IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/buseth/v31y2022i1p100-117.html

Corporate social responsibility and employee attitudes: The moderating role of employee age

Author

Listed:
  • Richard B. Nyuur
  • Daniel F. Ofori
  • Majoreen O. Amankwah
  • Kwame Amin Baffoe

Abstract

This study examines the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employee engagement and job satisfaction. Using 322 responses from employees of selected companies in Ghana, and employing hierarchical regression analysis, the study examines the direct impact of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices on employee satisfaction and engagement in organisations. The study further explores the moderating role of employee age on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement and satisfaction. The results provide evidence that economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices influence higher employee engagement and satisfaction levels at work. However, the study finds no evidence of employee age moderating the association between each of the four CSR dimensions and employee job attitudes (engagement and satisfaction). These findings are insightful and provide a response to calls for research on these issues. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that ethical CSR practices strongly influence employees' satisfaction and engagement levels; legal and discretionary CSR activities also have an influence, though to a lesser extent; and the economic dimension of CSR activities has the least impact. The managerial, practical and further research implications of these findings are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard B. Nyuur & Daniel F. Ofori & Majoreen O. Amankwah & Kwame Amin Baffoe, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility and employee attitudes: The moderating role of employee age," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 100-117, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:buseth:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:100-117
    DOI: 10.1111/beer.12399
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12399
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/beer.12399?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richa Chaudhary, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and employee engagement: can CSR help in redressing the engagement gap?," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(2), pages 323-338, June.
    2. Geraint Harvey & Andy Hodder & Stephen Brammer, 2017. "Trade union participation in CSR deliberation: an evaluation," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 42-55, January.
    3. Martina Musteen & Deepak K. Datta & Marcus M. Butts, 2014. "Do International Networks and Foreign Market Knowledge Facilitate SME Internationalization? Evidence from the Czech Republic," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(4), pages 749-774, July.
    4. Theophilos P. Michailides & Michael G. Lipsett, 2013. "Surveying Employee Attitudes on Corporate Social Responsibility at the Frontline Level of an Energy Transportation Company," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(5), pages 296-320, September.
    5. Barbara Wisse & Rob Eijbergen & Eric F. Rietzschel & Susanne Scheibe, 2018. "Catering to the Needs of an Aging Workforce: The Role of Employee Age in the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Satisfaction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(4), pages 875-888, February.
    6. Glavas, Ante & Kelley, Ken, 2014. "The Effects of Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility on Employee Attitudes," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(2), pages 165-202, April.
    7. Pavlos Vlachos & Nikolaos Panagopoulos & Adam Rapp, 2013. "Feeling Good by Doing Good: Employee CSR-Induced Attributions, Job Satisfaction, and the Role of Charismatic Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(3), pages 577-588, December.
    8. Lauren Keating & Peter Andrew Heslin, 2015. "The potential role of mindsets in unleashing employee engagement," Post-Print hal-02312163, HAL.
    9. Sehar Zulfiqar & Rabeea Sadaf & József Popp & Jolita Vveinhardt & Domicián Máté, 2019. "An Examination of Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Behavior: The Case of Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-15, June.
    10. Jamali, Dima & Jain, Tanusree & Samara, Georges & Zoghbi, Edwina, 2020. "How institutions affect CSR practices in the Middle East and North Africa: A critical review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    11. Elvia Shauki, 2011. "Perceptions on corporate social responsibility: A study in capturing public confidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(3), pages 200-208, May.
    12. Lauren Keating & Peter Andrew Heslin, 2015. "The Potential Role of Mindsets in Unleashing Employee Engagement," Post-Print hal-02312168, HAL.
    13. Richard Benon-be-isan Nyuur & Daniel F. Ofori & Yaw Debrah, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa: hindering and supporting factors," African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(1), pages 93-113, April.
    14. Archie B. Carroll, 2016. "Carroll’s pyramid of CSR: taking another look," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-8, December.
    15. Min Ah Jeon & Daechun An, 2019. "A study on the relationship between perceived CSR motives, authenticity and company attitudes: a comparative analysis of cause promotion and cause-related marketing," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-14, December.
    16. Lee, Eun Mi & Park, Seong-Yeon & Lee, Hyun Jung, 2013. "Employee perception of CSR activities: Its antecedents and consequences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1716-1724.
    17. Saks, Alan M. & Gruman, Jamie A., 2011. "Manage Employee Engagement to Manage Performance," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 204-207, June.
    18. Nan Zhou & Heli Wang, 2020. "Foreign subsidiary CSR as a buffer against parent firm reputation risk," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(8), pages 1256-1282, October.
    19. Jie Shen & Hongru Zhang, 2019. "Socially Responsible Human Resource Management and Employee Support for External CSR: Roles of Organizational CSR Climate and Perceived CSR Directed Toward Employees," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(3), pages 875-888, May.
    20. Joana S. P. Story & Filipa Castanheira, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and employee performance: Mediation role of job satisfaction and affective commitment," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1361-1370, November.
    21. Richard Benon-be-isan Nyuur & Daniel F. Ofori & Yaw Debrah, 2014. "Corporate social responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa: hindering and supporting factors," African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(1), pages 93-113, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mai Ngoc Khuong & Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, 2024. "What drives employees' job performance in green hotels? The mediating effect of employee positive mood and satisfaction," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(6), pages 5759-5776, November.
    2. Ying Wei & Chun‐Yu Lin, 2025. "The effects of perceived corporate social responsibility and Confucian ethics on psychological meaningfulness and employee engagement: A moderated‐mediation study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(1), pages 806-819, January.
    3. Yasser Yassin & Markus Beckmann, 2025. "CSR and employee outcomes: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(1), pages 595-641, February.
    4. Yongqiang Gao & Yumeng Nie & Taïeb Hafsi, 2023. "Not all stakeholders are equal: Corporate social responsibility variability and corporate financial performance," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 1389-1410, October.

    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. Priyanka Aggarwal & Reetesh Kumar Singh, 2022. "Synthesizing the affinity between employees' internal‐external CSR perceptions and work outcomes: A meta‐analytic investigation," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 1053-1101, October.
    2. Ranya Saeed Alhmoudi & Sanjay Kumar Singh & Francesco Caputo & Teresa Riso & Francesca Iandolo, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility and innovative work behavior: Is it a matter of perceptions?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(6), pages 2030-2037, November.
    3. Atia Alpha Alfa & Raphael Aryee & Franklyn Manu & Israel Kpekpena, 2025. "Scientometric and content analysis‐based review of employees in micro‐level corporate social responsibility research," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(2), pages 1945-1969, March.
    4. Sania Khan & Wadi B. Alonazi & Azam Malik & Noor Raihani Zainol, 2023. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Moderate the Nexus of Organizational Culture and Job Satisfaction?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, May.
    5. Seunghee Im & Yang Woon Chung & Ji Yeon Yang, 2016. "Employees’ Participation in Corporate Social Responsibility and Organizational Outcomes: The Moderating Role of Person–CSR Fit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Fasilat Aramide Sanusi & Satirenjit Kaur Johl, 2020. "A proposed framework for assessing the influence of internal corporate social responsibility belief on employee intention to job continuity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2437-2449, November.
    7. Tahir Farid & Sadaf Iqbal & Jianhong Ma & Sandra Castro-González & Amira Khattak & Muhammad Khalil Khan, 2019. "Employees’ Perceptions of CSR, Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Effects of Organizational Justice," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Paraskevi (Evi) Dekoulou & Anna Anastasopoulou & Panagiotis Trivellas, 2023. "Employee Performance Implications of CSR for Organizational Resilience in the Banking Industry: The Mediation Role of Psychological Empowerment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Shiva Kakkar & Neharika Vohra, 2021. "Self-Regulatory Effects of Performance Management System Consistency on Employee Engagement: A Moderated Mediation Model," American Business Review, Pompea College of Business, University of New Haven, vol. 24(1), pages 225-248.
    10. Sabeen Hussain Bhatti & Kamran Iqbal & Gabriele Santoro & Fabio Rizzato, 2022. "The impact of corporate social responsibility directed toward employees on contextual performance in the banking sector: A serial model of perceived organizational support and affective organizational commitment," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(6), pages 1980-1994, November.
    11. Sonja Grabner‐Kräuter & Robert J. Breitenecker & Festim Tafolli, 2021. "Exploring the relationship between employees’ CSR perceptions and intention to emigrate: Evidence from a developing country," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(S1), pages 87-102, September.
    12. Lin, Yi-Ting & Liu, Nien-Chi & Lin, Ji-Wei, 2022. "Firms’ adoption of CSR initiatives and employees’ organizational commitment: Organizational CSR climate and employees’ CSR-induced attributions as mediators," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 626-637.
    13. Lianidou, Theano & Zhu, Di, 2023. "Corporate social purpose statements and employee perceptions about the CEO and the corporation: A large sample natural experiment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    14. Yeunjae Lee, 2020. "Toward a Communality with Employees: The Role of CSR Types and Internal Reputation," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(1), pages 13-23, February.
    15. Yasser Yassin & Markus Beckmann, 2025. "CSR and employee outcomes: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 75(1), pages 595-641, February.
    16. Fuqiang Zhao & Manita Kusi & Yun Chen & Wei Hu & Fawad Ahmed & Dinesh Sukamani, 2021. "Influencing Mechanism of Green Human Resource Management and Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Sustainable Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    17. Barbara Lespinasse‐Camargo & João Henrique Paulino Pires Eustachio & Denise Bonifacio & Nayele Macini & Adriana Cristina Ferreira Caldana, 2024. "Corporate sustainability professionals: The landscape of sustainability job positions," Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(2), pages 184-200, April.
    18. Pasricha, Palvi & Nivedhitha, K.S. & Raghuvanshi, Juhi, 2023. "The perceived CSR-innovative behavior conundrum: Towards unlocking the socio-emotional black box," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    19. Adewole Olukorede, 2025. "Stakeholder engagement and participation in environmental contexts, social responsibility and society based on a study conducted in Rome, Italy," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-45, December.
    20. Yi-Ping Chang & Hsiu-Hua Hu & Chih-Ming Lin, 2021. "Consistency or Hypocrisy? The Impact of Internal Corporate Social Responsibility on Employee Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-21, August.

    More about this item

    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:wly:buseth:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:100-117. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26946424 .

    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.