The Moderating Role of Personality Trait on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Identification among Clients of Safaricom Ltd Company, Kenya

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to examine the moderating role of Personality Trait on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Consumer Identification among Safaricom Limited Company Kenya clients in Kajiado County. Kajiado County was the area of study; explanatory survey was adapted where questionnaires in a seven point likert scale were administered to 325 Safaricom clients in the month of February 2014. Cluster sampling technique was used in selecting primary schools where Safaricom clients were studied, clients were divided into administrative divisions and then simple random sampling was done. Using the four factors of Corporate Social Responsibility; ethical, legal, philanthropic and economic, adequate evidence in the study to support the various theories that underpinned the study.The data obtained was analyzed using inferential statistics namely Pearson product moment correlation, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and multiple regression methods .The statistical methods were used for testing the hypotheses at ?=0.1. The results indicated that different personality traits moderated the relationship between the various dimensions of CSR differently. Self efficacy personality trait moderate the relationship of economic CSR (?= -1.050, p<0.1) and philanthropic CSR (?=1.798 p<0.1,). The ? value for economic was negative while for philanthropic was positive for the same personality trait of self efficacy. Perceived control moderated legal CSR (?=1.161, p< 0.1) and self esteem moderated ethical CSR (?=.978, p=0.1). However Machiavellianism type of personality trait did not moderate any relationship. The model successfully extended personality traits to the various dimensions of economic, philanthropic, ethical, legal CSR and consumer identification relationship among safaricom clients in Kenya.  The study recommended further research on Machiavellianism type of personality trait on other CSR dimensions and consumer identification.

Keywords: moderating role, personality trait, relationship, corporate social responsibility, consumer identification.