ABSTRACT
This study explores how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) shapes a company's image. It examines how CSR initiatives influence brand perception and analyzes CSR's impact on brand perception and stakeholder relationships. It highlights the strategic importance of CSR for long-term business success.
The study involves 30 respondents who bought products with CSR actions as of April 2024. Based on Pearson r correlation, the relationship of the corporate social responsibility and brand perception has a negative weak correlation hence, the hypothesis is accepted in which CSR activities and stakeholders’ demography has no significant relationship. The CSR perception shows that customer preference is needed significantly, trustworthiness indicates being trustworthy is a virtue that a corporation should possess to gain customer patronage. The brand image also is significant in CSR perception since it has a highly important description in this study. Positive social impact increases focus on CSR by businesses can lead to positive social change. Companies that prioritize ethical labor practices, environmental sustainability, and community engagement can contribute to a better society, therefore, CSR can hold businesses accountable for their actions. The results of the study give future researchers hints to investigate companies with program of corporate social responsibility and advice to implement CSR since it has a side of good and real manifestation to company’s images and should suggests to have programs of corporate social responsibility that link to every stakeholders as company’s clientele.
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Brand Image, Brand Equity, Consumer Satisfaction
INTRODUCTION
The intricate relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and company image is crucial for businesses seeking to enhance brand perception and reputation. Studies have shown a positive correlation between CSR activities and a company's image (Lombart, 2016). Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that demonstrate social responsibility (Kim & Manoli, 2020). Despite the growing emphasis on CSR practices, a knowledge gap remains. We need a comprehensive analysis of how specific CSR strategies influence consumer perceptions, brand equity, and overall company image (Walls et al., 2012). This research would provide valuable insights for companies seeking to optimize their CSR efforts and maximize their impact on key stakeholders and provide valuable insight to businesses that want to make efficient use of CSR initiatives to improve brand image and reputation in the market. Thus, Corporate image plays a critical role in achieving trade gains (Papasavas & Karakatsanis, 2013). This elevates the importance of social accountability in building a positive image. Consumers are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on a company's social responsibility practices (Kim & Manoli, 2020). Therefore, a strong focus on social accountability can enhance a company's image, ultimately leading to increased trade gains.
The current research aims to bridge a gap in knowledge by comprehensively analyzing the impact of specific CSR strategies on consumer perceptions, brand equity, and overall corporate image (Walls et al., 2012). This study focuses on CSR strategies and brand perception as the primary drivers, further examining how these factors influence consumer satisfaction and ultimately contribute to a positive image and brand equity (Kim & Manoli, 2020). By analyzing various CSR initiatives and their effect on brand perception, the research seeks to identify valuable insights for companies to build strong reputations and connect effectively with stakeholders (Lombart & Louis, 2014).
To this extent, the study aims to investigate the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on brand image and brand equity, and how these factors impact consumer satisfaction and aims to answer the following research questions.
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