Consumers as employees: the impact of social responsibility on quality of work life among Australian engineers

Aaron D Arndt, Anusorn Singhapakdi and Vivian Tam

Social Responsibility Journal, 2015, vol. 11, issue 1, 98-108

Abstract: Purpose - – The aim of this paper is to investigate whether consumer values influence work-related attitudes. Employees often feel conflict among different aspects of their lives. Although most extant research has focused on the effect of family values on work attitudes, we investigate whether a fit between employees’ socially responsible consumption orientation (SRCO) and firm corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences employee higher-order quality of work life. Design/methodology/approach - – Survey data from 112 members of an engineering association in Australia. Findings - – The results show that employees’ consumer life roles can influence their work-related perceptions. However, contrary to expectations, the positive influence of CSR on higher-order quality of work life is weaker for employees who are more socially responsible consumers. Research limitations/implications - – Further research should examine other industry contexts and cultures. Also, because the SRCO construct is very broad, further research should examine specific social issues. Practical implications - – CSR can be an important strategy for retaining employees, even those with lower SRCO. Originality/value - – This research shows that customer values influence important work-related attitudes, such as higher-order quality of work life and organizational commitment. Furthermore, we show that “fit” between consumption orientation responsibility and firm CSR does not necessarily enhance work-related attitudes because employees high in SRCO likely hold the firm to a different standard of social responsibility.

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; Person-organization fit; Quality of work life; Socially responsible consumption orientation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:srjpps:v:11:y:2015:i:1:p:98-108

DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-06-2013-0075

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