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Moral licensing and moral cleansing applied to company-NGO collaborations in an online context

Author

Listed:
  • Schlegelmilch, Bodo B.
  • Simbrunner, Philipp

Abstract

In this paper, we focus on a specific aspect of monetary value creation in CSR activities, namely, company–NGO collaborations in the solicitation of donations. During a customer's journey through an online retail environment, companies can control their presentation of options to donate to an NGO partner before or after the purchase of their products. We investigate how the sequence of purchase and donation requests influences the amount donated to an NGO and the potential revenues for a company. We apply two cognitive biases—moral licensing and moral cleansing—as theoretical bases. Prior research on moral licensing and moral cleansing frequently neglects ecological validity. Our research attempts to address this issue by applying experimental settings which increase the transferability of results into practical measures. The paper provides marketing managers with the opportunity to understand which sequence of donation and purchase options is the most suitable for their purpose.

Suggested Citation

  • Schlegelmilch, Bodo B. & Simbrunner, Philipp, 2019. "Moral licensing and moral cleansing applied to company-NGO collaborations in an online context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 544-552.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:95:y:2019:i:c:p:544-552
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.040
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tejaswi Patil & Zillur Rahman, 2023. "Mapping the Cause-Related Marketing (CRM) field: document co-citation and bibliographic coupling approach," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(2), pages 491-520, June.
    2. Ryoo, Yuhosua, 2022. "Moral credentials versus moral credits: Two paths to consumers’ licensing of brand transgressions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 13-31.
    3. Joel B. Carnevale & K. Ashley Gangloff, 2023. "A Mixed Blessing? CEOs’ Moral Cleansing as an Alternative Explanation for Firms’ Reparative Responses Following Misconduct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(2), pages 427-443, May.
    4. Zhou, Fei & Lin, Youhai & Mou, Jian & Cohen, Jason & Chen, Sihua, 2023. "Understanding the dark side of gamified interactions on short-form video platforms: Through a lens of expectations violations theory," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PB).
    5. Xu Chu & Yuntao Bai & Congshan Li, 2024. "The Dark Side of Firms’ Green Technology Innovation on Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(1), pages 47-66, November.
    6. Mimouni-Chaabane, Aida & Parguel, Béatrice, 2025. "How to build CSR image with mixed-reward loyalty programs," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. Tueanrat, Yanika & Papagiannidis, Savvas & Alamanos, Eleftherios, 2021. "Going on a journey: A review of the customer journey literature," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 336-353.

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