الگوی تحلیلی رابطه همذات پنداری برند، ادراک مسئولیت اجتماعی شرکت و اولویت برند دیجی کالا

پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی تاثیر اقدامات مربوط به مسئولیت اجتماعی شرکت ها و ادراک آن از سوی مشتریان بر هم ذات پنداری برند و ترجیح برند فروشگاه اینترنتی دیجی کالا انجام شده است. پژوهش از نظر هدف، کاربردی و از نظر ماهیت و روش، توصیفی-پیمایشی می‌باشد. جامعه آماری پژوهش، مشتریان فروشگاه اینترنتی دیجی کالا است که تعداد 384 نفر با روش نمونه گیری غیر احتمالی در دسترس به‌عنوان نمونه آماری انتخاب‌شده‌اند. داده‌های مورد نیاز برای سنجش متغیرها با عملیات میدانی و از طریق پرسشنامه استاندارد جمع‌آوری و آزمون فرضیه ها و نیز تحلیل ارتباط متغیرها با روش مدل سازی معادلات ساختاری و نرم‌افزارsmart pls   انجام شده است. یافته‌ها و نتایج نشان می‌دهد که درک مسئولیت اجتماعی دیجی کالا توسط مشتریان بر هم ذات پنداری برند تاثیر معناداری دارد. همچنین، هم ذات پنداری برند بر ترجیح برند محصولات دیجی کالا تاثیر معناداری دارد. درک مسئولیت اجتماعی بر ترجیح برند محصولات دیجی کالا تاثیر معناداری دارد. هم ذات پنداری برند در تاثیرگذاری درک مسئولیت اجتماعی شرکت بر ترجیح برند محصولات دیجی کالا نقش میانجی دارد.

analytical model of relationship between self-brand connection, perceived corporate social responsibility and digikala brand preference

1. introductioncompanies worldwide have concidered social responsibility as a crucial factor for their business success. the favorable perception of consumers towards the social initiatives of companies can influence their actions and behaviors (javani and elami, 2020). the findings of jeon et al. (2020) indicated that customers' understanding of corporate social responsibility significantly affects their attitudes towards the brand and their emotional connections, as well as their mental and psychological associations with it. although several studies have explored the various impacts of social responsibility on companies' marketing activities, there remain gaps in identifying the effects of corporate social responsibility actions and initiatives on marketing performance. the aim of this research is to analyze the role of self-brand connection in the relationship between corporate social responsibility measures and their perception by customers regarding the digikala brand. this study investigates whether customers' perceptions of a company's social responsibility actions influence self-brand connection, such as with digikala, and affect brand preferences. while brand preference has been extensively studied by many researchers (liu et al., 2014), the current understanding of the effects related to the perception of a company's social responsibility on customers' attitudes and self-brand connection is limited. furthermore, research on corporate social responsibility and its impact on customer behavior has rarely been conducted in electronic markets. 2.materials and methodsthe research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of nature and method. the statistical population of the research consists of customers of the digikala online store, from which 384 individuals were selected as a statistical sample using a non-probability sampling method. the data required to measure the variables were gathered through field operations and a standard questionnaire. the structural equation modeling method and smart pls software were employed to test the conceptual model and research hypotheses. based on the data analysis algorithm using the pls-sem method, the measurement models were first fitted by verifying the reliability and validity criteria to ensure the correctness of the relationships in the models. subsequently, the fit of the structural model and the relationships among the existing variables were examined, and finally, the overall fit of the model was assessed.3.results and discussionthe research hypotheses were tested by examining the significant z coefficients (t values) associated with each path, as well as the standardized factor load coefficients related to these paths. since the significance coefficient for each path exceeded 1.96 at the 95%confidence level, the relevant paths were deemed significant and the associated hypotheses was confirmed. to assess the significance of the path coefficients, the t values for each path were also evaluated. notably, the significance coefficients (t) for the three paths involving corporate social responsibility, self-brand connection, and brand preference (19.471, 5.258, and 7.608) were all above 1.96. therefore, at the 95% confidence level, the predicted routes—corporate social responsibility → self-brand connection, corporate social responsibility → brand preference, and self-brand connection brand preference—are significant. based on data analysis and the structural model, since the t statistic exceeds 1.96, it can be concluded that the direct effect of understanding corporate social responsibility on brand preference, as well as the indirect effect through the same mediating variable, brand perception, is significant at the 95% confidence level. consequently, the main hypothesis and sub-hypotheses of the research are confirmed.4. conclusionthe findings of the present study indicate that the understanding of the company's social responsibility accounts for 37.1% of the variations in brand preference. additionally, coefficients of 0.758 and 0.559 demonstrate that the corporate social responsibility variable influences brand preference indirectly, mediated by self-brand connection, by 42.4%. by confirming the first hypothesis, we conclude that a higher level of understanding of corporate social responsibility enhances self-brand connection. the confirmation of the second hypothesis also reveals that a greater understanding of the company's social responsibility elevates the priority of the digikala brand. accepting the third hypothesis shows that a stronger self-brand connection results in a higher prioritization of the digikala brand. the outcome of the fourth hypothesis indicates that an increased understanding of the company's social responsibility fosters both self-brand connection and the prioritization of the digikala brand. the main message of the article is that customers' positive attitudes towards the company's social activities can significantly influence their perceptions and behaviors. therefore, companies can leverage the findings of this research to understand how social responsibility measures and initiatives can shape customer attitudes and enhance their relationship with the brand and ultimately influence brand priorities and preferences. this can improve marketing performance. consequently, it is recommended that company managers and business owners reshape their core image as innovative and socially responsible entities and optimize processes to achieve success. this study has limitations. first, the data was collected using a convenience sampling method from buyers of the digikala online store. therefore, caution is necessary when generalizing and interpreting the findings of this study. in this research, brand preference was utilized instead of purchase intention and purchase behavior. while there may be differences in the definitions of these variables across the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral stages of customers' reaction patterns, acknowledging the limitations of this research allows for suggestions regarding future research directions. this research model, or similar ones, can be applied to other businesses to evaluate customer behaviors while considering various dimensions of the company's social responsibility. additionally, a sample study would be beneficial for examining cultural differences and other related aspects such as nationality and geographic variations.