Title: Green CSR's role in retail competitive advantage: mediation by marketing and moderation by reputation

Authors: Nguyen Xuan-Nhi; Le Ngoc-Tien

Addresses: Faculty of Business Administration, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam ' Faculty of Foreign Languages, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of green corporate social responsibility (GCSR) on green competitive advantage, focusing on the mediating effect of green marketing strategy and the moderating effect of corporate reputation. The study employed the thematic analysis of data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with experts in the retail sector to support the grounded theory approach. The study highlights research gaps in green marketing for promoting eco-friendly value from firms' GCSR and potential collaboration with green business partners, emphasising the importance of corporate reputation in influencing the relationship between CSR and competitive advantage. Green marketing strategy fully mediates the relationship between CSR and competitive advantage, while corporate reputation moderates it. The study contributes to the understanding of triple bottom lines (TBL) and CSR, requiring consideration of the resource-based view (RBV) theory. It emphasises the importance of attracting shoppers by promoting green awareness and retaining a commitment to GCSR.

Keywords: CSR; corporate social responsibility; green marketing; competitive advantage; retail sector; supermarket strategy; corporate reputation; green competitive edge; developing country context; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2023.138498

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2023 Vol.16 No.2, pp.285 - 312

Received: 05 Dec 2023
Accepted: 11 Dec 2023
Published online: 08 May 2024 *

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