Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility and Donor Behavior in College Athletics: The Mediating Effects of Trust and Commitment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to advance our understanding of the role of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the donor decision making process in college athletics. A research model was developed to examine theoretical relationships among perceived CSR, trust, commitment and donation intention. The proposed research model was tested using 644 donors from a college booster club in the US through simultaneous equations. It was concluded from the results that donors’ perceptions about CSR activities significantly influenced trust and commitment toward the organization. Trust and commitment played a mediating role in explaining the relationship between CSR perception and donor behavior. This study not only makes a theoretical contribution to CSR literature by providing an expanded view of CSR and its impact on donor behavior, but also offers meaningful implications to managers.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Achrol

(1991). Evolution of the marketing organization: New forms for turbulent environments. Journal of Marketing, 55(4), 77–93.

Aguilera

R. D. E.

, Williams

R. C.

, & Ganapathi

(2007). Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility: A multi-level theory of social change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32, 836–863.

Allen

N. J.

, & Meyer

J. P.

(1996). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: An examination of construct validity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 49, 252–276.

Albinger

H. S.

, & Freeman

S. J.

(2000). Corporate social performance and attractiveness as an employer to different job seeking populations. Journal of Business Ethics, 28, 243–253.

Anderson

J. C.

, & Gerbing

D. W.

(1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 411–423.

Anderson

, & Weitz

(1989). Determinants of continuity in conventional industrial dyads. Marketing Science, 8, 310–323.

Babiak

, & Wolfe

(2006). More than just a game? Corporation social responsibility and Super Bowl XL. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 15, 214–222.

Babiak

, & Wolfe

(2009). Determinants of corporate social responsibility in professional sport: Internal and external factors. Journal of Sport Management, 23, 717–742.

Bagozzi

R. P.

, Baumgartner

, & Yi

(1992). State versus action orientation and the theory of reasoned action: An application to coupon usage. Journal Consumer Research, 18, 505–518.

10.

Baker

, & Siryk

(1999). SACQ: Student adaptation to college questionnaire manual. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

11.

Bani

, & Streparava

M. G.

(2011). Motivation in Italian whole blood donors and the role of commitment. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 16, 641–649.

12.

Bansal

, Irving

, & Taylor

(2004). A three-component model of customer commitment to service providers. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32, 234–250.

13.

Becker-Olsen

K. L.

, Cudmore

A. B.

, & Hill

R. P.

(2006). The impact of perceived corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 59, 46–53.

14.

Bhattacharya

C. B.

, & Sen

(2003). Consumer company identification: A framework for understanding consumers’ relationships with companies. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 76–88.

15.

Brady

M. K.

, Noble

C. H.

, Utter

D. J.

, & Smith

G. E.

(2002). How to give and receive: An exploratory study of charitable hybrids. Psychology and Marketing, 19, 919–944.

16.

Brammer

, Millington

& Rayton

(2007). The contribution of corporate social responsibility to organizational commitment. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18, 1701–1719.

17.

Browne

M. W.

, & Cudeck

(1992). Alternatives ways of assessing model fit. Sociological Methods and Research, 21, 230–258.

18.

Brown

T. J.

, & Dacin

P. A.

(1997). The company and the product: Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 68–84.

19.

Carroll

A. B.

(1979). A three dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance. Academy of Management Review, 4, 497–505.

20.

Castaldo

, Perrini

, Misani

, & Tencati

(2009). The missing link between corporate social responsibility and consumer trust: The case of fair trade products. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 1–15.

21.

Cermak

D. S. P.

, File

K. M.

, & Prince

R. A.

(1994). A benefit segmentation of the major donor market. Journal of Business Research, 29, 121–130.

22.

Collier

& Esteban

(2007). Corporate social responsibility and employee commitment. Business Ethics: European A. review, 16, 19–33.

23.

Crosby

, Evans

K. R.

, & Cowles

(1990). Relationship quality in service selling: An interpersonal influence perspective. Journal of Marketing, 54(3), 68–81.

24.

D'Agostino

R. B.

, Belanger

, & D'Agostino

R. B.

(1990). A suggestion for using powerful and informative tests of normality. American Statistician, 44, 316–321.

25.

Davis

(1973). The case for an against business assumption of social responsibilities. Academy of Management Journal, 16, 312–322.

26.

Davis

, & Blomstrong

R. L.

(3rd Edition). (1975). Business and Society: Environment and Responsibility. New York: McGraw Hill.

27.

Davis

, & Willaim

C. F.

(1984). Business and society. New York: McGraw-Hill.

28.

Donaldson

, & Davis

J. H.

(1991). Stewardship Theory or Agency Theory: CEO governance and shareholder returns. Australian Journal of Management, 16, 49–64.

29.

Dutton

J. E.

, Dukerich

J. M.

, & Harquail

C. V.

(1994). Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 239–263.

30.

Dwyer

F. R.

, Schurr

P. H.

, & Oh

(1987). Developing buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 51(2), 11–27.

31.

Eisenberger

, Huntington

, Hutchison

, & Sowa

(1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 500–507.

32.

Ellen

P. S.

, Mohr

L. A.

, & Webb

(2000). Charitable programs and the retailer: Do they mix?' Journal of Retailing, 76, 393–406.

33.

Fornell

, & Larcker

D. F.

(1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research 18, 39–50.

34.

Frame

(2005). Corporate social responsibility: A challenge for the donor community. Development in Practice, 15, 422–432.

35.

Frederick

W. C.

(1986). Why ethical analysis is indispensable and unavoidable in corporate affairs. California Management Review, 28, 126–141.

36.

Fulks

D. L.

(2010). Revenues and Expenses, 2004-2009. NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics programs report. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

37.

Fulks

D. L.

(2010). Revenues and Expenses, 2004-2009. NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics programs report. National Collegiate Athletic Association.

38.

Garbarino

, & Johnson

(1999). The different roles of satisfaction, trust, and commitment in customer relationships. Journal of Marketing, 63(2), 70–87.

39.

Garriga

, & Mele

(2004). Corporate social responsibility theories: mapping the territory. Journal of Business Ethics, 53, 51–71.

40.

Graham

J. M.

(2006). Congeneric and (essentially) tau-equivalent estimates of score reliability: What they are and how to use them. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 930–944.

41.

Greening

D. W.

, & Turban

D. B.

(2000). Corporate social performance as a competitive advantage in attracting a quality workforce. Business and Society, 39, 254–280.

42.

Greenlee

, & Gordon

(1997). The impact of professional solicitors on fund-raising in charitable organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 27, 277–299.

43.

Gürhan-Canli

, & Batra

(2004). When corporate image affects product evaluations: The moderating role of perceived risk. Journal of Marketing Research, 41, 197–205.

44.

Headlee

(2006). Environmental impact of Super Bowls on host cities. Day to Day. National Public Radio. Retrieved Jan 31, 2006, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5180609

45.

Herzlinger

R. E.

(1996). Can public trust in non-profits and governments be restored? Harvard Business Review, 74, 97–107.

46.

Hrebiniak

L. G.

(1974). Effects of job level and participation on employee attitudes and perceptions of influence. Academy of Management Journal, 17, 649–662.

47.

, & Bentler

P. M.

(1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55.

48.

Iacobucci

, Saldanha

, & Deng

(2007). A meditation on mediation: Evidence that structural equations models perform better than regression. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 17, 139–153.

49.

Jones

T. M.

(1995). Instrumental stakeholder theory: A synthesis of ethics and economics. Academy of Management Review, 20, 404–437.

50.

Khandelwal

K. A.

, & Mohendra

(2010). Espoused organizational values, vision, and corporate social responsibility: Does it matter to organizational members? VICALPA, 35(3), 19–35.

51.

Kim

, Chang

, & Ko

Y. J.

(2010). Determinants of organisational identification and supportive intentions. Journal of Marketing Management, 26, 413–427.

52.

Y. J.

, Rhee

Y. C.

, Walker

, & Lee

(2013). What motivates donors to athletic programs: A new model of donor behavior. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, first published on march 4, 2013. doi:10.1177/0899764012472065.

53.

Kott

(2005). The philanthropic power of sport. Foundation News and Commentary Jan/Feb, 20–25.

54.

Lee

, Park

T. K.

, Moon

H. K.

, Yang

Y. H.

, & Kim

(2008). Corporate philanthropy, attitude towards corporations, and purchase intentions: South A. Korea study. Journal of Business Research, 62, 939–946.

55.

Lichtenstein

D. R.

, Drumwright

M. E.

, & Braig

B. M.

(2004). The effect of corporate social responsibility on customer donations to corporate-supported nonprofits. Journal of Marketing, 68(4), 16–32.

56.

Lockett

, Moon

, & Visser

(2006). Corporate social responsibility in management research: Focus, nature, salience and sources of influence. Journal of Management Studies, 43, 115–136.

57.

Luo

, & Bhattacharya

C. B.

(2006). Corporate social responsibility, customer satisfaction, and market value. Journal of Marketing, 70, 1–18.

58.

Mahony

D. F.

, Gladden

J. M.

, & Funk

D. C.

(2003). Examining athletic donors at NCAA division I institutions. International Sports Journal, 7, 9–27.

59.

Mahony

D. F.

, Madrigal

, & Howard

(2000). Using the psychological commitment to team (pct) scale to segment sport consumers based on loyalty. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9, 15–25.

60.

Mardia

K. V.

(1985). Mardia's test of multinormality. In Kotz

& Johnson

N. L.

(Eds.), Encyclopedia of statistical sciences (pp. 217–221). New York, NY: Wiley.

61.

Martin

, Ruiz

, Rubio

(2009). The role of identity salience in the effects of corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 65–78.

62.

McKnight

D. H.

, Cummings

L. L.

, & Chervany

N. L.

(1998). Initial trust formation in new organizational relationships. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 473–490.

63.

Melendez

S. E.

(2001). The nonprofit sector and accountability. New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising, 31, 121–132.

64.

Merchant

, Ford

J. B.

, & Rose

(2011). How personal nostalgia influences giving to charity. Journal of Business Research, 64, 610–616.

65.

Meyer

J. P.

, Stanley

D. J.

, Herscovitch

& Topolnytsky

(2002). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 20–52.

66.

Morgan

R. M.

, & Hunt

S. D.

(1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–58.

67.

Moorman

, Zaltman

, & Deshpande

(1992). Relationship between providers and users of market research: the dynamics of trust within and between organizations. Journal of Marketing Research, 29, 314–328.

68.

Moses

(2010, February 9). MIAA launches Harvesters virtual food drive. Retrieved from http://www.themiaa.com/general/releases/02092010.

69.

Muthèn

L. K.

, & Muthèn

B. O.

(2010). Mplus user's guide (6th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthèn and Muthèn.

70.

National Collegiate Athletic Association. (2011). Diversity programs. Retrieved from http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/NCAA/About+The+NCAA/Diversity+and+Inclusion/Diversity+Programs/

71.

Ormstedt

(1994). Government regulation of fundraising: A struggle for efficacy. New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising, 3, 129–141.

72.

Palmatier

R. W.

, Dant

R. P.

, & Grewal

(2007). A comparative longitudinal analysis of theoretical perspectives of interorganizational relationship performance. Journal of Marketing, 71(4), 172–194.

73.

Petrova

P. K.

, & Cialdini

R. B.

(2005). Fluency of consumption imagery and the backfire effects of imagery appeals. Journal of Consumer Research, 32, 442–452.

74.

Pivato

, Misani

, & Tencati

(2008). The impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer trust: The case of organic food. Business Ethics: European A. Review, 17, 3–12.

75.

Porter

M. E.

, & Kramer

M. R.

(2006). Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review.

76.

Porter

L. W.

, Steers

R. M.

, Mowday

R. T.

, & Boulian

P. V.

(1974). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59, 603–609.

77.

Raykov

(1997). Estimation of composite reliability for congeneric measures. Applied Psychological Measurement, 21, 173–184.

78.

Raykov

(2001). Bias of Cronbach's coefficient alpha for fixed congeneric measures with correlated errors. Applied Psychological Measurement, 25, 69–76.

79.

Reichheld

F. F.

, & Schefter

(2000). E-loyalty: Your secret weapon on the web. Harvard Business Review, 78(4), 105–113.

80.

Reichers

A. E.

(1985). A review and reconceptualization of organizational commitment. Academy of Management Review, 10, 465–476.

81.

Salamon

L. M.

, & Anheier

H. K.

(1992). In search of the nonprofit sector I: The question of definitions. Voluntas, 3(2), 125–51.

82.

Sargeant

, Ford

J. B.

, & West

D. C.

(2006). Perceptual determinants of nonprofit giving behavior. Journal of Business Research, 59, 155–165.

83.

Sargeant

, & Lee

(2002). Improving public trust in the voluntary sector: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 7, 68–83.

84.

Sargeant

, & Lee

(2004a). Donor trust and relationship commitment in the U.K. charity sector: The impact on behavior. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 33, 185–202.

85.

Sargeant

, & Lee

(2004b). Trust and relationship commitment in the United Kingdom voluntary sector: Determinants of donor behavior. Psychology and Marketing, 21, 613–635.

86.

Saxon-Harrold

, Carter

, & Humble

(1987). The charitable behavior of the British people: A survey of patterns and attitudes to charitable giving. Tonbridge, London: Charities Aid Foundation.

87.

Schlegelmilch

, Diamantopoulis

, & Love

(1997). Characteristics affecting charitable donations: Empirical evidence from Britain. Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, 3, 14–28.

88.

Schuler

D. A.

, & Cording

(2006). A corporate social performance-corporate financial performance behavioral model for consumers. Academy of Management Review, 31, 540–558.

89.

Sen

, & Bhattachary

(2001). Does doing good always lead to doing better? Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 38, 225–243.

90.

Sethi

S. P.

(1975). Dimensions of corporate social performance: An analytic framework. California Management Review, 17(3), 58–64.

91.

Shamdasani

P. N.

, & Sheth

J. N.

(1995). An experimental approach to investigating satisfaction and continuity in marketing alliances. European Journal of Marketing, 29(4), 6–23.

92.

Shapiro

S. S.

, & Wilk

M. B.

(1965). An analysis of variance test for normality. Biometrika, 52, 591–611.

93.

Sirdeshmukh

, Singh

, & Sabol

(2002). Consumer trust, value, and loyalty in relational exchanges. Journal of Marketing, 66, 15–37.

94.

Stinson

J. L.

, & Howard

D. R.

(2007). Athletic success and private giving to athletic and academic programs at NCAA institutions. Journal of Sport Management, 21, 235–264.

95.

Stinson

J. L.

, & Howard

D. R.

(2008). Winning does matter: Patterns in private giving to athletic and academic programs at NCAA Division I-AA and I-AAA Institutions. Sport Management Review, 11, 1–20.

96.

Strand

, Levine

, & Montgomery

(1981). Organizational entry preferences based upon social and personnel policies: An information integration perspective. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 27, 50–68.

97.

Strickland

R. A.

, & Vaughan

S. K.

(2008). The hierarchy of ethical values in nonprofit organizations. Public Integrity, 10, 233–251.

98.

Sumption

(1995). Yesterday's trail-blazing. Hertford, UK: Brainstorm.

99.

Tempel

(1999). Trust and fundraising as a profession. New Directions for Philanthropic Fundraising, 26, 51–58.

100.

Tucker

I. B.

(2004). A reexamination of the effect of big-time football and basketball success on graduation rates and alumni giving rates. Economics and Education Review, 23, 655–661.

101.

Turker

(2009). How corporate social responsibility influences organizational commitment. Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 189–204.

102.

Verner

M. E.

, Hecht

J. B.

, & Fansler

A. G.

(1998). Validating an instrument to assess the motivation of athletics donors. Journal of Sport Management, 12, 123–137.

103.

Vlachos

P. A.

, Tsamakos

, Vrechopoulos

A. P.

, & Avramidis

P. K.

(2009). Corporate social responsibility: Attributions, loyalty, and the mediating role of trust. Journal of the Academy Marketing Science, 37, 170–180.

104.

Waddock

S. A.

, & Graves

S. B.

(1997). The corporate social performance-financial performance link. Strategic Management Journal, 18, 303–319.

105.

Walker

& Kent

(2009). Do fans care? Assessing the influence of corporate social responsibility on consumer attitudes in the sport industry. Journal of Sport Management, 23, 743–769.

106.

Walsh

, & Beatty

S. E.

(2007). Customer-based corporate reputation of a service firm: Scale development and validation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 35, 127–143.

107.

Waters

R. D.

(2011). Increasing fundraising efficiency through evaluation: Applying communication theory to the nonprofit organization-donor relationship. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 40, 458–475.

108.

Windsor

(2006). Corporate social responsibility: Three key approaches. Journal of Management Studies, 43, 93–114.

109.

Wood

, Pool

G. J.

, Leck

, & Purvis

(1996). Self-definition, defensive processing, and influence: The normative impact of majority and minority groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1181–1193.

110.

Young

D. R.

, Bania

, & Bailey

(1996). Structure and accountability: A study of national nonprofit associations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 6, 347–365.

111.

, & Muthèn

B. O.

(2002, April). Evaluation of model fit indices for latent variable models with categorical and continuous outcomes. Paper presented at the annual meeting of American Education Research Association, New Orleans, LA.