vachani, S., Doh, J. P., & Teegen, H. (2009). NGOs’ influence on MNEs’ social development strategies in varying institutional contexts: A transaction cost perspective. International Business Review, 18(5), 446–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Huijstee, M., & Glasbergen, P. (2010). NGOs moving business: An analysis of contrasting strategies. Business and Society, 49(4), 591–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vormedal, I., & Ruud, A. (2009). Sustainability reporting in Norway–an assessment of performance in the context of legal demands and socio-political drivers. Business Strategy and the Environment, 18(4), 207–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilmshurst, T. D., & Frost, G. R. (2000). Corporate environmental reporting: A test of legitimacy theory. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 13(1), 10–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, D. J. (1991). Corporate social performance revisited. The Academy of Management Review, 16(4), 691–718.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2013). Introductory econometrics: A modern approach (5th ed.). Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ytterhus, B. E., Arnestad, P., & Lothe, S. (1999). Environmental initiatives in the retailing sector: An analysis of supply chain pressures and partnerships. Eco-Management and Auditing, 6(4), 181–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeileis, A., Kleiber, C., & Jackman, S. (2008). Regression models for count data in R. Journal of Statistical Software, 27(8), 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zerbini, F. (2015). CSR initiatives as market signals: A review and research agenda. Journal of Business Ethics,. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2922-8.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jakob Utgård.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 8.

Table 8 Robustness checks

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Utgård, J. Retail Chains’ Corporate Social Responsibility Communication. J Bus Ethics 147, 385–400 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2952-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2952-2

Keywords

Navigation