Theoretical Perspectives Concerning Modeling Consumer Behavior Influences on CSR and Marketing Roles in Shaping Consumer Perceptions

Consumers are stakeholders of an organization in many ways having a complex dimension. They are primarily ultimate beneficiaries of products and services. Consumers are also members of society interested in environmental issues and fair trade, members of local community (where the organization has its headquarters in the region), can be employed, relatives or friends of employees, can be shareholders of the organization. Consumers can play an important role in the regulation of entrepreneurial behavior if they are willing to reward socially responsible organizations by changing their purchasing behavior (preferring products and services of those organizations that invest in social responsibilitySocial responsibility programs). In this paper we propose to create a theoretical framework to determine the influence of CSR actions on the purchasing behavior (using the seven core subjects of ISO 26000) and the impact of marketing and CSR communication (its channels and tools) on purchasing decisions. Within these bidirectional approaches we will focus on three issues: consumer expectations on CSR activities, the managers’ perception on these expectations, and the decisions of managers on CSR actions and marketing tools and channels used for communicating CSR. Since there is a gap between these three aspects, it is highly important not only evaluating CSR activities but also consumer perceptions over these activities, and the effectiveness of marketing channels and tools used for communicating CSR. The proposed instrument allows organizations to evaluate these aspects and managers to make the best decisions concerning the selection of appropriate CSR activities, choosing channels and marketing tools to enable effective communication.