Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jn8rn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T23:47:35.889Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

When do firms implement corporate social responsibility? A study of the Spanish construction and real-estate sector

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2013

Jesus Cambra-Fierro*
Affiliation:
Head of the Marketing Department, University Pablo de Olavide, Ctra. de Utrera, km. 1. 41013-Sevilla, Spain
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine firms’ adoption of corporate social responsibility activities and the efficacy of such activities in specific contexts and industries. This paper analyses the specific context of the Spanish construction and real-estate industry. By using a longitudinal multi-case approach, the study suggests links between market orientation and corporate social responsibility. The research also identifies two profiles of firms. The first group, which is proactive (e.g., market oriented), demonstrate altruistic concerns about consumers and corporate social responsibility; for the second, which is more reactive, their concerns about corporate social responsibility are more opportunistic and aimed at attracting additional customers or responding to competitive pressures.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aguilera, R., Rupp, D., Williams, C., Ganapathi, J. (2007). Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility: A multilevel theory of social change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32, 836863.Google Scholar
Atuahene-Gima, K., Slater, S., Olson, E. (2005). Resolving the capability-rigidity paradox in new product innovation. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 22, 464482.Google Scholar
Babiak, K. (2010). The role and relevance of corporate social responsibility in sport: A view from the top. Journal of Management & Organization, 16, 543565.Google Scholar
Bartkus, B., Glassman, M. (2008). Do firms practice what they preach? The relationship between mission statements and stakeholders management. Journal of Business Ethics, 83, 207216.Google Scholar
Bendixen, M., Abratt, R. (2007). Corporate identity, ethics and reputation in supplier-buyer relationships. Journal of Business Ethics, 76, 6982.Google Scholar
Berens, G., van Riel, C., van Bruggen, G. (2005). Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 69, 1835.Google Scholar
Blumrodt, J., Desbordes, M., Bodin, D. (2010). The sport entertainment industry and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management & Organization, 16, 514529.Google Scholar
Bondy, K., Matten, D., Moon, J. (2008). Multinational corporation codes of conduct: Governance tools for corporate social responsibility? Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16, 294311.Google Scholar
Borna, S., Stears, J. (1998). The philosopher is not always right: A comment on the customer is not always right. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 3944.Google Scholar
Bowen, H. (1953). Social responsibilities of the businessman. New York, NY: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Brik, A., Rettab, B., Mellahi, K. (2011). Market orientation, corporate social responsibility and business performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 99, 307324.Google Scholar
Brown, T., Dacin, P. (1997). The company and the product: Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 61, 6884.Google Scholar
Cadogan, J., Diamontopoulos, A. (1995). Narver and Slater, Kholi and Jaworski and the marketing orientation construct: Integration and internationalization. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 3, 4160.Google Scholar
Carroll, A. (1998). The four forces of corporate citizenship. Business and Society Review, 100, 17.Google Scholar
Cambra, J., Hart, S., Polo, Y. (2008). Environmental respect: Ethics or simply business? A study in the small and medium enterprise (SME) context. Journal of Business Ethics, 82, 645656.Google Scholar
Carringer, P. (1994). Not just a worthy cause: Cause-related marketing delivers the goods and the good. American Advertising, 10, 1619.Google Scholar
Crane, A. (2000). Marketing, morality and the natural environment. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar
Crittenden, V., Crittenden, W., Ferrell, L., Ferrell, O., Pinney, C. (2011). Market-oriented sustainability: A conceptual framework and propositions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39, 7185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daub, C., Ergenzinger, R. (2005). Enabling sustainable management through a new multi-disciplinary concept of customer satisfaction. European Journal of Marketing, 39, 9981012.Google Scholar
Day, G. (1994). The capabilities of market-driven organizations. Journal of Marketing, 58, 3752.Google Scholar
Devinney, T. (2009). Is the socially responsible corporation a myth? The good, the bad and the ugly of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives, 23, 4456.Google Scholar
Ferrell, O., Gonzalez-Padron, T., Hult, T., Maignan, I. (2010). From market orientation to stakeholder orientation. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 29, 9396.Google Scholar
Frynas, J. (2008). Corporate social responsibility and international development: Critical assessment. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16, 274281.Google Scholar
Gao, Y., Bradley, F. (2007). Engendering a market orientation: Exploring the invisible role of leaders’ personal values. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 15, 7989.Google Scholar
George, J., Torger, R. (1982). The reliability and validity of key informant data from dyadic relationships in marketing channels. Journal of Marketing Research, 19, 517524.Google Scholar
Gounaris, S., Avlonitis, G., Papastathopoulou, P. (2004). Managing a firm's behavior through market orientation development: Some empirical findings. European Journal of Marketing, 38, 14811508.Google Scholar
Greyser, S. (2009). Corporate brand reputation and brand crisis management. Management Decision, 47, 590602.Google Scholar
Gürhan-Canli, Z., Batra, R. (2004). When corporate image affects product evaluations: The moderating role of perceived risk. Journal of Marketing Research, 41, 197205.Google Scholar
Handelman, J., Arnold, S. (1999). The role of marketing actions with a social dimension: Appeals to the institutional theory. Journal of Marketing, 63, 3348.Google Scholar
Helfert, G., Ritter, T., Walter, A. (2002). Redefining market orientation from a relationship perspective: Theoretical considerations and empirical results. European Journal of Marketing, 36, 11191139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Homburg, C., Koschate, N., Hoyer, W. (2005). Do satisfied customers really pay more? A study of the relationship between customer satisfaction and willingness to pay. Journal of Marketing, 69, 8496.Google Scholar
Huang, C. (2010). Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and corporate performance. Journal of Management & Organization, 16, 654668.Google Scholar
Hult, T. (2011). Market-focused sustainability: Market orientation plus!. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39, 16.Google Scholar
Jamali, D., Safieddine, A., Rabbath, M. (2008). Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility synergies and interrelationships. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16, 443459.Google Scholar
Kohli, A., Jaworski, B. (1990). Market orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, 54, 118.Google Scholar
Kotler, P., Lee, N. (2004). Corporate social responsibility: Doing the most good for your company and for your cause. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.Google Scholar
Kumar, S., Stern, L., Anderson, J. (1993). Conducting interorganization research using key informants. Academy of Management Journal, 36, 16331651.Google Scholar
Luo, X., Bhattacharya, C. (2006). Corporate social responsibility, customer satisfaction and market value. Journal of Marketing, 70, 118.Google Scholar
Maclaran, P., Catterall, M. (2002). Analysing qualitative data: Computer software and the market research practitioner. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 5, 2839.Google Scholar
Maignan, I. (2001). Consumers’ perception of corporate social responsibilities: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Business Ethics, 30, 5772.Google Scholar
Maignan, I., Ferrell, O., Hult, G. (1999). Corporate citizenship: Cultural antecedents and business benefits. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27, 455469.Google Scholar
Maon, F., Lindgreen, A., Swaen, V. (2009). Designing and implementing corporate social responsibility: An integrative framework grounded in theory and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 87, 7189.Google Scholar
McCutcheon, D., Meredith, J. (1993). Conducting case study research in operations management. Journal of Operations Management, 11, 239256.Google Scholar
Miles, M., Huberman, A. (1994). An expanded sourcebook: Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Mohr, J., Sarin, S. (2009). Drucker's insights on market orientation and innovation: Implications for emerging areas in high-technology marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 37, 8596.Google Scholar
Mohr, J., Webb, D., Harris, K. (2001). Do customers expect companies to be socially responsible? The impact of corporate social responsibility on buying behaviour. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35, 4572.Google Scholar
Narver, J., Slater, S. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54, 2035.Google Scholar
Narver, J., Slater, S., MacLachlan, D. (2004). Responsive and proactive market orientations and new product success. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 21, 334347.Google Scholar
Nikolaeva, R., Bicho, M. (2011). The role of institutional and reputational factors in the voluntary adoption of corporate social responsibility standards. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39, 136157.Google Scholar
Orlitzky, M. (2001). Does organizational size confounds the relationship between corporate social performance and firm financial performance? Journal of Business Ethics, 33, 167180.Google Scholar
Porter, M., Kramer, M. (2006). Strategy and society: The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84, 7892.Google Scholar
Pringle, H., Thompson, M. (1999). How cause related marketing builds brands. Chichester, UK: Wiley.Google Scholar
Pirithiviraj, J., Kajendra, K. (2010). Relationship between Market Orientation and Corporate Social Responsibility with special reference to Sri Lankan financial sector. Journal Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Science, 1, 107113.Google Scholar
Qu, R. (2007). Corporate social responsibility in China: Impact of regulations, market orientation and ownership structure. Chinese Management Studies, 1, 198207.Google Scholar
Roberts, P., Dowling, G. (2002). Corporate reputation and sustained superior financial performance. Strategic Management Journal, 23, 10771093.Google Scholar
Sen, S., Bhattacharya, C. (2001). Does doing good always lead to doing better? Consumers reactions to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 38, 225244.Google Scholar
Sinkovics, R., Penz, E., Ghauri, P. (2005). Analysing textual data in international marketing research. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8, 938.Google Scholar
Smith, C. (2003). Corporate social responsibility: Whether or how? California Management Review, 45, 5276.Google Scholar
Strauss, A., Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Technical and procedures for developing grounded theory. London, UK: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar
Varadarajan, R., Menon, A. (1988). Cause-related marketing: A coalignment of marketing, strategy and corporate philanthropy. Journal of Marketing, 52, 5874.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Worcester, R. (2009). Reflections on corporate reputations. Management Decision, 47, 573589.Google Scholar
Yin, R. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods. London, UK: SAGE Publications.Google Scholar