The challenge of CSR communication in developed and developing ...

No... I haven’t heard about it: The challenge of CSR communication in developed and developing countries in the food industry1

Jacqueline BOYSSELLE

MRM, Labex Entreprendre

Tel.0633691811

E-mail: [email protected]

Philippe AURIER

MRM, IAE-Université Montpellier

E-mail: [email protected]

Gilles SÉRÉ DE LANAUZE

MRM, IAE-Université Montpellier

E-mail: [email protected]

Place Eugène Bataillon

34095 Montpellier cedex 5

1

Les auteurs tiennent à remercier Labex Entreprendre pour le financement qui a permis de réaliser cet article.

No... I haven’t heard about it: The challenge of CSR communication in developed and developing countries in the food industry Abstract: The aim of this study is to show that cultural differences between countries with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication have an influence on consumers’ CSR value perception (the functional, emotional and social benefits) as well as their buying behavior. Results show that in Mexico only the functional and social benefits influence the value perception level in CSR communication, while in France all three elements are particularly relevant. Our study integrates qualitative data into Lai’s Empirical Model of Customer Value for Consumer Markets (1995).

Key Words: CSR communication, perceived value, consumer behavior, France, México. Non... Je n’en ai pas entendu parler : Les défis de la communication RSE dans les pays développés et en développement, dans le secteur alimentaire.

__________________________________________________________________________ Résumé : Le but de cet article est d’identifier s’il existe des différences culturelles par rapport à la communication liées aux démarches RSE des entreprises. En effet, nous nous intéressons à l’impact de la communication RSE sur la perception de la valeur et sur le comportement d’achat des consommateurs. La perception de la valeur, est appréciée en termes de besoins fonctionnels, sociaux et affectifs. Le cadre conceptuel du modèle de la valeur de Lai (1995) est ici mobilisé, et permet l’analyse des données qualitatives de consommateurs. Les résultats montrent qu’en France indifféremment les bénéficies sociaux, fonctionnels et affectifs sont impactés par la communication responsable, tandis qu’au Mexique cette influence positive concernent seulement les bénéfices fonctionnels et sociaux. Mots-clés : Communication RSE, valeur

perçue,

comportement

du

consommateur,

France,

Mexique.

No... I haven’t heard about it: The challenge of CSR communication in developed and developing countries in the food category

Introduction Today, consumers worldwide are becoming ever more interested in their own well-being and that of their family and consequently desire to become more responsible food consumers. According to Pinkston and Carroll (1994), the stakeholder perspective is increasingly gaining ground, and companies have been put under growing pressure to exhibit good corporate citizenship in each country in which they operate. Maloni and Brown (2006) developed a comprehensive framework to describe the operational and strategic link between the concept of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and the food supply chain; it consists of eight categories: animal welfare, biotechnology, environment, fair trade, health, safety, labor and human rights. Additionally, Harman (2011) assesses that CSR is highly relevant in the food industry as it has both a strong impact and also a dependency on the economy, the environment and on society. Consistent with these findings, the food market shows that the consumption of organic food has drastically increased over the last two decades. For example, in Latin America organic production has increased in recent years with its land representing approximately 20% of the world’s organic land. And furthermore, Mexico has the greatest total number of organic farms (Yussefi, 2006) and is the fifth largest producer of organic food (SAGARPA, 2011). According to the Agency Bio 2(2012), France stood in fourth place in the European ranking for organic agriculture after Spain, Italy and Germany in the year 2011. Additionally, its organically farmed area in the first half of 2012 reached almost one million hectares. In contrast, 90% of organic food production in Mexico is exported to United States, 2

Agence Bio : Is an Agency created by the French Minister of Agriculture with the aim to promote the organic farming in the country. 1

the European Union, and Japan, leaving only 10% of organic food stock for the internal Mexican market (SAGARPA, 2008).3 In fact, even while the local market for organic products is growing in Latin America, exportation still predominates (Barret et al., 2002). A growing body of research shows that a company’s positive record of CSR communication can lead to loyalty, and in some cases, can turn customers into brand ambassadors who may be willing to even pay higher prices to support the company’s social and environmental programs (Sen, and Bhattacharya,2001; Greening and Turban, 2000). In line with these findings, Holbrook (1994, 1999) describes perceived value as a fundamental outcome in any marketing activity. As a result, firms are more willing than ever to identify which actions will allow them to improve the perceived value of their products in order to benefit from a higher purchasing rate, even when strong economic constraints may exist. The overarching aim of this study is to increase understanding of the value perception in CSR communication looking specifically at organic and fair trade labels as communication channels in consumers from two different cultures and economic environments: French and Mexicans. Most of this academic work has been conducted in the United States and Europe while few studies have been done in Latin America. As a result, we consider that our research contributes to the international marketing literature by giving some insights about which business activities are the most relevant of CSR according to French and Mexican consumers and this consequently allows us to gain deeper insight into their buying behaviour with regards to CSR communication in the food industry. Literature Review 1.1 The role of culture in the perception of CSR activities : France and Mexico Theoretical perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility have been developed for over two decades (Bowen, 1953; Carrolls, 1979, 1991; Freeman, 1984; Capron and Quairel3

SAGARPA : The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food in Mexico 2

Lanoizelée; Merlin-Brogniart et al, 2009). However, it is only during the last decade that businesses have begun to exhibit evidence of CSR in their strategic management worldwide. As a result, the role of culture shouldn’t be underestimated in the construction of consumers’ perception of CSR activities. Hofstede (1980, 1991) describes culture as the collective programming of the mind and the collective value system shared by a group of people. In fact, Andreu et al (2005) states that there are notably four dimensions of national culture that can modify consumer buying behavior: individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus feminity, uncertainty avoidance and power distance. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, France is considered to be an individualistic society and Mexico is considered a collectivist one. Collectivism is manifested by a close long-term commitment to the member group, like a family or extended groups or relationships. On the other hand, individualistic consumers will be more inclined to put their personal satisfaction and welfare over the societal welfare and the CSR activities of companies (Andreu et al, 2005). Mexico is considered to be a masculine society which places greater emphasis on wealth, success, ambition, material things, and achievement, whereas France is considered to be a feminine society which places greater value on people, helping others, preserving the environment, and equality (Hofstede, 1980). We believe that CSR activities will probably be evaluated as more important in feminine societies than in masculine ones. Furthermore, in countries where uncertainty avoidance is high, which is the case of France and Mexico, members of the society feel threatened by unknown situations (Hofstede, 1991). Finally, the dimension of power distance deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal. Berthoin and Sobczak (2007) assert that the discourse and practice of CSR in a country are embedded in the understanding of the role of other groups of social actors, both which evolve over time. For example, cultural factors, such as religion, help shape values and expectations of various actors involved (Berthoin and Sobczak,2007). Looking at the internal aspect of CSR in France

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through the governmental sphere, formal laws in labor-management relationship are widely accepted (Rey, 1980). However, the idea of communication about corporate social performance to a larger public goes against the grain of the French culture. Instead, discretion on the part of individuals or companies is regarded as a proof of sincerity and disinterestedness (Segal, 2003). In addition, skepticism concerning public reporting and the understanding of a central role held by the government have a clear influence on French social reporting. Moreover, the challenge for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries is framed by a vision of a world with less poverty, hunger and disease, greater survival prospects for mothers and their infants, better educated children, equal opportunities for women and a healthier environment (UN, 2006). As we look at CSR in developing countries, we find it to be the least studied in Latin America (Haslam, 2007). In fact, Weyzig (2006) observes a general lack of stakeholder engagement in Mexico, leading to a situation in which the CSR agenda is almost exclusively shaped by businesses. Meyskens and Paul (2010) note that Mexican family-owned firms prefer discretion in terms of CSR activities because promoting a company’s image as socially responsible would require disclosure of information and therefore they would be subject of added expectations of corporate philanthropy. Previous research has investigated whether Mexican values, and local philanthropy tend to follow global norms emphasizing global reporting standards and limiting their analysis to CSR practices in only three areas: the environment, community relations, and labor relations. (Meyskens and Paul, 2010). 1.2 Consumer outcomes from CSR communication The potential influence of CSR programs on stakeholders depends on the company’s ability to communicate and at the same time their ability to get support from consumers and to have a deeper understanding of key issues related to CSR communication (Sjoberg, 2003). Over the three last decades, CSR communication has become more open and transparent in order to 4

increase customer awareness (Lantos, 2001). In CSR communication, a company has different communication channels, such as a corporate responsibility report in which organizations publicly communicate their values and commitments to their stakeholders. In addition, a website allows organizations to reach multiple consumers within a specific target market. Finally, branding is commonly communicated through packaging in the food or clothing industry in order to reinforce the brand imagery with regards to CSR activities. Another powerful communication tool that should be encouraged by companies is word of mouth. Companies should not underestimate the power and reach of employees as CSR communicators (Dawkins, 2004). Moreover, Hoeffler and Keller (2002) found that CSR communication is a source of hedonic benefits as it generates sentiments of self-expression. Indeed, when consumers find themselves engaged with a company in societal activities, they feel a link between their values and their surroundings. In addition, Bhattacharya and Sen (2004) found that CSR communication contributes to consumers’ sense of well-being. This benefit is “rewarded” by consumers in the market place. Outcomes from CSR include positive company evaluations (Brown and Dacin, 1997), higher purchasing intentions, (Mohr and Webb, 2005), resistance to negative information about the organization, (Peloza, 2006), positive word-of-mouth communication (Hoeffler and Keller, 2002) and a willingness to pay higher prices (Laroche and al., 2001). However, researchers agree that reducing stakeholder’s skepticism remains a critical step to building customer awareness and maximizing profits (Bueble, 2008). Furthermore, according to Woodruff (1997), purchasing behavior with regards to consumption and loyalty has drastically changed due to the emergence of the widening of choices and the ever-growing global competition (e.g. discount and private brands) and the economy’s slowing-growth. We are in the midst of an economic crisis, which limits CSR effectiveness due to consumer’s concerns regarding their purchasing power. Bertrandias and Lapeyre, (2010) describe the purchasing power concern as, “the degree of

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importance attached by the consumer to preserve his/hers ability to buy”. Nevertheless, Crawford and Mathews (2001) state that consumers care more about getting “fair and honest” prices than about getting the lowest price. In addition, Rucker and Galinsky, (2008) indicate that economic hardship fosters a desire to acquire products associated with status to compensate for the lack of purchasing power. Conceptual Framework The concept of perceived value made its appearance in marketing research in the 1990’s and this period is considered the “value decade”. Relevant proposals have emerged from marketing researchers such as Lai (1995), who states that consumer value is the level of valuation of product consumption or possession. Consumers are buying products not only for their transactional value, but also for the benefits that will satisfy their personal needs or affirm their values. In our research we chose to integrate three benefits from his model of customer value: functional benefits, social benefits and affective benefits. We believe that these values are strongly related to some of the most common CSR communication responses such as: the empathy response (Hoffman, 2000); the pride response (François-Lecompte and Valette-Florence, 2006) and the well-being response (Tagbata and Sirieix, 2008; Bhattacharya and Sen 2004). However, there is little research linking CSR communication to brand equity (Keller, 2003; Parguel, 2007) and virtually no research linking CSR communication to perceived value as it is a natural antecedent of customers brand equity and loyalty. As a result we have integrated these two concepts, making a significant contribution toward CSR communication research. 3. Research Method According to Miles and Hubberman (1994) “one major feature of the qualitative research is that they focus on naturally occurring, ordinary events in natural settings, so that we have a 6

strong handle on what real life is”. Previous to our study, similar qualitative methods were used to study consumer behaviour related to CSR (Green and Peloza, 2011; Mohr et al, 2001). In order to better understand the research question, we chose to use a qualitative approach to our research. We conducted 20 personal semi-structured interviews: ten French language interviews held in France, in the region of Montpellier (south of France) and ten Spanish language interviews held in Mexico, DF and Morelia. The interviews lasted about 30 minutes, and they were conducted at the interviewee’s home. The conversations were recorded and then transcribed (verbatim) in their original language. Subsequently, each transcript was translated into English, reviewed, analysed and discussed in detail with other consumer behaviour researchers. The four main topics in the interviews were: the definition of CSR, CSR dimensions, CSR communication responses and perceived value, CSR communication channels, and obstacles for a positive perception of CSR communication. It should be noted that the interviews took place at a time when consumers were especially sensitive to the current political and economic situation, in our case, the presidential elections in both countries and the current worldwide economic and social crisis. In this context, issues such as: purchasing power and social justice are especially sensitive. The sample group in France included 3 males and 7 females, ranging from 30 to 75 years old. In Mexico, it included 4 males and 6 females, from 25 to 75 years old. Respondents were selected according to the following criteria: their place of residence (urban and rural), income level, environmental awareness (high or low), profession, and age (see annex 1). 4. Results We will highlight a number of key findings, focusing on differences and similarities between French and Mexican consumers with regard to the different topics in our interview guide.

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4.1 CSR definitions and dimensions First, we found that for French and Mexican interviewees, CSR has three clear internal and external dimensions: economic, environmental and social: “For me it is a business whose main aim is to be profitable” (Vanessa, French, 35 years old). French consumers added that socially responsible businesses should behave ethically with their employees: “For a company to be considered socially responsible it must have a salary policy; it is a company that cares about its employees” (Yann, French, 4O years old). In contrast, Mexican interviewees emphasized the idea that employees should be treated like family members in the workplace: “When a company motivates their employees, they make them feel like part of the family” (Elena, Mexican, 65 years old). Also, employers should help employees philanthropically: “A company should not only consider the economic well-being of the employee, but should also give them training for their professional success and help them to buy shoes for their children, which in tern helps their children finish primary school” (Juan Pablo, Mexican, 26 years old). Moreover, employees should be fully engaged with their job in order to reap positive benefits from their employer: “If employees don’t meet the company’s expectations, the company can’t be responsible for the employee’s well being” (Elena, Mexican, 65 years old). Furthermore, the majority of interviewees noted business environmental concerns such as the implementation of a cleaner production process: “A company should have internal policies in order to have the least environmental impact, like: waste treatment, energy savings etc.”(Yann, French, 4O years old). Mexican respondents noted that employees should be trained on sustainable processes in order to respect the environment at their workplace. “A company is socially responsible even when they don’t communicate it; managers are demanding with their employees. They train them to be conscientious about environmental issues”(Lizette, Mexican, 37 years old). Additionally, 8

French interviewees suggest that local producers and smaller businesses seem to be more environmentally conscientious than multinationals: “I prefer to buy directly from local producers, rather than buying organic vegetables in the supermarket. For example, an organic salad that comes in a plastic bag, it may be organic but it’s not environmentally friendly… what I blame sometimes from the organic label is their industrial scale production processes” (Yann, French, 4O years old). Finally, French interviewees indicated that CSR businesses are more likely to care about social justice and provide economic support to developing regions of the world such as Africa and Latin America. In contrast, Mexican respondents consider that a business with a CSR engagement is expected to contribute to society’s cultural and sports activities, to help people from indigenous villages, and hire unemployed indigenous people. “It could be for example… by promoting culture and sports to their community…” (Jorge.H, Mexican, 34). CSR Dimensions

Economic dimension Environmental dimension

Social dimension

French Informants Internal No differences

Mexican Informants Internal No differences

External No differences

Employers have No differences responsibility with regards to internal environmental issues.

Employees have responsibility with regards to internal environmental issues.

No differences

Employers should behave ethically with their employees.

Employees should behave ethically with their employers.

Philanthropic agenda inside the country. (helping Mexican indigenous citizens)

Employees should feel that they are treated fairly in the workplace.

External No differences

Philanthropic agenda outside the country (helping developing countries)

Employees should be considered like a family member in the workplace.

Table 1. CSR Definition and dimensions

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4.2 CSR communication channels We found key strategic differences with regards to CSR communication channels. For example, Mexican consumers recognize a corporate CSR logo with the initials: “ESR” (Esmpresa Socialemnte Responsable)4 surrounded by a circle and placed below each CSR Mexican company logo (see attachment 2):“Generally you have a logo with the initials “ESR” (Empresa Socialmente Responsable) (Jorge.H, Mexican, 34); “Well, in here the symbol for a socially responsible business is standard, it has been the same since “CEMEFI5” launched it. It is an E, an S and an R surrounded by a circle (Juan Pablo, Mexican, 26 years old). French respondents mention that they know that there is a societal label for companies but they don’t recognize a logo for these activities. In contrast, they recognize two main food product labels from food companies with social, environmental and ethical activities: “organic” with the well known “AB” initials and “fair trade” which is less representative for them but is associated with the label Max Havelar: “When I see the logos “AB” I do really think that products are organic” (Alba, French, 40 years old). However, the majority of Mexican consumers have hardly seen or heard about the “fair trade label: “I haven’t heard about it” (Jose Manuel, Mexican, 78 years);“No, I don’t know the meaning of fair trade”(Jorge B, Mexican,68 years old); “I saw them once in a house where I work”(Esperanza, Mexican, 60 years old). Furthermore, Mexican respondents, describe several inconsistent labels for organic products “Yes, the label says Bio or organic, and it has a small tree in it that refers to environmental protection” (Elena, Mexican, 65 years old). Concerning the communication channel for CSR activities, French consumers mention that there is not much communication for these products. Therefore, the product label itself, shelves in supermarkets, and word of mouth are the most common channels for these 4

ESR : See Annex 1 (Empresa Socialemnte Responsable)

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CEMEFI Mexican Center for Philantropy, a non-profit organization, promotes a culture of philantropy and CSR since 1988. 10

activities: “Word of mouth always works, when people are happy to find good products they like to communicate about them” (Gerard, French, 64 years old). CSR Communication

French Informants

Mexican Informants

Nonexistent

ESR (Empresa Socialmente

Channel

Logo for CSR

Responsable) Logo or Label for

“AB”

No consistency

Max Havelaar

Nonexistent

“Organic” Logo or Label for “ Fair Trade” Table 2. CSR communication channel 4.3 CSR communication responses and perceived value. Mexican and French participants reported that buying organic products made them feel good. In fact, we found that their children’s health and well-being is a top priority for these consumers: “I think that we can feel healthier. We avoid all the industrial chemicals” (Frederique, French, 35 year old); “I am giving (my son) something healthier, it gives me peace of mind, that’s it” (Jorge H, Mexican, 30 years old). However, the sentiment of contributing to the environment is higher for French consumers than to Mexican ones. “I tell myself that with this behavior, I contribute to a better environment, and then, I simply think of my children” (Christell, French, 32 years old). The well being of my family is more important than the impact of environmental issues” (Jorge B, Mexican, 68 year old). Buying fair trade products also evokes positive feelings for French consumers: “I feel proud, because when I 11

am buying (organic) I am helping organic farmers to obtain quality products” (Michel, French, 75 years old). Thus, fair trade labels generate support and satisfaction from their consumers by collaborating in social justice projects. In contrast, we identify the pride response in Mexican participants by the fact that buying organic products is a way for them flaunt money. In other words it represents a symbol of wealth. “I know that many women buy organic in order to show off with their friends, it is a matter of status” (Juan Pablo, Mexican, 26 years old). CSR Responses and

French Informants

CSR Responses and

Perceived Value

priorities

Perceived Value benefits

benefits (France)

Mexican Informants priorities

(Mexico)

Well-Being - Functional

Family Health

Well Being - Functional

Family Health

Pride -Emotional

Through a feeling of

Pride –Social

Through a feeling of

engagement

Empathy-Social

Through a feeling of

Showing off Nonexistent

Nonexistent

collaboration Table 3. CSR communication responses and perceived value 4.4 Obstacles for a positive impact of CSR communication In our research we have identified two underlying impediments to consumer’s positive perception of CSR communication: purchasing power and skepticism. First, there is a clear concern with regards to purchasing power: “Not everybody has the possibility to buy organic products; it is related to their purchasing power (Frederique, French, 35 years). “In fact these products are more expensive as they are non conventional products” (Elena, Mexican, 12

65 years old). In addition, Mexican interviewees suggest that organic products are targeted toward higher economic and social segments, since these products are more expensive than mainstream products: “Sometimes I make an extra effort to buy them for my son, but I don’t think that people from a lower social class can afford them” (Sabah, Mexican, 33 years old). Also, French consumers report feelings of helplessness, as they cannot buy all the organic and fair trade products that they would normally like to buy for the well-being of their family due to higher prices. Secondly, there is skepticism towards CSR business and products, and even more specifically, organic products. Consumers feel that they lack enough information in order to judge if a product is actually organic and consequently feel cheated: “Ok, I agree to buy organic products; I can pay one euro more, but…Is it really organic?” (Gerard, French, 64 years); “There are a lot of skepticism, because wholesalers may create dishonest packaging just to sell their products (Jorge B, Mexican, 68 years old.) Also, French interviewees believe that businesses have a hard time following the AB label polices, so they only choose to be partially compliant. In addition, some Mexican participants feel that certain companies are involved in social activities in order to reduce their annual taxes: “I think that most of them do it to reduce their taxes, more than for a real social cause” (Jorge H, Mexican, 34 years old). Nevertheless, consumers indicated that information about products via word of mouth increases credibility of CSR communication. Obstacles to CSR

French Informants

Mexican Informants

Purchasing Power

High Priced products

Elitist products

Skepticism (with regard to

Lack of information

In order to pay less taxes

Communication

businesses) Table 4. Differences in regard to Obstacles to CSR Communication 13

5. Discussion There is a general consensus between respondents from both countries about three clear different dimensions for CSR: economical, environmental and social.

This assertion is

consistent with the green paper of the European Commission that refers to the triple bottom line of sustainability (economic, social and environmental factors) as an integral part for the concept of CSR. Also, results show differences that support Hofstede’s (1980) cultural dimensions theory. Mexican respondents show to be more collectivist with a higher level of power distance. For example, for Mexicans, employees should be considered like family members even while there is a strong hierarchical order among managers and employees. In other words, employees in Mexico seem to be highly responsible for the company’s performance. Consistent with these findings, French respondents illustrate a clear link with the feminine dimension as they care more about the environment, and believe that managers should be supportive to their employees. The fact that Mexican respondents appear to be more philanthropic supports the research by Weyzig (2006) who considers philanthropy to be a dominant orientation in Mexico towards local norms. We observe that CSR communication has a positive impact on consumer’s perceived value. In line with the three forms of Lai’s (1995) model of customer value, our findings suggest that for French and Mexican consumers the response of well-being has a strong relationship to the functional benefit. However, consumer’s responses with regards to pride have a stronger link with the emotional benefit for French consumers and with the social benefit for Mexicans. These findings support the previous research of Rucker and Galinsky (2008) who found that economic hardship leads to the acquisition of products that can be associated with status. Moreover, major differences concerning CSR communication stem from the graphic representation and consumer comprehension of CSR activities by different logos and labels. The fact that Mexicans don’t 14

recognize a fair trade label supports the notion that Mexico is still in the early stages of CSR and that production and distribution of ethic products is locally very limited. This finding supports Haslam (2007) who observes that in Latin America the CSR agenda is the least covered in comparison with other regions in the world. Finally, two significant obstacles are identified: purchasing power concern and skepticism. Purchasing power concerns inhibit the buying act for CSR products because organic and fair trade products are seen by the majority as “elitist and high-priced products” (Bertrandias, and Lapeyre, 2005, Green and Peloza, 2011). These findings run contrary to the empirical results from Laroche et al. (2001) and Mohr and Webb (2005) who claim that customers are willing to pay higher prices for CSR products. Furthermore, Hofstede (1980) discusses skepticism and the dimension of uncertainty avoidance where people maintain rigid codes of belief and behavior and they may show intolerance to unorthodox behavior and ideas. However, skepticism seems to be stronger in France than in Mexico. This phenomenon has been also discussed by a large body of researchers and seems to be the next key challenge to overcome for CSR (Bhattacharya and Sen., 2010; Mohr et al., 2001; Parguel, 2007). 6. Conclusion In a global context, the CSR challenge poses a relevant question: How can we structure a CSR communication strategy in order to be more consistent with regards to different economic, social and environmental landscapes? Through this research we have shown evidence that CSR has a positive influence on brand value perception between Mexican and French consumers. However, the cultural environment and the media discourse of CSR in each country have a different impact on consumer value perception and CSR communication responses. For example, a lack of communication through mechanisms of fair trade in Mexico, does not correspond to the benefit of empathy in Lai’s model. The existence of different labels or logos in each country has an impact on the perception on CSR 15

communication for each country. Moreover, there are considerable differences, especially, in terms of which business activities are perceived by consumers as signifiers of a CSR program. For example, the role of CSR in Mexico is more philanthropically oriented while in France it is more about an equality of opportunity in employment. Findings site a few key recommendations in Mexico and France: managers should carefully study their CSR communication value proposals by evaluating which are the key activities consumers may be interested in by a CSR. Additionally, CSR companies should communicate in a more clear, open, and transparent way to consumers, through reliable communication channels. Future research may examine the practice of greenwashing in Mexico. Also, future studies could show how managers see obstacles to CSR communication, purchasing power concern, and skepticism, and look at possible coping mechanisms by consumers. Finally, we cannot ignore several methodological limitations regarding time and sample size. Despite the fact that twenty informants in Mexico and France provide evidence in support of Lai’s model of consumption values, it would be interesting to confirm these findings with a quantitative survey.

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Annex 1. French and Mexican Interviewees

Name

Age

Gender

Location

Occupation

Nationality

Christelle

between 30 and 40 years

female

Chadouillet (Ardéche)

High School professor

French

Michel

between 65 and 75

male

Chadouillet (Ardéche)

Retired Architect

French

Frederique

between 35 and 45

female

Chadouillet (Ardéche)

Psychologist

French

Gerard

between 60 and 70

male

Petit Brahic (Ardéche)

Retired ( Associate Manager)

French

Josette

between 65 and 75

female

Gagniers (Gard)

Retired Sales

French

Yann

between 35 and 45

male

Montpellier

Merchant Navy

French

Alba

between 35 and 45

female

Perols

University Professor

French

Vanessa

between 35 and 45

female

Marsillargues (Pays de Lunel)

works at home

French

Cecile

between 35 and 46

female

Marsillargues (Pays de Lunel)

Sales Manager

French

Ana

between 35 and 47

female

Marsillargues (Pays de Lunel)

works at home

French

Jose Manuel

between 70and 80

male

Mexico D.F.

Retired Sales Director

Mexican

Elena

between 65 and 75

female

Mexico D.F.

Retired executive secretary

Mexican

Jorge H

between 30 and 40 years

male

Mexico D.F.

SME's owner

Mexican

Sabah

between 30 and 40 years

female

Mexico D.F.

works at home

Mexican

Jorge B

between 65 and 75

male

Mexico D.F.

Civil engineering

Mexican

Esperanza

between 65 and 75

female

Mexico D.F.

domestic worker

Mexican

Lizette

between 35 and 45

female

Mexico D.F.

works at home

Mexican

Tere

between 60 and 70

female

Morelia Michoacan

Sales Manager

Mexican

Juan Pablo

between 20 and 30 years

male

Morelia Michoacan

SME's owner

Mexican

Mireya

between 20 and 30 years

female

Mexico D.F.

psychologist

Mexican

The French language interviews were held in France during May 2012 and the Spanish language interviews were held in Mexico during August 2012.

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Annex 2. CSR Communication Logos in Mexico.

ESR , (Empresa Socialmente Responsable) the official CSR logo for Mexican and some Latin American companies.

CSR logo

Group Bimbo: This company was founded in Mexico in 1945. Grupo Bimbo has the most extensive distribution network in Mexico for bakery and one of the largest on the American continent, with over 51,000 routes. It contains more than 2.1 million points of sale located throughout 19 countries.

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