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This paper aims to investigate the inverse U-shape relationship between DM and accessing loans from the banks and explore the moderating effect of donation mode diversity.

Based on a survey dataset of 1,036 private firms in China, we use a Heckman two-stage estimation model to test hypothesizes.

The results show an invert U-shape relationship between donation magnitude and access to bank loan. The authors also find that donation mode diversity will positively moderate donation magnitude–bank loan relationship: the positive effect of donation magnitude will be stronger for the private firms using multiple channels of philanthropic donation.

This paper extends the literatures by examining how philanthropic donation behaviors in form of donation magnitude (how much to give) and donation mode diversity (how to give) influence private firms’ loan borrowed from the bank, an important but largely ignored stakeholder. Therefore, it suggests that both the amount and the channels of philanthropic donation could have significant roles in the efficiency of achieving strategic outcomes of corporate philanthropy.

This study aims to explain the impact of donations to a charity, company-cause fitting, corporate reputation, corporate philanthropic involvement and message content on Saudi consumers who purchase products that are promoted using cause-related marketing (CrM) campaigns.

Structural equation modelling partial least square is used to analyse the responses of 293 Saudi respondents.

Using Smart-PLS, the results show that donation size is positively related to the Saudi consumer’s purchase intention. However, differences in the donation amount did not affect the purchase intention. Regardless of the cause that motivates firms to donate money to philanthropic organisations, Saudi customers do not generally pay attention to the company-cause fit association. Retail corporate reputation, corporate philanthropic involvement and message content positively influence the purchase of products sold using CrM campaigns. This study explores the psychological and social attitudes Saudi customers demonstrate towards CrM campaigns. Regardless of corporation motives, Saudi customers care about charitable deeds. Moreover, positive message framing is effective when the content is emotive, comprehensive and persuasive.

This study explores the psychological and social attitudes Saudi customers pay towards CrM campaigns. The message content relied significantly upon the cause fit and the magnitude of the donated money. Marketing research would benefit from investigating the role of applying efficient persuasive tactics to convey and frame public messages.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework to explain why corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity leads to different consumers' responses, especially why, in some cases, CSR activity might backfire on the company.

Based on a review of previous literature, the aspects of a CSR activity and the contrasting objectives that may influence consumers' responses are discussed. Several propositions are put forward.

The structure of a CSR activity, mainly including type of issue/cause, its form, timing and commitment, leads to consumers' different attributions, which in turn leads to consumers' different responses to the firm. Also, consumers make attributions about a firm's CSR activity in terms of the contrast effect between the firm's corporate social performance (CSP) and other objectives for reference, such as the firm's CSR ability, its past CSP, its negative social impact of operation and other firms' CSR activities. Moreover, even though consumers can make positive attribution to a firm's CSR activity, the significant contrast effect of it against the objectives might also lead to consumers making negative responses.

Given the complex psychological processes of consumers, it is not known if there are other components of a CSR activity and other contrasting objectives that might influence consumers' responses.

The paper helps business managers to realize the risks embedded in CSR activities, and helps them to use CSR strategically to promote business goals by carefully considering the mix of components of CSR activity and the fit with other contrasting objectives.

Cause-related marketing (CrM) is one of the effective marketing concepts which draw high public exposure and make the cause and the organization known in the market. Further, it develops a higher inclination of the customers associating themselves with CrM-related campaigns. In this regard, CrM campaigns generally take hedonic products into consideration. The purpose of this paper (comprises two studies) is to: study 1, examine the attributes leading to successful CrM campaign and afterward when the results of Study 1 were found in line with the existing literature; and, Study 2, empirically examine the consumer preference for hedo-utilitarian products type in the CrM context.

A total of 316 respondents participated in the survey. For selecting the appropriate research technique under the CrM study, the systematic review was conducted to arrive at a decision. Finally, conjoint analysis, a decompositional approach, was used for its ability to provide real-world setup to the respondents and keeping the social desirability bias at the minimum while assessing the consumer preference in the context of CrM.

Much literature is available in favor of using hedonic products for successful CrM activities. However, none has conceptualized the hedo-utilitarian products that have an equally fair chance to succeed under CrM strategy. The present study confirmed the relevance of hedo-utilitarian products (utilitarian products having hedonic features) for attracting the consumers having cognitive and affective responses altogether.

The novel concept of hedo-utilitarian product is introduced and empirically examined. The propositions and findings will facilitate the organizations in developing the products and marketing strategies in the context of CrM, giving them the option beyond the two product categories, i.e. hedonic and utilitarian. Accordingly, the companies may also focus and strategize for the “causmers,” i.e. the consumers who pay heed to the cause of the campaign during the purchase.

While several of the dimensions in marketing have been explored, CrM is the least explored area in the Asian region. The attributes that may affect CrM were taken all together as another product feature/attribute under conjoint analysis exploring the attributes affecting CrM most, eventually, leading to higher consumer preference. Further, the concept of hedo-utilitarian products was introduced, empirically examined and recommended to future researchers for bringing it forward.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how firms compete with each other in philanthropic giving in the context of a natural disaster. In particular, the authors want to investigate: Which firms act faster in disaster relief giving? How do late movers react? In the end, which firms donate most at the competitive equilibrium, first or late movers? Whether and how firm visibility will affect the relationships proposed based on the former three questions?

The Chinese listed companies that donated to the May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake are taken as a sample. A negative binomial regression analysis is first conducted to identify the first movers. Then, linear regression analysis is conducted to identify the competition between first movers and late movers.

The authors find that large firms and firms with a high financial performance tend to be first movers in disaster relief giving. Late movers donate amounts that are similar to those of first movers in both absolute and relative value. But first movers donate more in absolute value than late movers in the whole process of giving. Firm visibility strengthens the effect of financial performance (return on assets) on giving timing, but weakens the effect of giving timing on both first round and total giving amount.

This study provides a dynamic theory of giving and enhances the understanding of the motives and patterns of corporate disaster relief giving. It also illustrates important insights into firms’ strategic and tactical behavior in disaster relief giving.

In recent years, cause‐related marketing (CRM) has made a significant impact on businesses and charitable organizations. However, the study of CRM as a unique retailing format has received limited academic exploration. Central to this study's investigation is not just shopping^® (NJS), an organization that uses CRM as a basis for its retailing model. This study seeks to examine cause‐related retailing (CRR) and the perceptions of three vested parties: consumers who have purchased from NJS events; vendors who sell at NJS events; and the NJS business owner.

The primary factors that potentially impact CRR efforts were explored through an extensive literature search and qualitative data collection. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews with 13 shoppers, 15 vendors and the NJS business owner. The data were analyzed and interpreted according to the protocol for case study research as outlined by Yin.

This study of the three vested parties from NJS found that the CRR model differs slightly from that of CRM. Findings from this study suggest that consumers are motivated primarily by the location, vast array of unique products, and social benefits as opposed to the support of the charitable cause.

This study makes an important contribution to the CRM and CRR literature. Results also provide support for trends in retailing that show how consumers are actively searching for unique, non‐commoditized items. The findings illustrate that a combination of diverse retailing and socialization benefits, not price, drives this particular retailing venue. Additional research is needed to investigate the issues surrounding why the charitable cause is not a significant motivating factor in retail purchase decisions.

This research is original to the retailing and CRM literatures. One of the benefits of this exploratory study is that it provided the authors with an opportunity to examine a unique retailing venue, NJS, and to explore the impact of CRR on purchases.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer’s attitude towards cause-related marketing (CRM). In detail, it aims to assess the relationship between CRM and consumer’s brand loyalty, and whether this relationship is moderated by consumer’s perception of corporate social behaviours. Moreover, the research looks for differences in the above relationship on two samples of consumers born and living in different countries and therefore with different cultural backgrounds.

The research adopts a quantitative methodology using a survey conducted among Italian and Japanese consumers. Ordinary least square regressions models are developed to test the hypotheses.

The findings of this paper indicate a positive relationship between the consumers’ perception of CRM and their brand loyalty perception, regardless the country of origin. Accordingly, the authors found a similar pattern of CRM perception among Italian and Japanese consumers. In addition, the authors found that CRM and the consumers’ perception of corporate social behaviours are not complementary, in the sense their joint effect does not affect consumer’s brand loyalty.

This is one of the first studies addressing the issue concerning the CRM perception of people with in different cultures. In this regard, this study suggests that CRM impacts on brand loyalty regardless the country of origin (Italy and Japan), and consumers’ characteristics such as age, gender, background. In addition, the study indicates that the perceived corporate social responsibility does not increase the effect of CRM on brand loyalty.

Cause-related marketing (CRM) is an ever growing marketing strategy developed by companies that may result in a win-win-win strategy for business, non-profit organizations and society. However, the specific relationship between CRM and consumers purchase intentions (PI) has been analyzed in a fragmented way within the mainstream literature. Grounding on this, the purpose of this paper is to give a more comprehensive and fine grained view of this phenomenon, testing the effect of several moderators on the relationships between CRM and consumers PI in two different countries.

The sample consists of 234 Italian (individualistic culture) and 164 Brazilian (collectivist culture) consumers surveyed online. Ordinary least squares analysis has been carried out in order to test the moderator effects hypothesized.

Regarding Italian respondents, the author found positive evidence for moderator effects of the perception of CRM goal achievement (GA), brand-fit (BF) and gender. On the contrary, the author did not find a significant moderator effect of brand-use, while the author found it significant but negative for Brazilian respondents. Moreover, the author found that the perception of CRM GA does not moderate the aforementioned relationship for Brazilians while BF and gender still have positive effects.

A more fine grained picture of the CRM–PI relationships have been provided through the empirical test of several moderators, finding different effects in individualistic (Italians) and collectivist culture (Brazilians), thus deriving interesting implications in the international marketing field of research.

The aim of this study is to assess the direct and indirect impact of the prominence dimensions of fit between a brand and a cause on consumer intentions to purchase cause-related products by considering cases with more versus less positive attitudes towards a brand and a higher versus lower social cause affinity.

The study is based on data obtained via a survey of 403 respondents in Lithuania. A between-subjects study design with different brands and causes was used to identify the role of the differences in brand attitude and cause affinity on the message strength.

The data analysis has revealed that the specific prominence dimensions of fit (relationship visibility, relationship explicitness, visuals/colours, local attributes) have a direct and indirect impact, via the message strength, on consumer intentions to purchase cause-related products. Additionally, the mediation of the message strength was dependent on attitudes towards a brand but not on cause affinity.

This is the first attempt to contribute to filling the research gap regarding the impact of the prominence dimensions of fit on the intention to purchase a cause-related product. Paying special attention to message strength mediation allowed for the assessment of both the direct and indirect effects of the individual dimensions of fit.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials contrasted with their international counterparts. Based on the regulatory-focus theory, the influence of the types of arguments and products is tested on French millennials’ attitudes, intentions and behaviors in the context of CRM campaigns.

Three experimental studies among French millennials examine the effects of a CRM campaign vs non-CRM one on purchase behavior (study 1) through varying the formulation of the argument (promotion or prevention – study 2) and the nature of the advertised product (utilitarian or hedonic – study 3).

The results reveal French millennials’ favorable attitude and greater purchase intention for products carrying CRM messages, displaying similarities with American and Dutch millennials. When exposed to CRM advertising with promotion messages for hedonic products, French millennials, similarly to their South African and American counterparts, show greater purchase intentions, exhibiting cause sensitivity with hedonic products to reach aspirational goals.

Inconsistent findings related to French millennials’ willingness to pay are linked to possible message formulation and product nature biases. The study contributes to the CRM literature by bridging regulatory focus and product type in a CRM campaign context, while contrasting millennials’ perceptions from diverse countries.

To improve CRM effectiveness toward millennials, firms must ensure the consistency between the causes, types of messages and products.

CRM campaign efficiency is enhanced when promoted by brands, thereby increasing millennials’ engagement toward the causes.

This paper is the first to explore, in a single study, CRM campaign regulatory focus and product type among French millennials compared with their international counterparts.