Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms

We examined the behavioral outcomes of individuals' perceptions of the aesthetics and ethics in firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. Considering CSR communication as a key factor in building organizational trustworthiness and acknowledging the behavioral outcomes al...

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Main Authors: Giacomo Boesso, Barbara Fryzel, Marco Ghitti
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AIMS Press 2025-03-01
Series:Green Finance
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/GF.2025007
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author Giacomo Boesso
Barbara Fryzel
Marco Ghitti
author_facet Giacomo Boesso
Barbara Fryzel
Marco Ghitti
author_sort Giacomo Boesso
collection DOAJ
description We examined the behavioral outcomes of individuals' perceptions of the aesthetics and ethics in firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. Considering CSR communication as a key factor in building organizational trustworthiness and acknowledging the behavioral outcomes already established in the literature, this paper delves into the potential influence of aesthetic communication on perceptions of ethical leadership. Using the content analysis of CSR communications and ordinary least squares (OLS), the study investigates to what extent consumers' perceptions of a firm's ethical leadership and the aesthetic quality of its communications affect purchase intentions. Using a sample of 519 executive and non-executive students with management and economics backgrounds, we documented a positive relationship of perceptions of an organization's ethical leadership and the aesthetic attributes of its CSR communications with purchase intentions. The analysis demonstrates that respondents do not differentiate between firms classified as having high or low national CSR rankings. This research contributes to the literature on CSR by exploring the interplay between aesthetic judgments and perceptions of ethical leadership and offering a fresh perspective through the relatively unexplored lens of aesthetics in the field of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability.
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spelling doaj-art-41b68b23b54b4cae85fdf324a76f6f9e2025-08-20T01:57:05ZengAIMS PressGreen Finance2643-10922025-03-017117519910.3934/GF.2025007Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firmsGiacomo Boesso0Barbara Fryzel1Marco Ghitti2Department of Economics and Management, University of Padova, ItalyInstitute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, PolandDepartment of Economics and Management, University of Padova, ItalyWe examined the behavioral outcomes of individuals' perceptions of the aesthetics and ethics in firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. Considering CSR communication as a key factor in building organizational trustworthiness and acknowledging the behavioral outcomes already established in the literature, this paper delves into the potential influence of aesthetic communication on perceptions of ethical leadership. Using the content analysis of CSR communications and ordinary least squares (OLS), the study investigates to what extent consumers' perceptions of a firm's ethical leadership and the aesthetic quality of its communications affect purchase intentions. Using a sample of 519 executive and non-executive students with management and economics backgrounds, we documented a positive relationship of perceptions of an organization's ethical leadership and the aesthetic attributes of its CSR communications with purchase intentions. The analysis demonstrates that respondents do not differentiate between firms classified as having high or low national CSR rankings. This research contributes to the literature on CSR by exploring the interplay between aesthetic judgments and perceptions of ethical leadership and offering a fresh perspective through the relatively unexplored lens of aesthetics in the field of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) sustainability.https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/GF.2025007csr communicationethical leadershipcsr aestheticesgpurchase intention
spellingShingle Giacomo Boesso
Barbara Fryzel
Marco Ghitti
Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
Green Finance
csr communication
ethical leadership
csr aesthetic
esg
purchase intention
title Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
title_full Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
title_fullStr Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
title_full_unstemmed Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
title_short Aesthetics of CSR communication and perception of ethical leadership, impact on purchase intention in high and low rank CSR firms
title_sort aesthetics of csr communication and perception of ethical leadership impact on purchase intention in high and low rank csr firms
topic csr communication
ethical leadership
csr aesthetic
esg
purchase intention
url https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10.3934/GF.2025007
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AT barbarafryzel aestheticsofcsrcommunicationandperceptionofethicalleadershipimpactonpurchaseintentioninhighandlowrankcsrfirms
AT marcoghitti aestheticsofcsrcommunicationandperceptionofethicalleadershipimpactonpurchaseintentioninhighandlowrankcsrfirms