Strategic communication of corporate social responsibility (CSR): Effects of stated motives and corporate reputation on stakeholder responses

This study examined stakeholder responses toward two communication strategies of CSR motives: stating both self- and society-serving motives or only society-serving motives. How the effect of stated motives differs by corporate reputation was studied as well. The study found that acknowledging a self-serving motive reduces skeptical attribution and enhances stakeholders’ favorable intent to support, seek employment with, invest in, and purchase from the company. Possible backlash effects were detected when companies with poor reputations emphasize only society-serving motives and omit self-serving motives.     

The complex attribution process of CSR motives

This study examines how consumers reconcile two possibly contradictory motives (public-serving and firm-serving) to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies in socially stigmatized industries. Our results indicate that consumers are willing to accept and give reputational credit for firm-serving motives behind the companies’ CSR initiatives, as long as they also perceive that the companies are sincere in serving public interests (i.e., high public-serving motives). Consumers highly engaged in social causes are also willing to accept firm-serving motives when they also perceive sincere public-serving motives behind the companies’ CSR activities.     

The effects of consideration of future consequences and CSR fit in stigmatized industries: Perceived CSR motives as mediators

This study explored the effects of fit between corporations and their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in stigmatized industries. Specifically, it examined how these effects vary depending on stakeholders’ consideration of future consequences (CFC) in influencing individuals’ attitudes toward CSR and corporations and purchase intentions; further, it explored whether such interaction effects are mediated by three underlying perceived motives. The study involved a between-subjects experiment with 144 college students. The results showed that high-CFC individuals perceived corporations with strong fit to their CSR initiatives as more stakeholder- and self-serving. The interaction effect also was mediated by stakeholder-serving motives in influencing purchase intentions and by self-serving motives in influencing CSR and corporation-related attitudes.     

Engaging through stories: Effects of narratives on individuals’ skepticism toward corporate social responsibility efforts

Skepticism is prevalent surrounding companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Existing research suggests that narratives can reduce counterarguing and increase story-consistent beliefs and attitudes. However, research is still in its preliminary stage in understanding how narratives may help alleviate individuals’ skepticism toward companies’ CSR initiatives. Through an experiment with Amazon Mechanical Turk participants (n = 345), the current study tested the effect of narrative vs non-narrative videos on individual perception of CSR skepticism. YouTube videos depicting a real organization’s CSR initiatives on the issue of gender equality were selected as stimuli. Results of the study suggest that narrative significantly reduced almost all of the previously identified dimensions of CSR skepticism and significantly increased perceived intrinsic (altruistic) motives. Furthermore, engagement with the video message and perceived CSR motives were significant mediators. The study highlights engagement with messages as a key aspect of reducing CSR skepticism. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

The interplay between post-crisis response strategy and pre-crisis corporate associations in the context of CSR crises

How should a company respond to a crisis that is related to its social responsibility by capitalizing on consumers’ existing corporate associations? To answer this question, the present study focuses on two primary types of corporate associations, corporate ability (CA) associations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations, and proposes two different types of response strategies that are association-based: CA strategy and CSR strategy. Drawing on the framework of CA-CSR, Expectancy Violation Theory, and information processing literature, this study examines whether and how these crisis response strategies interact with consumers’ pre-crisis associations and collectively influence consumer reactions in times of CSR crises. Results of two experiments render support for the predicted interaction effect. Furthermore, the results show that crisis response diagnosticity and novelty, as perceived by consumers with varied pre-crisis associations, serve as the underlying process explanations that drive the observed interaction effect. Theoretical contributions and practical implications of these results to crisis communication are also discussed.     

Communicating corporate LGBTQ advocacy: A computational comparison of the global CSR discourse

Corporations are increasingly engaging with political and social issues through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, in new areas such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) advocacy. Informed by institutional theory and stakeholder theory, this article systematically, comparatively, and computationally examines the intersection of LGBTQ advocacy and CSR communication. In particular, it contributes to the literature by (1) examining the global LGBTQ CSR discourse constructed by Fortune Global 500 companies (136,820 words) with semantic network analysis and structural topic modeling; (2) surveying non-profit organizations’ guidelines and comparing corporate values with them; and (3) exploring how stakeholder expectations and institutional factors influence CSR communication. Results indicate 6 corporate topics and 9 non-profit topics, which were explicated by referencing organizations’ original writing. It is further shown that stakeholder expectations and institutional factors not only affect whether or not corporations report LGBTQ efforts, but also affect what topics they highlight in CSR reports. Corporations in democratic countries with substantial stakeholder expectations emphasize areas that need high investment and exceed legal obligations.     

Attenuating public skepticism: Effects of pre-crisis corporate engagement and post-crisis CSR initiatives on corporate evaluations

This study examined the effects of stated motives in post-crisis corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages, CSR-crisis issue congruence, and pre-crisis corporate engagement on public skepticism toward CSR and subsequent corporate evaluations. We conducted a 3 (motive of post-crisis CSR initiative: no statement vs. firm-serving vs. public-serving) x 2 (issue congruence: CSR initiative incongruent vs. congruent with crisis) x 2 (pre-crisis corporate engagement: absence vs. presence) between-subjects online experiment via Qualtrics panel (N = 378). The findings showed that stating a public-serving motive or launching a CSR initiative incongruent with a crisis heightened some aspects of CSR skepticism. We further found that pre-crisis corporate engagement interacted with stated motive and issue congruence to influence corporate evaluations. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Hybrid happening: Organizational reputations in corporate crises

Public relations professionals strive to develop mutually beneficial relationships among key publics that will result in favorable organizational reputations, but crises typically threaten those reputations. Much of public relations crisis research focuses on how to respond after a crisis, but drawing on Expectation Violation Theory (EVT), this research focuses on the expectations of stakeholders before a crisis and how they process information during a crisis. Drawing from reputation management research in marketing, it conceptualizes corporate reputations as encompassing associations related to corporate ability (CA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Reputation management research generally has investigated reputations as strong on either CA or CSR, but this research examines the effects of a “hybrid” reputation, which is strong in terms of both CA and CSR associations. The results of an experiment reveal that stakeholders’ responses during a crisis vary based on their expectations, how they perceive a hybrid reputation, and the crisis type. The study has theoretical implications regarding stakeholders’ information processing during a crisis, and it provides public relations professionals insights regarding how to cultivate and protect an organizational reputation.     

Gauging consumers’ responses to CSR activities: Does increased awareness make cents?

This study assessed the impact of knowledge of a company's corporate social responsibility efforts on both attitude and purchase intent. Until now, research studies have assumed knowledge was created via message exposure without measuring it. Results indicate that participants exposed to information about a company's CSR activities are more knowledgeable about those activities and that increased knowledge positively impacts attitudes and purchase intentions.     

U.S. Fortune 500’s stakeholders engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence for proactive approaches

In times of a national crisis such as COVID-19, it is important for organizations to show that they are good corporate citizens. At the same time, organizations should carefully select the type of messages that resonate with stakeholders so as to reduce stakeholder skepticism. This study examines how U.S. Fortune 500 companies discussed their COVID-19 pandemic CSR actions on Facebook over 15 months and how the public responded to such messages. We identified three CSR themes: internal stakeholder proactive CSR, external stakeholder proactive CSR, and external stakeholder accommodative CSR. When publics engaged, external stakeholder proactive CSR was significantly associated with better behavioral engagement outcomes, more positive emotional engagement outcomes, and less negative emotions. However, such effects are moderated by industry type. Our findings inform public relations theory and practice and suggest that in times of major crises, organizations should prioritize proactive approaches to engage external stakeholders while being mindful of specific institutional contexts.     

The influence of culture and infrastructure on CSR and country image: The case of Kuwait

The study examined how CSR is practiced in Kuwait, a country in an understudied region of the world, and considered the impact of the political and economic structure of a country on CSR practices. Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of communication executives found strong cooperation between the public and private sectors in Kuwait for CSR projects and for promoting country image, related to the sociocultural context of the country. Kuwaiti corporations associate themselves with the country of Kuwait when engaging in CSR activities in other countries and have a strong sense of corporate citizenship that reflects the collectivistic culture. Understanding CSR in different societal and cultural contexts and how it can affect country image is important for global public relations scholarship as well as for successful business practice.     

How controversial businesses communicate CSR on Facebook: Insights from the Canadian cannabis industry

This study advances our current understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication in a controversial industry by analyzing CSR-related Facebook posts from seven Canadian public cannabis companies. Our findings indicated that these companies’ CSR communication on Facebook was mostly instrumentalist, lacked transparency, and used effective multimedia characteristics. In addition, associations between communication strategies and public engagement on social media (e.g., # of likes, comments, and shares) revealed both opportunities and ethical concerns regarding CSR communication in controversial businesses.     

Socially stigmatized company’s CSR efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic: The effects of CSR fit and perceived motives

Acknowledging the unique challenges of the socially stigmatized industry and the substantial but varying impact of COVID-19 on business, this study examined how corporate social responsibility (CSR) fit influences public attitudinal and behavioral responses. This study found that low (high) CSR fit generated a higher level of public-serving motive (firm-serving motive) than high (low) fit CSR. The fit effect on public-serving motives was changed by the valence of the COVID-19 impact (negative vs. positive) on the financial performance. This study also found that the fit affects attitudinal and behavioral intentions (word of mouth) mediated via public-serving motives, moderated by the valence of the pandemic impact. The findings hold implications for the stigmatized industry companies’ CSR initiatives in the context of the unexpected crisis, like the pandemic.     

The effects of CSR communication in corporate crises: Examining the role of dispositional and situational CSR skepticism in context

Although consumer skepticism about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is on the rise, research is sparse on the psychological dynamics of this skepticism, particularly when CSR communication serves as a company’s crisis response strategy. Employing two between-subjects design experiments, this study aims to fill this gap by looking at the role consumer CSR skepticism plays in consumer reactions to CSR communications in different types of crises. The study 1 results show that dispositional CSR skepticism did not moderate the effect of crisis type on attitudes and intentions when CSR was used as a post-crisis response strategy. The study 2 findings, however, indicated that situational CSR skepticism significantly mediated the impact of crisis type and CSR motives on purchase intentions only when the crisis stemmed from some accidental rather than preventable circumstance. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Corporate social responsibility communication of Chinese and global corporations in China

This paper explored how leading Chinese and global companies operating in China communicate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) principles and practices to the Chinese stakeholders through a content analysis of these companies’ corporate websites. It was found that companies usually take one of the following three major approaches in their CSR communication: CSR as ad hoc public philanthropy, CSR as strategic philanthropy, and CSR as ethical business practices. Furthermore, this paper examined the effects of country of origin and industry on companies’ CSR communication and found that whether companies are targeting at businesses or consumers has a bigger impact on their CSR communication than whether they are Chinese or global. Finally, despite a tendency towards convergence, Chinese and global companies still present their CSR principles and practices differently because of their different relations with major Chinese and global stakeholders.     

Can strategic message framing mitigate the negative effects of skeptical comments against corporate-social-responsibility communication on social networking sites?

This study connected framing theory with corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication literature to examine whether a CSR message that emphasizes customers’ contribution to CSR efforts can enhance CSR communication and mitigate the negative effects of skeptical comments from other users on social networking sites (SNSs). Specifically, this study examined whether a customer-credit-sharing CSR message, compared to a conventional self-promoting message, better mitigated the effects of skeptical comments from other SNSs users on values-driven motives perceived by customers, customers’ positive attitudes, and behavioral intentions. It also explored whether the effects of strategic framing changed when skeptical comments were made online by friends or strangers. A total of 400 customers participated in an online between-subjects experiment. The results showed that the credit-sharing message better protected perceived values-driven motives and positive attitudes toward the company after the customers were exposed to skeptical comments, regardless of who posted the skeptical comments. Customers who read the credit-sharing message also showed stronger intention to defend the company’s CSR efforts and stronger purchase intention when the skeptical comments came from a friend. More theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

How sorry are you? Intensified apologies and the mediating role of perceived remorse in corporate crisis communication

This article reports the results of a between-subject experiment investigating the direct and indirect effects of intensified apologies on purchase intent. The study adopts a linguistic approach to apologies and operationalizes them based on Blum-Kulka and Olshtain’s (1984) apology framework. The study compares the effectiveness of a simple apology (‘We’re sorry’) to four intensified apologies which - in addition to expression of remorse - contain one of the following apology strategies: a) intensification through adverbials, b) admission of guilt, c) offer of repair or d) promise of forbearance. In addition, the study examines the role of perceived remorse as a mediating factor between intensified apologies and purchase intent. Intensified apologies containing adverbials and offer of repair are found to have a positive effect on perceived remorse which, in turn, leads to higher purchase intent. The experiment is the first one in the field of corporate crisis communication to examine the mediating role of perceived remorse in intensified apologies.     

Business-centered versus socially responsible corporate diversity communication. An assessment of stakeholder (dis)agreement on Twitter

This study assessed the business-centered and CSR-centered diversity communication of five American corporations along with the ensuing responses on the microblogging platform Twitter, the present analysis contributes to the literature on online diversity communication and public relations. The results revealed that companies that had long-term consistency in approaching diversity as CSR received more agreeable responses than those that made swift changes in the aftermath of increased pressure from activist groups. In addition, companies that communicated to a greater degree about the impact of diversity on the bottom line engendered higher user agreement than those who discussed diversity primarily from a CSR perspective.The results shed light on the importance of message consistency throughout longer periods of time.     

Public relations’ place in corporate social responsibility: Practitioners define their role

Qualitative responses from 173 PR practitioners were used to analyze their roles and contribution to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Practitioners identified five roles for public relations in CSR—significant management, philanthropic, value-driven, communication, and none. PR professionals illustrated these roles by describing their contributions to social responsibility programs. They also expressed limitations to their ability to contribute to CSR programs.     

Corporate Associations Written on the Wall: Publics’ Responses to Fortune 500 Ability and Social Responsibility Facebook Posts

This is a quantitative content analysis of Fortune 500 companies’ Facebook profiles, wall posts, and wall comments. It confirms that a 3-part typology of message strategies—corporate ability (CA), corporate social responsibility (CSR), and hybrid—exists in corporate online social networking communication. As predicted, when corporations used CA strategies in wall posts, publics’ wall comments demonstrated greater CA associations and product evaluations than CSR associations and company evaluations. Likewise, when corporations used CSR strategies, publics showed greater CSR associations than CA associations. These corporate messages and publics’ responses in the real-world digital market support the synergistic model of corporate communication strategy.