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CSR and customer loyalty: The roles

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the company and satisfaction
Patricia Martínez García de Leaniz

International Journal of Hospitality Management

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International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

International Journal of Hospitality Management

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman

CSR and customer loyalty: The roles of trust, customer identification

with the company and satisfaction
Patricia Martínez ∗ , Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque 1
University of Cantabria, Faculty of Economics, Avenida de los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a crucial construct in hospitality companies. One of
Corporate social responsibility the main reasons is due to the idea that CSR influence consumer loyalty. This paper presents a model
Customer trust of influence of CSR on hotel customer loyalty by simultaneously including trust, customer identification
Customer identification
with the company and satisfaction as mediators by showing the direct and indirect effects among these
Customer satisfaction
Customer loyalty
constructs. In the proposed model, loyalty is indirectly affected by perceived CSR, via the mediation of
Hospitality industry trust, identification and satisfaction. Empirical testing using a survey of Spanish hotel consumers confirms
most of our hypothesized effects except the effect of customer trust on customer identification with the
company. Finally, managerial implications and limitations of our findings are discussed.
© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction advantages (Nemec, 2010). As a result, a growing number of

The hospitality industry is one of the world’s fastest grow-
ing sectors playing an essential role in tourism, since tourists are
undertaking travel to increasingly distant places and locations, in
increasing numbers (De Grosbois, 2012). This sector is frequently
viewed as a source of economic, environmental, social and cul-
tural benefits through its support of job creation, improvements
to infrastructures and cultural understanding (Bohdanowicz and
Zientara, 2009). Nevertheless, in satisfying the growing needs of
hotel guests, there are many negative impacts such as air and noise
pollution, biodiversity loss, waste generation, non-compliance with
fundamental labor standards, and the growth of prostitution (Chan,
2011). Therefore, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) orientation
is a strategy for companies in the hospitality sector to mini-
mize the negative impacts of their activities on natural, cultural
and social environments (Chan, 2011). CSR means that organiza-
tions take on responsibility toward others in society, not only on
their shareholders and customers (Holloway, 2004). Nowadays,
customers are vulnerable to diverse problems they are dealing
with, such as crisis in values, natural disasters, climate change
and enormous differences among regions and financial crisis in
developed countries. These are issues for hospitality companies to
play a constructive role in society by introducing CSR into firms’
strategy to achieve customer loyalty and sustainable competitive
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 942 20 16 61.
E-mail addresses: martinezrp@unican.es (P. Martínez), rbosquei@unican.es
(I. Rodríguez del Bosque).
1
Tel.: +34 942 20 16 61.
hospitality companies have implemented a number of socially
responsible practices to show their commitment toward this con-
cept. Meliá Hotels International, Marriott International, NH Hotels
and Novotel Hotels have all implemented numerous CSR ini-
tiatives including energy and water conservation, recycling and
community involvement (Goeldner and Brent Ritchie, 2006). For
example, Meliá Hotels International cooperates with TUI Travel –
the leader travel group in Europe – in the distribution of a spe-
cific guide in which they educates clients on souvenir purchasing.
Similarly, NH Hotels created the “Ecomeeting” concept, in which
events, congresses and conventions are organized based on sus-
tainability requirements ensuring a respectful use of energetic
resources, using products with low environmental footprint and
fair trade.
One of the main reasons for this growing interest is because
of the idea that CSR influence consumer loyalty at a time when
hospitality companies are facing an extremely business compet-
itive environment and ever growing customer expectations (Han
et al., 2011). Many hospitality firms are having difficulty increas-
ing their market share because of rising international competition,
slower growth rates, decreased population growth, and oversup-
plied and mature markets (So et al., 2013). Thus, firms within this
sector have become more interested in looking after and retain-
ing their customers because the advantages seem obvious. When
customers become loyal, they buy more, are willing to pay more
and recommend more (Harris and Goode, 2004). However, creation
of loyalty among customers represents a challenge for hospitality
business since switching hospitality supplier can represent a risk
because it is difficult to estimate the quality of the service before it
is consumed (Nemec, 2010).

0278-4319/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.05.009
 Author's personal copy
90 P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99
Therefore, in their search for increasing their loyal customers,
firms try their best to develop long-term relationship with cus-
tomers, fulfilling their various needs and wants (Han and Back,
2008). With this increased interest in customer relationships, it has
become increasingly obvious that hospitality theory and practice
must include customer loyalty as a central construct in relation-
ships and must also incorporate its antecedents. Extant literature
presents several perspectives on this topic (Harris and Goode, 2004;
He et al., 2012). Previous studies largely focus on the examina-
tion of key marketing concepts that serve as customer loyalty
antecedents such as customer satisfaction (Lee et al., 2009) and
customer trust (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001). Harris and Goode
(2004) state that services researchers continue to devote consid-
erable attention to these social exchange variables as attempts to
understand the dynamics of service. In the last years an integrated
approach is rising that incorporates these constructs into holistic
conceptualizations (He et al., 2012). To date the literature devotes
insufficient attention to social identification antecedents (e.g., iden-
tification) to customer loyalty and has not yet incorporated them
into established frameworks. Recent studies propose that a social
identity perspective could be useful to explore the relationship
between companies and their stakeholders (Bhattacharya and Sen,
2003). Academic literature provides evidence on the effects of cus-
tomer identification with the company on customer loyalty (He
and Li, 2011; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012). Customer iden-
tification with the company (C-C identification) is defined as a
cognitive state of consumer connection and closeness to a com-
pany (Dutton et al., 1994), brought about by subjective comparison
of the organizational entity and the consumer’s own identity. Anal-
ysis of C-C identification can be used to provide a more effective
explanation for the influence of CSR on customer loyalty, due to
the fact that a subject can satisfy self-definitional needs through
his/her relationship with a socially responsible company (Sen and
Bhattacharya, 2001). However, limited research integrates social
identity variables (e.g., identification) with social exchange vari-
ables (e.g., trust and satisfaction) in explaining customer loyalty
(He et al., 2012). Since both social identification processes (Stets and
Burke, 2000; Tajfel and Turner, 1979) and interpretations of service
dynamics (Harris and Goode, 2004) contribute to consumers’
psychological processes, including both courses into a broader
conceptualization of customer loyalty development seems logi-
cal. This research offers an integrated framework to overcome this
gap.
Furthermore, fairly recently the CSR notion has been used in
studies incorporating the customer loyalty model. In this sense,
recent studies empirically demonstrate a positive relationship
between CSR and customer loyalty (García de los Salmones et al.,
2005; He and Li, 2011; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012). Most of
these studies propose that CSR directly generates more customer
loyalty, without requiring the intervention of mediating variables.
According to these studies, CSR is such a significant attribute of
corporate image that it is able to mechanically attract the con-
sumer. However, due to the inherent complexity of the construct,
it is doubtful that CSR will be taken into account mechanically
by consumers when making consumption decisions, or deciding
which company to strengthen relations with (Bhattacharya and
Sen, 2003). This study considers that CSR influence on customer
loyalty is explained better by including in the analysis the role
played by social identity variables (e.g., identification) and social
exchange variables (e.g., trust and satisfaction). Although several
studies have attempted to link CSR to consumer responses, there
is still a limited understanding of the different paths that con-
nect CSR to loyalty (Marin et al., 2009). In fact, little research
has provided a conceptual model to understand how CSR influ-
ences hotel customer loyalty formation process (Mason et al.,
2006).
The present research makes a number of contributions to the
hospitality literature. First, it test and demonstrates that CSR plays
a significant indirect role in the development of hotel customer
loyalty. Second, this research confirms the pivotal role of C-C iden-
tification in the process of CSR to customer loyalty development and
stresses the mediating effects of customer trust and satisfaction on
the effects of CSR on customer loyalty. By doing so, this research
expands previous studies that suggest that social identification
perspective of customer loyalty can integrate with other perspec-
tives such as the conceptualization of service dynamics (Harris
and Goode, 2004) through incorporating the mediation effects of
social exchange variables in explaining customer loyalty (He et al.,
2012). To the best of our knowledge, previous empirical studies in
the hospitality sector did not incorporate different perspectives of
customer loyalty into a more general framework by stressing the
mediating roles of customer identification, trust and satisfaction.
Consequently, our research distinguishes itself by expanding prior
research on social identity perspective of customer loyalty through
incorporating the mediation effects of social exchange constructs
and social identity variables along the path from CSR to customer
loyalty.
2. Research model and development of hypotheses
2.1. Customer loyalty and its antecedents
Within the hospitality context, there is intense interest in
identifying those factors that determine guest loyalty to hotels
because it is generally believed that loyal customers lead to greater
profitability. Most hotels offer reward schemes, routinely track
their guests’ likes and dislikes, and give special deals for repeat
customers (Mason et al., 2006). In this context, the consumer
is the most limited resource for the company and their loy-
alty directly affects its profits (Edvardsson et al., 2000). There is
considerable studies on the drivers of loyalty in hospitality busi-
nesses (Mattila, 2006; So et al., 2013; Tanford et al., 2012), but
none that has investigated the loyalty determinants presented
here within a single study. To the best of our knowledge, pre-
vious empirical studies in the hospitality sector did not expand
prior research on social identity perspective of customer loyalty
through incorporating the mediation effects of trust and satisfac-
tion as social exchange constructs, and customer identification as
a social identity variable along the path from CSR to customer loy-
alty.
Considerable debate exists in the academic literature regarding
the definition and dimensionality of consumer loyalty. Oliver (1997,
p. 392) defines this construct as “a deeply held commitment to re-buy
or re-patronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future,
thereby causing repetitive same-brand or same brand-set purchasing,
despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the poten-
tial to cause switching behavior”. Similar definitions for the construct
exist but much of the original research on customer loyalty defined
it in behavioral and attitudinal terms (Han et al., 2011). Precisely,
a general approach to analyze customer loyalty is to differenti-
ate between consumer’s attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty
(Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001; Han et al., 2011). The behavioral
component of customer loyalty is related to repeated transactions
made from the consumer in a specific period of time. However,
repurchase behavior can be due to satisfaction or just to a lack of
alternatives, or as a reason of convenience or habit. Therefore, it is
thought that this approach can lead to identifying as loyalty some
behaviors that have been usually described as “spurious loyalty” or
even “no loyalty”, which happen when the repurchase takes place
even if the organization has a negative image in the market (Dick
and Basu, 1994, p. 100).
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P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99
A broader and more complete vision of loyalty, supported in this
study, refers to consumer loyalty as a step further. Therefore, loyalty
is analyzed in terms of consumer preferences and intentions (atti-
tudinal loyalty). Attitudinal loyalty means that a positive evaluation
of the company is made together with the existence of an emotional
link between the consumer and the organization that generates a
real loyalty or, at least, a potential loyalty. This type is linked to
active loyalty, which not only means repurchase but also a positive
word of mouth. To this end, some hospitality researchers evaluated
customer loyalty solely employing an attitudinal approach (Han
and Back, 2008). However, a customer’s favorable attitude toward
a particular product or brand may not assure repeat patronage or
repurchase frequency (Dick and Basu, 1994; Oliver, 1997). Thus,
hospitality researchers insist and agree that measuring both attitu-
dinal and behavioral aspects is essential to assess customer loyalty
precisely (Han et al., 2011).
To conclude, below are the antecedents of loyalty that act as
study variables in this research. As stated by Mason et al. (2006)
“there is no general agreement on what creates loyalty to a hotel”.
Although customer loyalty has been linked to CSR both theoreti-
cally (Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001) and empirically (García de los
Salmones et al., 2005; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012) there
is still a limited comprehension of the alternative paths that link
loyalty to CSR. A sequential approach, where the mediation of cer-
tain constructs explains the different ways that CSR activities and
behavioral outcomes are linked, will be helpful for hospitality man-
agers in order to implement and develop actions that enhance
consumer’s loyalty in this specific sector.
2.1.1. Consumer trust
Consumer trust is defined as a belief that the product or service
provider can be relied on to behave in such a manner that the long-
term interests of the consumers will be served (Crosby et al., 1990).
Academic literature identifies trust as a prerequisite for the creation
and preservation of long-term relationships between the company
and consumers (Morgan and Hunt, 1994), especially in the context
of services markets. In this sense, Reichheld and Schefter (2000, p.
107) observe that “to gain the loyalty of customers, you must first
gain their trust”. The importance of trust in explaining customer
loyalty is supported by authors such as Chaudhuri and Holbrook
(2001), Sirdeshmukh et al. (2002) and Ball et al. (2004). Relation-
ship marketing theory has been well supported in the marketing
empirical literature and trust has been empirically demonstrated
to be an important mediator between corporate activities and con-
sumer loyalty (Ball et al., 2004; Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001).
Moreover, trust is considered key to building relationships within
the hospitality industry. A number of researchers have documented
the role of trust in loyalty to hotels (Hikkerova, 2011; So et al., 2013).
In those studies, trust has been shown to be a strong determinant
of loyalty.
Trust is conceived as having two components: (1) performance
or credibility trust and (2) benevolence trust (Sirdeshmukh et al.,
2002). Within the hotel sector, competence trust suggests that the
customer believes in the ability, infrastructures of the hotel, skills
and knowledge of the hotel employees, and capability of the hotel
to provide the expected information and services to customers
when they arrive and stay at the hotel. Secondly, benevolence trust
is the customer’s reliance upon the care, concern, honesty and
benevolence shown by the hotel. Customers trust in the hotel’s
benevolence refers to their belief that the hotel will not only act
in a competent and reliable manner, but will also have the well-
being and interests of the customer at heart when making service
decisions and providing services. Therefore, based on these ideas
about trust, we propose the following hypothesis:
H1 . Customer trust will positively influence on customer loyalty.
91
2.1.2. Customer identification with the company
Customer identification with the company (C-C identification)
is an important but underutilized construct. Similar to trust, C-C
identification also influences customer loyalty (Bhattacharya and
Sen, 2003; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012). Based on Social
Identity Theory (Stets and Burke, 2000; Tajfel and Turner, 1979)
and Self-Categorization Theory (Hornse, 2008; Turner et al., 1987)
C-C identification helps explain reasons and motivations which
encourage individuals to relate to companies. This occurs through
a cognitive categorization process where an individual positions
him/herself as a member of an organization by enhancing similar-
ities with other members and differences with non-members. By
the awareness of belonging and connection to an organization indi-
viduals can achieve a positive social identity (Kreiner and Ashforth,
2004). As a result of this sense of connection, the organization is
psychologically accepted as part of that personal identity (Scott and
Lane, 2000). The underlying premise is that individuals typically
go beyond their personal identity to develop a social identity with
the hope of articulating their sense of self (Kreiner and Ashforth,
2004) and that individuals may also identify with organizations
even when they are not formal members of these organizations
(Scott and Lane, 2000). Therefore, organizational customers also
have the need for self-definition and may express themselves
through developing social identifying relationships. In this regard,
C-C identification is a cognitive state of self-categorization, connec-
tion and proximity of a consumer to the company (Bhattacharya
and Sen, 2003), brought about by a subjective process of compar-
ison between the organizational identity and the consumers’ own
identity (Ashforth and Mael, 1989; Dutton et al., 1994). In other
words, this cognitive state of connection and proximity implies a
perception of overlap between the organizational and the personal
identity (Ashforth and Mael, 1989; Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003)
where the existence of shared values plays an important role (Scott
and Lane, 2000).
C-C identification originates consumers to become psycholog-
ically attached to and care about the company (Bhattacharya and
Sen, 2003), which positively stimulates their loyalty (Marin et al.,
2009; Perez et al., 2012). Moreover, Bhattacharya and Sen (2003)
propose that in consumer–company relationship contexts, the
commitment generated by identification is expressed by a more
stable and lasting preference, so loyalty is a natural consequence of
C-C identification. Since consumers identify not only with its prod-
ucts or services but also with a company, their loyalty is likely to be
invulnerable to minor modifications in product (or service) devel-
opment and extend to all the products and services provided by the
company (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003). To our knowledge, hospi-
tality research has not documented the role of C-C identification on
hotel customer loyalty which represents a fundamental advance in
academic literature within this context. Therefore, based on these
ideas about C-C identification, we propose the following hypothe-
sis:
H2 . C-C identification will positively influence on customer loy-
alty.
2.1.3. Customer satisfaction
Finally, an extensively tested relationship between consumer
satisfaction and loyalty is included (Dick and Basu, 1994; Oliver,
1997). The academic literature has suggested that if customers
are satisfied with their chosen brands, increasingly they will be
inclined to re-purchase its products or services and finally become
loyal customers exhibiting strong customer goodwill. Research has
shown that customer satisfaction has a significant positive impact
on customer retention, service usage, and on share of customer pur-
chases so customer satisfaction is considered to be one the main
antecedents of customer loyalty (Verhoef, 2003). Many studies in
 Author's personal copy
92 P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99
the previous hospitality and tourist literature have proposed and
tested the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty (Kim et al.,
2001; Evanschitzky and Wunderlich, 2006). For instance, in the
hotel industry, Kim et al. (2001) demonstrated that satisfaction
was an important predictor of commitment and loyalty. Hence,
and basing on the previous literature review regarding customer
satisfaction we propose:
H3 . Customer satisfaction will positively influence on customer
loyalty.
3. Influence of CSR associations on C-C identification, trust
and satisfaction
CSR associations reflect the organization’s status and activi-
ties with respect to its perceived societal obligations (Brown and
Dacin, 1997). An increasing stream of research proposes to study
the effects of CSR associations on consumer attitudes and behaviors
emphasizing the identification of this collective with the company.
Actually, several authors have identified a positive influence of
CSR associations on consumer identification with the company (He
and Li, 2011; Lichtenstein et al., 2004; Marin et al., 2009). More-
over, although CSR information is better used to generate states of
identification and connection for the consumer toward the com-
pany, some researchers also suggest its relationship to consumer
trust and satisfaction (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006; Swaen and
Chumpitaz, 2008). Regarding the link between CSR and C-C iden-
tification, the organizational identification literature teaches that
company’s CSR activities reveal a corporate character and iden-
tity that allows stakeholders to identify with the firm on the basis
of an evaluation of the overlap between their own identities and
that of the company (Lichtenstein et al., 2004; Maignan and Ferrell,
2004; Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001). CSR initiatives associate the
company with an image of responsiveness to the needs of the soci-
ety it depends on for continued existence and survival (Marin et al.,
2009). Recently, studies about C-C identification (Bhattacharya and
Sen, 2003; Marin et al., 2009) suggest that CSR initiatives are a key
element of corporate identity that can induce customers to identify
and develop a sense of connection with the company. More pre-
cisely, Lichtenstein et al. (2004, p. 17) state that “the way that CSR
initiatives create benefits for companies appears to be by increasing
consumers’ identification with the company”. For this reason, indi-
viduals who are aware of the company’s efforts to develop socially
responsible activities will develop higher stages of identification
with the firm than those individuals who are not aware of these ini-
tiatives (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003). Additionally, it is suggested
that individuals are more likely to identify with those companies
with higher levels of CSR in order to express a more ethical and
social image and increase their self-esteem (Aquino and Reed II,
2002). Taking into account all the literature review presented, it
seems appropriate to propose that:
H4 . CSR associations will have a positive direct effect on C-C iden-
tification.
3.1. CSR associations and customer trust
Similar to C-C identification, trust is positively affected by CSR
(Ball et al., 2004; Kennedy et al., 2001; Swaen and Chumpitaz,
2008). Consumer trust is affected by the existence of values that
the company and its consumer share (Morgan and Hunt, 1994).
Regarding CSR’s initiatives, this behavior provides information
about corporate character and values (Brown and Dacin, 1997),
and it is useful for enhancing general trust toward the organization
(Aaker, 1996). As Hosmer (1994) states, by injecting ethical and
responsible principles into companies’ strategic decision-making
processes firms can enhance the trust of all stakeholders, including
customers. The perception that a company is ethical and responsi-
ble stimulates trust-based relationships founded in the belief that
all exchange partners’ actions will be credible beyond any contrac-
tual or legal constraints (Swaen and Chumpitaz, 2008). In support
of this view, Pivato et al. (2008, p. 5) also recently proposed that
“the creation of trust is one of the most immediate consequences of a
company’s social performance” or the immediate or most proximate
outcome of CSR activities (with attitude, behaviors, and financial
performance being more distal CSR outcomes). Thus, we put for-
ward the following research hypothesis:
H5 . CSR associations will positively influence on customer trust.
3.2. CSR associations and customer satisfaction
In the same way, the academic literature has suggested that
CSR associations can influence customer satisfaction (Bigné et al.,
2011; He and Li, 2011; Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). However,
those works in which has been tested the relationship between
CSR and consumer satisfaction have based their analysis on eco-
nomic criteria (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). So, the analysis of this
relationship not basing the study on economic criteria is consid-
ered a contributing source to the literature (Bigné et al., 2011).
CSR associations create a favorable context around the company
stimulating the emission of more favorable judgments about the
service experience (Brown and Dacin, 1997). So that customers are
more understanding to failures in the service delivery improving
customer satisfaction. Luo and Bhattacharya (2006, p. 3) articulate
three reasons for what they name “the CSR activities-customer sat-
isfaction effect”. Firstly, as Maignan et al. (2005) suggest company’s
customers can be potential stakeholders who cares about not only
the economic performance of organizations but also to the over-
all standing (including social performance) of the company. Thus,
customers are likely to be more satisfied if services or products
providers develop CSR initiatives and present a socially responsi-
ble behavior toward society (He and Li, 2011). Secondly, a strong
record of CSR creates a favorable image that positively enhances
consumers’ evaluations of the firm and their attitude toward it
(Sen and Bhattacharya, 2001). Moreover, CSR initiatives are a key
element of corporate identity that can lead customers to identify
with the company and these customers are more likely to be sat-
isfied with firm’s offerings (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003). Three,
Mithas et al. (2005) empirically demonstrate that perceived value
is a key antecedent to promoting customer satisfaction. Customers
are more likely to derive better perceived value and, consequently,
higher satisfaction from a product that is made by a socially respon-
sible company (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006). Following this line of
thought, this paper argues that CSR associations have an effect on
customer satisfaction. Thus, we hypothesize:
H6 . CSR associations will positively influence on customer satis-
faction.
3.3. Identification and satisfaction
Expectation disconfirmation theory of customer satisfaction
(Oliver, 1997) proposes that customers are more likely to be satis-
fied when the actual company performance exceeds or confirms
prior expectations. C-C identification provides a more favorable
context for customers to respond to company performance experi-
ence as against prior expectation (He and Li, 2011). Thus, when
company performance expectations are confirmed (or exceed),
those customers with higher levels of identification with the com-
pany will be more satisfied, since it reassures customers of their
psychological attachment with the company, which in turns helps
the customers to preserve its self-esteem (Aquino and Reed II,
2002). However, when corporate performance expectations are not
 Author's personal copy
P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99
TRU
H1
H5
H8
H9
H4 H2
CSR CCI LOY
H7
H6
H3
SAT
Fig. 1. Conceptual model.
confirmed, customers with high levels of identification with the
company will tend to be less dissatisfied due to their more affec-
tive attachment to the company (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001).
Thus, customers with stronger identification are more prone to be
satisfied with the company (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003; He and Li,
2011). Therefore, it is more likely that customers with higher levels
of identification with the company experience more severe states
of satisfaction. So that, we propose:
H7 . C-C identification will positively influence on customer satis-
faction.
3.4. Identification and trust
Mutual trust is a key characteristic of successful social
exchanges. Therefore, companies consider building a trustwor-
thy identity among their stakeholders – customers, employees,
investors and other bodies – as a crucial mission. Customers are
likely to identify with trustworthy organizations in order to com-
municate their self-definition and enhance their self-esteem (Keh
and Xie, 2009). By identifying with the trusted party character-
ized as being competent, benevolent and honest, customers tend
to portray a similar profile to them. That a customer will per-
ceive a linkage between its self-identity and a specific company
when the firm distrusts the consumer is hard to imagine. In this
sense, Bhattacharya and Sen (2003) propose that the extent to
which consumers perceive the company identity as trustworthy
will determine their response to it. Further, as a key factor in
building close and long-term relationships, trust should also be
an antecedent of identified relationships. Based on the previous
argument, it is hypothesized that:
H8 . Customer trust will positively influence on C-C identification.
3.5. Trust and satisfaction
Previous studies document that trust and satisfaction are closely
related to each other. Academic literature in the hospitality con-
text supports the close relationship between satisfaction and trust
(Christou, 2010; Yuksel et al., 2008). Previous studies maintain that
trust precedes satisfaction (Chiou and Pan, 2009). According to
these studies there are many different sources of trust and these
will have a positive influence on the quality of experience with the
organization (e.g., satisfaction judgment). For instance, one may
build trust in an organization based on positive word-of-mouth,
advertising, and other types of communication. This will have a pos-
itive influence on his/her own judgment of the organization, upon
experiencing the firm. Therefore, trust in an organization will create
a positive attitude toward the organization, increasing satisfaction
(Chiou and Pan, 2009) (Fig. 1). So that, we propose:
H9 . Customer trust will positively influence on customer satisfac-
tion.
93
4. Methods
4.1. Data collection and sample
The quantitative method used to test the research hypothe-
ses included the development of a survey questionnaire to
measure customers’ perceptions of Spanish hotel companies. A
non-probability sampling procedure was chosen (Trespalacios
et al., 2005) to design the research sample. To ensure greater rep-
resentation of the data, a multistage sampling by quotas was made
by characterizing the population according to two criteria relevant
to the investigation: the sex and the age of the respondent. Thus,
personal surveys of hotel customers were conducted during the
period April 4–25, 2011. The data collection was developed in col-
laboration with university students of the University of Cantabria
coursing their last academic year. Of the 400 questionnaires, 382
usable questionnaires were returned. Respondents were instructed
to refer national hotels where they had spent their last holidays
in the last year when answering questions regarding the variables
integrated in the model.
4.2. Measures
Existing well-established multiple-item 7-point Likert scales,
ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (7), were
adopted to measure our variables. CSR associations were measured
following the model provided by Brown and Dacin (1997). C-C iden-
tification was measured using a four item scale from Mael and
Ashforth (1992). Customer satisfaction was measured following a
six items scale provided by Cronin et al. (2000). In the literature,
researchers have used both the unidimensional (Selnes and Sallis,
2003) and multidimensional views of trust (Kingshott, 2006). In this
research, we took a multidimensional perspective and operational-
ized customer trust multidimensionally. Measures of consumer
trust were adapted from extant research (Morgan and Hunt, 1994;
Sirdeshmukh et al., 2002) and included five items measuring the
performance and benevolence components of trust. Finally, cus-
tomer loyalty measure was drawn from extant services literature
(Sirdeshmukh et al., 2002; Zeithaml et al., 1996) and included four
items measuring both the attitudinal and behavioral components
of loyalty. The final measures are provided in the Appendix. Before
the main study, the questionnaire was assessed for content valid-
ity based on feedback from two scholars and sixteen postgraduate
students who specializes in hospitality and tourism, who offered
comments concerning item comprehensibility, readability, word-
ing, ambiguity and any other weaknesses in the questionnaire
design and instrumentation (Hair et al., 2010). During the pretest
procedure, respondents were encouraged to comment any ques-
tion that they thought was unclear, ambiguous or that they were
unable to answer. Some minor grammatical changes were made to
the questionnaire following the pretest process. Nevertheless, none
of the items was deleted in response to the expert’s comments. The
items on the questionnaire were used because they met the criteria
for the item analysis.
5. Results
Table 1 displays the respondents’ profile. Female respondents
accounted for 50.2% of the sample, while male respondents repre-
sented 49.8%. Ten percent of the respondents were under the age
of 24, with 38.7% between the ages of 25 and 44, and 51.3% over
the age of 45. In terms of educational level, 52.7% of the sample had
an undergraduate degree, 20.3% a graduate degree and 18.9% of the
respondents had a postgraduate degree.
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94 P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99

Table 1
Respondents’ profile.

N % N %

Gender: Age:
Male 190 49.8 From 18 to 24 years 38 10
Female 192 50.2 From 25 to 34 years 76 19.9
From 35 to 44 years 72 18.8
From 45 to 54 years 72 18.9
From 55 to 64 years 53 13.8
Over 65 years 71 18.6
Occupation: Education:
Student 54 14.1 No education 31 8.1
Self-employed 52 13.7 Basic/elementary/secondary 87 22.9
Worker 151 39.4 Baccalaureate/FP/COU/BUP 114 29.8
Retired/pensioner 67 17.5 Associate degree 78 20.3
Unemployed 21 5.6 Higher university 72 18.9
Housework 37 9.7

Source: National Statistics Institute – INE (data from January 2011).

To analyze the data and test the proposed hypothesis this study Table 3
Discriminant validity analysis from CFA.
employs a two-stage procedure of structural equation modeling
(Anderson and Gerbing, 1988), using EQS 6.1 (maximum likehood CSR CCI TRU SAT LOY
estimation) (Bentler, 1995). Firstly, the goodness of the measure- CSR 0.86
ment instrument’s psychometric properties was analyzed by a CCI 0.39 0.78
confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and secondly, the structural TRU 0.22 0.06 0.77
relations among the theoretically proposed latent variables were SAT 0.35 0.27 0.50 0.80
LOY 0.29 0.63 0.62 0.67 0.82
analyzed through a structural equation model (SEM).
The psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the The bold diagonal elements are the square root of the variance shared between the
constructs and their measures. Off diagonal elements are the correlations among
measurement instruments were evaluated by a confirmatory fac-
constructs.
tor analysis (CFA) containing all the multi-item constructs in our
theoretical framework by using EQS 6.1 (Bentler, 1995). Results of
the CFA are provided in Table 2 suggesting that our measurement
model provides a good fit to the data on the basis of a number of
fit statistics. As evidence of internal reliability or consistency of the the discriminant validity we followed the procedure described by
construct, and following Anderson and Gerbing (1988), we use the Fornell and Larcker (1981) who compare the correlations of the
Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the Average Variance Extracted factors with the square root of the average variance extracted for
(AVE) (Hair et al., 2010). The values of these statistics exceed the each of the factors. Discriminant validity can be established if the
minimum recommended values of 0.7 and 0.5, respectively (Hair square root of the average variance extracted for each one of the
et al., 2010). Table 2 also shows the convergent validity of the model factor is greater that the correlations among the factors. As Table 3
since all the items are significant (p < 0.05) related to their hypoth- shows the square root of the average variance extracted for each
esized factors and their standardized lambda coefficients exceed factor is greater than its correlations with other factors, provid-
0.5 (Steenkamp and van Trijp, 1991). Finally, in order to confirm ing evidence for discriminant validity. Therefore, the measurement

Table 2
Confirmatory factor analysis of the final model.

Factor Item Std. lambda Cronbach’s ˛ AVE

CSR associations (CSR) CSR1 0.65

CSR2 0.71 0.72 0.56
CSR3 0.67

C-C identification (CCI) CCI1 0.77 S–B 2 = 432.320

CCI2 0.82 df = 164
0.91 0.72
CCI3 0.89 (p = 0.000)
CCI4 0.91 2 /df = 2.63

Trust (TRU) TRU1 0.78 NFI = 0.91

TRU2 0.85 TLI = 0.93
TRU3 0.85 CFI = 0.94
0.89 0.64
TRU4 0.79 IFI = 0.94
TRU5 0.71 GFI = 0.88
RMSEA = 0.06

Satisfaction (SAT) SAT1 0.89

SAT2 0.87
0.90 0.70
SAT3 0.89
SAT4 0.66

Loyalty (LOY) LOY1 0.75

LOY2 0.66
0.88 0.65
LOY3 0.90
LOY4 0.89

Note: AVE, average variance extracted.

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P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99 95

Table 4
Structural equation model results.

Hypotheses Structural relationship Std. coefficient (Robust t-value) Contrast

*
H1 Trust → Loyalty 0.68 (9.12) Accepted
H2 C-C identification → Loyalty 0.45 (3.66)* Accepted
H3 Satisfaction → Loyalty 0.39 (2.75)* Accepted
H4 CSR → C-C identification 0.30 (3.74)* Accepted
H5 CSR → Trust 0.49(4.95)* Accepted
H6 CSR → Satisfaction 0.73(11.02)* Accepted
H7 C-C identification → Satisfaction 0.34 (3.65)* Accepted
H8 Trust → C-C identification 0.11 (1.56) Rejected
H9 Trust → Satisfaction 0.53 (4.38)* Accepted
NFI = 0.93 TLI = 0.95, CFI = 0.93 IFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.87 RMSEA = 0.06
2 = 353.738, df = 157 (p = 0.000), 2 /df = 2.25
*
Significant p < 0.05.

model proposed is correct. Finally, the goodness of fit of the analy- model fit (2 = 353.738, df = 157, 2 /df = 2.25, NFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.95,
sis was verified with the Satorra–Bentler 2 (S–B 2 ) (p < 0.05), the CFI = 0.93, IFI = 0.96, and RMSEA = 0.06), we also examined an
fit indices NFI and NNFI (or TLI) (Bentler and Bonnett, 1980), IFC alternative model in the revised manuscript. Testing theoretically
(Bentler, 1988), IFI and GFI (Bollen, 1989). All values were greater rival models is recommended to rule out equivalent or better
than 0.9 (Bentler, 1992), indicating that the model provides a good fitting models (MacCallum and Austin, 2000). This approach is
fit. In addition, the ratio of the S–B 2 statistic to degrees of freedom particularly relevant in SEM, where a model can demonstrate
(2 /df = 2.25) is below the recommended cutoff point of 3 (Bagozzi acceptable fit but where acceptable fit alone is not sufficient
and Yi, 1998). Table 2 shows the statistics calculated to verify these to show that another model will not fit equally well or even
properties and the main goodness of fit indicators. better (Hair et al., 2010). As the literature review suggests
that a large number of customers claimed to be more loyal to
companies involved in CSR activities (García de los Salmones
5.1. Structural model
et al., 2005) a theoretically logical possibility is that CSR asso-
ciations could be modeled as a direct antecedent to customer
H1 , H2 , H1 –H3 examine the impact of customer trust, customer
loyalty. Thus, a rival model was estimated with CSR associations
identification with the company and customer satisfaction on cus-
affecting customer loyalty. This model shows worse fit figures
tomer loyalty. The estimation results of the model (Table 3) reveal
(2 = 531.122, df = 161, 2 /df = 3.29, NFI = 0.89, TLI = 0.90, CFI = 0.92,
that customer trust (ˇ = 0.68*, p < 0.05), customer identification
IFI = 0.92, and RMSEA = 0.07). Furthermore, the results show that
with the company (ˇ = 0.45*, p < 0.05) and customer satisfaction
CSR associations are not significant in predicting customer loy-
(ˇ = 0.39*, p < 0.05) have positive effect on customer loyalty. Thus,
alty.
H1 , H2 , H1 –H3 are supported. The greater power of trust when
To further compare the two competing models, we con-
determining customer loyalty is demonstrated, making this vari-
ducted a chi-square difference test, which indicated that the rival
able the main predictor of hotel customer loyalty. We turn next to
model fits significantly worse than the originally proposed model
the indirect antecedents of loyalty. The results show that CSR asso-
(2 = 177.384, df = 4, p < 0.000). Furthermore, parsimony fit meas-
ciations have positive direct effects on C-C identification (ˇ = 0.30*,
ures as the Akaike information criterion (AIC) (Akaike, 1987) and
p < 0.05), customer trust (ˇ = 0.49*, p < 0.05) and customer satisfac-
Bozdogan’s (1987) consistent version of this statistic (CAIC) were
tion (ˇ = 0.73*, p < 0.05) in support of H4 , H5 , H4 –H6 . Comparing
used to assess model parsimony and fit (Rust et al., 1995). In the
the values of the three coefficients, it seems that CSR associations
original model, AIC is 39.73 and CAIC is 348.73, while in the rival
have greater influence on customer satisfaction than on customers’
model AIC is 209.12 and CAIC is 593.29, suggesting that the origi-
perception of corporate trustworthiness and customers’ judgment
nal model is preferable over the rival model. On the basis of these
about whether to identify with a company. To statistically com-
statistical tests, in addition to the theoretical argument presented
pare these relationships, we conducted a chi-square difference test,
in the literature review, the rival model is rejected in favor of the
which indicated that the impact size of the paths were statisti-
proposed structural model (Table 4).
cally different (2 = 5.21, df = 2, p < 0.000; 2 = 4.11, df = 3,
p < 0.000; 2 = 2.66, df = 2, p < 0.000). In addition, C-C identi-
fication is positively related to customer satisfaction (ˇ = 0.34*,
5.3. Testing for mediation
p < 0.05), which supports H7 . On the other hand, customer trust
is not related to C-C identification (ˇ = 0.11, p < 0.05), so H8 is not
To test the mediation effects of customer trust, C-C identi-
supported. Thus, results confirm that customer trust do not mediate
fication and customer satisfaction hypothesized as linking the
the relationship between CSR and C-C identification. Finally, cus-
independent variable (CSR) and dependent variable (loyalty), four
tomer trust is related to customer satisfaction (ˇ = 0.53*, p < 0.05),
alternative structural models were estimated following the test
so H9 is supported. In summary, the significant and positive direct
procedures proposed by Baron and David (1986). Prior to the
effects in the model confirm that the influence of CSR associations
examination of a mediating effect, analysis of the four conditions
on loyalty is mediated not only by customer trust, but also by C-C
under which the existence of mediation can be supported is crucial.
identification and customer satisfaction.
The first condition is satisfied if the independent variable (CSR)
directly influences the mediators (customer trust, identification
5.2. Testing rival models and satisfaction). The second condition is met if the mediators
directly influence the dependent variable (loyalty). The results of
While the literature review argues for the relationships hypoth- Model 1 (Table 5) indicate that both conditions have been satisfied.
esized in this study, it also acknowledges alternative models. The third condition suggests that the independent variable (CSR)
Therefore, although the proposed structural model indicates a good must significantly influence the dependent variable (loyalty).
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96 P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99

Table 5
Mediation analysis results.

Fit estimates 2 df 2 df NFI TLI CFI IFI GFI RMSEA

Model 1 353.73 157 Base comparison – 0.93 0.95 0.93 0.96 0.88 0.06
Model 2 78.907 13 – – 0.93 0.90 0.94 0.94 0.87 0.11
Model 3 453.61 160 99.87 3 0.89 0.91 0.92 0.92 0.86 0.08
Model 4 347.65 156 6.08 1 0.93 0.95 0.93 0.96 0.87 0.06

Model 1, full mediation Model 2 Model 3, no mediation Model 4, partial mediation

CSR → Trust 0.49* – 0.25* 0.49*

CSR → C-C identification 0.30* – 0.36* 0.30*
CSR → Satisfaction 0.73* – 0.43* 0.72*
CSR → Loyalty – 0.38* 0.51* 0.10
Trust → Loyalty 0.68* – – 0.59*
C-C identification → Loyalty 0.45* – – 0.35*
Satisfaction → Loyalty 0.39* – – 0.34*
Trust → Satisfaction 0.53* – – 0.52*
C-C identification → Satisfaction 0.34* – – 0.30*
Trust → C-C identification 0.11 – – 0.11
R2
Trust 0.21 – 0.22 0.21
C-C identification 0.40 – 0.43 0.40
Satisfaction 0.75 – 0.70 0.75
Loyalty 0.74 0.14 0.28 0.74
*
Significant p < 0.05.

This condition was investigated in a model with a direct path
from the independent variables (CSR) to the dependent variable
(loyalty), without the presence of mediators (Model 2). As Table 5
indicates, the path was significant (p < 0.05), therefore satisfying
this condition. The fourth condition is met if, after including the
paths from the independent variable (CSR) to the mediators (trust,
identification and satisfaction), the direct paths from the indepen-
dent variable (CSR) to the dependent variable (loyalty) become
non significant (full mediation) or reduce their strength (partial
mediation). Using the results presented in Table 5, a comparison of
Model 2 and Model 4 indicates that, after the inclusion of the medi-
ators (trust, identification and satisfaction), the direct path from
the independent variable (CSR) to the dependent variable (loyalty)
became non significant, thus satisfying the fourth condition.
The final test for full mediation involves testing whether
the full mediation model (Model 1) produces a better fit than
the no-mediation model (Model 3), where the paths from trust,
identification and satisfaction to loyalty were not included, thus
eliminating any indirect effect. A chi-square difference test was
conducted to determine which model achieves the best fit. The
results indicate that the no-mediation model (Model 3) was signif-
icantly worse than the full mediation model (2 = 99.87, df = 3,
p < 0.05), lending support for the full mediation model (Model 1).
To test for partial mediation, the full mediation model (Model 1)
was compared with the partial mediation model that includes both
direct and indirect paths (Model 4). The results show that Model 4 is
not significantly better than Model 1 (2 = 6.08, df = 1, p < 0.05).
As the path from CSR to customer loyalty was found not significant
after including customer trust, identification and satisfaction, the
full mediation model was supported. Fig. 2 graphically depicts the
results of the final model.
6. Discussion
This study makes a number of contributions to the literature
of CSR and hotel customer loyalty. From a theoretical point of
view, this research is the first one that confirms the presence of
significant direct effects of both CSR and C-C identification on tra-
ditional antecedents of hotel customer loyalty (e.g., satisfaction and
trust). Recently, social identification theory is receiving increasing
attention for customer loyalty (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003; He
et al., 2012). Customers, despite being non-formal members of a
company, can also develop strong identification and attachment
with organizations (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003; He and Li, 2011).
However, despite the recognized importance of C-C identification,
its effects on the development of hotel customer loyalty remain
relatively unexplored. Actually, extant literature focuses on the
direct effects of customer identification on customer loyalty, but
largely ignores the immediate effects of customer identification
on satisfaction and trust (He et al., 2012; So et al., 2013). This
study addresses this gap by examining the effects of C-C identifica-
tion on hotel customer loyalty incorporating the mediation effects
of trust and satisfaction. Additionally, while literature has shown
that CSR associations are linked to consumer loyalty (García de los
Salmones et al., 2005; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012), our
research contributes to this literature by examining the variables
that mediate and moderate the link between CSR and customer loy-
alty. The proposed model not only includes traditional antecedents
of customer loyalty but also demonstrates that there is a frame-
work of relationships among these constructs that allows for a
better understanding of how customers build loyalty toward a com-
pany.
Furthermore, this research supports previous studies suggesting
that social identification approach of customer loyalty can inte-
grate with other perspectives to model the consumer psychological
TRU
0.68*
0.49*
0.53*
0.30* 0.45*
CSR CCI LOY
0.34*
0.73* 0.39*
SAT
Significant path
Fig. 2. Structural model estimation.
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P. Martínez, I. Rodríguez del Bosque / International Journal of Hospitality Management 35 (2013) 89–99
path to customer royalty. This research demonstrates this point
by developing and testing a general framework that integrates
social identity and social exchange perspectives on customer loy-
alty. Recently, academic literature agrees to integrate the role of
different constructs such as trust and satisfaction (He et al., 2012;
So et al., 2013) to customer loyalty. Therefore, this study expands
previous research on social identity perspective of customer loyalty
by incorporating the mediation effects of social exchange variables.
Additionally, this study proves the pivotal role of customer iden-
tification development and highlights the mediation influence of
C-C identification on the effects of CSR on the path to customer
loyalty.
From a practical point of view, this research expands the tra-
ditional view of CSR’s effects on customers and suggests that CSR
associations do not only affect product evaluation, but also cus-
tomer identification with the company, customer satisfaction and
trust. Customers are more likely to believe that responsible com-
panies operate honestly in their activities and reflect interests of
both parties in the relationship when making decisions, which
contribute to the trustworthiness and honesty of these companies
and the satisfaction of customers. Moreover, customers are more
willing to relate with companies carrying out socially responsible
initiatives, as part of self-enhancement and self-stem. Essentially,
a focus on CSR provides an effective instrument for increasing trust
between companies and their customers. CSR facilitates the devel-
opment of relationships that are formed on the basis of honesty
and a belief on other’s promises and actions, something beyond
legalities and contractual arrangements (Kennedy et al., 2001).
Thus, this study adds additional empirical evidence to the recent
observation of the positive effect of CSR on customer identifica-
tion (Lichtenstein et al., 2004; Marin et al., 2009; Perez et al., 2012)
and customer satisfaction (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006; He and
Li, 2011), and extends Luo and Bhattacharya’s (2006) research by
proposing, developing and confirming the mediation role of cus-
tomer identification on the relationship between CSR and customer
satisfaction.
Finally, it is important to note that the effect of trust on C-C
identification is not significant. This finding surprisingly contra-
dicts results from Keh and Xie (2009) who established a positive
influence of consumer trust on consumer identification with the
company. However, these authors argue that the role of trust is
not likely one that lasts forever and is highly dependent on other
factors. The cause of discrepancy between the present study and
previous research (Keh and Xie, 2009) can be that unlike previous
studies, this research operationalizes consumers’ trust as a two-
dimensional concept composed of performance and benevolence
components. This result is consistent with the study of Choi and
Kim (2011) who stated that only by creating and developing cus-
tomer trust is not a guarantee of identification within the hotel
industry.
7. Managerial implications
These findings have important managerial implications for hos-
pitality companies in building strong and lasting relationships
with consumers. First, our results indicate that companies play
an important role in the everyday lives of consumers and can
even influence the construction of individual’s identity. Specifi-
cally, the results suggest that by focusing on aspects that influence
consumer behavior (e.g., CSR-based identification) managers could
achieve some important and desired consequences, most notably
consumers’ satisfaction and loyalty. These findings suggest that
hotel managers should invest more in socially responsible initia-
tives since customers tend to support and reward those companies
that are perceived as socially responsible by developing a greatest
97
loyalty toward them. With regard to this, the significant rele-
vance of both CSR on C-C identification, and C-C identification on
customer satisfaction and loyalty, suggests that hospitality firms
should invest in the area of corporate identity management. It is
vital for managers take into account the relevance of the com-
pany identity for their target market. By strategically managing
corporate identity hotel managers can enhance corporate associ-
ations which in turn foster senses of belonging and identification
among various stakeholders (He and Li, 2011), and encourage favor-
able attitudinal and behavioral responses to the firms (Brown and
Dacin, 1997). Therefore, hotel managers should make an effort
to develop a distinct CSR-based corporate identity that resonates
with customers. This way, hospitality managers could reinforce
their corporate strategy through their investment in CSR initia-
tives since a company that provides benefits through their various
CSR activities will be perceived as a company that is both able
and interested in caring for their customers (Marin et al., 2009).
It is also very important that managers, when design programs
aimed at reinforcing customer loyalty, besides offering additional
benefits and showing trustworthiness, should communicate not
only corporate identity but also create the notion of identifica-
tion among customers. Within the hospitality context, companies
may enhance stakeholders’ identification with the organization
through several approaches such as the inclusion of CSR images in
corporate communications, by affiliating stakeholders to the com-
pany by shared concerns toward a specific social or environmental
cause, or by fostering stakeholders’ interactions around CSR activ-
ities.
Third, given that CSR has stronger effect on customer satis-
faction, hospitality companies should assign their resources to
improve these areas. Hospitality companies should invest more
on CSR initiates since it has been demonstrated that one of the
reasons making the consumer feel satisfied with the company is
the knowledge and perception of its social responsibility, which
can be positively influenced by the corporate communication of
its CSR program. In this sense, any communication that makes CSR
programs more credible, authentic and distinct from competitors
will considerably improve the company’s attractive. Nevertheless,
any communication attempting to connect companies to a socially
responsible identity must consider the extent to which that CSR-
based identity is valued by customers, and what aspects can be
leveraged to enhance perceptions of self-importance associated
with that identity.
Although most of our hypotheses are supported, this study has
a few limitations that present opportunities for further research.
This study tests the hypothesis with hotel consumers based on a
convenient sample from Spain. Future research should test this
model with larger random samples or samples in other contexts, for
instance in different subsectors of the tourism industry to general-
ize the results obtained. Second, other social exchange variables
such as customer commitment can be included in future stud-
ies to form a more inclusive and comprehensive framework, and
provide additional insights into the development and benefits of
CSR. Thirdly, there are other antecedents of customer loyalty such
as perceived quality, perceived value and complaint handling that
could be included since the explanatory power of our model could
still be improved. Fourth, given that CSR was measured following
the model provided by Brown and Dacin (1997), future studies
may analyze the proposed model in this study by using differ-
ent conceptual frameworks such as the Carroll’s pyramid or the
sustainable development-based model in order to provide a more
comprehensive model. Finally, the consideration of separate con-
structs for loyalty, one more related to attitudinal loyalty and other
to behavioral loyally, may not only contribute to a superior explana-
tory power, but also to a better understanding of the nature of the
relationships.
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