Corporate social responsibility and customer retention: evidence from the telecommunication industry in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose Using social exchange theory as a contextual backdrop, this study aims to better understand how corporate social responsibility (CSR) can contribute to customer retention (CR). A conceptual framework is developed to illustrate the proposed relationship and the influence of mediating factors. The telecommunication industry in Ghana is used to operationalize the conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through face-to-face interviews with CSR managers and through a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using qualitative analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings Findings suggest that CSR, corporate image and service quality have significant relationships with both corporate image and CR. Corporate image also mediates the relationship between CSR, customer value and service quality with that of CR. The authors also find that CSR strengthens the relationship between customer value and service quality with that of corporate image, which subsequently leads to enhanced CR. Originality/value Thus far, the mediating variables that help explain and predict the relationship between CSR activities and CR have been overlooked in the extant literature. The results of this study will help fill a critical knowledge gap in marketing and CSR literature.

Environmental corporate social responsibility initiatives and green purchase intention: an application of the extended theory of planned behavior

“…Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a crucial construct in marketing field and the topic involved in CSR has obtained wide exploration in the literature (Akbari et al , 2019; Han and Lee, 2021; Kim and Park, 2020; Igwe et al , 2018). Nonetheless, there is still a little investigation on the perspective of consumer social responsibility (Christis and Wang, 2021; Quazi et al , 2015), especially for emerging markets (Munerah et al , 2021), whereas consumer social responsibility can be nurtured by enterprises’ CSR activities and performances (Afiuc et al , 2021). Thus, environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) initiatives are included in the current study.…”

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“…Numerous evaluation methods exist for assessing the effectiveness of government policies [4,11,30]. These evaluations can be prospective, carried out before policy implementation, or retrospective, conducted after policy implementation [13,1,9].…”

CSR-authenticity and conciliation after service failure: the role of apology and compensation

“…higher purchase intentions, loyalty, satisfaction and identification; Baskentli et al , 2019; Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). For example, through a qualitative study (in-depth interviews with six managers responsible for CSR activities of various telecommunications companies in Ghana) and a quantitative study (distributing questionnaire to 501 customers of various telecommunications companies), Afiuc et al (2021) found that investing in CSR activities improves corporate image, which translates to improved customer retention. Similarly, through a longitudinal study of customers across 18 industries, Van Doorn et al (2017) found that CSR activities improve customer retention by improving customer attitudes.…”