Explaining the variation in consumers’ perceptions of importance towards CSR domains: The role of moral foundations

Simple item page
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributor.advisorKajalo, Sami
dc.contributor.authorLuojus, Tommi
dc.contributor.departmentMarkkinoinnin laitosfi
dc.contributor.schoolKauppakorkeakoulufi
dc.contributor.schoolSchool of Businessen
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-11T16:00:33Z
dc.date.available2024-08-11T16:00:33Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a fundamental component of modern business practices. Over seven-decade long evolution of the concept has led to the broadening of its scope to include a diverse range of issues such as workplace conditions, wage equity, product quality and safety, environmental sustainability, ethical supply chain practices, and social involvement through education and volunteerism. Despite extensive research confirming CSR's multifaceted benefits, perceptions of its importance remain highly variable. Prior research has identified multiple factors influencing these perceptions, including perceived corporate motives, consumer-cause involvement, and CSR skepticism. More recently, scholarly work has begun to explore how inherent moral principles, identified by Moral Foundations Theory — which proposes five key moral values (Care/Harm, Loyalty/Betrayal, Fairness/Cheating, Authority/Subversion, Sanctity/Degradation) — influence opinions about CSR. This thesis contributes to this emerging discourse by examining the influence of these moral foundations on consumer perceptions across different CSR domains. Through a quantitative online survey involving 162 participants, this research employed factor and regression analyses to explore how different emphases on the moral foundations correlate with the perceived importance of various CSR initiatives. Findings indicate that three moral foundations — Fairness/Cheating, Loyalty/Betrayal, and Care/Harm — have statistically significant impacts on CSR perceptions. Specifically, the fairness foundation influences perceptions of employee and customer-related CSR; the loyalty foundation affects CSR related to local community engagement; and the care foundation impacts perceptions of societal and, uniquely in this study, environmental CSR. These results both corroborate and diverge from previous research, indicating complex interactions between moral foundations and CSR perceptions. The identified results underscore the need for CSR practitioners to tailor their communication strategies to align with the moral foundations of their target audience, enhancing the effectiveness of CSR communication. However, the scarcity and partial inconsistency of research in this area highlight the need for further investigations to solidify these findings.en
dc.format.extent83 + 19
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/129838
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-202408115406
dc.language.isoenen
dc.locationP1 Ifi
dc.programmeMarketingen
dc.subject.keywordcorporate social responsibilityen
dc.subject.keywordCSRen
dc.subject.keywordmoral foundations theoryen
dc.subject.keywordmoral foundationsen
dc.subject.keywordMFTen
dc.titleExplaining the variation in consumers’ perceptions of importance towards CSR domains: The role of moral foundationsen
dc.typeG2 Pro gradu, diplomityöfi
dc.type.ontasotMaster's thesisen
dc.type.ontasotMaisterin opinnäytefi
local.aalto.electroniconlyyes
local.aalto.openaccessyes
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
master_Luojus_Tommi_2024.pdf
Size:
2.67 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
[gradu] Kauppakorkeakoulu / BIZ