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Disentangling Consumers’ CSR Knowledge Types and Effects

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Diana Gregory-SmithORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


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) un- prompted 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.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Avis M, Konopka R, Gregory-Smith D, Palakshappa N

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Sustainability

Year: 2022

Volume: 14

Issue: 19

Online publication date: 22/09/2022

Acceptance date: 08/09/2022

Date deposited: 23/09/2022

ISSN (electronic): 2071-1050

Publisher: MDPI AG

URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911946

DOI: 10.3390/su141911946


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