CSR motivation and customer extra-role behavior: Moderation of ethical corporate identity

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) motives and customer extra-role behavior in an emerging market context. It examines the moderating role of ethical corporate identity on this relationship in two replicated scenario-based experiments in two different contexts (i.e. high CSR fit vs. low CSR fit). Both studies assess whether the attributions of consumers about a firm's CSR motivation (i.e. firm-serving vs. public serving) change their extra-role behavior (e.g. making suggestions related to product or service improvement, taking part in company surveys and activities, defending companies against negative reactions, making recommendations to others) toward that company if it expresses its ethical identity. Study I takes place in a company-locus/CSR initiative high-fit context; and Study II replicates it in a company-locus/CSR initiative low-fit context. The results demonstrate that regardless of the CSR fit contexts, CSR activities improve customer extra-role behavior with-in the firm-serving motivation condition when a company is known for its ethical stance before CSR activities. However, they are ineffective when a company's ethical visibility is implicit even in the public-serving motivation situation. These outcomes indicate that expressing a company's ethical standing prior to CSR activities would be a beneficial strategy for companies in emerging markets. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.