How Consumer Engagement Shapes Corporate Technology for Good: The Mediation of Knowledge Co-Creation

How does consumer engagement shape a firm’s technology adoption strategy? Based on the knowledge-based perspective, this paper explores the impact mechanism of consumer engagement on corporate technology for good using survey data from medium–high R&D intensity manufacturing firms within China’s industrial clusters. The research sample covers five industries with medium-to-high R&D intensity, categorized according to the OECD classification. The findings suggest that consumer engagement positively affects knowledge co-creation and corporate technology for good, and knowledge co-creation plays a mediating role in the relationship between consumer engagement and corporate technology for good. Further analysis reveals that knowledge absorption ability positively moderates the relationship between consumer engagement and knowledge co-creation, and the mediating effect of knowledge co-creation on the relationship between consumer engagement and corporate technology for good is positively moderated by knowledge absorption ability. The study expands the research on the driving factors of corporate technology for good from the stakeholder theory perspective, providing insights for firms to facilitate consumer value co-creation.