Do consumers really care about corporate responsibility? Highlighting the attitude—behaviour gap

E. Boulstridge, M. Carrigan

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

351 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

According to the press at the turn of the year 1999—2000, a good corporate reputation for responsible marketing is a key element in business success. One justification for this is the assumption that consumers are interested in how companies behave and this has an influence upon their consumption behaviour. There is also the suggestion that a financial pay-off is to be gained from good behaviour. Conflicting reports in previous research cast doubt upon the reliability of these assumptions, and there are few studies which unequivocally support positive consumer purchasing in return for responsible marketing. This paper reviews current opinion and evidence in relation to the growing interest in corporate reputation, and reports findings from focus group research which casts doubt upon the efficacy of corporate reputation in influencing positive consumer purchase behaviour.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)355-368
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Communication Management
Volume4
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2000
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Consumers
  • Corporate responsibility
  • Purchase behaviour

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication
  • Strategy and Management

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