Framing corporate social responsibility for a controversial product. Issue 8 (13th October 2018) - Lee, Sang Yeal
ABSTRACT: Firms operating casino businesses such as casino hotels often face scrutiny with heightened suspicion regarding the intent of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. This study examined how persuasive intent and the CSR issue influenced consumers' processing of a CSR initiative for a casino hotel. The results of an experiment showed that participants reacted favorably to a CSR initiative, but such positive reactions disappeared when persuasive intent was explicit in the CSR message. This study further explored the underlying mechanism by testing a moderated mediation model in which issue importance in a CSR initiative acted as a moderator.