"The ladies are not for turning": exploring how leader gender and industry sector influence the corporate social responsibility practices of franchise firms.

This study of 246 franchise firms in Spain explores differences in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices as a function of a leader's gender and the industry sector. The results suggest that female-led firms engage more with normative CSR, while male leadership prompts a more instrumental approach. Overall, B2B companies engage more in instrumental CSR, while there are no significant differences between B2B and B2C firms in normative CSR. Interestingly, the results indicate that female-led firms engage more in CSR practices (normative and instrumental) in the B2B sector compared to B2C. Male-led firms, by contrast, tend to do so more in instrumental CSR in the B2C sector, thus operating more instrumentally when the outlook appears more promising. The results challenge existing theories whereby female-led firms may engage more in CSR in the B2C sector as opposed to B2B. The results support theories proposing that female-led firms adopt more of a stewardship theory approach in the B2B sector, building relationships and social capital through activities such as CSR. The findings extend the state-of-the-art on how gender may influence CSR practices in both type (normative or instrumental) and circumstance (B2B or B2C).

An analysis of social marketing practice: Factors associated with success.

This paper aims to identify factors that contribute to the success of current social marketing practices. These factors include setting clear behavior change objectives and segmentation that informs communication and messaging strategies. Other factors include rigorous research (consumer research, formative research, literature review), pre-testing of interventions, developing a partnership approach, using planning methodologies/theories, and monitoring and evaluation. These success factors could be used for policymakers, governments, agencies and social marketers delivering interventions focussed on healthy lives and well-being. The examples given in this study illustrate how these factors can be achieved, providing a focus for discussion and emulation.