Gender Effects on Perceptions of Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility

There has been an increasing importance for both individuals and companies on acting in a socially responsible manner. This study demonstrates that gender plays an important role in perceptions of social responsibility, such that the effect of an individual’s social responsibility on their perceptions of a company’s social responsibility is moderated by the gender of the respondent. Specifically, we find that women have higher levels of Internalized Moral Identity than men. Moreover, we find that women believe that organizations should be more beneficial to society than men, which translates into a higher quality of corporate social responsibility. The theoretical and managerial applications are discussed. Over the past several years in the global business community, there has been an increasing importance placed on the efforts of corporations, as well as individuals, to be more socially responsible. The recent global financial crisis further highlighted the need for these corporations to be less focused on the short term, and more focused on long-term growth and sustainability in virtually every aspect of their business. At the core of this emphasis on corporate sustainability lies individual and corporate social responsibility. In this new business world order, where there is more and more pressure from a variety of stakeholders to pursue more socially responsible behavior, corporations are more focused on the “Triple Bottom Line,” where they consider not only the financial welfare of the company, but also the impact on the environment and on society as a whole (Elkington 1997). These last two elements of the “Triple Bottom Line,” primarily get reflected in corporations becoming more involved in social issues and programs, as well as in ensuring that their business practices lessen their environmental footprint. When the topic of social responsibility is presented, there are often two branches of social responsibility that are discussed – individual social responsibility and corporate social responsibility (Galaskiewicz 1991; McGee 1998). Both are types of perceptions of social responsibility; however, the focus of each is different. In other words, individual social responsibility (ISR) focuses on the individual’s perceptions of what he or she should be doing to help society. Whereas, corporate social responsibility (CSR) focuses on the individual’s perceptions of the role corporations should play in society. Both of these facets of social responsibility are of interest in this research because corporations and other organizations are comprised of individuals who are concerned with their own individual goals and values, as well as with the goals and values of the corporation or other organization. As the discussion about the importance of social responsibility grows in the academic literature and the popular press, it has become increasingly important to examine the nexus between ISR and CSR and