‘No saints’, ‘no sinners’. Corporate social responsibility impact on occupational embeddedness and corporate brand trust with extrinsic motivation as a moderating construct

Abstract

Drawing on a conservation of resource theory perspective, this study investigates the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employees’ occupational embeddedness and corporate brand trust with the moderating role of extrinsic motivation in these relationships. A sample of 273 subordinate employees drawn from the banking sector in Ghana was analysed using hierarchical regression. The empirical results indicated that: (1) these employees’ favourable perception of CSR related positively to their occupational embeddedness and corporate brand trust; and (2) the moderating effect of extrinsic motivation on CSR-occupational embeddedness link was stronger than the CSR-corporate brand trust link. Based on these results, recommendations are made to HR managers on the strategic impact of CSR on employees in times of trust deficit in the service industry and beyond. Recommendations on the extent to which employees can be motivated extrinsically with less compromise on the focus of the work itself are also articulated.