Promoting Responsible Sustainable Consumer Behavior through Sustainability Marketing: The Boundary Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Image

Tong Jia, Shahid Iqbal, Arslan Ayub (), Tehreem Fatima and Zeeshan Rasool
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Tong Jia: School of Management, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, Xi’an 710054, China
Shahid Iqbal: Management Studies Department, Bahria University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Arslan Ayub: National School of Management Studies, The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Tehreem Fatima: Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan
Zeeshan Rasool: Department of Management Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering & Technology, Multan 60000, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: Responsible sustainable consumer behavior might serve as a complex pattern of social and environmental issues, consistent with the perspective of sustainability as a construct with both social and environmental pillars. Anchored on signaling theory and attribution theory, this study seeks to unearth a hitherto unexplored mechanism that might translate sustainability marketing into elevated responsible sustainable consumer behavior through the mediating role of brand image. Besides, this study aims to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility, as an intervening variable, to underpin the association between sustainability marketing and brand image. This study analyzes data from five-star and four-star hotel customers using SmartPLS SEM (v 4.0). The findings support our hypotheses that a hotel’s brand image mediates the relationship between sustainability marketing and responsible sustainable consumer behavior. In addition, hotels’ engagement in corporate social responsibility activities moderates the link between sustainability marketing and brand image, such that the association is stronger (weaker) at higher (lower) levels of corporate social responsibility. This study explores the boundary conditions of the sustainability marketing–responsible sustainable consumer behavior link. Hotels can foster responsible sustainable consumer behavior by executing sustainability marketing and engaging in corporate social responsibility activities.

Keywords: sustainability marketing; corporate social responsibility; brand image; responsible sustainable consumer behavior; signaling theory; attribution theory; hotel industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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