Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and employees’ affective commitment. Three underlying mechanisms are used to explain the relationship between CSR and commitment, namely, deontic justice, social identity theory and social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through survey questionnaires. The sample consisted of 161 employees who work in private and public organizations in Tunisia. Regression analysis was conducted using a multiple mediation model. Findings The results reveal a positive and significant relationship between CSR and employees’ affective commitment. The perception of person–organization fit, organizational identification and perceived organizational support mediates the relationship between CSR and affective commitment. Originality/value With regard to CSR, past studies have never deal with deontic values in analyzing work behaviors. Furthermore, most previous studies have considered a direct effect between CSR perceptions and affective commitment. This study extends the literature by conceptualizing the indirect mechanisms linking CSR to employees’ affective commitment.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has mainly been studied at a macro level through its impact on the financial performance of the company. However, individuals’ perceptions of CSR influence various attitudes and behaviors at work, including employees’ affective commitment. Whereas the relationship between perceptions of CSR and employees’ affective commitment has already been shown in the literature, less is known about its underlying mechanisms. This research seeks to specifically explain this relationship in order to understand how perceptions of CSR influence individuals’ affective commitment at work. We present two studies (Study 1, N = 181; Study 2, N = 145) to test a theoretical model that introduces person-organization fit (PO fit) as a mediator of this relationship and the need to belong as a moderator of the relationship between CSR and PO fit. The results of the moderated mediation model (using PLS-SEM) are developed and a discussion is provided.