Environmental Stewardship and Corporate Social Responsibility: Implication for Consumers’ Resistance to Negative Information. The Case of Apple in China

Abstract

There are several studies that have investigated the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer behavior. However, these studies demonstrate conflicting results on how CSR influences consumer purchasing behavior and retention; for example, in event of negative information about a firm. Therefore, the effectiveness of CSR in advancing the core business of firms remains unresolved. This research uses a qualitative approach to examine how CSR affords firms greater levels of goodwill with consumers. The study focuses on the case of Apple in China. Both primary and secondary data were collected through interviews, review of literature, newspaper reports, blogs, social media, and official websites of institutions and corporate entities. A deductive analytical approach was used to examine how consumers perceive CSR, and how that impacts on their attitude towards a firm when confronted with negative information. The study found low level of awareness of CSR in consumers. Moreover, the findings demonstrate that consumers tend to attach more importance to CSR when they identify with the problems associated with the actions or inactions of a firm. The study shows that firms can only enjoy the full benefits of CSR by creating public awareness of such endeavours.