Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Consumers' Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibilities: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Based on a consumer survey conducted in France, Germany, and the U.S., the study investigates consumers' readiness to support socially responsible organizations and examines their evaluations of the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities of the firm. French and German consumers appear more willing to actively support responsible businesses than their U.S. counterparts. While U.S. consumers value highly corporate eco-nomic responsibilities, French and German consumers are most concerned about businesses conforming with legal and ethical standards. These findings provide useful guidance for the efficient management of social responsibility initiatives across borders and for further academic inquiries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ackerman, R. W. and R. A. Bauer: 1976, Corporate Social Responsiveness (Reston Publishing, Reston, VA).

    Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, S.: 1992, 'Influence of Formalization on Role Stress, Organizational Commitment, and Work Alienation of Salespersons: A Cross-National Comparative Study', Journal of International Business Studies (Fourth Quarter), 715-739.

  • Aupperle, K. E., A. B. Carroll andJ. Hatfield: 1985, 'An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability', Academy of management Journal 28(2), 446-463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, H. R.: 1953, Social Responsibilities of the Businessman (Harper & Row, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, T. J. and P. A. Dacin: 1997, 'The Company and the Product: Corporate Associations and Consumer Product Responses', Journal of Marketing 61 (January), 68-84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz, Rogene A.: 1998, 'The Ethics of Consumption Activities: A Future Paradigm?', Journal of Business Ethics 17 (June), 871-883.

    Google Scholar 

  • Business Wire: 1997, 'New Report Shows Good Citizenship is Good for Companies Too', January 2.

  • Carroll, A. B.: 1979, 'A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance', Academy of Management Review 4(4), 497-505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Churchill, G. A.: 1979, 'A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs', Journal of Marketing Research 16 (February), 64-73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Council on Foundations: 1996, Measuring the Value of Corporate Citizenship (Council on Foundations, Inc., Washington, DC).

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K.: 1973, 'The Case For and Against Business Assumptions of Social Responsibilities', Academy of Management Journal 16(2), 312-322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drumwright, M. D.: 1994, 'Socially Responsible Organizational Buying: Environmental Concern as a Noneconomic Buying Criterion', Journal of Marketing 58 (July), 1-19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drumwright, M. D.: 1996, 'Company Advertising With a Social Dimension: The Role of Noneconomic Criteria', Journal of Marketing 60 (October), 71-87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eells, R. and C. Walton: 1961, Conceptual Foundations of Business (Richard Irwin, Homewood, IL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eilbert, H. and I. R. Parket: 1973, 'The Practice of Business-The Current Status of Corporate Social Responsibility', Business Horizons (August), 5-14.

  • Galen, M., A. Cuneo andD. Greising: 1992, 'Guilty', Business Week (April 13), 60-65.

  • Hair, J. F., Jr., R. E. Anderson,R. L. Tatham andW. C. Black: 1995, Multivariate Data Analysis With Readings, Third Edition (MacMillan Publishing, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Handelman, J. M. and S. J. Arnold: 1999, 'The Role of Marketing Actions With a Social Dimension: Appeals to the Institutional Environment', Journal of Marketing 63 (July), 33-48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G.: 1980, 'Motivation, Leadership, and Organization: Do American Theories Apply Abroad?', Organizational Dynamics 9 (Summer), 42-63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G.: 1983, 'National Cultures in Fours Dimensions-A Research-Based Theory of Cultural Differences Among Nations', International Studies of Management and Organization 13(12), 46-74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D.: 1997, 'Good Works, Good Business', U.S.A. Today (April 25), 1B.

  • Katz, J. P., S. Werner andL. Brouthers: 1998, 'Does Winning Mean the Same Thing Around the World? National Ideology and the Performance of Global Competitors', Journal of Business Research 44, 117-126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewin, A. Y., T. Sakano,C. U. Stevens andB. Victor: 1995, 'Corporate Citizenship in Japan: Survey from Japanese Firms', Journal of Business Ethics 14(2), 83-101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lodge, G. C.: 1990, Comparative Business-Government Relations (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorge, S.: 1999, 'Consumers Care About Causes. Cornering the Market', Sales & Marketing Management 151(6), 47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loutaty, S.: 1999, 'Nouveau Capitalisme vs. Nouveau Communisme', Le Petit Bouquet, 538 (13 September), www.le-petit-bouquet.com/.

  • Maignan, I. and O. C. Ferrell: 2000, 'Measuring Corporate Citizenship in Two Countries: The Case of the United States and France', Journal of Business Ethics 23, 283-297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maignan, I. and G. T. M. Hult: 1999, 'Corporate Citizenship: Cultural Antecedents and Business Benefits', Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 27(4), 455-469.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, E. S.: 1960, The Corporation in Modern Society (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, J. B.: 1963, Business and Society (McGraw-Hill, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Menon, A. and A. Menon.: 1997, 'Enviropreneurial Marketing Strategy: The Emergence of Corporate Environmentalism as Marketing Strategy', Journal of Marketing 61 (January), 51-67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, A.: 1991, 'The Role of Litigation in Consumer Protection', Journal of Consumer Affairs 25(2) (Winter), 209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osterhus, T. L.: 1997, 'Pro-Social Consumer Influence Strategies: When and How Do They Work?’ Journal of Marketing 61 (October), 16-29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinkston, T. S. and A. B. Carroll: 1994, 'Corporate Citizenship Perspectives and Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S.', Journal of Business Ethics 13, 157-169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robin, D. P. and R. E. Reidenbach: 1987, 'Social Responsibilities, Ethics, and Marketing Strategy: Closing the Gap Between Concept and Application', Journal of Marketing 51 (January), 44-58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H.: 1992, 'Universals in the Content and Structure of Values: Theoretical Advances and Empirical Tests in 20 Countries', in M. P. Zanna (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Academic Press, San Diego), 1-65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sethi, S. P.: 1979, 'A Conceptual Framework for Environmental Analysis of Social Issues and Evaluation of Business Response Patterns', Academy of Management Review 4(1), 63-74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, N. Craig: 1996, 'Corporate Citizens and Their Critics', The New York Times (September 8), 11.

  • Swanson, D. L.: 1995, 'Addressing a Theoretical Problem by Reorienting the Corporate Social Performance Model', Academy of Management Review 20(1), 43-64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A. III: 1997, 'Yo, Ben! Yo, Jerry! It's Just Ice Cream!; The Celebrated Vermont Do-Gooders Seek Global Soluations in Every Spoonful of their Luscious Products. Meanwhile, Their Business Suffers and Their Shareholders Starve', Fortune (April 28), 374.

  • Thurow, L.: 1992, Head to Head (William Morrow and Co., New York, NY).

    Google Scholar 

  • Toscer, Olivier: 1999, 'Les March's Aiment-Ils la Casse Sociale?', Le Nouvel Observateur (September 16-22), 80-82.

  • Varadarajan, P. R. and A. Menon: 1988, 'Cause-Related Marketing: A Coalignment of Marketing Strategy and Corporate Philanthropy', Journal of Marketing 52 (July), 58-74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vogel, David: 1992, 'The Globalization of Business Ethics: Why America Remains Distinctive', California Management Review (Fall), 30-49.

  • Wall Street Journal: 1999, 'Sales Declined by 13% in’ 98 As Jeans Demand Slackened', 233(32), A6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wartick, S. L. and P. L. Cochran: 1985, 'The Evolution of the Corporate Social Performance Model', Business and Society 31(1), 33-42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, D. J.: 1991, 'Corporate Social Performance Revisited', Academy of Management Review 16(4), 691-718.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Management and Organization, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Isabelle Maignan

Authors
  1. Isabelle Maignan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Maignan, I. Consumers' Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibilities: A Cross-Cultural Comparison. Journal of Business Ethics 30, 57–72 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006433928640

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006433928640

Search

Navigation