Impacts of Socially Responsible Corporate Activities on Korean Consumers’ Corporate Evaluations in the Agrifood Industry

Dongmin Lee, Junghoon Moon, Young Chan Choe and Jaeseok Jeong
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Dongmin Lee: Program in Regional Information, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Young Chan Choe: Program in Regional Information, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jaeseok Jeong: Graduate School of Pan-Pacific International Studies, Kyung Hee University Global Campus, Yongin 17104, Korea

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: The variety of socially responsible corporate activities employed in the agrifood industry has been broadening. An increasing number of agrifood companies have been employing strategic approaches to socially responsible activities, reinforced by Porter and Kramer’s concept of creating shared value (CSV). This study compares the effects on corporate evaluations of two socially responsible corporate activities: philanthropic giving and CSV. Because prior studies concerning the effects of corporate prosocial behaviors on consumer responses have yielded mixed results, the present study examines the effects of a priori perceptions of companies by using corporate stereotypes as moderators. The results show that the type of socially responsible corporate activity (CSV vs. philanthropic giving) does not influence corporate evaluations. However, in cases of CSV (vs. philanthropic giving), consumers evaluate an unwarm but competent company more attractively and place higher value on an incompetent but warm company. This research is important not only for enriching existing literature, but also for providing guidelines to practitioners with respect to selecting appropriate corporate initiatives based on perceived consumer stereotypes.

Keywords: corporate social responsible activity; corporate social responsibility; corporate stereotype; creating shared value; stereotype content model; agrifood industry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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