Redefining fit: examining CSR company-issue fit in stigmatized industries

Austin, Lucinda; Gaither, Barbara Miller

doi:10.1057/s41262-018-0107-3

Cited by 32 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Meanwhile, posts focused on women’s empowerment elicited significantly positive public comments. These findings were further supported through experimental research based on a fictitious cola company (Austin and Gaither, 2016b).…”

Section: Social Change Through Coca-cola’s Csr: a Case Examinationmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…As mentioned, for corporations to move beyond selfish promotion and contribute to social discourse, an apparent connection to a generalizable interest and proof of genuine engagement are necessary (Edwards, 2016). And while the link to a generalizable interest may be problematic for some businesses when the company’s products or manufacturing processes negatively impact the issue (Austin and Gaither, 2016b; Gaither and Austin, 2016), we suggest that successful corporate campaigns advocating for social change are likely to hinge on genuine engagement.…”

Section: Business–society Relationships and Capacity For Changementioning

confidence: 88%

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Delineating CSR and social change: Querying corporations as actors for social good

Gaither

Austin

Schulz

2018

Public Relations Inquiry

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This article seeks to delineate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social change and asks the important question of whether and how corporations may serve as agents of social change. Dimensions of the business–society relationship are explored to further distinguish CSR from other types of corporate social initiatives and critically examine what types of corporate social initiatives can effectively and ethically serve as vehicles for social change. Based on this exploration, the article advances a descriptive model of business–society relationships and their capacity for creating and promoting social change. A case evaluation of Coca-Cola’s ‘3Ws’ social initiatives – related to well-being, water, and women’s empowerment – is then used to highlight and contextualize the model.

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Section: Social Change Through Coca-cola’s Csr: a Case Examinationmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Business–society Relationships and Capacity For Changementioning

confidence: 88%

Delineating CSR and social change: Querying corporations as actors for social good

Gaither

Austin

Schulz

2018

Public Relations Inquiry

Self Cite

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“…This concern has traditionally been addressed by companies through CSR. Consumer reactions to CSR initiatives are influenced by their perceptions of company-centric variables such as company-issue fit [21], legitimacy, or trust [22], to name a few. Additionally, scholars have found that personal characteristics of consumers, such as values, lifestyles, and personality characteristics are particularly influential in their reactions to CSR initiatives [23].…”

Section: Self-transcendent Values and Environmentalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking the Path of the Green Consumer: Surveying the Decision-Making Process from Self-Transcendent Values to Supportive CSR Intentions

2022

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This paper examines the relationship between individual traits and values of consumers and their decision-making process pertaining to purchasing green products from companies with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the main goal of this online survey (N = 463) is to understand the relationship between self-transcendent values, environmentalism, attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and purchase frequency to better understand how consumers make green purchasing decisions. A structural equation model shows support for our predictions that self-transcendent values significantly and positively predict environmentalism, which in turn predicted the TPB variables. Interestingly, only attitudes towards purchasing green products were significantly predictive of purchasing products from companies with strong commitments to CSR, which subsequently predicted actual purchase frequency. We hope that our research will benefit scholars and practitioners by contributing to the work in CSR and environmental communication.

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“…In fact, it is common for stigmatized companies to engage in various CSR initiatives as an attempt to gain the legitimacy of their operations (Du and Vieira, 2012). Reputational harm may increase when stigmatized companies refrain from addressing social issues to which they contribute negatively (Austin and Gaither, 2018). In that sense, it is critical for such industries to address their CSR efforts in a way that is better accepted as an appropriate response to the relevant problems and will mitigate negative company perceptions among consumers.…”

Section: Effects Of Csr Initiatives On Company Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of CSR initiatives on company perceptions among Millennial and Gen Z consumers

Kim

Austin

2019

CCIJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine Millennial consumers’ responses to two corporate social initiative types – socially responsible business practices and corporate philanthropy – in combination with proactive and reactive CSR communication strategies. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (corporate philanthropy/socially responsible business practices) ×2 (proactive/reactive CSR communication) between-subjects experiment was conducted. Findings The socially responsible business practices were largely perceived more positively than the philanthropic initiatives. Likewise, greater public-serving motives were attributed to the socially responsible business practices compared to the philanthropy. While philanthropic initiatives were perceived more negatively when communicated reactively, there were no significant differences between proactive and reactive socially responsible business practices. Originality/value As an attempt to initiate the comparative examination of the effects of different corporate social initiative types, this study suggests outperformance of the socially responsible business practices type of corporate social initiatives over the resources-giving (i.e. philanthropy) type of initiatives even in the reactive communication setting where reputational threat resides.

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Redefining fit: examining CSR company-issue fit in stigmatized industries

Cited by 32 publications

References 48 publications

Delineating CSR and social change: Querying corporations as actors for social good

Delineating CSR and social change: Querying corporations as actors for social good

Tracking the Path of the Green Consumer: Surveying the Decision-Making Process from Self-Transcendent Values to Supportive CSR Intentions

Effects of CSR initiatives on company perceptions among Millennial and Gen Z consumers

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