Disentangling Consumers’ CSR Knowledge Types and Effects

Mark Avis (), Roman Konopka, Diana Gregory-Smith and Nitha Palakshappa
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Mark Avis: School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Roman Konopka: School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Diana Gregory-Smith: Newcastle University Business School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SE, UK
Nitha Palakshappa: School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing, Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: This paper examines consumers’ objective knowledge of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for brands over different product categories, and investigates whether objective knowledge influences attitudes to CSR, and the relationships between demographics and objective knowledge. The research uses an innovative approach to examining consumer CSR knowledge via (largely) unprompted recall. The analysis uses independent judges to score actual consumer objective knowledge of the CSR of well-known brands against the policies and actions of the brand owner. The research reveals that participants’ objective knowledge of CSR was limited or, in many cases, there was no knowledge. Further, the number and type of CSR policies did not influence overall evaluations of CSR. However, where objective knowledge was held, it did positively influence evaluations. The findings of the research direct managerial attention towards improvement of the communication of CSR, including using the research methodology here to evaluate the success of current communications.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; business ethics; consumer knowledge; objective knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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