CSR–Product Quality Trade-off Belief

What it measures

Measures the extent to which a consumer believes that a company's commitment to social responsibility necessarily reduces product quality and functional performance. Originally labelled 'resource-synergy beliefs' by Gupta & Sen (2013), reflecting a zero-sum view of CSR. Higher scores indicate greater scepticism about whether CSR and product quality can coexist.

Representative items

• Socially responsible behavior by firms is often accompanied by inferior product offerings.
• When companies focus on CSR, the quality and performance of their products suffer.
• Resources devoted to social causes come at the expense of improved product performance.

Citation

Bodur, H.O., Tofighi, M., & Grohmann, B. (2016). When should private label brands endorse ethical attributes? Journal of Retailing, 92(2), 204–217.