Embedded Philanthropic CSR in Digital China: Unified View of Prosocial and Pro-environmental Practices

Abstract

In recent decades, China has transformed from a conventional society into a digitally competitive nation. From an economic perspective, embedded corporate social responsibility (CSR) is gaining a new height where gamified charity is a trendy approach. By adopting the norm activation model from the point of view of the stimulus–organism–response framework, this research theoretically conceptualized the role of the mobile application environment (including telepresence, functional transparency, and accessibility) to map the cognition and philanthropic behavioral intentions of consumers in the gamified setting. The quantified survey comprised 669 respondents. The findings highlighted the critical role of functional transparency and telepresence of a mobile application in driving consumers’ warm glow and ascribed responsibility. The research underlined the presence of the unique DNA of Internet Plus Charity (Public Benefits) for prosocial and pro-environmental purposes in China under the umbrella of philanthropic CSR.

Impact of gamification on green consumption behavior integrating technological awareness, motivation, enjoyment and virtual CSR

“…In addition, the previous literature suggested that hedonic motivation influenced consumer behavior through virtual CSR 76 . Virtual CSR initiatives can increase consumers' awareness and knowledge of companies' environmental and social initiatives, reinforcing their environmental attitudes and behaviors 77 .…”

Environmental CSR From the Standpoint of Stakeholder Theory: Rethinking in the Era of Artificial Intelligence

“…This allows us to support social progress, increasing environmental values with each responsible purchase and stimulating further responsible purchases. The purchase of products from environmentally responsible suppliers can become a social trend, increasing the supply and demand of these products, as well as keeping an equilibrium (fair) price for it (Ye et al, 2021;Yin et al, 2021).…”

Exploring the Outcomes of Customer Engagement in DSR: The Role of Affective Commitment and Gamification Affordance

“…However, little research has examined relevant outcomes and psychological mechanisms within a single framework. To maximize the positive effect of CSR in a digital context, several studies have advocated for more comprehensive research into the initial conditions and occurrence mechanisms governing sustained customer engagement [1,13]. This study responds to these calls by proposing a moderated mediation model for the relationship between customer engagement and sustainable customer outcomes.…”

“…Companies have implemented corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in order to achieve sustainable performance while addressing their social and ecological concerns in a balanced manner [1]. CSR refers to corporates voluntarily incorporating social, environment and economic welfare into their business activities and represents the relationship between corporates and their stakeholders [2][3][4].…”

“…DSR is implemented in multidirectional programs on digital platforms and social media [14,15]. Since ICT has reduced the necessary work by potential contributors by delivering digital platforms to materialize 2 of 16 their intentions [1], similarly, the online channels enable corporations to develop more customer-centric and consumer-relevant social responsibility programs [16]. The evidence from China is the Ant Forest program embedded into Alipay, a public mobile gaming application combining ICT and CSR, which provides various engaging approaches to charity and promotes CSR engagement through customers' daily low-carbon lifestyles [6].…”