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Corporate Social Responsibility : an assessment on its effects on consumers' loyalty and perceived value, experiences from the Netherlands

Oliveira Alcantara, L.A. de (2016) Corporate Social Responsibility : an assessment on its effects on consumers' loyalty and perceived value, experiences from the Netherlands.

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Abstract:Consumers have shown a great level of interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the demand for socially responsible companies is increasing. Therefore, companies have been dedicating significant resources to their CSR initiatives. Although it is clear that consumers expect companies to take CSR initiatives, it is not clear in the available literature how they interpret CSR. Neither what specific social CSR actions they expect from the companies, nor to which extent these affect their consumers’ loyalty and perceived value. Given the growing importance of CSR for the company’s success, it is imperative for the companies to understand the effects of CSR on consumers’ behaviors. Answering the research question “How does CSR impact on Dutch consumers’ perceived value and loyalty?”, this thesis concluded that for the majority of the surveyed Dutch consumers CSR impacts creating an emotional perceived value and this perceived value is also the most important CSR related loyalty driver for them. It was also possible to conclude that the most important type of CSR initiative impacting on Dutch consumers’ perceived value and loyalty is the CSR initiative type Socially Responsible Business Practices. The primary purpose of this thesis was to assess the effects of CSR on Dutch consumers’ loyalty and perceived value. To do so, expertise regarding these topics was gathered from literature, articles and internet sources. A research mix-methods approach was used to respond to the research questions through surveys with data collected from 100 Dutch consumers and interviews with data collected from 10 Dutch consumers. This thesis recommendations are to companies to engage consumers in their CSR efforts and initiatives and to ensure they are communicating these efforts, initiatives and results properly, as these actions can impact on consumers’ perceived value and loyalty.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:43 environmental science
Programme:Environmental and Energy Management MSc (69319)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/77438
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