| Popis: |
Current literature suggests that corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations can have an impact on the way consumers relatetoand act toward companies. This relationship is of special relevance in the context of professional sport, characterized by intense media scrutiny, communication power and social significance. The presentthesisstudiesthe responses of European soccer fans to their perceptions of clubs’ social responsibility, as well as the explanatory psychological mechanismsbehindthose effects. To do so, a quantitative approach was followed, with the application of a questionnaire and analysis of the resulting fan-level data to test the conceptual framework proposed. Taken together, the results indicate that corporate social responsibility perceptionshavea positive direct impact on fans’ reputation assessments of their club, as well as their intentions to patronize it, by attending games, following it via media, buying merchandise and speaking favorablyabout it to others. The attribution of positive motives to clubs’ CSR efforts was shown to explain the positive impact on reputation, but the study was unsuccessful in explaining the positive impact on patronage intentions. Overall, the findingsbroaden the knowledge aboutCSR responses in the sport industry and illustrate the importance of an effective strategic integration of CSR for professional sport clubs, as a potential source of competitive advantage. |
