The influence of corporate social responsibility on students' emotional appeal in the HEIs: The mediating effect of reputation and corporate image

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) over higher education institutions' (HEIs) students' emotional appeal and the effect of two mediating variables, corporate image, and reputation. A sample of 211 students surveyed was obtained, and the study was conducted using partial least squares path modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results showed that emotional appeal is influenced by corporate reputation, corporate image, and CSR practices. These effects are not only direct and positive but significant indirect effects are also obtained, which allow the positive effects of CSR to be heightened. This paper contributes to the literature on CSR considering mediating effects of corporative image and reputation in the relationship between CSR and emotional appeal. The findings provide important implications for theory and practice, indicating consistent strategies for competitive advantage in HEIs by achieving stakeholder engagement and new lines of research in terms of emotional marketing.