The effectiveness of corporate privacy responsibility and customer education on consumer responses in the digital era

Purpose This study aims to examine whether there are interaction effects between the two important elements of corporate digital responsibility, corporate privacy responsibility and customer education, on consumer responses in the hospitality management context. Specifically, this study investigates whether customer education strengthens the relationship between corporate privacy responsibility and consumer responses such as customer trust, brand attitudes and visit intentions. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an experiment with a 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design. The participants (n = 181) answered online experiment questions after reading each randomly assigned scenario that describes a hotel’s activities regarding its smart rooms. Findings The multivariate analysis of covariance results supported the interaction effects of corporate social responsibility and customer education on customer trust, brand attitudes and visit intentions. Also, regression analysis results indicate customer trust positively influences brand attitudes, subsequently affecting visit intentions. Research limitations/implications This study provides both academic and managerial implications by using source-outcome of trust theory and elaboration likelihood model and by showing the importance of corporate privacy responsibility and customer education for the success of corporate digital responsibility. Originality/value The findings fill gaps in the literature and extend the body of knowledge in corporate digital responsibility by adding empirical evidence.