Giving power to corporate social responsibility: A case study of the organization-public relationship between a public utility and its community stakeholders

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine how, if at all, relationships between public utility companies and their stakeholders changes following a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, and based on the results, how can companies restructure their initiatives to better serve their publics in order to build stronger, more positive relationships. A multi-method case study using in-depth interviews and two content analyses (a social media analysis and a news coverage analysis) was used to explore the relationship between a public utility company and a community affected by the implementation of a CSR initiative. The findings suggest that the relationship quality between stakeholders and the utility was improved and community pride was increased, although the community may not remember that the utility was involved with the CSR initiative. Results also show that the public utility did not promote its involvement with the initiative on social media or in news coverage, which could have led to the community being aware of the utility as the funder. The information gathered in this research will help expand research of public utilities and its CSR activities and how these activities can be improved to create better relationships with its stakeholders.