CSR and Generation Z's buying behavior - a study based on consumers of the Chinese sportswear brand ERKE
Author
Gao, Jing
Term
4. term
Publication year
2022
Abstract
This thesis examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) relates to Generation Z consumers' buying behavior in the context of ERKE, a Chinese sportswear brand that donated goods and funds during the 2021 Henan floods. Building on prior literature, the study focuses on Gen Z's perceptions of brands' motives for undertaking CSR and tests how this cognition influences buying behavior, including the mediating roles of consumer attitudes and patriotic affection. Quantitative data were collected via a questionnaire in China, yielding 184 responses from nearly 30 provinces. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics followed by variance, correlation, and regression analyses aligned with a structural framework. The results indicate that Gen Z's CSR cognition positively affects their buying behavior toward ERKE, and that both attitudes and patriotic affection significantly mediate this relationship. At the same time, price remains salient: the increase in buying positivity weakens if products are priced above competing sportswear brands. The study cannot determine whether reluctance to pay more stems from financial constraints or perceived value, pointing to an avenue for future research.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan virksomheders sociale ansvar (CSR) hænger sammen med Generation Z-forbrugeres købsadfærd i konteksten af ERKE, et kinesisk sportsmærke der donerede varer og midler under oversvømmelserne i Henan i 2021. Med udgangspunkt i tidligere litteratur fokuserer studiet på Gen Z's opfattelse af virksomheders motiver for at gennemføre CSR-aktiviteter og tester, hvordan denne kognition påvirker købsadfærd, herunder de medierende roller af forbrugerholdninger og patriotiske følelser. Kvantitative data blev indsamlet via et spørgeskema i Kina og gav 184 besvarelser fra næsten 30 provinser. Dataene blev analyseret med deskriptiv statistik efterfulgt af varians-, korrelations- og regressionsanalyser i overensstemmelse med en strukturel ramme. Resultaterne viser, at Gen Z's kognition af CSR har en positiv effekt på deres købsadfærd over for ERKE, og at både holdninger og patriotiske følelser medierer denne sammenhæng. Samtidig er pris fortsat en væsentlig faktor: den øgede købspositivitet svækkes, hvis produkterne er dyrere end konkurrerende sportsmærker. Undersøgelsen kan ikke afgøre, om modviljen mod at betale mere skyldes økonomiske begrænsninger eller oplevet værdi, hvilket peger på behov for videre forskning.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]