Doing good while playing : the effects of corporate social responsibility gamification on consumer response

This dissertation research explored how CSR functions in a new media platform. Specifically, this research investigated the impact of game narratives and company placement on consumer response. In addition, a moderating role of CSR support was examined. A 2 (game narratives: CSR vs. self-serving) × 2 (company placement: prominent vs. subtle) × 2 (CSR support: high vs. low) factorial experimental design was employed. A mobile web-based game was developed for stimuli. As expected, findings showed that those who played the game with a CSR narrative responded more favorably toward both the game and the company than those who played the game with a self-serving narrative. The research found also an interplay between game narratives and company placement on consumer response. Specifically, in terms of a CSR-narrative game condition, participants exposed to a prominently placed company logo evaluated the company more favorably than participants exposed to a logo placed subtly. On the other hand, for a self-serving game condition, the company evaluation was more positive in a subtly-placed condition than in a prominently-placed condition. Instead of CSR support, a moderating role of fit between the company and the cause was found. Implications and future research are discussed.Advertisin

Perceived corporate social responsibility performance in professional football and its impact on fan-based patronage intentions: An example from Chinese football

Purpose This paper analyzes fans' perceptions of the CSR activities of a professional football club, specifically whether or not perceived CSR performances are then likely to influence patronage intentions of the fans in relation to the football club. Methodology The paper uses the example of a professional football club in China as a case study for data analysis. Based on a sample of 451home team fans, analysis was conducted through calculation of descriptive statistics, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Regression analysis was conducted to determine the impact of perceived CSR performance on fan’s patronage intentions. Findings The results revealed factor 3(“CSR to customer and employee”), and factor 4 (“Community development and youth education”) were significantly predictive of all the three patronage intention variables, i.e. repeat purchase, Word of Mouth, and merchandise consumption. In addition, factor 2 (“charity”) would also affect merchandise consumption intention, but have no effect on any other dimensions. Originality/Value A scale measuring perceived CSR performance in professional football clubs by the fans in the Chinese context has been developed. In addition, we have identified that the two main CSR factors that would influence fans’ patronage intentions, i.e. "CSR to the customer and employee" and "community development and youth education". Thus, if football clubs are to use CSR strategically to leverage spend then it is these two areas that they should focus on explicitly in relation to CSR activities. This paper adds value to an area that is currently under-researched in respect of CSR activities in Chinese professional football

Investigating the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Conative Loyalty in Collegiate Sports

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been an important topic in business and other disciplines due to its various benefits for both society (e.g., contributing to public health, safety, education, human rights, community well-being, environment) and organizations (e.g., attracting new customers, enhancing sales of products, developing positive brand image or reputation) (Inoue, 2011; Kim, 2015; Kotler & Lee, 2005; Smith & Westerbeek, 2007). Many consumers expect corporate organizations to demonstrate their commitments and contributions to the community (Marin, Ruiz, & Rubio, 2009; Walker & Heere, 2011). Thus, it is important to satisfy their expectations through social activities since consumers are considered as a valuable asset for many business organizations. Similarly, sporting organizations have utilized CSR activities for the communities to satisfy sport consumers’ expectations. Furthermore, sport has a positive impact on the community with unique features such as large media, public attention, star power, and positive health impacts (Buck, Lupinek, & Huberty, 2015; Ko et al., 2014; Smith & Westerbeek, 2007). Despite this, little investigation has been undertaken to examine the effects of CSR and its outcomes, as practiced by collegiate athletic departments. The purpose of this study, therefore, was as follows: (1) to examine the influence of college sport consumers’ awareness of CSR on conative loyalty; (2) to identify the mediating effects of sport involvement and commitment in the relationship between awareness of CSR and conative loyalty. The results of SEM revealed awareness of CSR had a positive effect on sport involvement and commitment. The results also indicated sport involvement had a positive effect on commitment, and commitment had a positive effect on conative loyalty. However, both awareness of CSR and sport involvement had no significant effect on conative loyalty. Thus, the follow-up analysis was performed without the direct paths that were not statistically significant to achieve model parsimony. Finally, all estimated parameters were statistically significant in the final SEM model. The study employed Bootstrapping method to identify indirect effects, and found mediating effect of sport involvement was identified in the relationship between awareness of CSR and conative loyalty when the effect of commitment as a mediator was simultaneously examined

The Influence of a Professional Sport Team’s Philanthropic Initiative on Fans’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Participation Intention

Within corporate social responsibility (CSR) research, there has been significant evidence of the positive impacts that CSR could bring to businesses. However, few studies, especially in the context of sport, have focused on how CSR benefits an actual social cause. Therefore, through a three-article format, the overall purpose of the dissertation is to examine how a professional sport team could use its CSR as a social marketing strategy to increase its fans’ willingness to participate in the team’s CSR program in contributing to a specific social cause. Specifically, Article 1 assesses whether CSR participation intention significantly differs among fans with varying psychological connection levels to a sport team. Article 2 examines how fans’ trust in a sport team increases their CSR participation intention, especially among fans with a low psychological connection to a sport team. Lastly, Article 3 investigates how fans’ perceived CSR authenticity plays a significant role in the overall study findings. The study findings: (a) demonstrate that fans are more likely to participate in a sport team’s CSR program when they are aware of the philanthropic activity engaged by the team and that CSR participation intention was higher for fans more loyal to the team, (b) provide evidence that enhancing fans’ trust in the team helps increase CSR participation intention, especially among those having a lower psychological connection to the sport team, and (c) emphasize the importance of authenticity within a sport team’s CSR initiative, where fans develop trust in the team to a similar extent for all fan groups, thus, increasing the likelihood for fans to participate in the team’s CSR program

Exploring the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Communication through Social Media on Banking Customer E-WOM and Loyalty in Times of Crisis

Previous studies have largely explored corporate social responsibility (CSR) for organizationcentric outcomes to achieve organizational performance, organizational commitment, or organizational citizenship behavior. However, the importance of CSR to achieve customer-centric outcomes is underexplored to date. Contemporary researchers have recently turned their attention toward CSR from the viewpoint of customer-centric outcomes. Therefore, the present study attempts to test the influence of CSR communication on social media and customer loyalty in the banking sector of a developing economy in times of crisis. This study also investigates the mediating effect of electronic word of mouth (E-WOM) with this relationship. The data of the present study were collected from different banking customers using a self-administered questionnaire. The empirical findings of this study validated that the CSR communication of a bank on social media increases customer loyalty, and E-WOM partially mediates this relationship. This study will be helpful for the banking sector to understand the importance of CSR communication to increase customer loyalty, which is very important for every bank in times of crisis

Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Purchase Behavior: The Moderating Role of Self-Presentation

In recent years, companies have experienced increasing pressure to integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) into their organizational structure. The relationship between a company\u27s investment in CSR and overall revenue, however, is still under debate in the current literature as research has focused on correlations and consumer purchase intentions (e.g., Auger, Burke, Devinney, & Louviere, 2003; Dutta & Singh, 2013; Klein & Dawar, 2004; Maignan, 2001; Mohr & Webb 2005; Mohr, Webb, & Harris, 2001; Nanda, 2015; Wigley, 2008). Findings from previous studies have not yet assessed actual purchase behavior or potential moderating variables impacting this relationship. Therefore, this dissertation examined the moderating role of self-presentation on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consumer purchase decisions. To test the moderating role of self-presentation, two studies were conducted. Study one examined the effects of an experimental manipulation designed to either increase or decrease the salience of self-presentation concerns on overall purchase intentions. Results showed the manipulation of the salience of self-presentation concerns (e.g., high, low) did not produce differences in participants’ perceived price fairness, value, benefit, or purchase intention. Study two examined the relationship between participants\u27 actual self-presentation strategies and actual purchase behavior. The results from study two revealed a strong association between the two variables. While the hypothesis was only partially supported, these findings provide valuable insight into a potential variable moderating the relationship between CSR and consumer purchase decisions

Corporate social responsibility and college sports fans’ online donations

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: This study examined how a US college athletic department’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives influenced fans’ online donation intentions. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 490 fans of a Division I intercollegiate athletic program and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: Results indicated that the quality of CSR information positively affected e-satisfaction with CSR initiatives, which, in turn, predicted fans’ online donation intentions, university attachment, and fan–athletic department identification. Moreover, the relationship between e-satisfaction with CSR initiatives and online donation intentions was mediated by fan–athletic department identification. Research limitations/implications: This study has a limitation in terms of generalizability. The current focus on a single athletic department does not apply the results to athletic programs at other US universities and colleges. Future research should confirm the generalizability of the study’s findings by collecting data from fans of other athletic departments. Originality/value: It is important to understand the impact of CSR activities on online donor intentions because marketing these activities could serve as an effective fundraising tool for athletic departments. The findings from this study inform athletic administrators of factors they might consider when promoting CSR initiatives through online media to encourage fans’ donations

Business of fashion sustainability index : an analysis on willingness to pay, perceived quality and purchase intention

Textile, clothing, and fashion (TCF) industry is one of the most polluting and resourceconsuming industries in the world, second only to the oil industry. In response to social and environmental issues in the fashion industry and pressure from various stakeholders, companies are addressing sustainability issues more than ever. The launch of the Business of Fashion Sustainability Index, which provides information about companies' performance on sustainability goals, is an effort to raise consumer awareness of the practises behind the products they buy. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the BoF Sustainability Index influences consumer purchasing decisions for fashion items. More specifically, an experimental procedure was used to test the effects of BoF Sustainability Index information (high, low, and no information) on fashion product consumption, namely willingness to pay, perceived quality, and intention to purchase footwear. In addition, the effects of demographic variables such as gender, generation, and nationality were also considered. According to the results, the sustainability index influences consumers' willingness to pay, perceived quality, and purchase intention. In general, attitudes toward SI were very positively received by respondents and considered beneficial. The socio-demographic variables used in this experiment were key to understanding the effects of the manipulated variables on the dependent variables.A indústria têxtil, de vestuário e moda (TCF) é uma das indústrias mais poluentes e consumidoras de recursos do mundo, só depois da indústria do petróleo. Em resposta às questões sociais e ambientais da indústria da moda e à pressão de várias partes interessadas, as empresas estão abordando questões de sustentabilidade mais do que nunca. O lançamento do Índice de Sustentabilidade (Business of Fashion Sustainability Index), que fornece informações sobre o desempenho das empresas em relação às metas de sustentabilidade, é um esforço para conscientizar os consumidores sobre as práticas por trás dos produtos que compram. O objetivo deste estudo é obter uma melhor compreensão de como o Índice de Sustentabilidade BoF influencia as decisões de compra dos consumidores de itens de moda. Mais especificamente, um procedimento experimental foi usado para testar os efeitos das informações do BoF Sustainability Index (alto, baixo e nenhuma informação) sobre o consumo de produtos de moda, ou seja, disposição a pagar, qualidade percebida e intenção de compra de calçados. Além disso, também foram considerados os efeitos de variáveis demográficas como gênero, geração e nacionalidade. De acordo com os resultados, o índice de sustentabilidade influencia a disposição a pagar dos consumidores, a qualidade percebida e a intenção de compra. Em geral, as atitudes em relação à o Índice de Sustentabilidade foram recebidas de forma muito positiva pelos entrevistados e consideradas benéficas. As variáveis sociodemográficas utilizadas neste experimento foram fundamentais para entender os efeitos das variáveis manipuladas sobre as variáveis dependentes

Sustainability & crisis management : a valuable link to regain consumer trust and purchase intention : a case on Audi AG

Throughout the past years, companies have increasingly faced performance-related crises due to rising complexity of customer needs and external requirements. In light of these issues, existing academic research has investigated the effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in countering firm’s negative publicity. Yet, consumers tend to express their scepticism towards organisational CSR efforts and accuse firms of green-washing. Conversely to CSR, corporate sustainability initiatives are less likely to be perceived as greenwashing, as they necessitate long-term investments and irreversible changes of business processes. Hence, the aim of the present thesis is to examine the effectiveness of corporate sustainability in countering negative publicity. More specifically, this paper evaluates whether Audi’s sustainability strategy enables the firm to regain consumer trust and increase purchase intention after the Diesel Emission Issue. Therefore, based on theoretical and practical considerations, an online experimental study was conducted. Results show that presenting individuals with information on firms’ initiatives associated with “Employees & Society” as well as “Operations & Integrity” increase consumer trust levels. Moreover, Audi’s sustainability strategy results in significantly higher levels of purchase intention. Hence, the present dissertation contributes preliminarily research findings to a yet very limited stream of research and holds important practical implications, especially for Audi AG, in terms of how sustainability efforts can be effectively implemented as part of the crisis communication strategy.Os últimos anos têm sido caraterizados por uma crescente complexidade das necessidades dos clientes e exigências externas. Neste enquadramento de negócio as empresas têm enfrentado cada vez mais crises relacionadas com o desempenho. É neste novo contexto que a pesquisa académica tem vindo a investigar a eficácia da Responsabilidade Social Empresarial (RSE) por forma a contra balançar a publicidade negativa da empresa. Existe uma tendência de os consumidores expressarem algum ceticismo em relação aos esforços de responsabilidade social organizacionais e acusam as empresas de “lavagem verde”. Ao contrário da RSE, é menos provável que as iniciativas de sustentabilidade corporativa sejam percebidas como “lavagem verde”, pois exigem investimentos de longo prazo e mudanças irreversíveis nos processos de negócios. O objetivo da presente tese é analisar a eficácia da sustentabilidade corporativa no combate à publicidade negativa. Concretamente este documento procura aferir se a estratégia de sustentabilidade da Audi permite à empresa, após o escândalo relativo à Emissão de Diesel, recuperar a confiança do consumidor e aumentar a sua intenção de compra. Com base em considerações teóricas e práticas, foi realizado um estudo experimental online. Os resultados mostram que a disponibilização de informação sobre as iniciativas das empresas associadas com "Empregados e Sociedade", bem como "Operações e Integridade", aumenta os níveis de confiança do consumidor. Além disso, a estratégia de sustentabilidade da Audi apresenta níveis significativamente mais altos de intenção de compra. A presente dissertação contribui para um fluxo de pesquisa ainda limitado e revela implicações práticas importantes, nomeadamente para a Audi AG, ressaltando que os esforços de sustentabilidade podem ser efetivamente implementados como parte de uma estratégia de comunicação de crise

The impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer brand engagement and purchase intention at fashion retailers

Consumers have demonstrated new ways of engaging with fashion retailers and experiencing their brand values. This research aims to understand better how fashion consumers form their purchase intentions, by exploring how their expectations about corporate social responsibility influence consumer brand engagement and purchase intention. The research comprises two studies, using different methodologies. The first study is quantitative; it involved 1296 individuals and the results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The second study is qualitative and utilizes expert opinions from the fashion industry; it seeks to derive managerial and practical implications from the findings of the first study. The results show that corporate social responsibility influences the purchase intention of fashion consumers, but mainly through brand engagement. Consequently, fashion companies should focus on building consumer trust in the sustainability initiatives of brands, including by utilizing local suppliers.Cátedra Extraordinaria de Comercio Universidad de Alcalá - Ayuntamiento de Madri