Comparative organizational research starts with sound measurement: Validity and invariance of Turker's corporate social responsibility scale in five cross-cultural samples

PLoS One. 2018 Nov 19;13(11):e0207331. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207331. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

As organizational research turned its focus to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), interest also grew in the individual's perspective on CSR. When looking for cross-cultural comparisons of the effects of CSR, measurement invariance is of utter importance as a questionnaire might not be equivalent in all investigated samples and thus bias results. We examined a previously published questionnaire assessing different aspects of personal CSR ratings. Factorial validity and measurement invariance was tested by means of confirmatory factor analysis and Bayesian structural equation modeling in five samples (total N = 1120): 2 US-American, 2 German, and 1 English-speaking Indian sample. In an exploratory-confirmatory approach, the originally proposed factor structure was altered to finally comprise four facets of CSR: employee-related CSR, environmental CSR, philanthropy and customer-related CSR. Measurement invariance tests showed evidence for small differences of the English and German version as well as significant divergences of the measurement model in the Indian sample. In conclusion, we show the validity of the questionnaire for a circumscribed Western context but are hesitant about further transfers. Future research on perception of CSR in non-western contexts might depend on new and tailored questionnaires.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Auditory Perception / physiology*
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison*
  • Ethnicity*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*

Grants and funding

We acknowledge support by the OpenAccess Publication Funds of the Freie Universität Berlin. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.