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Global retailers' CSR initiatives during COVID-19 crisis: a cross-cultural examination

Wasim Ahmad (Teesside University International Business School, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK)
Enrico Battisti (University of Turin, Turin, Italy)
Naeem Akhtar (University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan)
Muhammad Ishfaq Ahmad (Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan)
Ramiz Ur Rehman (Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan) (School of Business, Sohar University, Sohar, Oman)

International Marketing Review

ISSN: 0265-1335

Article publication date: 14 February 2023

Issue publication date: 12 December 2023

440

Abstract

Purpose

This study develops a conceptual framework to examine (1) whether global retailers' CSR actions in the form of in-kind charitable contribution affect consumers' attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives, (2) whether consumers' attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives affects brand-self connection and (3) whether the cultural factors of self-transcendence and conservation moderate the relationship between consumers' attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives and brand-self connection.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from two culturally diverse countries, the US and China, each of which managed the pandemic in different ways. Before hypothesis testing, the invariance of measures is established. To measure differences between the groups, a multi-group analysis is conducted.

Findings

Global retailers' in-kind charitable contribution is a significant drivers of consumers' attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives, and attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives has a positive effect on consumer brand-self connection. Both of the cultural values, self-transcendence and conservation, moderate the relationship between attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives and brand-self connection. Self-transcendence is a strong moderator in China, whereas conservation moderates strongly in the US. All of the relationships differ significantly between the groups (US versus China).

Originality/value

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate empirically the role of in-kind charitable contribution in creating an attribution of CSR to intrinsic motives that eventually leads to strong brand-self connection in the COVID-19 context. The study provides novel insights into how consumer behavior differs across two significantly different cultures with regard to COVID-19-related CSR. The findings help international marketers manage uncertainties and crisis and to design their CSR-based marketing programs and develop positioning strategies across cultures.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to convey their appreciation to the Editor and anonymous reviewers for the great effort and time that they have invested in providing constructive reviews.

Citation

Ahmad, W., Battisti, E., Akhtar, N., Ahmad, M.I. and Rehman, R.U. (2023), "Global retailers' CSR initiatives during COVID-19 crisis: a cross-cultural examination", International Marketing Review, Vol. 40 No. 5, pp. 1054-1070. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-12-2021-0362

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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