Exploring Consumer Associations Between Corporate Reputation, Corporate Sustainability, and Product Attributes Within Utilitarian Market Contexts

Abstract

Much of the extant literature proposes that contemporary motivated consumers assess, evaluate, and differentiate firms based not only on their corporate reputation (CR), but also on their corporate sustainability (CS) strategy. However, research that examines the inter-relationship and cognitive associations between CR, CS strategy, and a firm’s product attributes among consumer stakeholders remains scant. To address this gap, we take a holistic perspective that draws on the pertinent literature to develop a conceptual framework and subsequently explore consumer stakeholder cognitive associations between CR, CS, and product attributes within a utilitarian context. Adopting an exploratory methodology, findings are structured so as to reflect the components of the proposed framework. Reflecting the specificity of consumers’ associations between CS and market context, participants do not associate the telecommunications industry with CS despite many firms having a clear and positive Web-based communications strategy. Tangential proxies used in other market contexts such as point-of-sale communication, package design, and information communicated on the package would appear to be also pertinent within this context, particularly if standardized and adopted on an industry-wide basis.