1. ¹Department of Marketing and Business Strategy, Hull University Business School, Hull, UK
2. ²Louvain School of Management, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
3. ³J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA

Abstract

The authors investigate both marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, develop an instrument to measure those practices, and apply it to a survey of 441 US organizations. The survey identifies four reliable types of marketing practices and five reliable dimensions of CSR practices. Furthermore, this study confirms the proposition that CSR practices are more prevalent in organizations that employ relational marketing practices; all types of CSR practices are positively influenced by one or more types of relational marketing practices, but transaction marketing specifically supports CSR practices related to customers, suppliers and investors. Finally, by reaching out to its stakeholders, an organization can increase its revenues and profits, which in turn improves its chance of surviving in the long run.