항공사 ESG 경영에 대한 평가가 소비자 반응에 미치는 영향 - 지각된 적합성을 중심으로 -

We are entering an era where ESG management is essential in the aviation service industry. It would be extremely desirable if these ESG management activities could contribute not only to attracting investment but also to inducing favorable responses from consumers. Now is the time to focus on desirable ESG management planning rather than deciding whether to implement ESG management or not. The concept of perceived fit, a key variable in related fields, is expected to play an important role in this situation as well. And it can be inferred that the influence of perceived fit will vary depending on the size of the airline, that is, whether it is a Full-Service Carrier or a Low-Cost Carrier. The purpose of this study is to empirically analyze the impact of evaluation of an airline’s ESG activities on consumer response using a differentiated approach. Specifically, we analyzed the process through which perceived fit of ESG activities influences purchase intention through evaluation of ESG activities. And the role of the moderating variable of airline size in this relationship was examined. This study has a academic contribution in that it is the first study to apply perceived fit, which was considered important in research in similar fields, to the study of consumer responses to ESG management. In addition, contributions can be found in that the role of perceived fit and airline size was verified in more detail by combining information integration theory and social identity theory in the study of consumer responses to ESG. According to results of the study, it is revealed that increasing perceived fit in the airline’s ESG management activities contribute to increasing purchase intention. And in this process, ESG activity evaluation is found to play a role as a mediating variable. In other words, it is found that the promotion of ESG activities with high perceived fit influence the favorable evaluation of ESG activities and increase purchase intention. In addition, the size of the airline is found to be a variable that moderates the influence mechanism of perceived fit. Specifically, in the case of Low-Cost Carriers, regardless of whether perceived fit is high or low, all receive favorable ESG activity evaluations due to the underdog effect. Whereas in the case of Full-Service Carriers, it is found that when perceived fit is low, ESG activity evaluations are relatively less favorable (compared to when perceived fit is high). Based on these empirical results, several practical implications could be derived.