Back to The Drawing Board: Examining CSR Activity Design and Its Effect on Consumer Scepticism

Previous research suggests inconsistent effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumer responses, especially during a self-induced corporate social irresponsibly (CSI). To complete research in the CSI domain, this study focuses on how different CSR activity design might mitigate consumers’ scepticism towards that firm. This study focuses on two CSR design strategies: proactivity (proactive/reactive) and length of time (longer/shorter). The results indicate that consumers perceive a firm with moral or ethical character when it conducts proactive CSR
strategy. However, the length of commitment in CSR would moderate such effect, so that consumer would be more sceptical toward a proactive but short CSR than a long but reactive one. The effect of CSR strategy has indirect impact on consumer scepticism via both value-driven and egoistic-driven motives. Consumers would be sceptical towards the firms when they relate the CSR programme more egoistic-driven, and vice versa for value-drive motives. This research investigates the effect of CSR strategy and the results could provide corporates guidelines as to how to conduct CSR tactics during crisis.