Communicating philanthropic CSR versus ethical and legal CSR to employees: empirical evidence in Turkey

Buket Pala,Yijing Wang

doi:10.1108/ccij-01-2020-0014

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigates the mechanism through which banks employ corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment to engage in employees. The values of different types of CSR engagement (i.e. philanthropic CSR vs ethical and legal CSR) are distinguished and their influences on employee identification are analyzed. The moderation effect of CSR communication through corporate social media is examined in this context.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 254 respondents was collected through surveying the employees of one of the largest banks in Turkey.FindingsFindings suggest that ethical and legal CSR is perceived more importantly than philanthropic CSR by employees in the banking industry. In addition, the level of transparency and frequency of CSR communication through corporate social media moderates the CSR types–employee identification relationship distinctively.Practical implicationsSpecial attention should be paid to the conditions under which CSR communication takes place effectively, as skeptics toward certain types of CSR initiatives may occur along with the disclosure of information about them.Social implicationsIf organizations use social media communication in a way that would bring the CSR interests of their employees to light, it is likely that CSR initiatives will become more meaningful and have a greater societal impact.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the CSR literature through identifying the value of different types of CSR initiative and confirming the importance of transparent and proactive CSR communication on employee identification in the banking sector.

Highlights

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), defined as “behaviors [aligned] with the norms and demands embraced by their main stakeholders” (Maignan and Ferrell, 2004, p. 6), serves to meet the expectations of various stakeholders (Agarwal and Berens, 2009; Clarkson, 1995; Schoeneborn et al, 2020)
As for the results presented in model 3, we found opposite moderation effects on philanthropic and ethical and legal CSR
The fact that philanthropic CSR is perceived positively may be attributed to several factors, such as the influence of the social norms set in the global market (Baughn et al, 2007), the increasing negotiation power of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the regulations imposed upon Turkey as a precondition for it to become a member of the European Union

Summary

Introduction

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), defined as “behaviors [aligned] with the norms and demands embraced by their main stakeholders” (Maignan and Ferrell, 2004, p. 6), serves to meet the expectations of various stakeholders (Agarwal and Berens, 2009; Clarkson, 1995; Schoeneborn et al, 2020). 6), serves to meet the expectations of various stakeholders (Agarwal and Berens, 2009; Clarkson, 1995; Schoeneborn et al, 2020). Corporate social responsibility (CSR), defined as “behaviors [aligned] with the norms and demands embraced by their main stakeholders” It has its roots in stakeholder theory that the sustainable growth of a company rests on its relationship with a variety of important stakeholders (Carroll, 1991; Wang and Holznagel, 2020). The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion