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Playing with fire: aggravating and buffering effects of ex ante CSR communication campaigns for companies facing allegations of social irresponsibility

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Vanhamme, Joëlle [EDHEC] Swaen, Valérie [UCL] Berens, Guido [Erasmus University] Janssen, Catherine [IESEG School of Management]

This study seeks to determine when communicating about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is likely to buffer against subsequent allegations of irresponsible behavior (in a different domain) or instead aggravate the effect of such allegations. In contrast with prior investigations of pre- or post-allegation effects in isolation, this study focuses on the interaction between CSR communication and allegations to discern conditions in which a buffering or aggravating effect is most likely. The authors identify an important contingency factor: the independence of the source in which the CSR communication appears. Aggravating effects tend to emerge when the CSR communication comes from a third-party source, whereas a buffering effect occurs when the CSR communication appears in a company-controlled source. Persuasion knowledge mediates these aggravating and buffering effects.

Document type Article de périodique (Journal article) – Article de recherche
Access type Accès restreint
Publication date 2015
Language Anglais
Journal information "Marketing letters" - Vol. 26, no. 4, p. 565-578 (2015)
Peer reviewed yes
Publisher I B C Publishing
issn 0267-3045
e-issn 1573-059X
Publication status Publié
Affiliation UCL - SSH/LouRIM - Louvain Research Institute in Management and Organizations
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Bibliographic reference Vanhamme, Joëlle ; Swaen, Valérie ; Berens, Guido ; Janssen, Catherine. Playing with fire: aggravating and buffering effects of ex ante CSR communication campaigns for companies facing allegations of social irresponsibility. In: Marketing letters, Vol. 26, no. 4, p. 565-578 (2015)
Permanent URL http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/141516