Double-edged nature of corporate social responsibility disclosures highlighted in research
To appeal to consumers, enterprises such as Amazon and Zoom have been emphasizing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives through comprehensive reports.These reports allow businesses to showcase their initiatives benefiting employees, customers, communities, and the environment—highlighting objectives beyond profit generation. Research indicates that CSR disclosures are linked to increased sales.As a marketing professor, this correlation prompted a compelling question: Are the additional sales driven by CSR disclosures coming from new customers, or are they simply boosting purchases from the existing customer base?In a recent study analyzing several hundred Chinese companies, a colleague and I sought to answer this question. Our…
