corporate social responsibility, identity attractiveness, relationship marketing, identification, consumer behavior,

There is a gap in the literature concerning the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corporate strategy. This study analyses the influence of CSR on competitiveness as a strategic dimension of companies. It addresses the conditions under which CSR has a positive influence on competitiveness through testing the moderator effect of corporate strategy, size, and industry. Based on an empirical study of 144 companies, the results show a positive effect of CSR on competitiveness, which is stronger for large companies and for companies that follow a proactive (vs reactive) strategy, while no differences appear between service and manufacturing industries.Two arguments justify the moderating effect of company size on the impact of CSR on competitiveness: (1) in small companies, the owner of the company is also the manager; and (2) visibility relates to the size of the company. Russo and Perrini (2010) argue that CSR is not solely a prerogative of large firms, and show that large firms and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must be treated as two different constructs to examine their responsible corporate strategies. In order to justify the differences between small and large firms in the CSR orientation, they point Competitiveness and CSRA series of interviews was conducted with 12 managers to verify the dimensions and items used to measure CSR and competitiveness. A number of themes emerged from these interviews and were subsequently incorporated into our questionnaire. Eight key managers, randomly selected from the same industries as the survey organisations, were then used to pilot test the instrument. Respondents were mailed a copy of the survey and asked to review it for content, clarity and validity. Based on this feedback, some redundant or ambiguous items were modified or eliminated. SampleData were collected through an e-mail survey using a self-report questionnaire. The initial sample consisted of 500 CEOs randomly selected among companies with more than five employees established in Spain. Not-for-profit organisations, public administration organisations, and educational institutions were excluded from the sample because the nature and demands of their stakeholders may differ significantly from those faced by for-profit organisations. Potential participants were mailed a questionnaire and a cover letter that offered a summary of the study's results in exchange for their completed answer. One week later, an e-mail was sent to all potential participants. Of the 500 questionnaires mailed, 164 were completed and 15 were undeliverable, yielding a response rate of 29.8%. Finally, five returned questionnaires were discarded because the respondents reported that the survey was inappropriate for their organisation or experience. The final sample included 144 respondents.A non-response bias test was conducted by testing differences between early and late respondents (Armstrong and Overton, 1977). Wilks's MANOVA test criterion (Johnson and Wichern, 2007) was employed to test at the 0.05 level of signific...

In recent decades, the debate about the strategic potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the existence of a possible relationship between CSR and competitiveness has become increasingly relevant. However, the literature has not analysed in detail why this influence occurs and what the key elements that determine increasing competitiveness are. This study analyses the roles of innovation and investment in the ways in which CSR influences competitiveness. The results from an empirical study of 236 companies show no direct influence of CSR on competitiveness, but innovation and investment are shown to affect CSR's influence on competitiveness indirectly and significantly. These results demonstrate a total mediation effect of innovation and investment on CSR's influence on competitiveness. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed together with its limitations and potential for future research. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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