Consumers are apt to have priorities within their purchasing decisions and current studies suggest that CSR initiatives are not one of these.

Individuals are getting increasingly environmentally and socially aware when compared with years ago when only price and quality mattered. Nevertheless, research examining the connection between corporate social responsibility initiatives and customer reactions indicates a poor association. In a recent research that used a few research methods, such as questionnaires and experiments, consumers were asked about various CSR initiatives and their attitudes toward them. What they thought their intentions had been, and their willingness to support the business. For example, customers were told to rate the likelihood of purchasing a product from a business that donates a portion of its profits to charitable causes. Additionally, the writers analysed responses to real incidents, such as for instance product recalls or proxies related to the trustworthiness of the companies. They discovered that despite the fact that an important percentage of customers think it is commendable to purchase and support socially responsible companies, the majority prioritise facets such as for instance price and quality over CSR considerations. Additionally, positive attitudes towards businesses involved in CSR initiatives do not regularly translate into buying. Having said that, they found that people are skeptical of companies' real motivations behind CSR initiatives, and many view them as simple marketing strategies instead of genuine commitments to social and environmental causes.

Data suggests that disregarding human rights may have significant costs for businesses and countries. Information suggests that multinational corporations have actually faced economic damages and backlash from customers and investors when allegations of human rights abuses, such as when a recent case of forced labour emerged online. In 2021, a few businesses were boycotted due to negative coverage after allegations of using forced labour in their supply chains came to light. This is one of several comparable incidents demonstrating that clients are willing to act if they perceive that the company is involved in something morally repugnant. This is why it is vital for governments globally to align their laws and regulations with the international convention on human rights as well as ethical business practices. Several governments have introduced reforms in that vein, as seen with Bahrain human rights and Oman human rights laws.

Although the direct impact of CSR initiatives might not be strong, the prospective consequences of reputational damage should not be brushed aside. Businesses and countries that ignore ethical sourcing risk reputational damage, which could usually lead to boycotts and economic losses. To prevent this, businesses should be aware and concerned about the state of human rights in the countries they run in. Some countries, as seen with Ras Al Khaimah human rights reforms, took severe measures to increase their transparency and ensure that human rights rules are honored inside their territories. This will not only avoid ramifications related to reputational harm but in addition build trust of their rule of law and governance, that will attract FDIs.