ORCA General Oral Presentation Session (Virtual)
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Marketing
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Ismail Karabas
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a norm in the business world as consumers call for businesses to be more involved in improving the world. CSR takes many forms ranging from corporate philanthropy to a focus on sustainability. Corporate foundations have been an increasingly popular practice of CSR to enhance public image, although alliances with non-profit organizations and foundations are still quite prevalent. Current research examines how corporate philanthropy can be effective in building trust and perceived impact on the cause being supported. Because there is a plethora of corporate philanthropy practices, businesses must decide on the best possible avenue to set themselves apart from the competition and achieve the highest positive perceptions from consumers. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, by using an experiment, we aim to explore purchase intentions toward corporations that either partner with a foundation or develop their own foundation. Second, we are interested in the donation likelihood toward foundations that are: owned by a corporation or sponsored by a corporation. Results indicate that relative to foundations sponsored by a corporation, corporate foundations have a higher perceived trust and perceived impact, which lead to higher purchase intentions. In addition, donation likelihood to foundations is higher among the corporate foundations due to their perceived impact. This research is necessary for providing strategic insights to corporations toward the better CSR strategy (own a foundation vs. sponsor with a foundation). Also, investigating consumer response to foundations’ strategic positioning in the marketplace will allow optimizing consumer contributions to the cause.
Spring Scholars Week 2020 Event
Honors College Senior Theses Presentations
Consumer Response to Foundations and Firms When Firms Own or Sponsor a Foundation
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a norm in the business world as consumers call for businesses to be more involved in improving the world. CSR takes many forms ranging from corporate philanthropy to a focus on sustainability. Corporate foundations have been an increasingly popular practice of CSR to enhance public image, although alliances with non-profit organizations and foundations are still quite prevalent. Current research examines how corporate philanthropy can be effective in building trust and perceived impact on the cause being supported. Because there is a plethora of corporate philanthropy practices, businesses must decide on the best possible avenue to set themselves apart from the competition and achieve the highest positive perceptions from consumers. The purpose of this research is twofold. First, by using an experiment, we aim to explore purchase intentions toward corporations that either partner with a foundation or develop their own foundation. Second, we are interested in the donation likelihood toward foundations that are: owned by a corporation or sponsored by a corporation. Results indicate that relative to foundations sponsored by a corporation, corporate foundations have a higher perceived trust and perceived impact, which lead to higher purchase intentions. In addition, donation likelihood to foundations is higher among the corporate foundations due to their perceived impact. This research is necessary for providing strategic insights to corporations toward the better CSR strategy (own a foundation vs. sponsor with a foundation). Also, investigating consumer response to foundations’ strategic positioning in the marketplace will allow optimizing consumer contributions to the cause.