CSR practices and consumer perceptions

In the face of growing worldwide interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR), this paper explores corporate practices and consumer perceptions related to CSR. Based on literature and qualitative data from interviews with managers and consumers, a conceptualization of corporate practice and consumers' perceptions of CSR is developed. More specifically, the paper offers a grounded theory of CSR domains that explains how corporations and consumers view CSR by explicating both for whom and for what corporations are held responsible. Furthermore, two tripartite classifications of corporate stages of CSR development and corresponding consumers' perceptions are presented. The conclusion contains a comparison of corporate and consumer perceptions and draws implications for marketing practice and future research.