Students’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Repeat Patronage Intentions: The Moderating Role of Trust

Students’ Perceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility and Repeat Patronage Intentions: The Moderating Role of Trust

FAWAD ASIF, Rana
ABDUL AHAD, Sami
GULL, Ahmed

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an extensive concept and has been becoming more and more important in the contemporary world. This research study aims to highlight the significance of Corporate Social Responsibility in Education Sector and happenings that are necessary for a university to act as socially responsible. It also studies the students’ belief about the social responsibility performance of their institutions and in a broad-spectrum as well. This study deliberates the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on students’ commitment at university level. The study develops and tests a conceptual framework which predicts a positive relationship of Corporate Social Responsibility towards Perceived Service Quality, Attitudinal Loyalty, Repeat Patronage Intentions and the moderating role of Trust in the context of universities located in Islamabad. At the same time the study examines the mediating relationship of Attitudinal Loyalty between Perceived Service Quality and Repeat Patronage Intentions. The results generally support this relationship except for the moderating direction of Trust between Corporate Social Responsibility and Attitudinal Loyalty. The results also showed that Attitudinal Loyalty mediates the relationship among Perceived Service Quality and Repeat Patronage Intentions. The social responsible activities of the universities were highlighted in the study and students’ perceptions about Corporate Social Responsibility were also considered. The outcomes showed that the social responsible behaviors of the university increases the students’ commitment and loyalty for the university which leads to repeat behavioral intentions, by means of creating a positive image of the university. The universities primarily business schools were selected as the context of the study because business schools educate and train graduates who become future business experts and managers. Therefore the universities need to understand the emerging concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and make the students aware of it and realize its importance to make them effective business leaders. Keywords: Trust, Corporate Social Responsibility, Perceived Service Quality, Attitudinal Loyalty, Repeat Patronage Intentions.

Article
PeerReviewed

ISSN 2303-4564

International Burch University

2013-05-10

1640