Do social product features have value to consumers?

Auger, Pat; Devinney, Timothy M.; Louviere, Jordan J.; Burke, Paul F.

doi:10.1016/j.ijresmar.2008.03.005

Cited by 224 publications

(193 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In line with the findings of Auger et al (2008) and Bhattacharya and Sen (2004), the interviewees stressed that they generally will not sacrifice quality for CSR initiatives, which means that CSR initiatives supporting experience/excellence would have the strongest effect on customers.…”

Section: P1: Csr Initiatives Need To Be Related To the Company's Prodsupporting

confidence: 55%

Exploring perceptions of customer value

Jensen¹,

Annan-Diab²,

Seppala

2018

EBR

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework that describes and explains how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are perceived by customers and links customer perception to the notion of customer value perception. To explore customer value conception firstly, the perception of CSR initiatives is investigated; secondly, indications for the value-enhancing effects of CSR initiatives are studied, and finally, the varying effects which different value categories can have on customer attitudes and behaviour are extracted. Design/methodology/approach The data consists of 12 semi-structured interviews with customers of European telecommunication companies. Findings The results suggest that CSR initiatives, when communicated efficiently and considered as relevant by customers, will enhance two customer value categories: the extrinsic self-oriented value defined as efficiency and excellence and the intrinsic other-oriented value pertaining to ethics or spirituality. Enhancement of extrinsic self-oriented value imbeds the potential of CSR initiatives to affect customers’ purchase behaviour and thus strengthen ethical consumerism within the telecommunications industry. Research limitations/implications The main implication for research is a better understanding of the relationship between customer perception and customer value perception in the field of ethical consumerism. Focussing on one industry for the study can be named as a limitation. Practical implications As indicated by the research, results by customers prioritised CSR initiative can affect the customer value perception, mainly the extrinsic/self-oriented value. If the company is aiming to change customer behaviour and to strengthen ethical consumerism, it is important that the customer experience of CSR initiatives improve excellence (quality) and/or efficiency of the product/service. Originality/value This paper fulfils an identified need of research on how CSR initiatives can influence consumer behaviour.

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Section: P1: Csr Initiatives Need To Be Related To the Company's Prodsupporting

confidence: 55%

Exploring perceptions of customer value

Jensen¹,

Annan-Diab²,

Seppala

2018

EBR

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Hoeffler and Keller 2002). Despite the strong evidence suggesting consumers both support and reward firms' CSR engagement, consumer support for CSR activities is equivocal for a variety of reasons including a lack of awareness of firms' CSR activities (i.e., Du et al 2007;Pomering and Dolnicar 2009) and a general reluctance to sacrifice quality in favor of CSR attributes (i.e., Auger et al 2008).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving

2014

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Previous research demonstrates that consumers support firms' CSR activities, and increasingly demand socially responsible products and services. However, an implicit assumption in the extant literature is that the purchaser and the consumer of the product are the same person. The current research focuses on a unique form of socially responsible consumption behavior: giftgiving. Through thirty depth consumer interviews, we develop a typology of consumers based on whether consumers integrate CSR-related information into purchases, and whether the purchases are for themselves or for others (i.e., gifts). We find that in some instances, consumers actively avoid purchasing products from socially responsible organizations and do so with the intention of managing their impressions with the gift recipient. This is counter to previous research that suggests consumers often choose to make socially responsible consumption decisions in efforts to satisfy self-presentation concerns. In addition, the decision to engage in socially responsible consumption for oneself but not for others was motivated by a variety of factors including the role of the recipient and a concern over the credibility of socially responsible gifts. Finally, some participants who do not incorporate CSR into their own personal consumption chose gifts based on a variety of CSR activities in an effort to build awareness for socially responsible organizations.

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“…The reason is that thinking about social issues often requires more cognitive effort for consumers than, say, buying a product, and if this effort is too large, people will probably not be persuaded by the ad. On the other hand, in a study by Auger et al (2008), providing information on CSR attributes did not change consumer preferences regarding CSR.…”

Section: Corporate Advertisingmentioning

confidence: 75%

Creating Consumer Confidence in CSR Communications

Berens

Popma

2014

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility: Perspectives and Practice

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A large number of studies have suggested that consumers in Western countries increasingly attach importance to corporate social responsibility (CSR), i.e., the social and environmental activities of the companies they buy from (e.g., Cone, 2005). This is paralleled by an increasing interest in CSR among businesses, particularly large companies. For example, a survey by the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College (CCCBC, 2005) reported that 98% of the large companies surveyed in the U.S. were actively involved in at least some CSR activities, and that 53% were motivated in these activities by the belief that CSR is important to consumers. In

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Do social product features have value to consumers?

Cited by 224 publications

References 24 publications

Exploring perceptions of customer value

Exploring perceptions of customer value

Giving the Gift of Goodness: An Exploration of Socially Responsible Gift-Giving

Creating Consumer Confidence in CSR Communications

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