Do consumers expect companies to be socially responsible? The impact of corporate social responsibility on buying behavior

Abstract

Companies are facing increasing pressure to both maintain profitability and behave in socially responsible ways, yet researchers have provided little information on how corporate social responsibility impacts profitability. This paper reports the findings from in-depth interviews of consumers to determine their views concerning the social responsibilities of companies. A typology of consumers whose purchasing behavior ranges from unresponsive to highly responsive to corporate social responsibility was developed from the analysis. Copyright 2001 by The American Council on Consumer Interests.