Corporate Social Responsibility and Cause-Related Marketing in School Sports Events: Assessing Consumption Decisions of External Stakeholders

Abstract

This chapter aims to understand to what extent the use of cause-related marketing, can become a tool of strategic positioning and differentiation for influencing consumption decisions of a critical type of external stakeholder, that is, the customers (participants and non-participants), in the context of school sports events. Accordingly, quantitative empirical research was carried out resorting to a questionnaire. A sample of 829 pupils in mainland Portugal was gathered, covering both participants and non-participants in School Sports events associated with food products, namely, Compal Air and Nestum Rugby. The results reveal that customers’ perception of the attributes of social responsibility and of the general attributes of the brand has a positive influence on consumption decisions, especially with regard to participants in this type of event. In addition, individual motivations, determining the decision to participate or not in events, are found to influence the consumption decision.

Citation

Ramos, A., Alves, H. and Leitão, J. (2016), "Corporate Social Responsibility and Cause-Related Marketing in School Sports Events: Assessing Consumption Decisions of External Stakeholders", Corporate Responsibility and Stakeholding (Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility, Vol. 10), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 179-197. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2043-052320160000010013