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The Buffering and Backfiring Effects of CSR Strategies During a Crisis: A US Perspective

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Rethinking Business Responsibility in a Global Context

Part of the book series: CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance ((CSEG))

Abstract

This chapter investigates the question if CSR has buffering or backfiring effects when CSR-practicing corporations are involved in a crisis regarding corporate social irresponsibility (CSI). First, the notion of CSI is described, examining the emotional and evaluative processes that lead consumers to engage in negative behaviors against wrongdoing corporations. The notion of CSR as a possible moderator of the above processes is then introduced. Theoretical and empirical evidence that support both the buffering and backfiring effects for CSR-practicing corporations facing a crisis are reviewed, and the main findings are discussed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Lange and Washburn (2012) propose three primary factors underlying CSI attributions: effect undesirability (which is based on threat avoidance, moral impulses, and norms of moral behavior), corporate culpability (which is based on inferences of causality and judgment of moral responsibility), and (directly and indirectly) affected party non-complicity.

  2. 2.

    As Grappi et al. (2013b) note, while offshoring is often justifiable as a pragmatic and legitimate business decision, it can however evoke negative ethical or moral responses domestically, because it may cause job losses, salary stagnation, decreased GDP growth, increased poverty, and even product quality and data security concerns.

  3. 3.

    In Study 2, Klein and Dawar (2004) found that the hypothesized halo effect is significant only for CSR-sensitive consumers.

  4. 4.

    Vanhamme et al. (2015) also found that that the buffering effects of pre-crisis CSR initiatives unrelated to the crisis issue are strengthened (versus weakened) when pre-crisis CSR communication is transmitted through company-controlled (versus third-party) sources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Toulouse Business School, Toulouse, France

    Camilla Barbarossa

  2. Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Patrick E. Murphy

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  1. Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    Bodo B. Schlegelmilch

  2. University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Ilona Szőcs

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Barbarossa, C., Murphy, P.E. (2020). The Buffering and Backfiring Effects of CSR Strategies During a Crisis: A US Perspective. In: Schlegelmilch, B.B., Szőcs, I. (eds) Rethinking Business Responsibility in a Global Context. CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34261-6_15

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