Csr

billion worth of textiles and apparel to other countries (China

National Textile and Apparel Council, 2012), accounting for about

one-fifth of the world’s textile and apparel trade (KOTRA, 2010).

Because this industry is cost-sensitive and its labour standards

are often low, conditions in the fashion industry have become a

global social issue (Cooke and He, 2010). As brand image is an important

factor in consumers’ purchase intentions when shopping

for clothes, fashion companies consider CSR an essential part of improving

their image and sales (Carrigan and Attala, 2001).

Nevertheless, there has been limited practical research on Chinese

consumers’ response to fashion companies’ CSR activities. Recently,

a fewresearchers have studied Chinese consumers’ perception

of CSR (e.g., Ramasamy and Yeung, 2009). Chinese researchers studying

Chinese companies’ CSR have emphasised their own national

character (Moon and Shen, 2010). China is a collectivist society based

on Confucianism (Wang and Juslin, 2009; Xu and Yang, 2010; Yin

and Zhang, 2012) and thus has its own cultural characteristics.

Chinese consumer perceptions and reactions to CSR may be culturally

specific and significantly different from those of consumers

from other countries. Because China is growing into a powerful

market, it is necessary to understand Chinese consumers’

response to CSR. This study investigates Chinese consumers’ response

to CSR in the fashion industry. Specifically, it examines the

effects of perceptions of CSR on consumer behaviour (i.e., purchase

intention). The mediating effect of consumers’ self-congruity

perception is also examined, as CSR enhances a company’s image,

and in the fashion industry, a company’s image is directly related

to a consumer’s self-concept.

2. Conceptual background

2.1. Four dimensions of CSR

Carroll (1979)