Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in China has been a central debate worldwide. This paper explores how two leading International sportswear companies operating in China are communicating their CSR initiatives to the Chinese customers. This study analyses customer’s degree of interest in CSR and other related attributes as well as their impact on developing customer’s loyalty about the company. The findings suggest strong impact of the CSR dimensions (e.g. workplace, marketplace and environment support) and other related attributes (e.g. price, product quality and uniqueness) on developing customer loyalty. The study has also identified the regional difference in relation to customer’s CSR perceptions and the likelihood of being influenced by the company’s CSR initiatives. The implications of this study are relevant to both of the international and Chinese local companies for strengthening their social responsibility associations with the customers.