The Mediating Effect of Service Quality in Relation to Corporate Social Responsibility and Customer-Based Brand Equity

The primary goal of this research was to investigate the role of service quality in mediating the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer-based brand equity (CBBE) in tourism businesses in the Davao Region. The study utilized the quantitative non-experimental descriptive and correlational research design. There were 176 tourism enterprises surveyed for the independent variable of CSR determined by proportionate stratified sampling. Meanwhile, 384 tourists were also surveyed for the mediator variable of Service Quality and the independent variable of CBBE derived through snowball sampling. Google forms were employed to gather the primary data on the three variables of the study. The multiple regression analysis indicated that CSR predicted CBBE, CSR predicted Service Quality, and combined CSR and Service Quality statistically predicted CBBE. In the relationship between CSR and CBBE, the mediation study revealed partial mediation of Service Quality. The Medgraph pathway illustrated that Service Quality intervened with the effects that CSR had on CBBE. Service Quality statistically significantly reduced the total effect of CSR on CBBE. Thus, not only should CSR be improved, but Service Quality also needs to be enhanced for Davao Region to become a top tourism destination in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.