Cooking a socially responsible image for the urban consumers: does it work with the cooking oil brands?
ISSN: 1747-1117
Article publication date: 17 February 2020
Issue publication date: 22 January 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The consumer-based study was conducted among the population of Kolkata metropolis to assess the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on the purchase intention of selected cooking oil brands.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a questionnaire based survey on 322 respondents residing in Kolkata metropolis. Reliability of the scales was ascertained by Cronbach’s alpha values. Kendall's W test was used for rank analysis. Pearson’s correlation was examined to correlate the cognitive criteria. Factor analysis was used to sort out influential cognitive criteria which were compared between genders by the Kruskal–Wallis H test. The involvement of CSR components in enhancing the brand equity was analysed by multiple linear regression.
Findings
The brands vouching for the cause of health and nutritional value of the society attained significant loyalty and generate considerable brand association. The regression model predicts a socially accepted cooking oil brand to be one which addresses health, transparency and ethics in unison.
Research limitations/implications
The study was restricted within the resident population of Kolkata metropolis which ratifies the CSR perception of a confined mass.
Practical implications
The study delineates the plausible avenue of CSR investments to touch the cognitive centre of the consumers’ mind.
Social implications
The consumers expect to embrace a healthy yet reasonably priced cooking oil brand which imparts a notion to address multiple social causes.
Originality/value
The study identifies the strategic CSR attributes which might influence the mind of the consumers while they select cooking oil brands for household use.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thankfully acknowledge the volunteers who provided their thoughtful response during the questionnaire based survey. There is no conflict of interest and this research work has not received any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Citation
Banerjee, A. and Dasgupta, R. (2021), "Cooking a socially responsible image for the urban consumers: does it work with the cooking oil brands?", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 127-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-01-2018-0012
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited