Title: Gender differences on the effect of CSR engagement on team attitude and loyalty: a case study of a professional soccer club in Korea

Authors: Ki Tak Kim; Dae Hee Kwak; Kathy Babiak

Addresses: Department of Leisure and Sports, PaiChai University, #204 Bldg. G Yeonja-1-Gil, Seo-Gu, Daejeon, 302-375, Korea ' Department of Sport Management, University of Michigan, 1402 Washington Heights #2118, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA ' Department of Sport Management, University of Michigan, 1402 Washington Heights #2120, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

Abstract: The current case study examines the gender differences on the effect of perceived CSR engagement on attitude and re-attendance intention toward a professional sport team. Spectators at a professional soccer game (N = 380) in Korea participated in the study and a multiple group analysis was conducted between male and female participants. Findings show that perceived CSR engagement had a significant effect on re-attendance intention mediated by team attitudes. Interestingly, gender moderated the effect of perceived CSR engagement on team attitude, in the opposite direction from existing literature. For instance, CSR effects on attitude was greater for males than females, indicating that the link between a sport team's socially responsible initiatives and team attitude would be stronger for male spectators than female counterparts. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR engagement; gender differences; sport consumer behaviour; sport marketing; South Korea; team attitudes; loyalty; case study; professional soccer clubs; professional football clubs; re-attendance intentions; professional sport; sports teams.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2015.074918

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2015 Vol.16 No.1/2, pp.92 - 111

Received: 06 Dec 2014
Accepted: 08 Aug 2015
Published online: 24 Feb 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article