Does corporate social responsibility really increase customer relationship quality? A meta-analytic review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer relationship quality (RQ) based on three main aspects of RQ, namely, satisfaction, trust and commitment. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative meta-analysis of 80 unique effect sizes reported in 60 articles (n = 27,805) was conducted to determine effect sizes of the relationship between CSR and the aspects of RQ of the customer. Furthermore, the economic development has been examined as potential moderators between CSR and RQ. Findings Meta-analysis suggests that a positive relationship between CSR and the three studied aspects of RQ is well established; however, the strength of studied relationships has revealed variations in magnitude. Customer commitment was affected by CSR (r = 56) the most, closely followed by customer trust (r = 0.52), while customer satisfaction (r = 0.44) was affected the least. Moreover, the result of meta-regression shows that the economic development moderates only one relationship, CSR and trust. Originality/value Presenting a summary of the direction of primary research on the relationship between CSR and RQ, as no prior meta-analysis on the primary relationship has been conducted till date (to the best of the authors’ knowledge).