IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v201y2025ics0148296325005284.html

Build or buy corporate social responsibility? Socially responsible brand acquisitions and firm CSR perceptions

Author

Listed:
  • Kliamenakis, Argiro
  • Grohmann, Bianca
  • Bodur, H.Onur

Abstract

Because development of socially responsible brands is costly and risky, acquisition of socially responsible brands (SRB) has emerged as a frequently employed approach to enhancing firms’ CSR profile. This research explores the effectiveness of SRB acquisition (versus brand development) in increasing firm CSR perceptions and the moderating role of symbolic brand value in this relationship. This research demonstrates that SRB acquisition (vs. development) is generally less effective in signaling firm CSR and that the effect of SRB acquisitions on firm CSR perceptions depends on the acquired brand’s symbolic value. Seven experiments show that when symbolic brand value is high, acquisition (vs. development) of SRB harms the acquired brand’s credibility and subsequently reduces firm CSR perceptions. Two additional studies explore the role of brand architecture and communication strategies in mitigating the negative impact of highly symbolic, SRB acquisitions on consumers’ perceptions of firm CSR.

Suggested Citation

  • Kliamenakis, Argiro & Grohmann, Bianca & Bodur, H.Onur, 2025. "Build or buy corporate social responsibility? Socially responsible brand acquisitions and firm CSR perceptions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:201:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325005284
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115705
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325005284
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115705?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jennifer Edson Escalas & James R. Bettman, 2005. "Self-Construal, Reference Groups, and Brand Meaning," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(3), pages 378-389, December.
    2. Bolton, Lisa E. & Mattila, Anna S., 2015. "How Does Corporate Social Responsibility Affect Consumer Response to Service Failure in Buyer–Seller Relationships?," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 140-153.
    3. Jeffrey J. Reuer & Arkadiy V. Sakhartov, 2021. "Economies of Scope and Optimal Due Diligence in Corporate Acquisitions," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(4), pages 1100-1119, July.
    4. Donald D. Bergh & Brian L. Connelly & David J. Ketchen Jr & Lu M. Shannon, 2014. "Signalling Theory and Equilibrium in Strategic Management Research: An Assessment and a Research Agenda," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(8), pages 1334-1360, December.
    5. Liyin Jin & Yanqun He, 2018. "How the frequency and amount of corporate donations affect consumer perception and behavioral responses," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 1072-1088, November.
    6. Sansome, Kate & Wilkie, Dean & Conduit, Jodie, 2024. "Beyond information availability: Specifying the dimensions of consumer perceived brand transparency," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    7. Eerdun Taoketao & Taiwen Feng & Yongtao Song & Yu Nie, 2018. "Does sustainability marketing strategy achieve payback profits? A signaling theory perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1039-1049, November.
    8. Yi Chen & Zhe Wang, 2023. "Optimal Sequential Selling Mechanism and Deal Protections in Mergers and Acquisitions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 78(4), pages 2139-2188, August.
    9. Alexander Chernev & Sean Blair, 2015. "Doing Well by Doing Good: The Benevolent Halo of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 41(6), pages 1412-1425.
    10. Seongtae Kim & Claudia Colicchia & David Menachof, 2018. "Ethical Sourcing: An Analysis of the Literature and Implications for Future Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(4), pages 1033-1052, November.
    11. Jonah Berger & Chip Heath, 2007. "Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signaling and Product Domains," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 34(2), pages 121-134, June.
    12. Michael Spence, 2002. "Signaling in Retrospect and the Informational Structure of Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(3), pages 434-459, June.
    13. Park, Eunil & Kim, Ki Joon & Kwon, Sang Jib, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility as a determinant of consumer loyalty: An examination of ethical standard, satisfaction, and trust," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 8-13.
    14. Grimmer, Martin & Bingham, Timothy, 2013. "Company environmental performance and consumer purchase intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1945-1953.
    15. Jelena Titko & Anna Svirina & Tatjana Tambovceva & Viktorija Skvarciany, 2021. "Differences in Attitude to Corporate Social Responsibility among Generations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-12, October.
    16. Bianca Grohmann & H. Bodur, 2015. "Brand Social Responsibility: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Outcomes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 375-399, October.
    17. Petty, Richard E & Cacioppo, John T & Schumann, David, 1983. "Central and Peripheral Routes to Advertising Effectiveness: The Moderating Role of Involvement," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 10(2), pages 135-146, September.
    18. Sora Kim, 2019. "The Process Model of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Communication: CSR Communication and its Relationship with Consumers’ CSR Knowledge, Trust, and Corporate Reputation Perception," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1143-1159, February.
    19. Conte, Francesca & Sardanelli, Domenico & Vollero, Agostino & Siano, Alfonso, 2023. "CSR signaling in controversial and noncontroversial industries: CSR policies, governance structures, and transparency tools," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 274-281.
    20. Kim, Junghyun & Park, Taehoon, 2020. "How corporate social responsibility (CSR) saves a company: The role of gratitude in buffering vindictive consumer behavior from product failures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 461-472.
    21. Boulding, William & Kirmani, Amna, 1993. "A Consumer-Side Experimental Examination of Signaling Theory: Do Consumers Perceive Warranties as Signals of Quality?," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 20(1), pages 111-123, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sansome, Kate & Wilkie, Dean & Conduit, Jodie, 2024. "Beyond information availability: Specifying the dimensions of consumer perceived brand transparency," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Jean-Pierre Thomassen & Marijke C. Leliveld & Kees Ahaus & Steven Walle, 2020. "Prosocial Compensation Following a Service Failure: Fulfilling an Organization’s Ethical and Philanthropic Responsibilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 123-147, February.
    3. Kate Sansome & Jodie Conduit & Dean Wilkie, 2026. "Acknowledging brand shortcomings: the interplay between negative disclosures, brand transparency, brand credibility, and word-of-mouth," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 33(2), pages 154-176, March.
    4. Heribert Gierl & Julia Koncz, 2007. "Unternehmenswachstum und Internationalität als Qualitätssignale," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 389-409, January.
    5. Louise May Hassan & Miriam McGowan & Edward Shiu, 2025. "They’re not my people: When inclusive marketing backfires," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 563-587, March.
    6. Zhimin Zhou & Yucheng Wang & Yaqin Zheng & Shixiong Liu, 2023. "Effects of brand community social responsibility: roles of collective self-esteem and altruism," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 30(4), pages 347-366, July.
    7. Bodur, H. Onur & Tezer, Ali & Grohmann, Bianca, 2023. "Execution novelty: Improving brand evaluations in cause sponsorship," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    8. Abhi Bhattacharya & Valerie Good & Hanieh Sardashti & John Peloza, 2021. "Beyond Warm Glow: The Risk-Mitigating Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 171(2), pages 317-336, June.
    9. Gong, Shuhui & Liu, Lu & Shao, Jiawei & Li, Yue & Yang, Yuting, 2026. "Understanding the mechanism behind consumers’ purchase intentions toward AI recommendations: The trade-off between privacy and incentives," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Olukorede Adewole, 2024. "Translating brand reputation into equity from the stakeholder’s theory: an approach to value creation based on consumer’s perception & interactions," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-39, December.
    11. Pilar Fernández‐Ferrín & Sandra Castro‐González & Belén Bande, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility, emotions, and consumer loyalty in the food retail context: Exploring the moderating effect of regional identity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 648-666, March.
    12. Margarete Schellong & Nils D. Kraiczy & Lucia Malär & Andreas Hack, 2019. "Family Firm Brands, Perceptions of Doing Good, and Consumer Happiness," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 43(5), pages 921-946, September.
    13. Rod Mccoll & Yann Truong & Antonella La Rocca, 2019. "Service guarantees as a base for positioning in B2B," Post-Print hal-02326105, HAL.
    14. Chris Hydock & Neeru Paharia & T. J. Weber, 2019. "The Consumer Response to Corporate Political Advocacy: a Review and Future Directions," Customer Needs and Solutions, Springer;Institute for Sustainable Innovation and Growth (iSIG), vol. 6(3), pages 76-83, December.
    15. Carter, Kealy & Jayachandran, Satish & Murdock, Mitchel R., 2021. "Building A Sustainable Shelf: The Role of Firm Sustainability Reputation," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(4), pages 507-522.
    16. Gnekpe, Christian & Jimenez, Alfredo, 2023. "Smoke signal: When firms' patent strategy and local patent protection system affect equity stakes in cross-border acquisitions," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(6).
    17. María Lourdes Arco-Castro & María Victoria Lopez-Pérez & Sara Rodriguez-Gomez & Raquel Garde-Sánchez, 2020. "Do Stakeholders Modulate Philanthropic Strategy? Corporate Philanthropy as Stakeholders’ Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    18. Hollenbeck, Candice R. & Peters, Cara & Zinkhan, George M., 2008. "Retail Spectacles and Brand Meaning: Insights from a Brand Museum Case Study," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 84(3), pages 334-353.
    19. Manal Alidarous, 2024. "Driving Venture Capital Interest: The Influence of the Big 4 Audit Firms on IPOs," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-31, July.
    20. Xiang Fang & Zhiyong Yang & Kevin Kam Fung So & Yingying Shao & Zhuofan Zhang & Grace Fang Yu-Buck, 2025. "Stay or leave? How corporate responses to economic sanctions shape consumer reactions," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 53(5), pages 1401-1421, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:201:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325005284. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.