Corporate social responsibility and brand equity: perspective of international businesses students from a private university of a developing country

MACHA-HUAMAN R.; Castilla Jibaja L.; Navarro Soto F.C.; Alfaro Paredes E.A. · Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (2026) · DOI: 10.1057/s41599-026-07801-z

Resumen

Higher education institutions are choosing to be socially responsible; however, there are university institutions that have not yet integrated this management system, leaving them at a disadvantage compared to the competition. In this sense, the purpose of this research was to determine the influence of corporate social responsibility on the brand equity from the perspective of students of international businesses career of a private university in a developing country. The study was carried out through a quantitative approach, non-experimental design, and explanatory scope. The sample consisted of 283 students over 18 years of age who were chosen through non-probabilistic snowball sampling. Construct validity was assessed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The model was also analyzed using Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM). The study confirmed the predictive model (Q2 > 0) for all endogenous constructs, while also confirming the structural and measurement model (GoF > 0.5). The results demonstrated that Economic Responsibility (ER) is a fundamental component of Legal and Ethical Responsibility (LETR) and Philanthropic Responsibility (PHR). However, ER has no significant influence on Brand Image (BI) or Brand Equity (BE). On the other hand, LETR and PHR, as predictor variables, do significantly influence BI and BE. Likewise, BI has a strong effect on BE. It is concluded that PHR has the greatest influence on BI and BE. Furthermore, BI is the fundamental mediating variable between LETR, PHR, and BE. It is recommended to expand the study sample, including public and private universities in diverse type of countries based on their level of development and the inclusion of variables associated with students’ undergraduate and graduate specialties. © The Author(s) 2026.

Instituciones: Universidad César Vallejo