TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of corporate social responsibility and corporate social irresponsibility
T2 - Why company size matters based on consumers’ need for self-expression
AU - Jung, Hyukjin
AU - Bae, Joonheui
AU - Kim, Hanku
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/7
Y1 - 2022/7
N2 - Social networks service has an important role in disseminating information related to corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is becoming increasingly important in the digital era. This study examines how perceived CSR and corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) for large versus small companies affect electronic “word of mouth” (eWOM), based on cognitive bias theory. In addition, our research suggests that consumers’ need for self-expression mediates the relationship between the interaction of perceived CSR vs. CSIR) by firm size and eWOM, which could be explained by social identity theory. We conduct an experiment to test our hypotheses and show that CSR initiatives have a more profound effect on eWOM for small companies, whereas evidence of CSIR has a stronger effect on eWOM for large companies. Importantly, the relationship is mediated by consumers’ need for self-expression. This research contributes to provide a framework for how consumers diffuse perceptions of CSR versus CSIR online.
AB - Social networks service has an important role in disseminating information related to corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is becoming increasingly important in the digital era. This study examines how perceived CSR and corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) for large versus small companies affect electronic “word of mouth” (eWOM), based on cognitive bias theory. In addition, our research suggests that consumers’ need for self-expression mediates the relationship between the interaction of perceived CSR vs. CSIR) by firm size and eWOM, which could be explained by social identity theory. We conduct an experiment to test our hypotheses and show that CSR initiatives have a more profound effect on eWOM for small companies, whereas evidence of CSIR has a stronger effect on eWOM for large companies. Importantly, the relationship is mediated by consumers’ need for self-expression. This research contributes to provide a framework for how consumers diffuse perceptions of CSR versus CSIR online.
KW - Cognitive bias
KW - Corporate social irresponsibility
KW - Corporate social responsibility
KW - Electronic word of mouth
KW - Need for self-expression
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127275070&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.024
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.024
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85127275070
SN - 0148-2963
VL - 146
SP - 146
EP - 154
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
ER -