Elsevier

Journal of Business Research

Volume 98, May 2019, Pages 236-249
Journal of Business Research

Consumer evaluations of CSR authenticity: Development and validation of a multidimensional CSR authenticity scale

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.01.060Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Develops and validates a multi-dimensional scale to assess CSR authenticity.

  • Uses formal scale development techniques; identifies 7 CSR authenticity dimensions.

  • Identifies new dimension, broad impact, not previously identified in the literature.

  • Examines differential effects of each dimension on diverse consumer outcomes.

Abstract

Authenticity is a critical concept affecting consumers' judgments of brands, as well as CSR programs. However, while much research has examined the impact of authenticity, there is less understanding regarding the dimensions that influence consumers' perceptions of authenticity, especially within the CSR domain. Thus, the purpose of this research is (1) to identify the dimensions of CSR authenticity and (2) to develop and validate a multi-dimensional scale to assess it. Our findings support a seven-dimensional scale with the following dimensions: community link, reliability, commitment, congruence, benevolence, transparency, and broad impact. In addition, our findings support the efficacy of CSR authenticity for predicting positive consumer attitudes and intentions toward the firm. Marketing implications are discussed.

Introduction

Organizations commonly expect to reap the benefits from their corporate social responsibility (CSR) endeavors. However, insincere initiatives may leave a negative or conflicting impression on stakeholders if consumers feel the organization is not really committed to the cause (Wagner, Lutz, & Weitz, 2009). Indeed, although increased attention has been given to CSR as the main vehicle by which organizations address stakeholders' social concerns, some research has shown negative consequences of CSR such as mistrust and skepticism surrounding the attempts of doing good (Wagner et al., 2009). Thus, although CSR endeavors are supposed to benefit society and support communities, they are increasingly viewed as a tactic for covering up companies' societal harms (Delmas & Burbano, 2011). For example, the National Football League (NFL) has long and explicitly presented itself as a devoted ambassador of promoting the breast cancer awareness campaign. Although this public gesture seems to be driven by philanthropy, further investigation reveals that only 8% of the revenue generated by the pink campaign goes to the American Cancer Society; the remaining 92% percent goes to the NFL (Gaines, 2013). Consequently, critics have suggested the NFL's tactics are over the top ‘pink washing’ at best and a deceitful charitable practice at worst (Sternberg, 2013). As such, it is not enough for an organization to behave in a socially responsible manner. Rather, its CSR endeavors need to be considered genuine if the organization expects to obtain desired outcomes.

Surprisingly, the CSR literature has paid little attention to authenticity and there is a dearth of empirical studies exploring why consumers view an organization's CSR actions as authentic or inauthentic. Indeed, although authenticity has been described as one of the vital concepts of modern marketing in consumer research (Brown, Kozinets, & Sherry Jr, 2003; Gilmore & Pine, 2007), there exists limited research to examine and explore its position in a broader light in marketing and consumer behavior (Alexander, 2009). In particular, there is a need to better understand the dimensions that influence consumer perceptions of authenticity with regard to an organization's CSR endeavors. While Alhouti, Johnson, and Holloway (2016) identify four antecedents that influence consumer perceptions of CSR authenticity, they use a unidimensional approach that may not be consistent with prior literature that argues that authenticity is a multidimensional construct (Morhart, Malär, Guèvremont, Girardin, & Grohmann, 2015; Napoli, Dickinson, Beverland, & Farrelly, 2014; Spiggle, Nguyen, & Caravella, 2012). Further, the Alhouti et al. (2016) scale was not developed using formal scale development techniques and it was tested through snowball sampling using a student sample at a single location which may limit its generalizability.

Consequently, the purpose of the current research is three-fold. First, we build on prior research by seeking to uncover the multiple dimensions of CSR authenticity. Second, we develop and validate a new multidimensional measure of CSR authenticity using both student and national consumer samples. Finally, we test the effects of CSR authenticity on a variety of consumer outcomes and identify the differential effects of distinct CSR authenticity dimensions on these outcomes.

We begin with a review of the existing authenticity literature, identifying six potential dimensions (community link, reliability, commitment, congruence, benevolence, transparency) for inclusion in our scale development. We then conduct focus group interviews to validate these dimensions, adding a seventh factor (broad impact) and one control variable (personal connection) to our measures (study 1). Next, we test (study 2), validate (study 3), and apply (study 4) our multidimensional CSR authenticity scale, ending with a discussion of implications and future research directions.

Section snippets

Conceptual background: CSR, authenticity, and CSR authenticity

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been defined as an organization's endeavors and standing in regard to its societal or stakeholder obligations to increase its positive impact and minimize its negative impact on society (Brown & Dacin, 1997). Due to various market forces such as severe competition, increased media scrutiny, and growing expectations among various stakeholders such as consumers and employees (Cone, 2013), CSR has become a focus of contemporary business practice (Mackey &

The scale development process

In order to develop a multidimensional measure of consumer-based CSR authenticity, we follow traditional scaling procedures as a guide (Brakus, Schmitt, & Zarantonello, 2009; Churchill Jr., 1979). The overall process involves the following steps: (1) an in-depth literature review to discover the dimensions that can be used to measure consumer perceptions of CSR authenticity; (2) focus group interviews for an initial validation of these dimensions (n = 23; study 1) in order to (3) generate

Phase 7: Study 4 – Effects of consumer-based CSR authenticity

Having developed and validated a consumer-based CSR authenticity scale, our next step was to show the usefulness of the scale for predicting meaningful consumer outcomes and for increasing our understanding of the drivers of CSR authenticity. Prior research proposes that authenticity cues influence brand beliefs, brand trust, and brand success (e.g., Brown et al., 2003; Napoli et al., 2014; Spiggle et al., 2012) and can positively impact employees (Beckman et al., 2009; McShane & Cunningham,

Discussion

Authenticity is important for the successful implementation of CSR programs (Beckman et al., 2009; Mazutis & Slawinski, 2014). However, authenticity perceptions are frequently influenced by context (Grayson & Martinec, 2004; Newman, 2016) and we lack a complete understanding of authenticity's dimensionality within a CSR context, especially from a consumer perspective. The goal of this research was to identify the dimensions of consumer-based CSR authenticity and then develop a scale which could

Limitations and future research

Our research served to identify dimensions of consumer-based CSR authenticity and then to develop, validate, and test a measure for assessing this construct. However, while we successfully tested and validated the scale, a number of areas remain for future research. First, our conceptualization was largely tested with programs drawn from the NFL. The NFL was selected due to the number and diversity of its CSR programs as well as its consistency in charitable contributions across teams. Thus,

Declarations of interest

None.

Acknowledgements

This research is based on the first author's dissertation under the guidance of the third (chair) and second (member) authors. The authors thank Melissa Bublitz and members of the dissertation committee – Matthew Katz and Lisa Keller – for their helpful comments. This research was partially funded by a Dissertation Research Grant from the University of Massachusetts Amherst to the first author.

Soyoung Joo is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the School of Business, Siena College. She earned her PhD from the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests revolve around three main themes: corporate social responsibility (CSR), authenticity, and brand attachment, which she generally studies within the context of consumer behavior. More specifically, her research agenda is linked to consumer behavior that is associated with sport-related

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    Soyoung Joo is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the School of Business, Siena College. She earned her PhD from the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests revolve around three main themes: corporate social responsibility (CSR), authenticity, and brand attachment, which she generally studies within the context of consumer behavior. More specifically, her research agenda is linked to consumer behavior that is associated with sport-related consumer identities, brand attachment formation, and sport-brand cause marketing campaigns. Her work has been published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, European Sport Management Quarterly, and Sport, Business, and Management: An International Journal. She has also presented her research at major conferences such as the American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators' Conference, Academy of Marketing Science, International Vincentian Business Ethics Conference, and Sport Marketing Association Conference. Her research was nominated as a Sport Marketing Association Best Professional Paper Award finalist.

    Elizabeth G. Miller is the Doctoral Coordinator and an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned her PhD from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses broadly on consumer decision-making and more specifically, on how emotion influences the way consumers interpret and respond to information. She has studied these issues in a variety of contexts, including sports, services, and health, publishing in many of the field's top marketing journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Service Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. Her research has also been cited in public press outlets, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, and presented at numerous conferences.

    Janet S. Fink is a Professor and Chair of the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research interests include the marketing of women's sport and female athletes, sport consumer behavior, and diversity issues in sport. She has published in top sport management journals as well as outlets outside of sport and her research has been cited in popular press outlets such as Elle Magazine, the Washington Post, ESPNW, Huffington Post Live, and the Sports Business Journal. Dr. Fink is the Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Sport Management. She is a NASSM Research Fellow, recipient of the Dr. Earle F. Zeigler Award, and former President of NASSM.

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    Present Address: School of Business, Siena College, Marketing Department, 515 Loudon Rd., Loudonville, NY, USA 12211.

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