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CSR commitments, perceptions of hypocrisy, and recovery

Author

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  • Dustin Smith

    (Webster University)

  • Eric Rhiney

    (Webster University)

Abstract

This paper examines perceived hypocrisy when a failure is aligned with prior social performance. It is hypothesized that commitment to a CSR domain creates greater performance expectations thus exacerbating the effects when an aligned failure occurs. Study 1 demonstrates that failure alignment and severity increase perceived hypocrisy which negatively impacts customer evaluations of trust, repurchase intent, and brand attitude. Study 2 evaluates two response strategies of apology and compensation vs. no response. An apology significantly reduced perceptions of hypocrisy only when the failure was unaligned with prior CSR. Compensation significantly reduced hypocrisy in both the unaligned and aligned conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Dustin Smith & Eric Rhiney, 2020. "CSR commitments, perceptions of hypocrisy, and recovery," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijocsr:v:5:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1186_s40991-019-0046-7
    DOI: 10.1186/s40991-019-0046-7
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    Cited by:

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    3. Yongzhi Qi & Yuchen Chai & Yifan Jiang, 2021. "Threshold effect of government subsidy, corporate social responsibility and brand value using the data of China’s top 500 most valuable brands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(5), pages 1-15, May.
    4. Zhigang Ouyang & Fengyu Liu & Ge Zhai & Svitlana Bilan, 2020. "Assessment of Resident Happiness under Uncertainty of Economic Policies: Empirical Evidences from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-17, September.
    5. Runyuan Jia & Juan Antonio Sánchez-Sáez & Francisco Segado Segado, 2023. "The Impact of the China Open 500 Event on Sense of Community: Comparisons of Volunteers’ Pre- and Post-Event Perceptions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-21, April.
    6. Valor, Carmen & Antonetti, Paolo & Zasuwa, Grzegorz, 2022. "Corporate social irresponsibility and consumer punishment: A systematic review and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1218-1233.
    7. Xiaodan Wu & Richard Amoasi, 2024. "The role of CSR in sustaining corporate brands in the global market: The perspective of telecommunication companies in Ghana," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(1), pages 433-447, January.

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