An important dimension of the ongoing trend toward greater corporate social responsibility is the emergence of individual and institutional investors who invest in companies that support social objectives. While a small number of studies have examined the criteria used by institutions, no studies have looked at individual investors. Using a mail survey of 4,000 investors in two mutual funds that incorporate social screens in their investment decisions, this study finds that compared with other investors, socially responsible investors are younger and better educated. Respondents most frequently identify environmental and labor relations issues when asked what defines socially responsible corporate behavior. Although the respondents value socially responsible behavior in companies they invest in, they are unwilling to sacrifice financial returns to achieve it.

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In the heated debate about marketing globalization, the issue of brand standardization has received much less attention compared with advertising standardization. When both issues have been addressed, empirically or conceptually, they have not been considered simultaneously. The current study develops and empirically tests a framework to simultaneously consider brand and advertising standardization strategies. A survey was conducted among brand managers in firms operating in Canada, with data collected on a brand level. The results revealed an independence of brand and advertising standardization practices. It was also found that brand standardization was practised to a much higher degree than advertising standardization, with the most used combined strategy involving brand name standardization and non‐standardization of advertising. Effects of product type and brand age were also investigated. The findings clearly indicate that companies tend to “brand globally, advertise locally”.

Sponsorship has seen a rapid growth in recent years in both the dollars devoted to it and its prominence as a legitimate element of a company’s promotional mix. As traditional media have become more expensive and cluttered, sponsorship is viewed as a cost‐effective alternative. As an element of the promotional mix, sponsorship has been a stepchild when it comes to a careful understanding of how it works and its effect on consumers. While the promotional element of advertising has been carefully researched, sponsorship has rarely undergone systematic study. It is usually mentioned as “war stories” of specific examples which worked well for a company. Discusses the definitional dilemma of sponsorship, and proposes a revised definition. As a step towards better understanding the effects of sponsorship on consumers, develops and empirically tests scales for three attitudinal constructs: attitude towards the event; attitude towards commercialization; and attitude towards behavioural intent. Results show that the three constructs consistently appear across three global sports events. Discusses future research agenda and managerial implications.

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