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A Brand New Day: How Commitment Impacts Trust And Perceived Motivation Of A Firm’S Corporate Social Responsibility And Brand Activism Efforts, Tara-Ann Dugan

College of Business Theses and Dissertations

As consumers’ expectations for brands to “do good” continue to grow, companies are simultaneously increasing their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts and communication. Communicating on the “good” a company is doing may seem like it would yield a positive outcome; however, such is not always the case. Companies face the challenge of wanting to engage in CSR activities that address topical issues while simultaneously avoiding the perception of engaging in CSR efforts for self-serving reasons, a phenomenon referred to as “virtue signaling,” where the company’s prosocial efforts are perceived as primarily self-motivated. Furthermore, as companies engage in greater brand activism, …