Do Consumers’ Assumptions on the Companies’ Motives and Differences in Moral Orientation of Men and Women Influence the Persuasiveness of CSR Activities?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of a company can influence consumers’ beliefs about a company’s engagement to social obligations. Although there is already much research on consumer responses to companies’ CSR activities, little is known about the conditions in which CSR activities actually have a positive effect on consumer attitudes towards this company and its brand. We compare the effect of non-altruistic CSR activities which exist when it is evident for the consumers that the company itself benefits economically from such activities with the effect of obviously altruistic CSR activities. Especially, we analyze if altruistic CSR activities should have a fit to the different orientations of morality of men and women.