The objective of this study is to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of a firm as one of the critical factors to improve the competitiveness of the firm in today's aggressive market environment. The influence of corporate social responsibility on brand loyalty and brand image, which distinguishes the firm from other competitors, was evaluated in the study. Data from 364 consumers were collected through adapted and structured questionnaires for the period from August 2018 to December 2018. The respondents were selected through convenience sampling to generate the responses of individual online consumers who buy luxury goods online. The sample size of 364 was taken from a simple random table with a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence level. SEM-based multivariate approaches such as structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis were employed, and SmartPLS 3.0 software was used for the data evaluation. The results indicate that the firm's CSR initiatives have a significant and positive impact on brand loyalty and brand image. The study undertaken has several theoretical and practical implications which could provide the basic foundations and conceptual framework for future studies, and it offers strategic directions for the senior managers of firms to plan CSR initiatives that can enhance the brand loyalty of their brands and also increase corporate reputation, all of which are beneficial to remain competitive in today's business arena.

Nowadays women often lead teams, hold high positions in top management, plan and make important strategic decisions in firms or groups. However, little attention in scientific literature has been paid to gender difference in implementing CSR practices of firms. Implementing CSR practices successfully in many cases depends on the gender difference of top management. The object of this study is the importance of ‘feminine gaze’ with respect to gender difference in implementing CSR in firms. This study aims at supplementing feminist ethical – and in part, epistemological – concerns with empirical studies considering the role of women in the top management of firms, then the impact of gender on implementation of CSR initiatives was analysed, and the main drivers linked to gender for the implementation of CSR initiatives were assessed in this study based on the comprehensive literature review. The study confirmed the positive impact of woman representation on the development of CSR initiatives in the firm. The number of women in BOD and employee positions from all stakeholders including customers’ perspectives have positive impacts on the penetration of CSR initiatives, and can be considered as an important driver of CSR in the firms.