The impact of country image on MNE's perceived CSR legitimacy and perceived CSR credibility

Abstract

Although, there is significant research on Country of Origin (COO) or Country Image (CI) at the product level, little research exists on the firm level. Similarly, there is a significant deficit in analyzing the relationship of CI/COO on firm level concepts. I examined the impact of CI on the Multinational Enterprise’s (MNE) perceived CSR legitimacy and perceived CSR credibility. I also looked at the impact of the individual’s CSR ideology on the aforementioned relationships. Using a single factor group design experiment, I collected data through two online surveys from 700 participants. Using analysis of variance, I found that CI has a strong positive impact on MNE’s perceived CSR legitimacy and perceived CSR credibility. This was also validated by OLS regression analysis. The moderating effect of individuals’ CSR ideology was not statistically significant. Although, the conditional effect graph showcases that a weak moderating impact does exist as hypothesized.