Online Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Nusantara Wisdom for CSR Concept

This writing aims to propose a concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) based on the wisdom of the Bugis-Makassar community, particularly drawing inspiration from the values of Sipakalebbi, Sipakatau, and Sipakainge nusantara. Three-step method consisting of content analysis through document review was applied for this study. The reviewed documents include news from trusted online media sources and CSR reports from various companies, which are analyzed to understand the flow of CSR funds. The third step involves extracting the values of Bugis-Makassar Sipakalebbi, Sipakatau, and Sipakainge nusantara wisdom as a framework for a just CSR concept. It was found that a CSR concept based on these three Bugis-Makassar values can serve as a compass and character builder for corporate CSR initiatives in Indonesia. These three values are expected to uphold justice for society and the environment. CSR has become an integral part of modern business practices, aimed at promoting positive impacts on society and the environment. In the context of Indonesia, this research proposes a CSR concept rooted in the wisdom of the Bugis-Makassar community, specifically drawing inspiration from the values of Sipakalebbi, Sipakatau, and Sipakainge.

Contents and determinants of CSR website communication toward international stakeholders: evidence from Chinese MNCs

With Chinese companies increasingly transforming into powerful social and economic institutions in the global market, they have begun to face progressive pressure to sustain communication with international stakeholders in a socially responsible fashion. This study represents a preliminary attempt to explore Chinese MNCs’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to their international audiences through corporate websites, as well as its company-level determinants. The CSR information posed by 149 leading Chinese MNCs on their official English websites was analyzed in terms of their visibility, extent, and themes, and the impact of four company-level factors on the communication was tested. The findings indicated that Chinese MNCs generally presented CSR information in a visible and readily accessible way, yet the extent of the communication was relatively low. The communication focused on issues related to consumers and stakeholders, followed by the community and employees, with inadequate addressing of suppliers. The positive impact of company-level determinants (i.e. degree of internationalization, overseas experience of top management, and industry affiliation to polluting sectors) on communication was confirmed. Theoretical and practical implications for online CSR communication in the global context are subsequently discussed.

Engaging Individuals in CSR Activities: The Role of Person-Community Fit and Social Capital in Corporate Online CSR Communities

Engaging individuals in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an effective strategy for service firms to convey information about their efforts toward and performance in CSR to society. Although there exists a substantial body of literature on engaging internal stakeholders in CSR activities, little is known about what motivates a broader scope of individuals to engage in online CSR communities, which may determine the effects and outcomes of CSR. We apply person-fit theory and social capital theory to investigate individual engagement in firm-sponsored online CSR communities. We find that the fit between personal needs and online community supplies positively influences the public's intention to engage in CSR activities, and this relationship is stronger for females. However, perceived social consciousness does not moderate the relationship between fit and CSR engagement. The results also demonstrate that relational and cognitive social capitals positively influence CSR engagement, but structural social capital does not. This study makes significant contributions to CSR literature and online community research by elaborating on the public's motivation for engaging in online CSR communities and highlighting the uniqueness of CSR engagement.

Corporate Social Responsibility: What Are Foodservice Companies Reporting?

This study identified aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities using online communication tools (i.e., websites and online CSR reports) with an emphasis on the foodservice industry and compared quick-service restaurants and dessert cafes. With the content analysis of 48 foodservice companies, the community, environment, marketplace, vision and values, food, and workforce-centered CSR activities implemented by the selected foodservice companies were measured. In addition, the types CSR information delivered to customers employed by the foodservice companies were investigated. Lastly, there were significant differences between two segments in the foodservice industry in some aspects of CSR activities and types of CSR activities.

Walking the talk about corporate social responsibility communication: An elaboration likelihood model perspective

AbstractLarge organizations, including listed businesses, financial service providers as well as public services entities are increasingly disclosing information on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues through corporate websites or via social media. Therefore, this research uses valid measures from the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to explore the individuals’ attitudes toward online corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications. The data were gathered from a structured questionnaire among three hundred ninety‐two respondents (n = 392). A structural equations modeling partial least squares (SEM‐PLS 3) approach was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that the timeliness, relevance and accuracy of information as well as the source expertise were highly significant antecedents that were affecting the research participants’ attitudes toward CSR communications. This contribution implies that there is scope for content curators to publish quality online information on their business activities to improve their trustworthiness and positive credentials among stakeholders.

Exploration and explication of the nature of online reviews of organizational corporate social responsibility initiatives

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to comprehend the nature of online reviews received on various social networking sites and internet-based platforms regrading organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.Design/methodology/approachGiven the novelty of this field, a qualitative exploratory research study was carried out. For this research, 28 Indian CSR experts on online CSR reviews were interviewed with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire for data collection. Thematic and relational content analysis was applied for data analysis. The data was analysed based upon the theoretical anchors of micro foundations approach, organizational egoism (reputational and economic) concept and organizational logic (instrumental and integrative) literature and stakeholder salience.FindingsThe study analysis indicated that online CSR reviews that organizations received on various social networking sites and internet-based platforms from different individual and institutional stakeholders were complaints, appreciations, observations and recommendations in nature. Online CSR reviews appreciated more of integrative organizational logic than instrumental organizational logic. CSR reviews present on online platforms valued organizational reputational egoism more than organizational economic egoism. The salience of stakeholders was getting redefines in Web 2.0 based online CSR reviews. Finally, micro foundations approach was becoming a more potent perspective in the CSR narrative.Research limitations/implicationsThis research study was anchored in the micro foundations approach of CSR (Hafenbrädl and Waeger, 2017). This study ascertained those individuals did matter in organizational CSR narrative (Maak et al., 2016). Furthermore, how firms were evaluated through online reviews based upon organizational egoism (reputational and economic) (Casali, 2011; Casali and Day, 2015) and organizational logic (instrumental and integrative) (Seele and Lock, 2015; Liu, 2013; Gao and Bansal, 2013; Bansal and Song, 2017) was studied. Finally, in the world of online reviews, the notion of salient stakeholders (Mitchell et al., 2011; Magness, 2008) was getting redefined, and this aspect was also covered in this research study.Practical implicationsFirms have been engaging in CSR initiatives towards provision of social benefits and community engagement. Regarding firm CSR initiatives, CSR managers traditionally used to receive feedback from the stakeholders based upon written and special surveys conducted post or during the late stages of CSR engagement. The advent and ubiquitous presence of digital mobile devices and Web 2.0-enabled internet connections altered the way firms received feedback. This was because increasingly online reviews were received from stakeholders on firm CSR web pages, social networking sites and other online spaces. Many of the online CSR reviews were regarding the compliments and achievements that the CSR initiatives had achieved. However, a significant portion of online CSR reviews were regarding the complaints regarding the CSR initiatives. Online CSR reviews received from an array of stakeholders are inputs for firm managers. Online CSR reviews are thus an asset for an organization. Managers need to develop capabilities towards applying this asset for the expressed purposed. These online CSR reviews could be used as inputs to draw new CSR initiatives, redefine extant CSR initiatives. Furthermore, these online CSR reviews could be used as inputs to alter the organizational resources, capabilities, competencies and process regarding CSR initiatives.Originality/valueThis was one of the first studies that integrated the theoretical aspects of salient stakeholders, organizational logic, organizational egoism through the lens of micro foundations approach in the context of organizational CSR initiatives. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this was indeed a novel contribution, as the same was explored and explicated based upon online CSR reviews on internet-based platforms.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) website disclosures: empirical evidence from the German banking industry

PurposeContent analysis was used to examine the CSR disclosures of 78 bank websites based on four categories: environment and energy, human resources, customers and products and community involvement. Furthermore, sample units were grouped according to their characteristics, and nonparametric tests were employed to determine significant differences between these groups.Design/methodology/approachThis study (1) examines the extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on bank websites and (2) analyzes the relationship between online CSR disclosure and bank characteristics (i.e. size, profitability, capital market orientation, government ownership, media visibility and bank category).FindingsThe results reveal that the most-disclosed (least-disclosed) CSR information by banks relates to customers and products (environment and energy). Moreover, characteristics such as size, capital market orientation, government-ownership and media visibility are significant in explaining CSR website disclosures, while profitability (bank category) is not (only partially) significant.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the sample constitutes all the relevant banks in Germany, it is small and limited to a single national context. Thus, the results may not be generalizable.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the relatively scarce literature concerning CSR disclosures on banks' websites, provides new empirical data and extends prior research that compares CSR practices among different types of banks. Recommendations for action are also formulated that are relevant for banking practitioners in the present and future.

Marketing strategies in communicating CSR in the Muslim market of the United Arab Emirates: insights from the banking sector

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the online corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication by domestic and global banks operating in the United Arab Emirates.Design/methodology/approachThrough a qualitative content analysis, the study examines the strategies banks use to market their CSR initiatives on their corporate websites. CSR marketing strategies are classified with reference to Kotler and Lee’s (2005) categorization.FindingsThe analysis indicates that overall, all CSR marketing strategies, as proposed by Kotler and Lee (2005), are used by the domestic UAE banks with the most frequently used being cause-promotion, philanthropy and socially responsible business practices. Government owned and conventional banks display patterns congruent to the communications observed in the global sample. Islamic banks have a less diversified approach relying mostly on philanthropy with only one Islamic bank using four of the six strategies.Originality/valueThe present study provides insight into how CSR is communicated within one of the largest industries in the fast-growing economy of the UAE. The observations reported here could help corporate communication practitioners and managers in domestic corporations that contribute to the Islamic economy to understand how to benchmark better and to communicate more effectively about their CSR.

Corporate governance: Does it matter for corporate social responsibility disclosure via website and social media by top listed UK companies?

This paper reports on the nature, extent, and determinants of online corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure practices among the top 350 companies listed in the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 350). This has been done through two-fold. First, the paper investigates the relationship between firm characteristics, board structure, and ownership structure with CSR information dissemination via social media. The results indicate that the company that has a high number of females on board has a significant effect on CSR and the product and service as a component of CSR. Moreover, the results reveal that the company with a high level of ownership concentration has an effect on community involvement, product and service, and environment. In addition, a company that has a high level of institutional ownership has an effect on the product and service. Finally, the company that has a high percentage of director ownership has an effect on the product and service. Second, the paper studies the effect of board structure and other control variables on the online CSR for the top listed UK firms. The dependent variables consist of a comprehensive index of disclosure and another four sub-indices which namely employees, community involvement, products & services, and environment. The results show that online CSR disclosure through the firms’ websites has been affected by board size, board diversity, audit type, profitability, leverage, firm age, and the sector in which the firm operates

Assessing stakeholder network engagement

Purpose With the popularity of social media platforms, firms have now tangible means not only to reach out to their stakeholders, but also to closely monitor those interactions. Yet, there are limited methodological advances on how to measure a firm’s stakeholder networks, and the level of engagement firms have with these networks. Drawn upon the customer engagement and stakeholder theory literature, this study aims to propose an approach to calculate a firm’s stakeholder network engagement (SNE) index. Design/methodology/approach After deriving the SNE index formula mathematically, this study illustrates how the SNE index functions using eight firms’ online corporate social responsibility (CSR) networks across four diverse industries. Findings This study proposes and illustrates a new approach of capturing the SNE in a stakeholder network for use by academic and practical researchers. Research limitations/implications Researchers can use the SNE index to assess engagement in stakeholder networks in various contexts. Practical implications Managers can use the SNE index to assess, benchmark and improve the nature and quality of their CSR strategies to derive greater return on their CSR investments. Originality/value Building on the stakeholder, communication and network analysis literatures, this study conceptualises SNE in four theoretical dimensions, namely, diffusion, accessibility, interactivity and influence. Then, an index that measures SNE is mathematically derived and empirically illustrated.

Corporate social responsibility penetration, explicitness, and symbolic communication practices in Asia: A national business system exploration of leading firms in sustainability

AbstractThe study explores whether the penetration, explicitness, and symbolic corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication practices of organizations are associated with the characteristics of the countries to which they belong. By focusing on the national business systems (NBSs) of Asian countries, the study analyzes the websites of companies based in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mainland China, and Hong Kong, to address strategic‐operational (penetration), discretionary‐non‐discretionary (explicitness), and substantial‐symbolic (symbolic practices) dimensions of CSR communication. The findings suggest that online CSR communication in Asian mirrors national business profiles. In particular, CSR penetration and explicitness in companies located in different Asian countries vary, whereas CSR symbolic communication does not appear to be related to the specifics of each NBS. The research extends the understanding of CSR communication in Asia based on the NBS theory. The findings can indicate to Asian managers how they can make CSR communication more effective, in terms of penetration and explicitness, and how to avoid symbolic CSR practices.

Exploring digital corporate social responsibility communications on Twitter

Many brands utilize social media to communicate with consumers, but are they taking advantage of these media's potential for co-creation? We explore this in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) context where online CSR dialogs form as brands interact with consumers using social media. Study 1 examines eight brands' digital CSR communications on Twitter and suggests these dialogs are present but are rarely part of the process with most interactions between their consumers. Study 2 assesses the brands' CSR relevant tweets' content and finds that most are not relevant to CSR and, moreover, are predominantly one-way. Therefore, both studies reveal that brands are not tapping into the potential for co-creation that is inherent in social media. Thus, we recommend that social media communications should include (a) mentions of individual consumers, (b) audience specific and relevant message content, and (c) opportunities for consumers to co-create value with the relevant brands.

Online corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in the banking industry: evidence from Poland

PurposeBased on a set of complementary theories, namely, the legitimacy, stakeholder and signaling theories, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the visibility of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures on bank websites. In particular, we explored the accessibility, placement, reporting format, extent and content of online CSR information. This paper also examined the effect of size, being listed, ownership structure and the internationalization of banks on online CSR reporting.Design/methodology/approachA sample consisting of 20 banks was used where the data were manually collected from the websites of various banks during the fourth quarter of 2017. Three reporting formats were explored: information posted directly on the website, information contained in a separate CSR report and information within a management commentary or annual report or integrated report. Content analysis was used to measure the level of online CSR disclosures in four sub-dimensions: environment, human resources, products and customers and community involvement. The sample was grouped according to the criteria of size, being listed, ownership structure and internationality. Non-parametric statistics were used to analyze some factors that influence CSR disclosure, namely, size, public ownership, internationalization and foreign ownership.FindingsThe results indicate that accessibility to CSR information is relatively good. The placement of CSR information on websites varies among banks. Moreover, community involvement was the most disclosed dimension on the banks’ websites. There was a lack of disclosure on items regarding the environment. Furthermore, the findings of this paper showed that significant determinants for explaining online CSR disclosure level were size and being listed.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by examining the online CSR disclosure practices of banks from an emerging market with a different socio-economic context and regulations compared to the developed market.

Online corporate social responsibility communication strategies and stakeholder engagements: A comparison of controversial versus noncontroversial industries

AbstractThis study attempts to reveal the corporate social responsibility (CSR) programming and communication strategies of companies from controversial versus noncontroversial industry sectors and stakeholders' responses to these online CSR communications. A content analysis of CSR videos from 58 companies among the Fortune 500 and user comments on YouTube found that controversial and noncontroversial industries tended to use different strategies in their online CSR communications. Videos that (a) used information strategies, (b) took a company‐dominant perspective, and (c) described high fit CSR programs received more negative and skeptical comments; CSR videos that (a) emphasized the companies' commitment to the programs, (b) demonstrated the impact of CSR programs with anecdotal evidences, and (c) balanced their stated CSR motives between social benefits and business interests received less negative and skeptical comments. Most importantly, stakeholders' responses towards these communication strategies differed by industry sectors.

Hoftsede's cultural dimensions and corporate social responsibility in online communication: Are they independent constructs?

AbstractDespite the fact that culture is central in globalized and digitalized contexts, few studies have investigated how organizations are influenced by cultural dimensions in communicating their social responsibility efforts. Through the lens of cultural dimensions, this study aims at comparing communication displayed on corporate websites of top sustainable organizations. The aim is reached evaluating how Hofstede's cultural dimensions, reflected in corporate social responsibility (CSR) content, vary between companies in Asian context and other organizations worldwide. A coding scheme to analyze cultural impact on CSR communication content disclosed on websites was carried out. Findings show that Hofstede's cultural dimensions and online CSR communication belong to different levels of analysis: One is innate and diffusive, whereas the other one is intentional and rational. Differently from extant studies on cultural dimensions, results suggest that cultural dimensions are factors that should be analyzed as social aspects, whereas online CSR communication should instead be explored as strategic feature.

How Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in Social Media Affect Awareness and Customer Engagement

The aim of this study is to explore if organizations that engage stakeholders in social media with co-creative approaches (allowing them to be active participants and decision-makers in their online corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities) can be more effective in building awareness, increasing stakeholders’ empowerment and participation levels, than firms who use the conventional design and communication of these activities, where the stakeholder has no participation in the process and is merely taken as a passive agent. Thus, a real online participatory CSR initiative is examined through an online questionnaire, which gathered 322 valid responses. Results provide evidence that co-creating socially responsible activities in social media can increase not only the awareness for such actions, but also increase empowerment, participation levels, positive word-of-mouth dissemination, and reinforce consumer-brand ties in the process.

Online Corporate Social Responsibility on Developing Countries

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The Online Communication of Corporate Social Responsibility in Subsidiaries of Multinational Companies in Hungary

Abstract Background and Purpose: Many studies have explored the differences in the management of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of multinational companies across the globe. The main question of the study was, are there differences between CSR practices between home country and host country operations? Design/Methodology/Approach: This study investigates the differences in online CSR communication between global corporate websites and the webpages of local subsidiaries in Hungary. The sample contains 70 multinational companies (MNCs) and their Hungarian subsidiaries. All the subsidiaries of the sample are listed amongst the largest 200 companies (based on turnover) in Hungary. Both the local (Hungarian) and the global internet sites of these MNCs were visited, and pre-defined categories were sought on the corporate websites. The presence/lack of these CSR themes and topics on the websites were recorded. Results: The findings show that online CSR disclosure of the subsidiaries is usually more limited than the global communication. Moreover, distance from the headquarters seems to matter, the farther the headquarters of the MNC is located, the narrower CSR presence on the websites of the local subsidiary can be observed. Conclusion: The paper’s main contribution is to deepen our knowledge about the CSR strategies of the multinational companies across their operations. It was confirmed that their CSR practices significantly differ between the host and home countries.

How Leading Firms Pursue Legitimacy through CSR Communication? A Cross-Regional Analysis

To deepen our understanding of how firms pursue different forms of legitimacy in communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR), a specific framework has been developed. By employing a specific methodology for content analysis of online CSR communication, four different CSR legitimacy-seeking strategies are compared across European, North-American and Asian firms included in both Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and Hang Seng (Mainland China and Hong Kong) Corporate Sustainability Index (HSMHSUS). The analysis reveals that Asian firms do not present significant differences in how they disclose on corporate websites their orientation to sustainability (i.e. institutional rhetoric) than European and North American counterparts. However, they seem significantly less inclined to engage in political (i.e. how they report their stakeholder engagement and governance structure), dialogic (i.e. how they adopt a two-way dialogue strategy) and strategic rhetoric in comparison with European firms. The difference between Asian and North American firms mostly concerns the former¡¯s less salient use of the strategic rhetoric, namely the ways in which firms disseminate content on CSR issues to gain societal support and, at the same time, seek competitive advantage. The comparative study sheds light on how concrete legitimacy strategies through CSR communication vary in different contexts. The paper suggests the need to further explore CSR communication as an indicator of the evolution of legitimacy-seeking approaches by firms.

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility on the Web

The main focus of this article is to thoroughly examine the practice of virtual corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication of the best multinational companies in the world. By distinguishing the benchmarks for CSR communication in this fast-growing area of online CSR communication, we are aiming to provide tools for easier analysis of the best practices and a more widespread adoption of those best practices by other organizations. The empirical analysis focuses on the aspects of the pyramid of CSR. For the topic coding, five categories were differentiated: society, environment, employees, sponsoring and volunteerism. The analysis focused on reports from five consecutive years (2010 to 2014) in order to recognize a trend.