Among the current trends that set the social and cultural scenario pertinent to marketing, the search for authenticity by consumers has taken the highlights, to the point that it is considered “one of the cornerstones of contemporary marketing” (Brown et al. 2003, p. 21).This trend is normally interpreted as a reaction to the traits of current post modern society, characterized by hyper materialism, globalization, virtualization and commercialization of experiences (Arnould e Price 2000). In this context, individuals turn with growing interest towards what is “genuine”, “real” , “faithful to the original” or “of undisputed origins” (Boyle 2004). In our paper we propose, under a consumer-based perspective, to explore the role played by corporate museums in the search for authenticity by individuals. Based upon this, the museum -- in the quality of “ bearer” of the corporate identity and image -- would consent to offer its visitors a holistic view of the brand’s original culture and values, in a synthesis that integrates past and present. From this point of view, the experience offered to visitors would reinforce their connection to the brand (Mitchell e Mitchell 2001), consolidating their involvement and loyalty towards it (Mitchell e Orwing 2002). The corporate museum would therefore arise as a vehicle to create and consolidate a profound relationship between brand and consumers. However, only a few of the research efforts sustained so far have tried to explore empirically the museum’s potential as a platform to enrich and strengthen brand authenticity. Our attention is focused on a museum created by a well known luxury brand (Gucci Museum, located in Florence) for the purpose of investigating its role as a tool for authentication, capable of strategically connecting past, present and future. After a synthetic literature review and a brief introduction of the museum under research, the methodology of the explorative research will be explained and finally, the main results obtained will be presented. Literature review According to Beverland (2009, p. 16), brand authenticity must be interpreted as “subjective, socially constructed, and given to an object by consumers, marketers and others”. Overcoming the modernist concept, authenticity is redirected towards individual valuations that are socially negotiated, more than towards objective attributes (Beverland e Farrelly 2010). The extant literature has identified the multidimensional and multi attribute aspect of the construct. In regards to the former aspect, the seminal work of Beverland (2005), theoretically identifies three dimensions that are conceptually relevant for brand authenticity: - objective, connected to the object and its artistic, historical or qualitative veracity; - subjective, deriving from the individual attribution of an authentic status to the objects, understood as expressive of formal harmony, equilibrium or of a connection with a determined time and location; - self expressive, connected to the genuine manifestation of individuality which is conveyed by the consumption of certain objects. Once the multidimensional nature of the construct is ascertained, it is possible to outline the various attributes that define it (Beverland 2006; Gundlach e Neville 2012; Brown et al. 2012; Grayson, Radam, 2004; Napoli et al. 2014). In view of the objective dimension, the perceptions of authenticity appear to be rooted in the brand’s tangible reality, which can be evaluated based on its observable characteristics: the corporate exponents; the geographical roots; the longevity; production characteristics; the product attributes. As to the subjective dimension, a brand can be interpreted as authentic if it is capable of conveying certain associations. These may initially regard the connection of the brand with individual history, as well as its evolution over time (in terms of continuity of positioning, style, aesthetics and image coherence). Also, the commitment towards quality, which expresses the brand’s responsibility towards its own products and the promises conveyed to the market (credibility, reliability) come together to induce the image of authenticity. In the same direction, there are also several perceptions in operation which are connected to the brand’s peculiarities, such as originality, pioneering and exclusivity. Furthermore, brand authenticity is also fuelled by an ensemble of value associations, connected to the pursuit of non purely commercial objectives, to its genuine priority of artisanal objectives or, more generally, to its integrity, naturalness or sincerity. Finally, for the self expressive dimension, brand authenticity may derive from its capacity to connect to the image and concept that customers have of themselves. The perception of authenticity can result from the fact that it suscitates in individuals sensations of self effectiveness, problem solving capabilities and therefore perceptions of having reached performance related objectives. A brand can then be understood as authentic also by its capacity to make consumers feel that they are part of a social or territorial community to which they feel linked. Furthermore, for people who attribute a particular value to moral principles, authenticity is associated to ideals and virtues which the brand continuously follows by means of ethical standards which allow individuals to feel truer to themselves. In conclusion, brand authenticity can be interpreted as the result of the interaction between objective factors, subjective constructs and existentialist motivations. Beverland and Farrelly (2010) observe that consumers seek different forms of authenticity, based on their own personal objectives. The understanding of how consumers associate a variety of authenticity attributes to brands and the ways in which those components reciprocally influence each other appears to be an extremely useful from the point of view of brand management. In fact, the brands that propose to refer to uniqueness in their strategies, must find leverage on the dimensions that are reputedly relevant for consumers and, for each one, identify the most critical attributes. Research methodology To investigate the capacity that brand museums of fashion luxury brands have to contribute towards the perception of brand authenticity, we conducted an esplorative research on the Gucci Museum’s visitors. The survey was held based on content analysis of the reviews posped on Tripadvisor by the visitors themselves. The research was therefore based upon 79 reviews, heterogeneous in terms of the geographic provenance of the commentators, date of visit and overall evaluation. Of these, 45 were published in English, 26 in Italian, 4 in Portuguese, two in French and two in Russian. Considering the evaluation, that is the rating expressed by visitors on a scale of 1 to 5, the most part (77,22%) of comments expresses a medium-high rating (corresponding to ratings 4 and 5). Finally, more than half of the comments were published during the same month as the visit and less than 5% within the following six months or more. Those reviews underwent a content analysis, a methodology considered appropriate in the extant literature (Pan et al. 2007; Banyai 2010; Volo 2010; Li e Wang 2011) for the purpose of investigating the perceptions, impressions and general feeling associated to a certain tourism destination, or a visitation experience. Discussion In trying to understand how the museum structure might add value to the brand’s meanings, in strengthening the perceptions of authenticity, we attempted to insert the brand authentication process into the broader museum visit experience, investigating how the brand’s authentication tools may have been influenced (positively and negatively) by the perceptions of authenticity of objects and experiences. The Gucci Museum acquires a real museum legitimacy, standing on the same level as other Florentine cultural sites; it was interpreted as a memory site, where the brand’s history and fashion history are connected thanks to the remembrance of past events, people or periods, effectively “dignifying” the museum and the visit as a fundamental part of Florentine tourism. Some visitors “authenticate” corporate structures as true cultural institutions. As such, they are legitimized in the righteous pursuit of preserving and being custodians not only of brand history but also of the precious testimonials of Italian fashion. Concerning the contents, that is, the objects displayed at the museum, several reviews attributed to these a real and proper museum aura, bearing artistic worth and interpreted as true masterworks. The process by which these visitors project their own perceptions of authenticity to the objects observed, seems to be tied as a conceptualization of constructivist nature to several elements that go from stylistic-aesthetic value and quality of the products, a result of knowledgeable artisanal mastery, to the refinement and creativity of the objects themselves. For some visitors, the objects collected in museums acquire authenticity in view of their antiquity and rarity. What is relevant is the indexical authenticity of objects. It is conceivable that this process for the authentication of objects may be susceptible of influencing the brand image perceived by visitors. For some visitors, the products displayed in commercial venues acquire, by the end of the visit, an aura that brings them closer to museum pieces, expressive of the same creativity, artisanal mastery or symbolic connection with the past. The same visit to the maison’s points of sale is lived by some as an occasion to observe up close the brand’s masterworks, showcased but distant and untouchable during the museum visit. Most reviews, when describing the museum visit, made reference not so much to impressions and evaluations regarding the museum structure or the objects it contains, but instead, to the visiting experience as a whole. For these reviewers, the corporate museum represents a platform on which to experiment authentic moments. From this viewpoint, the notion of existential authenticity seems more relevant than the authenticity of the objects, as postulated in a post modern approach. In reference to the dimensions of authenticity that can be imbued in an experience, it was possible to conceptualize the role of the corporate museum as a vector for the experimentation of different types of authentic experiences. In the first place, the corporate museum – thanks to its setting and content displayed – was identified as a medium capable of conveying a surreal experience. As such, it allows an authentic experience from the intrapersonal point of view, offering the opportunity for immersion into an atmosphere, a world far from reality, feeling transported into the past or into a world of imagery, thus departing from the commonplace. The museum was also understood as an occasion to live an evasive experience in regards to traditional Florentine museums.. Finally, the museum visit is lived by some as an opportunity to consolidate existing personal connections and/or to establish new ones. Deepening the analysis, it is possible to verify that the exhibition spaces are interpreted as a frame for the consolidation of personal relations with the individuals that share the visit experience. The visit to the museum distinguishes itself because it is a collective experience, an opportunity to spend time with other people that allows for the sharing of common passions towards the brand and its history.

Three learning modules on corporate social responsibility (Systems Processes Learning Module, Codes of Conduct Auditing Terminology, and Factory Audit Simulation) were developed and assessed in an upper division course in global fashion sourcing. Three forms of assessment resulted in revisions to the learning modules to meet the learning objectives.

Corporate association—which refers to consumers’ beliefs, knowledge, perceptions, and evaluations of a corporation—can affect consumers’ purchasing intentions. Corporate association consists of corporate ability association and corporate social responsibility association. Corporate ability association refers to a company’s product quality, corporate innovation, productivity, consumer orientation, and after service. Corporate social responsibility association, which refers to the social perspective a company has of its responsibility to society, can affect corporate image and consumers’ purchasing intentions. Eco-labeling for protecting and sustaining the environment is one of the important green marketing strategies in the fashion business that can influence corporate association and consumers’ purchasing intentions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of consumers’ eco-label recognition on their corporate association and intentions to purchase eco-friendly fashion products. Questionnaires were distributed to consumers. The 263 usable questionnaires that were returned were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, factor analysis, regression analysis, and t-test. The results were as follows: There was a significant effect of eco-label recognition on corporate association (ability association and social responsibility association). Eco-label recognition and corporate association were found to significantly affect consumers’ purchasing intentions. Regarding the eco-friendly fashion product buying experience, there was no significant difference on corporate association and buying intention, but there was significant difference on eco-label recognition.

Beyond transnational litigation which seeks to hold corporations accountable for their misconduct overseas through judicial recourse, the risk of human rights abuses should be mitigated by embedding good practices locally through domestic laws and policies. The United Nations proposed Guiding Principles for transnational and other businesses for this purpose in 2011. It has been suggested that National Actions Plans should give effect, or at the very least policy coherence, to the international standards enshrined in the Guiding Principles. This article argues that, properly devised, such plans are invaluable, and can help to reinforce regional imperatives under international law. In Southeast Asia, particularly, the prospect of corporate accountability should be measured by existing or emergent regulatory norms in ASEAN, a regional bloc that aims to achieve parity of rules and regulations across the ten countries through economic integration.

이 연구의 목적은 인터넷 포털 기업의 사회적 책임 영역에 대한 공중 평가가 해당 포털 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도 및 충성도에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 살펴보는 것이다. 구체적으로 우리나라 상위 포털 기업인 <네이버>, <다음>, <네이트>가 수행하는 CSR에 대한 영역별 공중 평가가 해당 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도, 및 충성도에 미치는 영향을 파악하고, 더불어 각 포털 사이트 신뢰도와 선호도가 해당 포털 사이트 충성도에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 검증하는 것이다. 이를 위해 대학생 258명을 설문조사하였다. 연구결과, 인터넷 포털 기업 CSR에 대한 영역별 공중 평가는 해당 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도, 및 충성도에 유의미한 영향을 나타냈다. 특히, 인터넷 포털 기업의 CSR 영역별 평가 가운데, “법적 책임”과 “윤리적 책임” 영역 평가는 공통적으로 연구대상 포털 사이트 신뢰도에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 변인이었다. “경제적 책임” 영역 평가의 경우, 세 포털 사이트 선호도에 공통적으로 유의미한 영향을 나타냈다. 각 인터넷 포털 기업별로 <네이버>의 경우, 포털 사이트 신뢰도와 선호도 모두 포털 사이트 충성도에 유의미한 영향을 미친 반면에, <다음>과 <네이트>는 포털 사이트 선호도만이 포털 사이트 충성도에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

이 연구의 목적은 인터넷 포털 기업의 사회적 책임 영역에 대한 공중 평가가 해당 포털 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도 및 충성도에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 살펴보는 것이다. 구체적으로 우리나라 상위 포털 기업인 <네이버>, <다음>, <네이트>가 수행하는 CSR에 대한 영역별 공중 평가가 해당 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도, 및 충성도에 미치는 영향을 파악하고, 더불어 각 포털 사이트 신뢰도와 선호도가 해당 포털 사이트 충성도에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 검증하는 것이다. 이를 위해 대학생 258명을 설문조사하였다. 연구결과, 인터넷 포털 기업 CSR에 대한 영역별 공중 평가는 해당 사이트의 신뢰도, 선호도, 및 충성도에 유의미한 영향을 나타냈다. 특히, 인터넷 포털 기업의 CSR 영역별 평가 가운데, “법적 책임”과 “윤리적 책임” 영역 평가는 공통적으로 연구대상 포털 사이트 신뢰도에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 변인이었다. “경제적 책임” 영역 평가의 경우, 세 포털 사이트 선호도에 공통적으로 유의미한 영향을 나타냈다. 각 인터넷 포털 기업별로 <네이버>의 경우, 포털 사이트 신뢰도와 선호도 모두 포털 사이트 충성도에 유의미한 영향을 미친 반면에, <다음>과 <네이트>는 포털 사이트 선호도만이 포털 사이트 충성도에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

기업이 지속적인 경쟁우위를유지하기 위해서는 환경특성의 변화에 적절하게 대응할 수 있는 혁신역 량이 수반되어야 한다. 기업의 혁신역량은 어떠한 환경의 변화에도 적극적으로 대처할 수 있어야 하며 이는 탐험이나 활용의 특정한 한 가지 혁신전략이 아닌 두 가지 혁신역량 전략을 적절하게 균형을 유지하 며 동시에 추구하는 양면성 혁신을 선택하게끔 하고 있다. 이것이 요즘 기업경영의 화두로 작용하고 있는 조직의 양면성(ambidexterity)이며 조직에 경영관리방식에 새로운 혁신적인 방법으로 채택하고 있다. 조직 양면성에 대한 연구는 March(1991)의 연구이후 선행요인 및 결과요인들에 많은 후속 연구가 있 어왔다. 이와 같은 중요성에도 불구하고 한국기업을 대상으로 한 조직양면성의 선행요인들과 경영성과 및 이들의 매개관계에 대한 실증적 연구는 부족한 편이다. 본 연구에서는 기존문헌고찰을 통해 조직 양면성의 중요한 상황요인으로 환경의 동태성과 혁신성을 고려하고자 한다. 그리고 조직 양면성의 선행요인인 환경동태성과 혁신성이 기업성과에 미치는 직접효과 및 조직 양면성의 매개효과를 파악하기 위하여 실증적 연구를 실시하였다. 본 연구는 국내 혁신형 중소기업 108개 기업을 대상으로 실증적 연구를 분석한 결과 환경의 동태성과 혁신성은 조직의 양면성에 긍정적인 영향을 주고 있으며, 또한 조직 양면성은 환경의 동태성과 혁신성이 기업성과에 미치는 인과관계에서 중요한 매개역할을 하고 있다는 사실을 확인할 수 있었다.

지방공기업은 지방자치 실시 이후에 지방자치단체의 역할 확대 및 자율권 등에 기인하여 규모와 역할 범위 뿐 아니라 그 수에 있어서도 2014년 6월 현재 396개로 크게 증가하였다. 하지만 대부분의 지방공기업들이 이와 같은 양적인 증가에 상응하는 거시적 성과를 창출하지 못하였고, 경영 및 관리의 책임소재 또한 명확하지 않은 것으로 평가되고 있다. 그 결과 많은 수의 지방공기업이 부실 경영으로 인한 부채 증가로 인해 지방자치단체들의 재정부담이 가중되고 있다. 이러한 원인에는 여러 가지가 있겠지만 지방공기업의 사장(이사장 및 관리자) 등의 전문성 부족과 통제 및 감사기구들이 제 역할을 하지 못한 것을 하나의 원인으로 꼽을 수 있다. 즉, 지방공기업의 지배구조에서 기인한 것으로 볼 수 있다. 따라서 지방공기업의 지배구조에 어떠한 문제점이 있는지 고찰한 후 개선방안을 제시해보았다. 이를 구체적으로 살펴보면 첫째, 지방직영기업의 관리자는 지방자치단체의 장이 인사권을 갖고 있기 때문에 관리자들은 일정부분 지방자치단체의 장에게 종속될 수밖에 없는 구조였다. 따라서 관리자를 임명할 때 지방의회의 추천을 받아 지방자치단체의 장이 임명하는 구조로 바꾸고, 아울러 현행 지방자치단체의 공무원만을 관리자로 임명할 수 있었던 것을 전문성을 갖추고 경험이 풍부한 민간인도 관리자로 임명할 수 있게 하여 관리자의 독립성을 보장해주고, 지방직영기업의 경영정상화에 기여할 수 있도록 하여야 할 것이다. 둘째, 지방공사·지방공단의 이사회의 구성에 있어서 현행 제도는 지방자치단체의 장과 사장(이사장)의 영향력을 배제할 수 없기 때문에 이사회의 독립성을 보장하기 위해서 “사장(이사장)을 포함한 상임이사, 비상임이사의 정수를 100분의 50 미만으로 사외이사의 비율을 100분의 50 이상으로 한다”로 개정하여 사외이사의 비율을 확대할 필요가 있다. 또한 임원추천위원회의 독립성을 확보하기 위해서는 지방자치단체의 장이 2명 추천할 수 있었던 규정을 삭제하고, 의회와 이사회의 추천 권한을 각각 1명씩 늘리는 방안을 검토해 볼 수 있을 것이다. 아울러 이사회의 평가 결과를 지방공기업의 주인이라 할 수 있는 지역주민들이 알 수 있도록 공개하여야 할 것이다. 셋째, 감사제도에 있어서는 감사의 독립성을 확보하기 위해 전국을 17개의 광역자치단체권역으로 나누어 각각의 광역자치단체에 속해 있는 모든 지방공기업에 대해 감사를 할 수 있도록 외부감사제도 도입의 필요성을 강조하였고, 자산규모가 2조원 이상인 대규모 지방공기업의 경우는「공공기관의 운영에 관한 법률」에서 운영하는 바와 같이 감사위원회의 설치를 검토하여야 할 것이다.

본 논문은 해상에서 다수의 인명피해를 야기하는 해양선박사고에 있어서 기업의 형사책임에 대하여 영국과 미국의 실제 사례와 입법례를 최근의 세월호 침몰사고와 관련하여 고찰하였다. 선박침몰의 직접적 원인은 대개 선박 운항을 담당하는 선장과 선원의 과실이겠으나, 궁극적으로 선박회사의 조직과 관리 감독체계의 문제점이 원인인 경우가 많다. 따라서 선박침몰사고 등 대형사고에 있어서 실무자뿐 아니라 기업 자체도 형사처벌할 필요성이 있었으나, 법리상 기업에 대한 처벌이 쉽지 않았다. 이러한 난점을 극복하기 위해서 영국은 2007년 기업살인법을 제정하여 대처하고 있다. 우리의 경우 세월호 참사를 계기로 기업과 기업주를 처벌해야 한다는 여론이 있었으나 법리상의 난점이 있다. 외국의 사례와 입법례를 보면 기업자체를 형사처벌하는 입법은 법리상 가능할 뿐 아니라 우리의 상황에서 필요한 일이기도 하므로, 이러한 입법을 통하여 대형인명재해를 예방할 수 있도록 해야 하리라 판단된다.

오늘날 기업구조조정은 빠르게 변화하는 시장경제에 적응하고, 기업의 경쟁력을 제고하는 방안으로 다양하게 실시되고 있다. 그동안 기업구조조정은 주로 상법상의 연구대상으로 다뤄왔으나, 기업구조조정은 기업의 종업원인 근로자의 근로관계에도 중대한 영향을 미치는 점은 부인할 수 없다. 따라서 이러한 상황에서 근로자의 사회적 보호필요성이라는 측면을 재조명하고, 기업구조조정에 대한 합리적인 규율방안을 마련하는 것은 노동법제에 주어진 핵심과제라고 할 수 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 개별적 근로관계 부분과 집단적 노사관계 부분으로 나뉘어 기업구조조정과 관련된 주요 쟁점을 분석하고, 각각의 논평을 시도하였다. 나아가 지난 2003년에 발표된 노사관계선진화 방안 및 19대 국회에서 발의된 주요 입법안에서 다루고 있는 내용을 소개ᆞ평가하고, 기업구조조정에 관한 새로운 관점에서의 보호방안도 제시하였다. 생각건대 이제는 기업구조조정과 근로관계에 관련하여 그동안 형성되어 온 판례 법리를 적극적으로 입법화하고 합리적인 규율방안을 강구함으로써 근로자를 보호하고, 법적안정성 및 법적명확성도 확보해야 할 것이다.

This study investigated the effects that corporate social responsibility (CSR) had on the credibility and image of a food corporation by analyzing the purchasing intention and food purchases of consumers. This analysis was undertaken in an attempt to establish a marketing strategy that meets consumer demands, and the results showed that all CSR activities undertaken by the food corporation had a positive effect on the reliability and image of the corporation and on consumers' purchase intention. The results indicate that the ethical aspect of the CSR activities had the greatest effect while their charitable aspect had the least effect on the reliability and purchase intention of the customers regarding the food corporation. Thus, it appears that establishing of suitable ethical doctrines and guidelines for corporate management by food corporation is effective in emphasizing the ethical aspects of their policies through transparent management by means of fair trade.

The most industry players were still building a case for biopesticides as an important sector of the crop protection industry, most bigger players were making guarded statements about their intentions in the sector, and the headline proclaimed that biopesticides were no longer a fringe sector. Within months, the larger companies started getting seriously involved through acquisitions and licensing deals. The second special issue that came out in 2013 gauged the momentum that the sector quickly achieved and it was becoming clear that biopesticides would figure in the plans of most of the big crop protection companies. The momentum that started in 2012 was sustained throughout 2013 and the first four months of 2014 in the forms of deals as well as acquisitions. The Europe-based majors consolidated the acquisitions made during the previous year and went about submitting registration dossiers for the acquired products and formulating business plans incorporating biopesticides into their overall strategy. In 2013, big US-based companies became active. Monsanto acquired US agricultural biotechnology company, Agradis, which has a collection of thousands of plant-associated microorganisms; formed a partnership with Danish company Novozymes to develop and commercialise biopesticides worldwide; and supported the establishment of a US company, Preceres, aimed at the development of delivery methods for RNAi-based biopesticides. The global companies believe that biologicals will provide new growth opportunities in agriculture and are looking at market opportunities in all crops and the needs of its crop protection business.

최근, 기존 주력산업의 안주, 혁신 기피 현상으로 말미암아 기업 내에서 지속적인 성장 동력에 대한 이슈가 발생하고 있다. 이러한 지속성장의 돌파구로써 새롭게 주목 받고 있는 대안이 바로 사내기업가정신(Corporate Entrepreneurship)이다. 혁신을 촉진시키는 효과적 방안으로 사내기업가정신이 주목받음에 따라, 국내 기업들 사이에서는 사내벤처 형태의 사내기업가 정신 촉진 활동을 통해 혁신적인 신제품/ 신사업을 발굴하며, 계층적이고 경직된 조직문화를 지양하고, 보다 유연하고 혁신적인 조직문화를 정착시키는 시도를 해오고 있다. 본 연구에서는 사내벤처를 운영하는 3개의 국내 기업을 대상으로 사례 연구를 실시하였으며, 사례연구에 있어서는 사내기업가정신 발현유형과 사내기업가정신 활성화 프레임워크를 결합하여 사례를 분석함으로써, 사내기업가정신 발현유형에 따라 사내기업가정신 활성화 제도의 지향점, 운영 등에 있어서 차이가 있음을 규명 하였다.

본 연구는 사회정체성이론과 신호이론 등에 기반을 두어 한국 진출 다국적기업 자회사의 사회책임활동이 자회사 현지 직원들의 조직동일시와 조직시민행동에 미치는 영향을 살펴보았다. 구체적으로 다국적기업 자회사의 사회책임활동은 다국적기업 자회사의 조직시민행동에 정(+)의 영향을 미칠 것이라고 주장 하였다. 또한 다국적기업의 본사가 위치한 국가와 한국 간의 문화적 거리가 멀수록, 그리고 본사 지분율이 높을수록 사회책임활동과 조직동일시 간의 관계가 강하게 나타날 것이라고 주장하였다. 뿐만 아니라 자회사 현지 직원들의 조직동일시는 조직시민행동에 정(+)의 영향을 미칠 것이라고 주장하였다. 24개국 출신, 75개 한국 내 다국적기업 자회사에 근무 중인 505명의 한국 직원들을 대상으로 설문조사를 통해 획득한 자료를 활용하여 위계적 회귀분석을 실시하여 이상의 주장을 실증적으로 검증하였다.

본 연구는 중국기업의 직무만족도에 대한 가부장적 리더십․서구적 리더십․기업문화 및 조직지원인식의 영향, 가부장적 리더십․서구적 리더십․기업문화 등 독립변수가 매개변수인 조직지원인식을 통하여 직무만족도에 미치는 영향을 구체적으로 실증 분석하였다. 첫째로 가부장적 리더십 중 인자형 리더십과 권위적 리더십은 직무만족도에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째로 서구적 리더십 중 개별적 배려는 직무만족도에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째로 기업문화 중 발전문화와 합리문화는 모두 직무만족도에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 넷째로 가부장적 리더십 중 인자형 리더십 및 도덕적 리더십은 모두 매개변수인 조직지원인식에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 다섯째로 서구적 리더십인 개별적 배려와 성과중시가 모두 매개변수인 조직지원인식에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 여섯째로 기업문화 중 발전문화는 0.01 수준에서 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타나는 결과를 보여주었다. 일곱째로 매개변수가 종속변수에 미치는 영향을 고찰하였다. 매개변수인 조직지원인식은 직무만족도에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 여덟째로 조직지원인식은 가부장적 리더십 중 인자형 리더십, 서구적 리더십 중 개별적 배려, 그리고 기업문화 중 발전문화가 직무만족도에 영향을 미침에 있어서 매개변수로 작용하는 결과를 보여주었다. 최근 1980년대 및 1990년대 출생자가 중국기업에서 초급관리자 및 중급관리자로 근무하기 시작하면서 자아에 대한 개념과 조직보다는 개인적 사고를 하는 조직구성원이 늘어나면서 이러한 조직구성원들이 구성원에 대한 중국기업조직의 약속과 몰입을 의미하는 조직지원인식을 어떻게 인식하는지, 또한 어떻게 조직구성원들로 하여금 이를 인식하게 할 것인지 고찰하는 것은 조직구성원의 직무만족도를 제고하기 위해 매우 중요하다고 생각된다.

The main aim of this study is to propose a conceptual model for marketers’ contributions to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. Thus, this study could possibly reveal synergies between Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility Programs (CSR). Customers have expectations that firms need to carry out CSR activities and hence customers have various responses towards companies’ CSR actions. This implies that marketers’ contributions seem necessary in the development and implementation of CSR programs. This research provides a conceptual model to examine possible synergies between marketing and CSR. Based on the resource based theory of firms, it can be argued that marketers need to contribute to CSR initiatives. From the perspective of return on investments on CSR activities, CSR programs can be viewed as being philanthropic or strategic in nature. Customers tend to respond to both of these CSR types. Hence we propose that contribution of marketers seems important to both kinds of CSR, which in turn would increase customer satisfaction about CSR programs. Consequently, companies’ performance can be enhanced. A mix method is proposed for this study. It is envisaged that in near future, this conceptual model would be empirically tested by collecting data from customers and marketing managers of the Sri Lankan financial institutions. This research concludes with practical implications.

There is much evidence in literature supporting the advantageous benefits resulted from corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). Among others, consumers’ favorable reactions (e.g., enhanced produce evaluation, purchase intention, brand attitude and relationship) (Brown and Dacin 1997; Klein and Dawar 2004) were widely documented. Importantly, consumers tend to use their perceptions on a company’s CSR performance to infer the characteristics of relevant persons (e.g., self and other consumers) due to the meaning-transferring mechanism (Currás-Pérez et al., 2009; Yoon et al., 2006). Although literature suggests that people do good things in order to feel themselves in a positive light, there is a lack of explicit discussion on the impact of consumers’ participation in CSR programs on their perceptions of self. This is an important issue for designing effective CSR programs which can enhance consumer feelings as well. To bridge the academic gap, this research is aimed to address this question. As brands can be viewed as extended self and brand associations can be transferred into self-definition, good associations related with CSR practices will enhance consumers’ self-perceptions and self-esteem once they engage in CSR-related consumptions. However, many company-specific factors (e.g., product quality) and individual specific factors (e.g., CSR support and beliefs) will vary consumers’ responses to CSR efforts (Sen and Bhattacharya 2001). Similarly, CSR’s impact on self-perceptions may be moderated by significant factors. One of the most important determinants underlying differential customer response to CSR is consumers’ attribution of corporate motives. Consumers may attribute a company’s motivation for engaging in CSR simply as self-serving (e.g., high profit) or other-serving (e.g., engagement in social causes) (Becker-Olsen et al. 2006; Yoon et al. 2006), or further differentiate self-serving motives into strategic and egoistic ones and other-serving motives into value-driven and stakeholders-driven ones (Ellen et al., 2006). We examine the effect of self-serving motive vs. other-serving motive on the linkage of CSR and consumers’ self-perceptions and self-esteem in this research. Further we predict that the relevance of a CSR program with an individual consumer (i.e., self-CSR relevance) interacts with specific corporate motives in enhancing the CSR’s effect on consumers’ self-perceptions and self-esteem. A pilot study was first conducted to examine how CSR performance influences consumers’ perceptions (as well as consumers’ believes on their reference group’s perceptions) on a company’s typical customers’ image and then their purchase intention. In this study, we let respondents play judgers’ role and ask them about the relation of CSR and others’ image. A paper-and-pencil survey on university students was conducted. Three hundred and twenty one copies of questionnaires are sent out and collected in total. After deleting the incomplete ones, 302 valid data points constitute the final sample. The number of female and male respondents is comparable (Male: 49%) with average age of 21.4 year-old. We tested the hypothesized relations through structure equation modeling following Anderson and Gerbing’s (1988) two-step approach. The measurement model has good convergent and discrimiant validity. The structural model testing results indicate that CSR has significant positive impact on people’s perceptions on the image of a company’s typical customers (r=.227, P<.001) and on beliefs of reference group’s perceptions on the image of a company’s typical customers (r=.234, P<.001), which subsequently enhance purchase intention (r=.607, P<.001; r=.149, P<.01). As such, the hypothesized relations are supported. Although consumers’ perceptions on others rather than self-perceptions and self-esteem are investigated in this study, findings provide preliminary support on the notion that a company’s CSR behaviors will be used as significant information to evaluate relevant persons (here are typical customers). In the main experiment study, we ask subjects play actors’ role and further examine the connection of CSR and self-perceptions. Results indicate a significant interactive effect between corporate motive and self-relevance. High self-relevance enlarges the difference of self-evaluations after participation in self-entered CSR programs vs. participation in other-centered CSR programs. This study explicitly examines the impact of consumer participation in CSR-related program on consumer self-perceptions and self-esteem. The findings deepen our understanding on the impact of corporate CSR initiatives on consumer responses, particularly the impact on consumer self-perceptions. It provides important implications for management to provide more effective CSR programs with consumers’ welfare considered.

Consumers are increasingly willing to consider ethical aspects in their buying decisions, while organizations strategically respond to consumer needs in this respect by focusing on their ethical reputation in their branding strategies (Singh et al., 2012). Moreover, brands are increasingly switching to natural ingredients in their products or adding an organic option to their current product line (Johri & Sahasakmontri, 1998; Prothero & McDonagh, 1992; Todd, 2004). Although the majority of the growth of green and ethical products is found within the organic food (Organic Monitor, 2011; Willer & Kilcher, 2010) and fair trade products (FLO, 2011) categories, there also seems to be constant growth in the demand for organic personal care products (PCPs) (Smitson, 2006). In contrast, scientific research on organic Personal Care Products (PCPs) seems to be scarce (Kim & Chung, 2011). The current study investigates the effect of brand associations on consumer perceptions considering organic PCPs. More specifically, we focus on the role of corporate ability (CA) versus corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations in brand equity (Yoo et al., 2000) and brand trust (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001) perceptions. To test the effects of CA and CSR associations on consumer brand equity and trust, we first conducted a pretest, in which we included brands with the highest market share in the Dutch PCP market (Nielsen Market Analytics, April 2013). Based on the results of the pretest the following brands were selected for the main study: L’Oréal, Rituals and Palmolive. For the main experiment respondents were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions in a between-subjects design: L’Oréal (N=42), Palmolive (N=42) and Rituals (N=37). Based on the results of the experiment we can draw the following conclusions. Brands may be associated with both CA and CSR characteristics. Even though possible benefits induced by introducing an organic PCP are higher for brands that are currently associated with CSR, other brands may benefit still from introducing an organic PCP, as the effects of CSR associations and an organic product launch merely seem to be complementary. When a brand considers the introduction of a green variant of its current PCP line, the brand does not seem to need a specific “green” reputation or image. More important, the producing company behind the brand should communicate its innovative characteristics as a market leader as well as a sense of responsibility toward the environment and society. Combining CA with CSR characteristics seems to be the most profitable strategy for attracting more consumers than one’s competitors. Although one should constantly aim to remain competitive in the market, the overall effects of sustainable initiatives will be much lower for brands with a weaker reputation in general than for brands that already induce multiple positive associations. In sum, an organization that decides to introduce a new organic product should be aware of the strong positive associations of their current brands on a variety of product characteristics. In the end, investing in improving multiple positive associations instead of focusing on either CSR or CA will be the most profitable strategy.

In recent years, the exploration of the quantifiable effects of market-based intangible assets on firm performance has become increasingly important in marketing and management literature. Corporate reputation, considered as a one of the key marketing metrics for maintaining and enhancing companies’ competitiveness in the globalized economy, plays an essential part in this context. Numerous studies show the impact of reputation on measures of financial performance, justifying companies’ endeavors to install and dedicate effort towards systematic reputation management and tracking. A possible consequence of a good reputation that has so far been neglected in academic research is a decrease in a company’s cost of equity capital, a measure that constitutes an important basis for the decision to invest in future projects, thus playing a vital part in the creation and preservation of strategic competitive advantages. A firm’s cost of equity is defined as the required rate of return, given the market’s perception of the firm’s riskiness. It is based on investors’ expectations about future returns and estimated by means of residual income models with varying assumptions and restrictions (in this study: Claus and Thomas 200, Gebhardt et al. 2001, Ohlson and Juettner-Nauroth 2005, and Easton 2004), equating the current stock price to future cash flows that are discounted with the firm’s implied cost of equity. To account for industry-specific idiosyncrasies, each firm’s cost of equity is adjusted by the monthly industry median. Corporate reputation is defined as an attitudinal mindset towards a company. Following the model of Schwaiger (2004), it is conceptualized as a two-dimensional construct comprising a cognitive (competence) and an affective (likeability) component; reputation is the linear combination of these two dimensions. Corporate reputation data was collected in 13 semi-annual waves from large-scale samples representing the general public in Germany. By applying panel data analysis on a set of the 30 largest publicly listed German companies during a seven-year time-span (2005-2011) and controlling for commonly known factors, I show that corporate reputation significantly reduces a firm’s cost of equity. This relationship holds when reputation is corrected for prior financial performance and industry affiliation. My results should help managers to further strengthen their argument that reputation management is value-relevant. This study should be seen as a starting point for further research to gain a deeper understanding of the reputation-cost of capital-interface.

Learning-orientation and trustworthiness are two important components of corporate image in Asian societies. This paper examines consumers’ perceived learning-orientation and trustworthiness of retailers in Hong Kong with a survey of 909 respondents. The results of a structural equation model show that learning orientation and trustworthiness are two distinctive attributes of a positive corporate image. Advertising creativity correlates positively with building a learning-oriented corporate image, while advertising believability correlates positively with building a trustworthy corporate image. The two perceived corporate images in turn positively associate with brand awareness and purchase intention respectively. Corporates which are perceived as learning-oriented recorded higher awareness, while consumers reported that they are more likely to patronize in companies which they found trustworthy. In summary, this research demonstrates the influence of advertising and promotion strategies (i.e. creativity vs. believability) on the perception of corporate’s image, and subsequently, on brand persuasiveness (i.e. brand awareness and purchase intention).This research has both theoretical contributions and managerial implications. It contributes to the existing corporate image literature by establishing the antecedents and consequences of building a learning-oriented and trustworthy corporate image. The research also provides practical implications to marketers. Specifically, the findings suggest that if a company aims to enhance consumers’ awareness about its branding, more attention should be put on developing creative advertising so as to build a learning-oriented corporate image. Alternatively, if a company aims to increase consumers’ purchase intention, more effort should be put on developing advertising with high believability so as to build a trustworthy corporate image.