Consumers' heterogeneous preferences for corporate social responsibility in the food industry

Abstract

This study reveals the consumer side of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the food industry, exploring awareness, preferences and willingness to pay for CSR of a representative sample of Italian households. The results clearly indicate that Italian consumers reveal a high level of awareness within clear, though heterogeneous, preferences for CSR initiatives. Five consumers' groups were identified: ‘environmentalists’, ‘pro‐socials’, ‘collectivists’, ‘animal friends’ and ‘selfish health centered’. Furthermore, the study reveals consumers' willingness to pay a premium price to reward food companies addressing their concerns and expectations in terms of CSR. Findings offer insights for business managers on how to promote CSR, developing communication and information strategies focusing on specific needs and personal relevance within a group of consumers.

The impact of corporate social responsibility on buying tendencies from the perspective of stakeholder theory and practices

“…Hence, the adoption of CSR practices, as a nexus among various business operations, can strengthen the buying tendencies of consumers to achieve firms' goals and to influence consumer behavior significantly. Our findings are consistent with those of previous studies, in which academicians and practitioners concluded that CSR activities are extremely important by confirming their considerable impact on consumers' preferences, attitudes, and behaviors worldwide (e.g., Boccia & Sarnacchiaro, ; S. B. Choi et al, ; Hur et al, ; Jones III et al, ; Lerro et al, ; Ramesh et al, ).…”

“…From the marketing and consumer perspectives, a multidimensional and deep analysis is needed to verify the benefits and identify the nexus between CSR practices and buying tendencies. In particular, empirical testing is required in manifold regions to clarify how the acceptance of CSR practices may influence BBTs in different economies(e.g., S. B. Choi, Feng, Liu, & Zhu, ; Jones III, Reilly, Cox, & Cole, ; Lerro, Vecchio, Caracciolo, Pascucci, & Cembalo, ; Ramesh, Saha, Goswami, & Dahiya, ).…”

The effect of corporate social performance on the financial performance of business‐to‐business and business‐to‐consumer firms

“…CSP should positively affect firms' top‐line performance if it increases the quantities sold and/or the prices customers are willing to, or actually, pay. Evidence from numerous surveys and experiments suggests that this might be the case in consumer markets (Du, Bhattacharya, & Sen, ; Lerro, Vecchio, Caracciolo, Pascucci, & Cembalo, ; Lii, Wu, & Ding, ; Trudel & Cotte, ). According to these studies, the relationship between CSP and the top‐line performance of B2C firms should be positive.…”

Sustainable development and supply chain coordination: The impact of corporate social responsibility rules in the European Union food industry

“…Even though some concerns regarding these issues began to spread in the 1930s and 1940s, the analysis of company approaches to social responsibility tends to consider more developed and recent versions of the concept, starting from the 1950s to 1960s (Carroll, 1999). In the last decades, it has gained momentum, as consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about the environmental and social impacts of economic activities (Lerro, Vecchio, Caracciolo, Pascucci, & Cembalo, 2018).…”