Managers, don't neglect your prospective employees to achieve your sustainability development goals

Abstract

Instances of corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) in popular media, coupled with its negative consequences behooves a systematic assessment of the consequences of CSI. This study responds to calls for such research. Specifically, drawing on attribution theory, we investigate the role of CSI on prospective employees' employment intention (EI) and negative word‐of‐mouth (NWOM) propensity and the role of other condemning moral emotions (OCME) in mediating the relationship between CSI and EI and NWOM propensity. In addition, drawing on construal level theory, we investigate if psychological distance moderates the relationship between CSI and OCME, and thereby, impacts the mediation from CSI to EI and NWOM propensity through OCME. Results indicate that CSI decreases EI and enhances NWOM propensity, and these relationships are mediated via OCME. PD enhances the effect of CSI on EI and NWOM propensity through OCME such that lower PD is associated with a lower EI and higher NWOM propensity.