‘Better late than never’: the interplay between green technology and age for firm growth

This paper investigates the relationship between green/non-green technologies and firm growth. By combining the literature on eco-innovations, industrial organisation and entrepreneurial studies, we examine the dependence of this relationship on the pace at which firms grow and the age of the firm. From a dataset of 5498 manufacturing firms in Italy for the period of 2000–2008, longitudinal fixed effects quantile models are estimated, in which the firm’s age is set to moderate the effects of green and non-green patents on employment growth. We find that the positive effect of green technologies on growth is greater than that of non-green technologies. However, this result does not apply to struggling and rapidly growing firms. With fast-growing (above the median) firms, age moderates the growth effect of green technologies. Inconsistent with the extant literature, this moderation effect is positive: firm experience appears important for the growth benefits of green technologies, possibly relative to the complexity of their management

The Relationship between Corporate Responsibility and Brand Loyalty in Retailing: The Mediating Role of Trust

After more than 30 years of study, the impact of CSR policies on economic performance remains uncertain, undermining efforts to define CSR consistently and reliably to support managerial decision making. Our paper offers a different approach to the research on the relationship between CSR performance and economic performance. We apply this approach to the socially labeled products sold by Italian retail chains. As a matter of fact, retail chains play a critical role in CSR-oriented policies (e.g., global supply chain management, consumer safety, environmental protection, waste reduction). Social labels are used to assure consumers that products are obtained according to official standards and under third-party control. They therefore generate trust among the actors involved. We developed a model according to which retailers with high CSR performance acquire trust among a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers. In turn, trust has a tangible effect on brand loyalty. In order to test the model, we studied Fair Trade products sold by large Italian retail chains with their own private label. Results of our structural model are consistent with the prediction that CSR generates trust. Consumers who perceive a retailer as socially oriented demonstrated more trust in the retailer, Fair Trade in general, and private-label Fair Trade products. This trust translates into an intention to purchase the product (brand loyalty)

Corporate social responsibility in the retailing industry: a trust-based model of its effects on consumer behaviour with regard to organic food

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important issue for retailers, because of consumer growing concern for the environment, the safety of products and the supply-chain conditions. Many studies have been trying to show that CSR impacts a variety of customer-related outcomes, but no research exists on the effects of CSR on consumer trust. We argue that socially oriented retailers can achieve competitive advantage in the product lines where trust is crucial in determining consumer choices. We tested this idea through a survey on a sample of Italian organic food purchasers and found evidence that when consumers believe that a retailer is committed to respect consumers’ rights and the environment, they are more likely to develop brand loyalty and a willingness to pay a premium price

The relationship between corporate responsibility and brand loyalty in retailing: The mediation role of trust

Corporate responsibility has gone global. It has secured the attention of business leaders, governments and NGOs to an unprecedented extent. Increasingly, it is argued that business must play a constructive role in addressing massive global challenges. Business is not responsible for causing most of the problems associated with, for example, extreme poverty and hunger, child mortality and HIV/AIDS. However, it is often claimed that business has a responsibility to help ameliorate many of these problems and, indeed, it may be the only institution capable of effectively addressing some of them. Global Challenges in Responsible Business addresses the implications for business of corporate responsibility in the context of globalization and the social and environmental problems we face today. Featuring research from Europe, North America, Asia and Africa, it focuses on three major themes: embedding corporate responsibility, corporate responsibility and marketing, and corporate responsibility in developing countries

The impact of corporate social responsibility associations on trust in organic products marketed by mainstream retailers: a study of Italian consumers

This paper investigates the determinants of consumer attitudes toward organic products marketed by mainstream retailers under a private label. Since organic products are credence goods, consumers cannot directly verify whether these products comply with official standards. Organic labels are the primary source of consumer trust in organics, but these labels must be noticed and understood before consumers will actively seek them out. In that some consumers may not prioritize product labels when they shop, it is sometimes up to retailers to strengthen consumer trust. Within the antecedents of this trust, we isolated the contribution of the corporate social responsibility associations held by consumers about retailers. We surveyed Italian customers interested in organics and found that they are more likely to trust the private-label organic products sold by a retailer when it is considered socially responsible. Our results also show that consumer trust translates into brand loyalty and a willingness to pay a premium price for organic products

Corporate social responsibility in the retailing industry: a trust-based model of its effects on consumer behaviour with regard to organic food

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important issue for retailers, because of consumer growing concern for the environment, the safety of products and the supply-chain conditions. Many studies have been trying to show that CSR impacts a variety of customer-related outcomes, but no research exists on the effects of CSR on consumer trust. We argue that socially oriented retailers can achieve competitive advantage in the product lines where trust is crucial in determining consumer choices. We tested this idea through a survey on a sample of Italian organic food purchasers and found evidence that when consumers believe that a retailer is committed to respect consumers’ rights and the environment, they are more likely to develop brand loyalty and a willingness to pay a premium price

How to Reap the CSR Fruits: The Crucial Role Played by Customers

In times of unprecedented relevance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), companies need to gain a deeper understanding of actual and prospective customers, shedding light on the antecedents of their behavioral choices as to better address their needs and ambitions, in order to get a competitive edge. By adopting a chronological approach, the present chapter provides an overview of the development of research on responsible consumers over time. From early studies focusing on market segmentation based on socio-demographic and psychographic variables, the focus shifts to sophisticated models based either on cognitive processes or on habits, or on a mixture of both. Given the complexity of the phenomenon and its dynamic and ever-evolving nature, the chapter ends with a discussion of cutting-edge perspectives of analysis that represent the latest advancements of the discipline. These new streams of studies focus on the need to adopt holistic, dynamic, crosscultural, and trust-based approaches, and pave the way for future research

The Missing Link Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Trust: The Case of Fair Trade Products

consumer behavior, Corporate Social Responsibility, Fair Trade, retail, structural equation models, trust,