Purpose In an era of heightened workplace skepticism and authenticity concerns, understanding how CSR perceptions shape employee attitudes is increasingly becoming important. This study examines how CSR perceptions influence affective organizational commitment through the mediating mechanism of organizational cynicism. It further investigates procedural justice as a boundary condition and tests the causal influence of CSR on cynicism using an experimental design. Design/methodology/approach A two-study mixed-method design was employed. Study 1 surveyed 216 manufacturing employees in India using moderated mediation analysis (PROCESS Models 4 and 7). Study 2 utilized a randomized vignette experiment with 77 participants from the UK and USA to establish causality. Findings Organizational cynicism significantly mediated the CSR-commitment relationship. Procedural justice moderated this pathway, with Johnson-Neyman analysis identifying a threshold (3.7 on a 7-point scale) below which CSR fails to reduce cynicism. The experimental study confirmed causality, with CSR enhancement producing significant reductions in cynicism. Practical implications Organizations should audit procedural justice perceptions before investing in CSR initiatives, as fairness serves as a prerequisite for CSR to reduce cynicism. CSR communications should be integrated with internal messaging that demonstrates alignment between external initiatives and fair internal processes. Originality/value This study extends CSR-commitment literature by identifying cynicism as an affective pathway distinct from traditional social identity frameworks, establishing procedural justice as a first-stage moderator and providing causal evidence through experimental methodology. The finding that a minimum fairness threshold is required for CSR effectiveness offers actionable guidance for practitioners.
Rahul Chandra Sheel (Tue,) studied this question.