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Social Responsibility Climate as a Double-Edged Sword: How Employee-Perceived Social Responsibility Climate Shapes the Meaning of Their Voluntary Work?

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Abstract

Given the preponderance of corporate social responsibility initiatives across the corporate landscape and the correspondingly escalating demand for volunteers who participate in these initiatives, a need exists to better understand how to effectively motivate their voluntary engagement with tasks. Against this backdrop, this study argues the need to enhance their volunteer work meanings. We hypothesize that pride in volunteer work and volunteering as a calling are determinants of perceptions of the meaningfulness of volunteer work. In addition, we reveal that an organization’s social responsibility climate (SRC) is a key moderator in these relationships. Interestingly, an SRC is a double-edged sword such that it strengthens the relationship between meaning and pride, yet weakens the relationship between meaning and calling. Findings are discussed, along with managerial implications and future research directions.

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Acknowledgments

This study is supported by a Strategic Development Fund of Hong Kong Baptist University (Ref.: SDF011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Frederick Yim & Henry Fock

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  1. Frederick Yim
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  2. Henry Fock
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Correspondence to Frederick Yim.

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Yim, F., Fock, H. Social Responsibility Climate as a Double-Edged Sword: How Employee-Perceived Social Responsibility Climate Shapes the Meaning of Their Voluntary Work?. J Bus Ethics 114, 665–674 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1712-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1712-4

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