Corporate social responsibility disclosures: Latest research shows mixed outcomes
In an effort to attract customers, companies like Amazon and Zoom have been highlighting their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts through detailed reports.These documents enable companies to present their efforts that positively impact employees, clients, neighborhoods, and the environment—emphasizing goals that extend beyond mere profit-making. Studies suggest that reporting on CSR is associated with a rise in sales.As a marketing professor, this connection led to an intriguing inquiry: Are the extra sales generated by CSR disclosures attracting new clients, or are they merely enhancing purchases from the current customer base?In a recent study analyzing several hundred Chinese companies, a colleague…
