Exploring corporate ability and social responsibility associations as antecedents of customer satisfaction cross-culturally

This study investigates the mediating role of customer satisfaction in the relationships between two types of corporate associations (corporate ability and corporate social responsibility) and two behavioral outcomes (word of mouth and loyalty intentions). In addition, the authors explore whether these relationships are equivalent across two countries—Germany and the United States. With a sample of 437 retail customers, the important role of satisfaction as a mediator of both corporate associations is confirmed. Moreover, the relationships between corporate associations and behavioral outcomes experience differential (partial or full) mediation by satisfaction, depending on the country. The effects of corporate ability associations on satisfaction are stronger for U.S. than for German customers, while the effects of corporate social responsibility associations on customer satisfaction and behavioral outcomes are consistently stronger for German than for U.S. customers.