Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour

Role of Inclusive Branding and Corporate Social Responsibility in Shaping Consumer Perceptions Toward Disability-Friendly Businesses

Dr. Lekshmi R.S (1), Dr. Uma S (2), Dr. Mahalaxmi K.R (3), Dr. Muzhumathi R (4), Dr. Sheela Mary V (5), Dr. Jawahar Rani K (6)

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Abstract

Disability inclusion has become an important element of ethical business practices by ensuring access, equity, and representation of individuals with disabilities within organizational processes and communications. Nevertheless, the empirical knowledge of how inclusive branding and corporate social responsibility (CSR) related to disability affect consumers' perceptions of disability-inclusive organizations is underdeveloped. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of inclusive branding and disability CSR on consumers' perceptions of authenticity and, further, the impact of these constructs on consumers' trust and behavioral intentions. The cross-sectional design was used with data collected from 412 respondents, and relationships between the variables were examined by structural equation modeling (SEM). It has been shown that the disability-related CSR positively impacts consumer perception (β = 0.41) and authenticity (β = 0.44), as does inclusive branding (consumer perception β = 0.34; authenticity β = 0.38). Consumers' perception (β = 0.36) and authenticity (β = 0.43) positively impact consumers' trust, which has the greatest direct effect on behavioral intention (β = 0.61). The model accounts for 58.7% and 37.2% of the variance in trust and behavioral intention, respectively. This suggests the importance of disability inclusion, which must go beyond mere visibility towards CSR, accessibility, and inclusion through organizational practices. In summary, the current study adds to knowledge by bringing together inclusive branding, disability CSR, authenticity, and trust into a common consumer response framework and also offers practical implications for businesses in developing credible disability inclusion strategies.