Journal of Organisational Studies and Innovation
Vol. 2, no.2, Summer, 2015
The Influence of CSR on UK Consumer Behaviour What Impact Does CSR Have on UK Consumer Decision-Making?
Ditte-Marie Josephsen Nielsen
University of West London, London, UK

Abstract: This dissertation builds on previous studies claiming that it is important for companies to act with ethical responsibility in order to influence consumer purchasing behaviour in a profitable way. Many researchers have investigated the ways companies can be socially responsible although, the lack of awareness and knowledge from the consumers are making it hard for the businesses to convince the customers that they are not only thinking about profit but they also care about societal issues. The data was gathered through people's words, behaviour and attitudes representing the findings from 4 in-depth interviews with UK consumers. The results of this study revealed that the level of consumer interest for CSR and the impact that unethical business decisions have on the consumer decision-making is minimal. The main factor was that the consumers have a great lack of trust towards the companies and the customers do not believe that a company can be fully ethically all through the supply chain. It can therefore be concluded that the customers make their purchasing decisions out of self-interest and prioritising their purchases according to what they can afford.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), Business ethics, Consumer Decision-making, Consumer ethics.