IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/joamsc/v53y2025i2d10.1007_s11747-024-01021-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of corporate social irresponsibility on prosocial consumer behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Sumin Kim

    (The University of Manchester)

  • Hongwei He

    (The University of Manchester)

  • Anders Gustafsson

    (The University of Manchester
    BI Norwegian Business School)

Abstract

Corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) refers to violations of the social contract between corporations and society. Existing literature documents its tendency to evoke negative consumer responses toward the firm involved, including unethical consumer behaviors. However, limited research attention deals with its potential impacts on prosocial consumer behavior. With six studies, the current research reveals that when consumers perceive harm due to CSI, they engage in more prosocial behavior due to the arousal of their anger. This effect is weaker among consumers who find the focal CSI issue more personally relevant but stronger among consumers with strong self-efficacy for promoting justice. Perceptions of CSI harm increase with the degree of control that the focal firm has over the CSI. This research thus establishes an effect of CSI harm on prosocial consumer behaviors, through the emotional mechanism of anger; it further shows that consumers seek to restore justice by engaging in prosocial behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Sumin Kim & Hongwei He & Anders Gustafsson, 2025. "The impact of corporate social irresponsibility on prosocial consumer behavior," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 394-418, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joamsc:v:53:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11747-024-01021-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11747-024-01021-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11747-024-01021-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11747-024-01021-0?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 search for a different version of it.

    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:spr:joamsc:v:53:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11747-024-01021-0. 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.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.