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

Abstract

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.