B ahmi, Mohsen e al.
A icle
Co po a e social esponsibili y's in luence on b and image
in he au omo i e sec o : The co po a e epu a ion and
p oduc quali y ole
Adminis a i e Sciences
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Sugges ed Ci a ion: B ahmi, Mohsen e al. (2025) : Co po a e social esponsibili y's in luence
on b and image in he au omo i e sec o : The co po a e epu a ion and p oduc quali y ole,
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Ci a ion: B ahmi, M., Hussain, Z.,
Majeed, M. U., Khan, A., Qu eshi, M.
A., & Bansal, R. (2025). Co po a e
Social Responsibili y’s In luence on
B and Image in he Au omo i e
Sec o : The Co po a e Repu a ion and
P oduc Quali y Role. Adminis a i e
Sciences,15(4), 121. h ps://doi.o g/
10.3390/admsci15040121
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A icle
Co po a e Social Responsibili y’s In luence on B and Image in
he Au omo i e Sec o : The Co po a e Repu a ion and P oduc
Quali y Role
Mohsen B ahmi 1,* , Zahid Hussain 2, Muhammad Ussama Majeed 3, A man Khan 4,
Muhammad Asi Qu eshi 5and Rohi Bansal 6
1Depa men o Economic Sciences, Uni e si y o S ax, S ax 2134, Tunisia
2Depa men o Business Adminis a ion, Khadim Ali Shah Bukha i Ins i u e o Technology,
Ka achi 74400, Pakis an; [email p o ec ed]
3Depa men o Managemen Sciences, Na ional Uni e si y o Mode n Languages, Laho e 54000, Pakis an;
[email p o ec ed]
4Depa men o Business Adminis a ion, Shaheed Benazi Bhu o Uni e si y, Shaheed Benazi abad,
Sindh 67450, Pakis an; [email p o ec ed]
5Bah ia Business School, Bah ia Uni e si y Ka achi Campus, Ka achi 75600, Pakis an;
[email p o ec ed]
6Adjunc Facul y, Rock o d College, Rockdale, NSW 2216, Aus alia; [email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : This s udy in es iga es he impac o pe cei ed co po a e social esponsibili y
(CSR) on b and image wi hin he au omo i e indus y. I also examines how company
epu a ion (CR) and p oduc quali y (PQ) media e he ela ionship be ween CSR and b and
image (BI). U ilizing a sample o 243 clien s om he Pakis ani au omo i e sec o , da a we e
collec ed h ough a su ey and analyzed using s uc u al equa ion modeling (SEM) wi h
AMOS e sion 24.0. The esul s indica e ha pe cei ed CSR posi i ely in luences b and
image, wi h bo h company epu a ion and p oduc quali y ac ing as signi ican media o s.
This unde sco es he impo ance o CSR ini ia i es o enhancing b and image. The indings
ha e signi ican implica ions o au o manu ac u e s, highligh ing he need o in eg a e CSR
in o hei s a egic b and managemen o imp o e company epu a ion, p oduc quali y,
and, ul ima ely, b and image. This s udy expands he con en ional unde s anding o CSR’s
impac on consume pe cep ions and add esses a c i ical gap in he li e a u e.
Keywo ds: CSR; co po a e epu a ion; b and image; p oduc quali y; au omo i e sec o
1. In oduc ion
Co po a e social esponsibili y (CSR) has eme ged as a c ucial elemen in shaping
b and image (BI), especially wi hin he au omo i e indus y. The objec i e o his esea ch
is o in es iga e he ela ionship be ween pe cei ed CSR and BI, wi h a pa icula ocus
on how company epu a ion (CR) and p oduc quali y (PQ) media e his ela ionship. The
au omo i e indus y, cha ac e ized by i s complex manu ac u ing p ocesses, s ingen
egula o y en i onmen s, and signi ican en i onmen al impac , p o ides a unique con ex
o explo ing hese dynamics. Unlike o he sec o s, he au omo i e indus y mus add ess
mul iple ace s o CSR, including inancial, ecological, e hical, and social dimensions,
making i an ideal se ing o his s udy.
Al hough he concep is con en ious and has been dispu ed in ecen yea s, CSR is
iewed as a i al o ce behind he de elopmen o eme ging economies since i helps e adi-
ca e po e y and p omo e lea ning, de elopmen , equali y, and sus ainable de elopmen .
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/admsci15040121
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 2 o 17
G ea e accep ance by s akeholde s g ea e pu chasing in en ions dec eased inancial un-
ce ain y o businesses, and enhanced mone a y alue a e jus a ew o he bene i s o CSR
ha ha e been ex ensi ely s udied in he li e a u e. Adop ing e hical business p ac ices as
a undamen al o ganiza ional alue and u ilizing hem o b anding objec i es esul in his
kind o business success. Consequen ly, he au omo i e indus y is inco po a ing socially
conscious me hods and app oaches in o i s ope a ions. Nume ous au ho s (Agyei e al.,
2021;Ali e al.,2021) ha e begun o look o business alues in socially conscious endea o s
and pinpoin no ewo hy CSR ini ia i es ha could assis bo h socie y and consume s.
E en hough s udies ha e looked in o how CSR ini ia i es a ec businesses’ ad e ising,
b anding, and PQ, he e emain some unanswe ed ques ions in he au omo i e sec o . Due
o he complexi y o he manu ac u ing and se ice phenomena o e ed by his indus y,
he no ion o CSR is pa icula ly ele an o hese companies bu is widely accep ed ac oss
a a ie y o indus ies (Almeida & Coelho,2019). Addi ionally, i is challenging o assess
how cus ome s iew CSR ini ia i es in he au omo i e indus y. CSR ini ia i es mus be
ex emely delica e and signi ican in o de o in luence how consume s iew he au omobile
indus y, as hey a e di ec ly ela ed o he calibe and epu a ion o a company and i s
goods. By looking a po en ial CSR me ics, speci ically inancial, ecological, and e hical
me ics, his in es iga ion aims o comp ehend he majo de e minan s o BI in he Pakis ani
au omo i e business. Fu he mo e, he unc ion o PQ and CR as media ing ac o s in
he connec ion be ween CSR and BI has no been examined in any p e ious esea ch. We
sugges es ing he esea ch model ha akes in o accoun how CSR a ec s b and image
h ough he media ing unc ion o PQ and CR.
The exis ing li e a u e on CSR has ex ensi ely explo ed i s impac in a ious sec o s;
howe e , esea ch speci ically ocusing on he au omo i e indus y emains limi ed. P e i-
ous s udies ha e highligh ed he bene i s o CSR in e ms o g ea e s akeholde accep ance,
inc eased pu chasing in en ions, and enhanced company alue. Howe e , he au omo i e
sec o ’s unique challenges and oppo uni ies ela ed o CSR p ac ices ha e no been com-
p ehensi ely add essed. Addi ionally, much o he exis ing esea ch has been conduc ed
in Wes e n con ex s, lea ing a gap in unde s anding CSR’s impac in eme ging ma ke s
like Pakis an.
Consequen ly, his in es iga ion o e s h ee signi ican con ibu ions. Fi s , he en-
i onmen al ac o , which may also ha e an impac on cus ome s’ in en s, is a ely aken
in o accoun in he majo i y o CSR li e a u e, which ocuses on comp ehending and e al-
ua ing CSR solely in e ms o i s egula o y and mo al componen s (B ahmi e al.,2025).
This has been seen in many indus ies whe e clien s, including cus ome s, a e inclined o
s ick wi h g een en e p ises. CSR has g own o be ex emely common and signi ican in
nume ous sec o s, especially he au omobile sec o , despi e he ac ha esea ch on CSR
h oughou he au omo i e indus y mos ly concen a es on he mone a y, legal, mo al,
and social componen s o CSR while igno ing he en i onmen al side. Second, in o de o
cla i y i s enabling impac on b and, his in es iga ion examines he oles o wo signi ican
media o s: PQ and CR (Agga wal & Saxena,2023). Knowing how CR and PQ a ec BI
de elopmen as an ou come o CSR ini ia i es is impo an o ma ke e s because i o e s
guidance o c ea ing CSR policies and ini ia i es. I also helps de e mine how much CSR
ini ia i es s eng hen o weaken PQ and CR. The majo i y o p e ious esea ch was ca ied
ou in a a ie y o ields in wes e n na ions. As a esul , assessing CSR ini ia i es in Asian
na ions like Pakis an has ecei ed e y li le a en ion so a . Looking a he di e en ace s
o CSR may p o ide a ho ough unde s anding o he au omo i e indus y’s du abili y and
e iciency, and hese insigh s could be implemen ed h ough he use o he ins umen s
p o ided by CSR. I has been p e iously p oposed ha he au omo i e indus y could
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 3 o 17
acqui e a compe i i e edge and become mo e appealing i i was o adop CSR e o s,
which would consequen ly inc ease hese businesses’ wo h.
The pu pose o his in es iga ion is o asce ain how consume s iew co po a e social
esponsibili y in he au omo i e indus y. This esea ch pa icula ly aims o de e mine
he ollowing: (1) Is he e a ela ionship be ween pe cei ed CSR and BI? (2) Wha ac ions
in luence how cus ome s iew CSR? (3) How do PQ and CR unc ion as media o s in
he ela ionship be ween CSR and BI? E en hough many academics ha e examined he
connec ion be ween CSR and b and loyal y, he e is ela i ely li le sys ema ic analysis
o how pe cei ed CSR a ec s BI h ough CR and PQ, especially in he au omo i e sec o ,
a gap a ound which he cu en esea ch is se up. Ou e alua ion o he li e a u e and
hypo hesis c ea ion a e p esen ed in he nex sec ion, ollowed by he me hodology sec ion,
de ailing abou he app oach aken, he ou comes, and he e alua ion o ou hypo hesis
assessmen s. Limi a ions and u u e a eas o s udy a e p esen ed a e he discussion,
while he manage ial and heo e ical consequences o his esea ch a e p esen ed in he
inal sec ion.
2. Theo e ical Backg ound
CSR Ac i i ies
An o ganiza ion’s e o s o ensu e he wel a e o socie y and s akeholde s ia op ional
ope a ional p ocedu es and co po a e esou ce dona ions a e commonly e e ed o as
CSR (A ghashi e al.,2021). The no ion o CSR is ai ly b oad, based on a wide ange o
endea o s, including cha i able con ibu ions, ini ia i es o unde p i ileged g oups and
mino i ies, and policies which p omo e ecologically esponsible p oduc ion (A aújo e al.,
2023). Bianchi e al. (2019) indica e ha CSR ini ia i es yield modes bu excellen esul s
and gains. CSR also a ec s he opinions and pu chasing pa e ns o cus ome s. Acco ding
o Bha acha ya e al. (2020), clien s’ b and iews, b and equi y, and inancial expendi u e
a e all posi i ely impac ed by pe cei ed CSR. Cowan and Guzman (2020) de ine CSR
as he deg ee o which a company ad an ages and makes cons uc i e con ibu ions o
socie y. Al hough CSR and co po a e mo ali y a e equen ly used in e changeably, CSR is
a b oade de ini ion o a company’s socie al du ies, which includes mo al business p ac ices
(Chikazhe e al.,2020). Nume ous expe imen al s udies ha e demons a ed ha consume s’
iews o CSR impac business and p oduc assessmen s, iews, and beha io s (Y. J. Kim
e al.,2021). Emmanuel and P iscilla (2022) demons a ed ha iews and assessmen s o
p oduc s, as well as company epu a ion, a e in luenced by co po a e compe ence and
CSR pe cep ions. Fa ma e al. (2018) showed simila consequences and ha he impac s
o CSR on BI and buying in en a e mode a ed by indi idual ai s, including pe cei ed
alignmen be ween one’s own iden i y and he business’. When aken as a whole, all
o hese expe imen al s udies show ha , in o de o de e mine he deg ee, iming, and
easons behind he impac o CSR p og ams on consume beha io , sepa a e clien -le el
concep s and assessmen s a e equi ed (Mohammad F aiha e al.,2023). CSR has also
been examined in a mo e plausible scena io, whe e compe i i e ad an ages and ac i i ies
a e accep ed, conside ing he g owing signi icance o CSR ac ics (Ga cía-Mada iaga &
Rod íguez-Ri e a,2017). Manage s mus comp ehend how cus ome s iew hei CSR
ini ia i es, bo h as ano he modi ica ion o he ma ke ing mix and in ligh o any compe i i e
CSR ac i i ies (Ghuslan e al.,2021). Gomez-T ujillo e al. (2020) e alua ed empi ically he
ad an ages ha i al companies would expe ience i hey in eg a ed CSR ini ia i es in o
hei business posi ioning. They ound ha he ac ics o a CSR b and ickled down o i s
goods, inc easing he p obabili ies o a cus ome buying i and os e ing ongoing loyal y,
and ha p omo ing a b and ia CSR could p o e especially success ul when i als adop ing
simila ac ics we e lacking. The e o e, he e may be a a o able co ela ion be ween CSR
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 4 o 17
and PQ (Hengbo iboon e al.,2022). Howe e , his is no he opic o ou esea ch, which
ins ead ocuses on how b and CSR mode a es he impac o en i onmen al claims on PQ.
We con end ha , when b ands wi h an e ec i e CSR p esence p o ide en i onmen ally
iendly goods, he gene al quali y o said i ems can inc ease. CSR could help cus ome s
eel less app ehensi e abou PQ (Ha ez,2018), especially when a b and wi h signi ican
CSR a ings demons a es ongoing dedica ion o CSR. In his con ex , CSR could make
un a o able opinions less appa en du ing decision making, as i would allow cus ome s o
eel less inclined o hink ha en i onmen al esponsibili y comes a he expense o p oduc
quali y. Consequen ly, sus ainabili y claims would ha e less o an ad e se e ec on PQ.
3. Hypo hesis De elopmen
3.1. CSR and P oduc Quali y
CSR encompasses he esponsibili ies, commi men s, and obliga ions ha businesses
unde ake o mee he expec a ions and demands o he gene al public. I in ol es e hical
p ac ices, sus ainable de elopmen , and con ibu ions o socie al well-being. PQ e e s
o he en i e y o a p oduc ’s a ibu es, om ma ke ing o design, manu ac u ing, and
main enance, ensu ing ha said p oduc mee s cus ome demands (Hien e al.,2024;Islam
e al.,2021). I is de ined as “ he sum o cha ac e is ics indica ing he abili y o p oduc s
o sa is y explici and implici expec a ions,” highligh ing he u ili y and p ac icali y o
p oduc s (Y. Kim e al.,2023). P oduc quali y is conside ed a undamen al mani es a ion o
CSR in sus ainabili y ini ia i es unde aken by companies as i di ec ly in luences cus ome
sa is ac ion and loyal y (Y. Kim & Fe guson,2019). The exis ing li e a u e sugges s ha
CSR posi i ely impac s PQ, which, in u n, has a signi ican e ec on b and image (BI) and
cus ome loyal y (H. H. Kim & Han,2020). When consume s a e sa is ied wi h he quali y
o a p oduc , hey a e mo e likely o con inue pu chasing and using i , de eloping us
in he b and and exhibi ing loyal y. This loyal y ex ends o ecommending he p oduc o
o he s (Lho e al.,2019). The e o e, adhe ing o CSR p inciples is essen ial o o ganiza ions
o p o ide high-quali y p oduc s, as i posi i ely in luences cus ome loyal y (S. Lee e al.,
2020). Se e al s udies ha e also highligh ed he a o able and subs an ial e ec o CSR
ini ia i es on PQ (C. Y. Lee e al.,2017). Based on he a o emen ioned cla i ica ions and
he es ablished ela ionships be ween CSR, PQ, and BI, he ollowing hypo hesis can be
p oposed and examined o eliabili y:
H1. Consume pe cep ion o CSR has a posi i e in luence on p oduc quali y.
3.2. CSR and Co po a e Repu a ion
CSR and CR a e posi i ely co ela ed (Le,2023).The ela ionship be ween con idence
and iews on CSR is acili a ed by he concep o social exchange (J. Lee & Lee,2018).
CR may be used o desc ibe each s akeholde ’s gene al pe cep ion o a business and
hei deg ee o con idence (Liu e al.,2024). Because good CSR is a sign o excellen
managemen , s akeholde s a e mo e inclined o us businesses ha ha e solid CSR
(Mahmood & Bashi ,2020). Consume s’ assessmen s o a company’s epu a ion ha e a
posi i e ela ionship wi h hei opinions o i s CSR ini ia i es (Nguyen & Pham,2018).
Cus ome s’ pe cep ions o companies’ CSR a e co ela ed wi h he deg ee o o ganiza ional
dedica ion, which imp o es e alua ions o he epu a ion o said companies (Na eh &
B aimah,2020). Philan h opic endea o s a e among he business ac ics used o imp o e
a company’s s anding wi h i s op execu i es (Özcan & Elçi,2020). Acco ding o he
concep o social exchange, consume eac ions may be go e ned by cus om (P i cha d
& Wilson,2018). Cus ome s a e mo e inclined o ha e ai h in a business when hey
belie e ha said business has ac ed in such a way as o sa egua d he in e es s o e e yone
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 5 o 17
in ol ed and is, he e o e, dese ing o hei us (Ramesh e al.,2019). By concen a ing
on app op ia e CSR ini ia i es and ways o communica e, companies can imp o e hei
co po a e epu a ion (Suki & Suki,2019). Based on he signs hey ob ain om a company,
s akeholde s assess said company’s co po a e epu a ion (Singh & Mis a,2021). Yang
and Basile (2019)’s wo k cen e ed on CSR’s cha i able ideals, which, alongside a business’
managemen and inancial achie emen s, enhance people’s iews o said business’ CSR. A
company’s e enues, clien de o ion, BI, and CR a e all enhanced by CSR, as is i s abili y
o d aw in and keep clien s. CSR enhances CR. Acco ding o Van Doo n e al. (2020),
imp o ed job ul illmen and lowe s a u no e a e linked o a a o able CR. Cus oms
and dedica ion a e he glue ha keeps communi ies connec ed. The e o e, we de eloped
he ollowing hypo hesis using easoning om exis ing s udies.
H2. Consume pe cep ion o CSR has a posi i e in luence on co po a e epu a ion.
3.3. Co po a e Repu a ion and B and Image
As p e iously men ioned, b and image is he i s imp ession ha consume s ha e
o an o ganiza ion. Con e sely, an en e p ise’s epu a ion e lec s an app op ia e judg-
men ega ding i s quali ies (H. M. Wang e al.,2021). While BI may be c ea ed as e
wi h well- hough -ou communica ion p og ams, business epu a ions usually de elop
g adually, as a consequence o ongoing success suppo ed by success ul communica ion
(C. C. Wang,2020). Businesses aim o p esen a ue and a o able image o hei clien s.
Addi ionally, hey s i e o a posi i e epu a ion among s akeholde s (S. Wang e al.,2021).
As a esul , co po a ions alue hei epu a ion and image among hei clien s. Clien s, sup-
plie s, selle s, endo s, collabo a ion pa ne s, banks, expe s, s ockholde s, go e nmen
egula o s, ad ocacy g oups, consume s, and s a membe s a e he main s akeholde s ha
mos la ge businesses need o be mind ul o (Yang & Basile,2019). To h i e in he ie ce
ma ke i al y b ough abou by globaliza ion and ad ances in echnology, businesses
(Nese e al.,2025) need o place g ea e emphasis on hei in e ac ions wi h cus ome s, wi h
a pa icula ocus on hei epu a ion and BI (Zhao e al.,2021). The e o e, a key elemen
ha a ec s a company’s BI is i s epu a ion. Repu a ion may assis a company in inding a
compe i i e edge ha se s i apa om i s i als, helping cus ome s decide o pu chase
said company’s i em o se ice (H. M. Wang e al.,2021;Yang & Basile,2019). Consume
demands and desi es ha e a subs an ial in luence on BI and CR, leading o imp o ed
company a emp s o mee cus ome expec a ions (Yang & Basile,2019). On he one hand,
consume s’ opinions and pe cep ions o a company’s p oduc s and se ices a e a o ably
a ec ed by i s epu a ion and BI (Zhao e al.,2021). On he o he , a company’s epu a ion
g ea ly in luences consume beha io s owa ds i , in u n imp o ing he BI (Díaz e al.,
2006). We he e o e p opose he ollowing hypo hesis:
H3. Co po a e epu a ion has a posi i e in luence on b and image.
3.4. P oduc Quali y and B and Image
PQ is he s a e o an i em’s o se ice’s appea ance, unc ionali y, and ai s, s emming
om s anda ds o quali y, including longe i y, accu acy, dependabili y, ease o use, p oduc
main enance, and addi ional ea u es, se o sa is y and mee he equi emen s o clien s;
speci ically, PQ co esponds o socie al pe cep ion o he sec o and i s ou pu (G ayson
& Hodges,2017). A business can bene i om a posi i e pe cep ion o i s p oduc s by
cus ome s unin en ionally compa ing hem o o he s (Ma en & Moon,2008). Cus ome s’
opinions ega ding quali y may addi ionally se apa a b and om i s i als and o e alue
by encou aging epea ed pu chases (Ca oll,1999). Howe e , i cus ome s ha e a nega i e
opinion o a p oduc , hey can also in o m o he s o i . The majo i y o indi iduals is mo e
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 6 o 17
amilia wi h and app ecia es businesses ha ha e been a ound o a while o a e enowned
o hei b and (Po e & K ame ,2006). The e o e, i is c ucial o p oduce high-quali y
i ems in o de o gain us om indi iduals and engage cus ome s (McWilliams & Siegel,
2001;Joshi & B ahmi,2023).
This may be accomplished by in e ac ing wi h he communi y, unning ad e isemen s,
and making su e ha he goods manu ac u ed a e use ul and equi ed by o he s (F eeman,
2010). Cus ome s who pu chase high-quali y p oduc s om a business wi h a posi i e
public pe cep ion o i s b and a e mo e likely o be sa is ied, which os e s clien dedica ion
o he business’ o e ings (Ko le & Lee,2008). Clien happiness is impac ed by b and
pe cep ion and PQ. The decision o buy a p oduc is di ec ly impac ed by b and pe cep ion
and PQ (C ane e al.,2014). PQ is an essen ial p ecu so o BI, which e lec s ha a alued
and appealing b and can imp o e cus ome con idence in he goods and se ices linked o
ha b and (Smi h,2003). BI has he powe o gene a e b and iews, which, in u n, gene a e
connec ions, and he inal pu chase o a b and’s p oduc and he desi e o epu chase said
p oduc a e igge ed by hese a i udes (Sen & Bha acha ya,2001). One de ini ion o
b and pe cep ion is he gene al cus ome ’s assessmen o said b and. Depending on he
cus ome ’s unde s anding o expe ise, his could ha e a bene icial o nega i e e ec
(Maignan & Fe ell,2004). The e is a good link be ween BI and con idence (Donaldson
& P es on,1995;Lindg een & Swaen,2010;Waddock,2008). This is also consis en wi h
s udies by We he and Chandle (2010). Ou ou h hypo hesis may, he e o e, be s a ed as
ollows, in ligh o ea lie esea ch:
H4. P oduc quali y has a posi i e in luence on b and image.
3.5. CSR and B and Image
The e m “BI” explains he a ibu es o a business ha se i apa om o he s p esen
in he ma ke place (Cla kson,1995), as well as how cus ome s iew he ela ed b and
and/o p oduc s, as e idenced by connec ions ing ained in hei memo ies (Mi chell e al.,
1997). The signi icance and subs ance o a b and a e e lec ed h ough i s image, which
is insepa able om he b and’s iden i y and is associa ed wi h a numbe o conno a ions
(Campbell,2007). Bansal and Ro h (2000) examined he emo ional and cogni i e aspec s o
b ands in ela ion o BI: he cogni i e aspec is linked o he emo ional aspec , exp essed
h ough sen imen s and iews owa ds he business, whe eas he unc ional componen
is ela ed o obse able quali ies which a e easily quan i iable (Ga iga & Melé,2004;
T ipa hy e al.,2025). I is essen ial no e ha he cu en pape ’s ounda ion was he
examina ion o hese wo aspec s in o de o gauge he BI. Nume ous s udies ha e linked
CSR and BI. Consume s p e e he goods and se ices o e ed by i ms ha p ac ice CSR ia
ini ia i es ha imp o e he plane , he li es o s a membe s, and he communi y (Bowen,
2013), because CSR ac ions ha e an e ec on he BI o said p oduc s and se ices. BI
(Dahls ud,2008) and cus ome e en ion signi ican ly imp o e as a esul o CSR, indica ing
consume in en o emain loyal o he b and (Sche e & Palazzo,2008), as well as addi ional
beha io s and in en ions, such as enewing pu chase in en ions, gi ing e e als, and being
p epa ed o pay mo e o he same p oduc . When a business unde s ands how o es ablish
c edibili y, encou age con idence, and cul i a e a posi i e epu a ion in he minds o o he s,
CSR enhances BI (Ga iga & Melé,2004), impac ing bo h men al and emo ional dimensions
(God ey & Ha ch,2007).In u n, BI has an impac on clien ul illmen and con ibu es o
CSR.CSR imp o es CR among s akeholde s and cus ome s, so businesses should de elop
ou each s a egies ha assis CSR ini ia i es and, wi h hem, hei epu a ion (Vogel,2007).
Gi en he abo e conside a ions, he ollowing hypo hesis eme ged:
H5. CSR p ac ices ha e a posi i e di ec in luence on b and image.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 7 o 17
3.6. CSR In luences B and Image ia Co po a e Repu a ion and P oduc Quali y
Acco ding o he concep o social exchange, CSR ac i i ies os e us and con idence
among s akeholde s, which, in u n, enhance co po a e epu a ion (Shaikh e al.,2023). A
posi i e co ela ion has been es ablished be ween CSR and CR, as CSR ini ia i es signal
excellen managemen and e hical p ac ices, leading s akeholde s o pe cei e a company
mo e a o ably (Song e al.,2019). S udies ha e shown ha consume s’ e alua ions o a
company’s CSR e o s a e s ongly linked o hei pe cep ion o he company’s epu a ion
(Nguyen & Pham,2018). When companies engage in CSR ac i i ies, hey no only ul ill
e hical and social esponsibili ies bu also build a s onge , mo e c edible b and image,
as pe cei ed by hei cus ome s (Hengbo iboon e al.,2022).Rega ding p oduc quali y,
CSR plays a signi ican ole in ensu ing high s anda ds ac oss he p oduc ion and se ice
spec um. The concep o PQ encompasses all p oduc a ibu es, om ma ke ing and
design o manu ac u ing and main enance (K ishnan e al.,2025;Aldie i e al.,2021),
ensu ing ha he p oduc mee s and exceeds cus ome expec a ions (Gomez-T ujillo e al.,
2020). Resea ch indica es ha CSR posi i ely impac s PQ, leading o highe cus ome
sa is ac ion and loyal y (Chikazhe e al.,2020). When companies adhe e o CSR p inciples,
hey a e mo e likely o p oduce high-quali y p oduc s, which enhances b and image and
os e s cus ome loyal y (Y. Kim e al.,2023;Jain e al.,2024;Kaushik e al.,2024). Cus ome s
who pe cei e a s ong alignmen be ween a company’s CSR ac i i ies and he quali y o i s
p oduc s a e mo e inclined o us and emain loyal o he b and (H. M. Wang e al.,2021).
Addi ionally, CSR ini ia i es encompassing inancial, ecological, and e hical me ics
con ibu e o ele a ing bo h CR and PQ (God ey & Ha ch,2007;B ahmi e al.,2024).
Companies ha implemen comp ehensi e CSR s a egies o en wi ness a symbio ic im-
p o emen in hei epu a ion and p oduc quali y, u he ein o cing hei b and image
(H. M. Wang e al.,2021). The combined e ec o enhanced CR and PQ, d i en by obus
CSR ac i i ies, signi ican ly boos s he o e all b and image, c ea ing a posi i e eedback
loop which bene i s bo h he company and i s s akeholde s. Based on hese indings, he
hypo hesis ha CSR has a posi i e indi ec in luence on b and image ia CR and PQ is
s ongly suppo ed by he exis ing li e a u e (Missaoui & B ahmi,2025), highligh ing he
c i ical ole o CSR in shaping consume pe cep ions and b and loyal y.
H6. CSR has a posi i e indi ec in luence on b and image h ough co po a e epu a ion (a) and
p oduc quali y (b).
4. Concep ual F amewo k
The concep ual amewo k (c . Figu e 1) p esen s he combina ion o ou hypo heses
(H1–H6), he dependan a iable and independen a iables. In he Table 2 he a iables’
I ems will be desc ibed and analyzed.
Adm. Sci. 2025,15, 121 8 o 17
Adm. Sci. 2025, 15, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 o 17
Figu e 1. Concep ual Fa mewo k.
5. Me hodology
5.1. Da a Collec ion
A cus omized su ey was used o collec da a o he cu en s udy. Among he pa -
icipan s we e he clien s o wo signi ican Pakis ani au omake s. The c i e ia used o se-
lec he esponden s included an age equal o o o e 18 yea s. The main CSR ini ia i es
men ioned by he chosen au omo i e companies (such as aiding lood elie , skill-building
ini ia i es, building educa ional acili ies, de eloping u al a eas, e c.) we e known o
many s akeholde s, including consume s. The businesses examined in he s udy sample
we e ac i ely in ol ed in CSR ac i i ies. To ga he da a, a no-p obabili y sampling ech-
nique was used. Visi s o he many au omobile deale s in Ka achi and he su ounding
a ea we e used o ga he da a. Au omo i e indus y clien s illed ou 249 ques ionnai es
in o al. The age, gende , and economic s a us o he pa icipan s we e all sp ead p opo -
iona ely (Khoa e al., 2023). Acco ding o ou ini ial analysis, 36% o he pa icipan s we e
women, and 64% o he pa icipan s we e men. The age dis ibu ion o he pa icipan s
was as ollows: 30.1% we e be ween he ages o 18 and 35; 36.1% we e be ween he ages
o 26and 35; 24.1% we e be ween he ages o 36 and45; and 9.6% we e 46 yea s o age o
olde . Acco ding o he da a in Table 1 ega ding income dis ibu ion, he pa icipan s’
median income was be ween 25,000 and 35,000 PKR.
Table 1. Demog aphic backg ound.
Demog aphics Ca ego ies F equency Pe cen ages (%)
Age
18–25 yea s 75 30.1%
26–35 yea s 90 36.1%
36–45 yea s 60 24.1%
46 yea s and abo e 24 9.6%
Gende Male 130 52.2%
Female 119 47.8%
Mon hly Income Less han 20,000 80 32.1%
25,000–35
,
000 100 40.2%
Figu e 1. Concep ual Fa mewo k.
5. Me hodology
5.1. Da a Collec ion
A cus omized su ey was used o collec da a o he cu en s udy. Among he
pa icipan s we e he clien s o wo signi ican Pakis ani au omake s. The c i e ia used o
selec he esponden s included an age equal o o o e 18 yea s. The main CSR ini ia i es
men ioned by he chosen au omo i e companies (such as aiding lood elie , skill-building
ini ia i es, building educa ional acili ies, de eloping u al a eas, e c.) we e known o many
s akeholde s, including consume s. The businesses examined in he s udy sample we e
ac i ely in ol ed in CSR ac i i ies. To ga he da a, a no-p obabili y sampling echnique
was used. Visi s o he many au omobile deale s in Ka achi and he su ounding a ea we e
used o ga he da a. Au omo i e indus y clien s illed ou 249 ques ionnai es in o al.
The age, gende , and economic s a us o he pa icipan s we e all sp ead p opo iona ely
(Khoa e al.,2023).
Acco ding o ou ini ial analysis, 36% o he pa icipan s we e women,
and 64% o he pa icipan s we e men. The age dis ibu ion o he pa icipan s was as
ollows: 30.1% we e be ween he ages o 18 and 35; 36.1% we e be ween he ages o 26
and 35; 24.1% we e be ween he ages o 36 and 45; and 9.6% we e 46 yea s o age o olde .
Acco ding o he da a in Table 1 ega ding income dis ibu ion, he pa icipan s’ median
income was be ween 25,000 and 35,000 PKR.
Table 1. Demog aphic backg ound.
Demog aphics Ca ego ies F equency Pe cen ages (%)
Age
18–25 yea s 75 30.1%
26–35 yea s 90 36.1%
36–45 yea s 60 24.1%
46 yea s and abo e 24 9.6%
Gende Male 130 52.2%
Female 119 47.8%
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