Corporate social responsibility and customer loyalty during the Covid-19 pandemic: evidence from pharmacy practice

Abbasi, S, Aghakhani, H, Azizi, S, Peikanpour, M and Mehralian, G ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3510-4614, 2022. Corporate social responsibility and customer loyalty during the Covid-19 pandemic: evidence from pharmacy practice. Social Responsibility Journal. ISSN 1747-1117

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Abstract

Purpose: In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has taken on a more prominent role in both large and small businesses because of its significant impact on various aspects of business performance. To date, a growing body of literature has demonstrated the mechanisms whereby CSR practices affect organizational outcomes; however, there has been little research examining how CSR practices contribute to customer loyalty within the pharmacy context. As such, this study aims to explore how CSR practices influence the loyalty of pharmacy customers, particularly in relation to the mediatory effects of customer-company identification (CCI) and customer trust.

Design/methodology/approach: A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to collect the required data from the pharmacy context. The resultant data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis to identify the scale dimensions, followed by multiple regression analysis to test the hypotheses.

Findings: Analysis of the results (n = 528) revealed that perceived CSR indirectly impacts loyalty through the mediatory effects of trust and CCI. All hypothesized effects were also confirmed via empirical testing.

Originality/value: The findings of this research suggest that not only are CSR activities responsive to societal concerns, but they can also promote customer identification with pharmacies and strengthen customer trust, which can, in turn, lead to long-term customer loyalty.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Social Responsibility Journal
Creators:	Abbasi, S., Aghakhani, H., Azizi, S., Peikanpour, M. and Mehralian, G.
Publisher:	Emerald
Date:	23 March 2022
ISSN:	1747-1117
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1108/srj-06-2021-0243 DOI 1543170 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Business School
Record created by:	Jonathan Gallacher
Date Added:	05 May 2022 15:15
Last Modified:	05 May 2022 15:15
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/46271

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