How CSR influences customer behavioural loyalty in the Chinese hotel industry
Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics
ISSN: 1355-5855
Article publication date: 31 May 2019
Issue publication date: 6 January 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) (i.e. responsibility to customers, employees and society) influences customer behavioural loyalty in the hotel industry. The mediating effects of brand image and customer trust on the relationship between CSR and customer behavioural loyalty are also considered.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 298 valid responses to questionnaire surveys were collected from a convenience sample in China in 2017. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Hotel customer behavioural loyalty can be enhanced by CSR performance. Performance in each of the three CSR domains positively impacted customer behavioural loyalty to different degrees. The impact of CSR on the customer had the strongest influence on Chinese customers’ behavioural loyalty among the three CSR domains of customer, employee and society. Brand image and customer trust were found to be mediators of the relationship between CSR performance and customer behavioural loyalty.
Originality/value
The current research contributes to the literature by demonstrating that CSR activities are not all equally effective. Results reveal that the society dimension of CSR had the strongest impact on Chinese customers’ brand image of hotels among the three CSR dimensions investigated. In terms of Chinese hotel customers’ trust, the CSR–customer dimension plays the most effective role. The findings also support the notion that Chinese consumers are beginning to use CSR information to evaluate hotels.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The work was partially funded by research committee of University of Macau (Ref. Nos: MYRG2018-00078-FBA and MYRG2016-00048-FBA).
Citation
Liu, M.T., Liu, Y., Mo, Z., Zhao, Z. and Zhu, Z. (2020), "How CSR influences customer behavioural loyalty in the Chinese hotel industry", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp. 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-04-2018-0160
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited