Sustainability and consumer responses: The effect of bad industry reputation and fit

Abstract

This work project investigates how consumers’ responses to sustainability activities of organisations are influenced by the bad reputation of the industry they are operating in. Specifically, it tested how consumers’ attributions about the motives behind companies’ engagement are affected and whether the fit of the cause with companies’ core business influences this attributional processing. Surveying 299 participants, the study provides support that a high fit program provokes values-driven attributions, which likewise im-prove consumers’ trust, corporate reputation and image, rendering companies’ sustaina-bility investments effective, even in bad reputation industries. Furthermore, theoretical and practical implications together with future research suggestions are provided.