THE INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON CORPORATE BRAND EQUITY: A STUDY WITH STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays an important role in corporate marketing and is understood as a strategic variable, because if managed properly, it can increase the corporation's market share. This study investigates the various causal relationships between corporate social responsibility, corporate brand credibility (CBC), corporate reputation (CR) and corporate brand equity (CBE). Data were collected through a survey with a self-administered structured questionnaire, with five response options scored on a Likert scale. The sample included 310 consumers who expressed their opinions on a large Brazilian oil and gas company. The data were treated through structural equation modeling with partial least squares. The results showed that CSR has direct and indirect effects on CBE. Mixed methods are worthwhile to those who are working on a doctorate research work. Moreover, it will be helpful to develop knowledge through this method that can be beneficial to academia and Practitioners.