Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Explaining Consumer Reactions to Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Gratitude and Altruistic Values

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Although a lot of research establishes consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility (CSR), little is known about the theoretical mechanisms for these reactions. We conduct a field experiment with adult consumers to test the hypothesis that the effects of perceived CSR on consumer reactions are mediated by felt gratitude and moderated by the magnitude of altruistic values held by consumers. Two classes of consumer reactions are considered: intentions to (1) say positive things about the company, and (2) participate in advocacy actions benefiting the company.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The other positive moral emotion is elevation, an affective response to acts of extraordinary moral goodness (Haidt 2000, 2003; Keltner and Haidt 2003). Although related to morality, the uncommon nature of the acts able to generate experiences of elevation makes this specific emotional response less suitable to be investigated in CSR contexts (see for an example, Aquino et al. 2011).

  2. Here the parallel with anger, a negative counterpart of gratitude, is immediate. In the case of righteous anger—a special class of anger in which the perpetrator’s behavior represents a violation of a moral standard (Tangney et al. 2007)—the harm need not to be personally experienced. One can feel angry, for example, upon witnessing morally repulsive behavior by another person or corporation aimed at a third party. An interesting example is provided by Ortony et al. (1988, pp. 151–152) on Americans who became angry after the revelation that members of the White House staff had been secretly arranging for arms to be sold to Iran and diverting the profits to contras in Nicaragua.

References

  • Algoe, S. B., & Haidt, J. (2009). Witnessing excellence in action: The “Other-Praising” emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(2), 105–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Algoe, S., Haidt, J., & Gable, S. (2008). Beyond reciprocity: Gratitude and relationships in everyday life. Emotion, 8(3), 425–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, L. M., Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2007). On the relationship of hope and gratitude to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 70(4), 401–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aquino, K., McFarran, B., & Laven, M. (2011). Moral identity and the experience of moral elevation in response to acts of uncommon goodness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 703–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P. (1984). Expectancy-value attitude models. An analysis of critical measurement issues. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 1(4), 295–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett, M. Y., & De Steno, D. (2006). Gratitude and prosocial behavior. Helping when it costs you. Psychological Science, 17(4), 319–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bergami, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). Self-categorization, affective commitment and group self-esteem as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 39(4), 555–577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya, C. B., Korschun, D., & Sen, S. (2009). Strengthening stakeholder–company relationships through mutually beneficial corporate social responsibility initiatives. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(2), 257–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. J., & Dacin, P. A. (1997). The company and the product: Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 64–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, D. T., & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait–multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56(2), 81–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason and human brain. New York: Putnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2007). Reaping relational rewards from corporate social responsibility: The role of competitive positioning. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 24(3), 224–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication’. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 8–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N. (2000). Emotions, regulations, and moral development. Annual Review of Psychology, 51, 665–697.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellen, P. S., Webb, D. J., & Mohr, L. A. (2006). Building corporate associations: Consumer attributions for corporate socially responsible programs. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(2), 147–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2004). The psychology of gratitude. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, A. H., & Roseman, I. J. (2007). Beat them or ban them: The characteristics and social functions of anger and contempt. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(1), 103–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Gratitude, like other positive emotions, broadens and builds. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 145–166). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, S. (1988). Children’s developing understanding of the motivational role of affect: An attributional analysis. Cognitive Development, 3(1), 71–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2000). The positive emotion of elevation. Prevention & Treatment, 3(1). doi:10.1037/1522-3736.3.1.33c.

  • Haidt, J. (2001). The emotional dog and its rational tail: A social intuitionist approach to moral judgment. Psychological Review, 108(4), 814–834.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2003). Elevation and the positive psychology of morality. In C. L. M. Keyes & J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived (pp. 275–289). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Haidt, J. (2007). The new synthesis in moral psychology. Science, 316, 998–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T., Shah, J., & Friedman, J. R. (1997). Emotional responses to goal attainment: Strength of regulatory focus as moderator. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(3), 515–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., & Haidt, J. (2003). Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion. Cognition and Emotion, 17(2), 297–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ketola, T. (2008). A holistic corporate responsibility model: Integrating values, discourses and actions. Journal of Business Ethics, 80(3), 419–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keys, T., Malnight, T. W., & van der Graaf, K. (2009). Making the most of corporate social responsibility. McKinsey Quarterly, December

  • Klein, J. G., & Dawar, N. (2004). Corporate social responsibility and consumers’ attributions and brand evaluations in a product-Harm Crisis. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 21(3), 201–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kroll, J., & Egan, E. (2004). Psychiatry, moral worry, and moral emotions. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 10(6), 352–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lichtenstein, D. R., Drumwright, M. E., & Braig, B. M. (2004). The effect of corporate social responsibility on customer donations to corporate-supported nonprofits. Journal of Marketing, 68(4), 16–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marin, L., Ruiz, S., & Rubio, A. (2009). The role of identity salience in the effects of corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 84(1), 65–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 295–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Kilpatrick, S. D., Emmons, R. A., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Is gratitude a moral affect? Psychological Bulletin, 27(2), 249–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Kimeldorf, M. B., & Cohen, A. D. (2008). An adaptation for altruism? The social causes, social effects and social evolution of gratitude. Current directions in psychological science, 17(4), 281–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., & Tsang, J. (2004). Parent of the virtues? The prosocial contours of gratitude. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 123–141). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr, L. A., & Webb, D. J. (2005). The effects of corporate social responsibility and price on consumer responses. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39(1), 121–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morales, A. C. (2005). Giving firm an “E” for effort: Consumer responses to high-effort firms. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4), 806–812.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortony, A., Clore, G. L., & Collins, A. (1988). The cognitive structure of emotions. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Palmatier, R. W., Burke Jarvis, C., Bechkoff, J. R., & Kardes, F. R. (2009). The role of customer gratitude in relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. E., & Stewart, A. J. (1996). Antecedents and contexts of generativity motivation at midlife. Psychology and Aging, 11(1), 21–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Preacher, K. J., Rucker, D. D., & Hayes, A. F. (2007). Addressing moderated mediation hypotheses: Theory, methods, and prescriptions. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 42(1), 185–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, R. (2004). The blessing of gratitude: A conceptual analysis. In R. A. Emmons & M. E. McCullough (Eds.), The psychology of gratitude (pp. 58–78). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Roseman, I. J. (1991). Appraisal determinants of discrete emotions. Cognition and Emotion, 5(3), 161–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 1–65). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H., & Bilsky, W. (1990). Toward a theory of the universal content and structure of values: Extensions and cross-cultural replications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58(5), 878–891.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2001). Does doing good always lead to doing better? Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 225–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shweder, R. A., Much, N. C., Mahapatra, M., & Park, L. (1997). The “Big Three” of morality (autonomy, community, and divinity) and the “Big Three” explanations of suffering’. In A. Brandt & P. Rozin (Eds.), Morality and health (pp. 119–169). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singelis, T. M. (1994). The measurement of independent and interdependent self-construals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20(5), 580–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tangney, J. P., Stuewig, J., & Mashek, D. J. (2007). Moral emotions and moral behavior. The Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 345–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G, Jr, & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the editor and the two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments and suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. LUISS, Viale Romania, 32, 00197, Rome, Italy

    Simona Romani

  2. University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Viale Berengario 51, 41100, Modena, Italy

    Silvia Grappi

  3. Stephen M. Ross School of Business, The University of Michigan, 701 Tappan Street, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Richard P. Bagozzi

Authors
  1. Simona Romani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Silvia Grappi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Richard P. Bagozzi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Silvia Grappi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Romani, S., Grappi, S. & Bagozzi, R.P. Explaining Consumer Reactions to Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Gratitude and Altruistic Values. J Bus Ethics 114, 193–206 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1337-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1337-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation