Sustainability and branding in retail: a model of chain of effects

• Autores: Flores Hernández, Javier Alfredo, Olavarría Jaraba, Ana, Valera Blanes, Guadalupe, Vázquez Carrasco, Rosario
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2020
• Institución: Universidad de Lima
• Repositorio: ULIMA-Institucional
• Lenguaje: inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:repositorio.ulima.edu.pe:20.500.12724/11162
• Enlace del recurso: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12724/11162; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145800
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Corporate image; Branding; Social responsability of the company; Retail trade; Imagen corporativa; Responsabilidad social de la empresa; Comercio al por menor; https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#5.02.00

The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of sustainable practices on companies' corporate reputation and brand image in the retail sector as perceived by consumers. In addition, we evaluate how those practices affect consumers' perceived satisfaction levels and their predisposition to engage in positiveWord of Mouth (WOM). For the purpose of this study, the context of an emerging economy, Peru, is taken as reference. To do this, we propose a structural equation model based on a representative sample of 403 consumers. The data analysis-using the PLS software package-confirms that corporate social responsibility (CSR) positively influences both corporate reputation and brand image. These two factors jointly have an impact on consumers' perceived satisfaction levels, which in turn help to explain the flow of positive WOM. This work is a pioneering study of the relationship between the aforementioned factors in the context of emerging economies. The final part of the article discusses the main theoretical implications and recommendations for business practice.