Message framing strategies, food waste prevention, and diners’ repatronage intentions: the mediating role of corporate social responsibility

Abstract

Building on prospect theory, construal level theory, and corporate social responsibility literature, this study investigated how messaging framing strategies impact buffet diners’ food waste and repatronage intentions using three experimental studies. Findings suggested that framing strategies (gain vs. loss) and point of reference (self vs. others vs. environment) interactively influence diners’ behavioral intentions through corporate social responsibility (CSR). In particular, a gain-framing strategy with self or other-referencing points could enhance perceived CSR and repatronage intentions. However, when the referencing point changes to environment, gain-framed and loss-framed messages result in similar levels of perceived CSR, food waste reduction intentions, and repatronage intentions. Evidence also suggests that the “out of sight, out of mind” phenomenon could occur when it comes to food waste prevention. This study contributes to the literature by delineating the mediation mechanism of perceived CSR between message framing and diners’ behavioral intentions. It also shed light on restaurants’ food waste management, with implications for designing effective communication messages to enhance diners’ engagement in food waste prevention.

Keywords:

• Food waste
• message framing
• point of reference
• corporate social responsibility
• repatronage intention
• restaurant

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yinghua Huang

Yinghua Huang is an associate professor at the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management, San José State University, San Jose, CA 95192, USA. Her research interests include sustainable tourism development, tourists' behaviors, and social media. Dr. Huang has published more than 20 referred articles in scholarly journals, such as Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, among others.

Emily (Jintao) Ma

Emily (Jintao) Ma is an associate professor at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01002, USA. Her work has been published in a number of international journals, such as Tourism Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, International Journal of Hospitality Management, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, among others.

Danni Wang

Danni Wang is a Ph.D. Candidate the at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01002, USA.