The academic debate concerning companies’ social responsibility, started to emerge no earlier than in the second half of the 20th century. From that time onwards the concept of CSR has gradually evolved extending its domain and giving rise to several theories, theoretical frameworks, approaches and terminologies (Garriga and Melé, 2004). Given this theoretical plurality of the topic, the way marketing scholars first approached the social responsibility of marketing (starting from the contribution of the forerunner Kotler, 1972) and then the effectiveness of CSR on firms’ marketing performances (e.g. Brown and Dacin, 1997; Ellen et al., 2000; Creyer and Ross, 1997; Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001; Ross et al., 1992; Smith and Alcorn, 1991) is still fragmented and narrowly focused on specific facets of the broader spectrum of corporate social responsibility (Maignan and Ferrell, 2004; Mohr et al., 2001). Although some authors have underlined how CSR can positively affect firms’ competitiveness (see for example Husted and Allen, 2000 and Porter and Kramer, 2002), the relationship between social responsibility and customer satisfaction seems to be less widely investigated. Another topic that has not been widely researched concerns the influence of different communication channels on stakeholders’ perceptions and awareness of CSR actions (Brown et al. 2006). Even if several authors have sustained the salience of CSR communication in minimizing stakeholders’ skepticism (Du et al., 2010) or in generating stakeholders’ positive associations (Morsing and Schults, 2006), the literature still lacks contributions that indicate which communication channels are more effective than others in strengthening the corporate image as socially responsible (Du et al., 2010). Furthermore, the contributions cited so far are focused on for profit contexts and do not consider explicitly non-profit organizations for which the social responsibility is particularly relevant given the tutelage that the law generally grants for their acknowledged social value. The purpose of this article is to bridge the gaps introduced above. Focusing on a non-profit organization, we first verify the existence of a relationship between CSR and customer satisfaction; secondly, we evaluate the effectiveness of the social report in generating CSR awareness towards the members; thirdly, we give some insights into the contribution that various communication channels and media (other than the social report) make in strengthening the cited awareness.

(2012). The customer satisfaction in a nonprofit context: the role of social responsibility and its communication [abstract]. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10446/27319

The customer satisfaction in a nonprofit context: the role of social responsibility and its communication

ANDREINI, Daniela;PEDELIENTO, Giuseppe;SIGNORI, Silvana
2012-01-01

Abstract

The academic debate concerning companies’ social responsibility, started to emerge no earlier than in the second half of the 20th century. From that time onwards the concept of CSR has gradually evolved extending its domain and giving rise to several theories, theoretical frameworks, approaches and terminologies (Garriga and Melé, 2004). Given this theoretical plurality of the topic, the way marketing scholars first approached the social responsibility of marketing (starting from the contribution of the forerunner Kotler, 1972) and then the effectiveness of CSR on firms’ marketing performances (e.g. Brown and Dacin, 1997; Ellen et al., 2000; Creyer and Ross, 1997; Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001; Ross et al., 1992; Smith and Alcorn, 1991) is still fragmented and narrowly focused on specific facets of the broader spectrum of corporate social responsibility (Maignan and Ferrell, 2004; Mohr et al., 2001). Although some authors have underlined how CSR can positively affect firms’ competitiveness (see for example Husted and Allen, 2000 and Porter and Kramer, 2002), the relationship between social responsibility and customer satisfaction seems to be less widely investigated. Another topic that has not been widely researched concerns the influence of different communication channels on stakeholders’ perceptions and awareness of CSR actions (Brown et al. 2006). Even if several authors have sustained the salience of CSR communication in minimizing stakeholders’ skepticism (Du et al., 2010) or in generating stakeholders’ positive associations (Morsing and Schults, 2006), the literature still lacks contributions that indicate which communication channels are more effective than others in strengthening the corporate image as socially responsible (Du et al., 2010). Furthermore, the contributions cited so far are focused on for profit contexts and do not consider explicitly non-profit organizations for which the social responsibility is particularly relevant given the tutelage that the law generally grants for their acknowledged social value. The purpose of this article is to bridge the gaps introduced above. Focusing on a non-profit organization, we first verify the existence of a relationship between CSR and customer satisfaction; secondly, we evaluate the effectiveness of the social report in generating CSR awareness towards the members; thirdly, we give some insights into the contribution that various communication channels and media (other than the social report) make in strengthening the cited awareness.
2012
Andreini, Daniela; Pedeliento, Giuseppe; Signori, Silvana
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