An investigation into factors influencing consumer preferences for corporate social responsibility initiatives

There is little doubt as to the need of organisations to be socially responsible and undertake effective corporate social responsibility initiatives (CSRI). The present study explored how organisations can have more effective CSRI that also resonate with their most important stakeholder group - consumers. In this pursuit, a CSRI classification is developed based on consumer preferences for various types of CSRI. This classification is theoretically grounded in Belk's (2010) theory of 'Sharing'. Data is collected through an online questionnaire administered across Australia. Structural Equation Modelling is applied to examine consumer characteristics' association with consumer preferences for social and environmental CSRI. The present study found that consumers perceive social issues to fall into two groups of easily 'relatable' and 'distant' social issues; whereas, environmental CSRI are looked at in a more holistic way. This is not only the first empirical research to provide a CSRI classification, but also such an in-depth analysis in this subject. Consumers were also found to prefer CSRI, both social (relatable and distant) and environmental, that reach a wider audience (named Sharing-Out) as compared with CSRI where organisations restrict the benefits from these initiatives to their direct stakeholders to gain a direct economic benefit (termed Sharing-In). The present study also explored the enduring consumer characteristics including their ethical position, value orientation and culture that were likely to impact on their preferences for different CSRI. Although these characteristics have shown considerable impact on consumer behaviour, the extent and nature of their impact on consumer preferences for CSRI warranted further investigation.