Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Chinese Consumers’ Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

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

Abstract

The findings of this article increase our understanding of corporate social responsibility from the consumers’ perspective in a Chinese setting. Based on primary data collected via a self-administered survey in Shanghai and Hong Kong and results of similar studies conducted in Europe and the United States, we provide evidence to show that Chinese consumers are more supportive of CSR. We also show that Carroll’s pyramid of responsibilities can be applied in China. We evaluated the importance placed by Chinese consumers on the four responsibilities of firms – economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic – and find that economic responsibilities are most important while philanthropic responsibilities are of least importance. The nature of these differences is important for firms intending to use corporate social responsibility for strategic purposes.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Auger P., Devinney T. M., Louviere J. J. (2003) What Will Consumers Pay for Social Product Features. Journal of Business Ethics, 42(3), 281–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auger P., Devinney T. M., Louviere J. J. (2007) Using Best Worse Scaling Methodology to Investigate Consumer Ethical Beliefs Across Countries. Journal of Business Ethics, 70, 299–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aupperle K. E., Carroll A. B., Hatfield J. D. (1985) An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability. Academy of Management Journal, 28(2), 446–463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker-Olsen K. L., Cudmore B. A., Hill R. P. (2006) The Impact of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumer Behaviour. Journal of Business Research, 59, 46–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonini S. M. J., McKillop K., Mendonca L. T. (2007a) The Trust Gap Between Consumers and Corporations. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2, 7–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonini S. M. J., McKillop K., Mendonca L. T. (2007b) What Consumers Expect from Companies. The McKinsey Quarterly, 2, 11–17

    Google Scholar 

  • British Council, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and PricewaterhouseCoopers: 2002, Corporate Social Responsibility Survey, 2002 – India (New Delhi)

  • Brown T. J., Dacin P. A. (1997) The Company and the Product: Corporate Associations and Consumer Product Responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(January), 68–84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll A. B. (1979) A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Social Performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4), 497–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll A. B. (1998) The Four Faces of Corporate Citizenship. Business and Society Review, 100(1), 1–7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll A. B. (1999) Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a Definitional Construct. Business and Society, 38(3), 268–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carroll A. B. (2004) Managing Ethically with Global Stakeholders: A Present and Future Challenge. Academy of Management Executive, 18(2), 114–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapple W., Moon J. (2005) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Asia: A Seven Country Study of CSR Website Reporting. Business and Society, 44(4), 115–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarkson M. B. E. (1995) A Stakeholder Framework for Analyzing and Evaluating Corporate Social Performance. Academy of Management Review, 20, 92–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crane A, Matten D. (2004) Business Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Creyer E. H., Ross W. T. (1997) The Influence of Firm Behaviour an Purchase Intention: Do Consumers Really Care About Business Ethics?. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 14(6), 421–432

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies K. (1973) The Case for and Against Business Assumptions of Social Responsibilities. Academy of Management Journal, 16(2), 312–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francois-Lecompte A., Roberts J. A. (2006) Developing a Measure of Socially Responsible Consumption in France. Marketing Management Journal, 16(2), 50–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman R. E. (1984) Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Pitman/Ballinger, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Garriga E., Mele D. (2004) Corporate Social Responsibility Theories: Mapping the Territory. Journal of Business Ethics, 53, 51–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair J. F., Anderson R. E., Tatham R. L., Black W. C., (1998) Multivariate Data Analysis. 5th Edition, Prentice-Hall International, Inc., London

    Google Scholar 

  • Katz J. P., Swanson D. L., Nelson L. K. (2001) Culture Based Expectations of Corporate Citizenship: A Propositional Framework and Comparison of Four Cultures. The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 9(2), 149–171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, M.: 2001, Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia: Quixotic Dream or Confident Expectation?, Technology, Business and Society Programme Paper No. 6, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva

  • Lam K., Hung W. S. (2005) Ethics, Income and Religion. Journal of Business Ethics, 61, 199–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lam K., Shi G. (2007) Factors Affecting Ethical Attitudes in Maniland China and Hong Kong. Journal of Business Ethics, 77, 463–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahtani S., Leo K. (2007) Corporate Social Responsibility in Kong Kong: A Survey of Good Practice 2007. Community Business Limited, Hong Kong

    Google Scholar 

  • Maignan I. (2001) Consumers’ Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Cross Cultural Perception. Journal of Business Ethics, 30(1), 57–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maignan I., Ferrel O. C. (2000) Measuring Corporate Citizenship in Two Countries: The Case of United States and France. Journal of Business Ethics, 23, 283–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margolis J. D., Walsh J. P. (2001) People and Profits? The Search for a Link Between a Company’s Social and Financial Performance. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum

    Google Scholar 

  • Marin L., Ruiz S. (2007) “I Need You Too” Corporate Identity Attractiveness for Consumers and the Role of Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 71, 245–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGuire J. B. (1963) Business and Society. McGraw Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • McWilliams A., Siegel D. S., Wright M. (2006) Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohr L. A., Webb D. J. (2005) The Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Price on Consumer Responses. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39(1), 121–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohr L. A., Webb D. J., Harris K. E. (2001) Do Consumers Expect Companies to be Socially Responsible: The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Buying Behaviour. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35(1), 45–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray K. B., Vogel C.M. (1997) Using a Hierarchy-of-Effects Approach to Gauge the Effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility to Generate Goodwill Toward the Firm: Financial Versus Nonfinancial Impacts. Journal of Business Research, 38(2), 141–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page, G., Fearn, H. (2005) Corpoorate Reputation: What do Consumers Really Care About. Journal of Advertising Research, 45(3), 305–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinkston, T. S., Carrol, A. B. (1994) Corporate Citizenship Perspective and Foreign Direct Investment in the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 13, 157–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramasamy, B., Hung, W. T. (2004) A Comparative Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility Awareness Among Local Firms from Malaysia and Singapore. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 13, 109–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramasamy, B., Hung, W. T. (2005) Communicating CSR to Stakeholders: The Case of Malaysia. Corporate Environmental Strategy – International Journal for Sustainable Business, 12(3–4), 117–128

    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(May), 235–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Sharma, A. K., Talwar, B. (2005) Corporate Social Responsibility: Modern vis-à-vis Vedic Approach. Measuring Business Excellence, 9(1), 35–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sood, A. and B. Arora: 2006, The Political Economy of Corporate Responsibility in India, Technology, Business and Society, Paper No. 18, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, Geneva

  • Transparency International: 2006, Transparency International Corruption Perception Index 2006, www.transparency.org

  • UNIDO: 2002, Corporate Social Responsibility: Implications for Small and Medium Enterprises in Developing Countries (United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna)

  • Williams, G. and J. Zinkin: 2006, ‹The Effect of Culture on Consumer Willingness to Punish Irresponsible Corporate Behaviour’, Social Science Research Network, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=905202

  • Zhou, W.: 2006, Will CSR Work in China? in Leading Perspectives, Business for Social Responsibility, www.bsr.org

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. China Europe International Business School, 699 Hong Feng Road, Pudong, P. R. China

    Bala Ramasamy

  2. School of Business, Open University of Hong Kong, 30 Good Shepherd Street, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

    Mathew Yeung

Authors
  1. Bala Ramasamy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mathew Yeung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bala Ramasamy.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Consumers’ support and evaluation of business responsibilities

  • I believe that businesses must make efforts to behave in a socially responsible manner.

  • I would pay more to buy products from a socially responsible company.

  • I consider the ethical reputation of businesses when I shop.

  • I avoid buying products from companies that have engaged in immoral actions.

  • I would pay more to buy products from companies that show care for the well-being of our society.

  • If the price and quality of two products are the same, I would buy from a firm that has a socially responsible reputation.

I believe that businesses must:

  • Maximize profits.

  • Control their production costs strictly.

  • Plan for their long term success.

  • Always improve economic performance.

  • Ensure that their employees act within the standards defined by the law.

  • Refrain from putting aside their contractual obligations.

  • Refrain from bending the law even this helps improve performance.

  • Always submit to the principles defined by the regulatory system.

  • Permit ethical concerns to negatively affect economic performance.

  • Ensure that the respect of ethical principles has priority over economic performance.

  • Be committed to well-defined ethical principles.

  • Avoid compromising ethical standards in order to achieve corporate goals.

  • Help solve social problems.

  • Participate in the management of public affairs.

  • Allocate some of their resource to philanthropic activities.

  • Play a role in our society that goes beyond the mere generation of profits.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramasamy, B., Yeung, M. Chinese Consumers’ Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). J Bus Ethics 88 (Suppl 1), 119–132 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9825-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9825-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation