INTRODUCTION: CSR COMMUNICATION AS AN EMERGING

FIELD OF STUDY

Ralph Tench, William Sun and Brian Jones

ABSTRACT

Purpose
This chapter is to introduce to the reader the background, purpose, core themes and structure
of the volume. Brief summaries of all the following chapters in the book are provided.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature review and desk research
Findings
This chapter suggests that CSR communication as a cross-section of communication studies
and CSR research should be highlighted as an important subject of inquiry to bridge the
communicative gap between businesses and their stakeholders as well as the public at large.
An initial theoretical framework on CSR communication is presented.
Research implications
A general research direction is provided for CSR communication. It encourages more future
scholarly studies in this emerging and fascinating field.
Social/practical implications
The overall purpose is to help grow knowledge and develop understanding of the ways in
which businesses communicate CSR.
Originality/value
It is the first time in the field of CSR communication that a relatively comprehensive and
systematic framework is presented. The chapters that follow in the book cover many contents
of the framework.
Keywords: corporate social responsibility, communication, CSR communication framework

CSR is increasingly seen as a priority in numerous countries, societies and businesses around
the world. Over the last forty years or more, there have been various initiatives in the UK
and internationally focussing on the advancement, development and exploitation of CSR.
CSR initiatives vary in their aims and objectives but in general, the purpose is to encourage
businesses, governments and citizens to have a more socially responsible approach to the way
they operate in order to help them cope with environmental as well as social change. It is
certainly the case that compared with even the most recent past business and societys
expectations of one another have changed considerably. Political pressure, legislation and
amongst other things environmental campaigning have prompted change and helped, for
example, to raise standards of corporate governance. Communication on CSR has been an
integral part of this period of change and remains so today. The role of business in society has
grown and evolved to meet the changing expectations and demands of consumers, citizens,
government and other stakeholders. Companies, corporations and organisations of all sizes,
functions and sectors are increasingly having to communicate and explain what they do and
why they do it to an increasingly vocal, educated body of stakeholders aware of their rights
and the concomitant obligations of business.
Yet, the remarkable role of communication in CSR has not yet attracted sufficient attention in
both academic circles and business practice. In businesses CSR communication is often
confused with the role of public relations (PR), as if self-promotion and information
control/manipulation could automatically gain publicity and customer loyalty and win public
trust. That CSR has recently been criticised as a PR campaign or green washing activities
(Tench, Sun, & Jones, 2012) indicates the fallacy of equating CSR communication to PR or
replacing CSR communication with PR. In scholarly environments, communication studies
and CSR research are two different academic fields. In communication studies CSR is not a
primary focus, while in CSR research the role and functioning of communication has been
largely neglected until recently (the first International CSR Communication Conference was
held in Amsterdam in October 2011). Given that CSR has been widely regarded as a failed
practice (as evidenced in the 2007-2009 financial crisis) (Sun, Stewart, & Pollard, 2010), and
often misunderstood by business practitioners and misperceived by various stakeholders,
CSR communication as a cross-section of communication studies and CSR research should
be highlighted as an important subject of inquiry to bridge the communicative gap between
businesses and their stakeholders as well as the public at large. Combining them in this way
as a subject of enquiry will help to clarify the intention, motivation, and perception of CSR
initiatives and other activities, and enhance the mutual understanding and the effectiveness of
dialogue between business actors and key stakeholders.

THE COMMUNICATIVE FRAMEWORK OF CSR

What follows is a sketch of the CSR communication framework, in which we outline several
key components of CSR communication as an emerging field of study.

The Role of Communication in CSR

As the cross-section of communication studies and CSR research, CSR communication
highlights the role of communication in CSR and how the message of CSR can be effectively
conveyed from senders to recipients, how CSR activities can be understood mutually between
senders and receivers and between receivers, and can be perceived precisely or correctly by
those receivers.
1. CSR without communication information lost
It is often a problem that companies initiate CSR programmes and schemes and/or conduct
general CSR activities, but they fail to communicate with their stakeholders and to let the
public know what they are actually doing. Thus, when a communicative message is not sent
out, corrupted or lost somewhere in the transmission process, companies may waste their
endeavours on CSR. There are now more than 1500 companies worldwide that have
published their CSR reports. Yet, many companies are over-reliant on corporate reports as a
disclosure measure to inform the public. This is too limited. Multiple channels and efforts are
needed to ensure that CSR information is accessible to stakeholders and the public.
2. CSR with communication information exchanged
When CSR endeavours and activities are communicated, whether intentionally or
unintentionally, it may produce two different effects. On the one side CSR information can be
positive and constructive because the companies, as the message originators and senders,
convey sincere, reliable and transparent information to stakeholders and the public, which is
perceived in the way it was intended. On the other side, CSR information can be negative and
destructive to companies because they send out false, untrue, inaccurate or distorted
information, or the message receivers misunderstand and misperceive CSR information.
Hence, companies do not just need to engage in the information exchange process, but also
must pay attention to the results of CSR communication.
3. CSR in communication: Two-way exchanges
When communicating with stakeholders, communication practitioners need to be aware of
the contested and sometimes controversial nature of the CSR subject matter. There is no
universally agreed definition of the term CSR. This is in part due to the fact that different
stakeholders seek to claim the concept as their own and to define it in their own interests. The
competitive environment, the law as well as the expectations and demands of a range of
stakeholders are factors driving companies need to communicate and engage with CSR
issues. Nielsen and Thomsen (2007, p.29) make the point that,
In principle, there are no limits to social responsibility. Therefore, the main challenge for the
organizations is to manage the mutual expectations.

Thus, CSR communication is not simply a one-way public information model of exchange,
nor is it just a companys strategic management. It is or should be a two-way communication
between companies and their stakeholders, with a focus on mutual understanding and shared
3

values. For example stakeholders need to communicate with companies to persuade, motivate
and press them to behave responsibly as well as to seek clarification and to ensure they have
understood and perceived accurately what companies are intending to do and are actually
doing.

Communicative Subjects
Communication involves message senders and receivers. On a mutual perspective, the
senders and receivers of CSR messages are either companies or their stakeholders (incl. the
public at large) respectively. To companies, different message receivers (stakeholders) have
different interests in and concerns with CSR issues. Every company may have its own unique
stakeholder groups. It is important that the appropriate message is sent to the appropriate
receivers to address their related interest in issues. The type of message receivers may
determine what a communication model would be taken, as different communications would
be needed for different message receivers. Furthermore, stakeholders could be orientated on a
continuum which places them anywhere from a pro to anti organisational position. It
consequently becomes more complex for the organisation when they manage how to
communicate with those stakeholders that are more hostile towards them and possibly to
businesses in society at large.

Communicative Contents
From a companys perspective, the content of CSR communication may include four aspects.
First, companies need to make it explicit to the public what CSR perspectives they have.
Such information may include CSR values, beliefs, cultures, assumptions, perceptions and
conceptions. Second, companies need to inform the public about their CSR programmes,
initiatives and other actions. They need to explain the motivations and purposes of those
measures and justify their actions. The importance of the measures needs to be conveyed to
the right audience. Third, companies also need to ensure that the CSR initiatives, programmes
and other measures are actualised and implemented and that the effects of those actions are
measured and recorded. It is also imperative that this process is shared and should be reported
to the relevant publics or stakeholders. Finally, companies need to particularly address
identified stakeholder and public concerns and issues relating to organisational behaviour,
actions or performance. They need to identify the issues of concerns and keep stakeholders
and the public informed of how those issues are tackled.

Communicative Forms and Means

There are various channels through which companies can convey their CSR messages to their
stakeholders and the public. Those may include formal CSR reports, media (including social
media), advertising, direct dialogue, and other methods. The effectiveness and efficiency of
4

each form and means needs to be measured and evaluated. More comprehensive and effective
CSR communication could be achieved by utilising possibly multiple channels.
The above process describes the CSR communication framework which is visually
represented in figure 1.

I. Communicative Subjects:
Senders

Receivers

Communication

CSR

Information
exchanged

Information
lost

Intentional/
unintentional
True/false
Perceived/
misperceived

II. Communicative Content:

Perspectives of CSR
Programmes/initiatives of CSR
Strategic implementation of
CSR
Stakeholder/public concerns

III. Communicative Forms/Approaches/Methods:

CSR reports
Media (incl. social media)
Advertising
Direct dialogue
Others

Fig. 1.1. The CSR Communication Framework

THE VOLUME

This volume is not the first book published in the field of CSR communication, but is the first
attempt to present CSR communication in a relatively comprehensive and systematic
framework as shown above. The overall purpose is to help grow knowledge and develop
understanding of the ways in which businesses communicate CSR. The volume is divided up
into five parts. Following the introduction, part two comprises chapters that predominantly
address theoretical and conceptual issues, with more focus on the strategic role of
communication in CSR. Part three concerns CSR discourse analysis and CSR reporting.
Within this part of the book approaches to discourse analysis and challenges to integrated
reporting are examined. Part four focuses on the newly emerged method of CSR
communication: online and social media, and addresses the ways in which CSR is affected by
social media. Part five looks at CSR communication from different stakeholder perspectives,
in which both internal and external communications are discussed.
The chapters draw on a body of secondary research literature that allow for comparative
analysis of CSR communication across subject areas, through detailed and richly textured
primary data analysis, and via case studies and from differing stakeholder perspectives.
Exploring key issues around the theory and practice of CSR communication this volume will
be of interest and relevance to practitioners, policy makers and the academic community. The
first CSR Communication Conference in Amsterdam in October 2011 bore witness to the fact
that this is an emergent and topical area of research. The chapters that follow seek to describe,
explain and analyse the divergent forms and changing shape of CSR as it relates to, is
affected by and affects the world of communication.

OVERVIEWS OF THE VOLUME CONTRIBUTIONS

The chapters are briefly summarised below and the purpose here is to give the reader an
indication and flavour of the books contents.
In the chapter Four Aces: Bringing Communication Perspectives to Corporate Social
Responsibility, a communication perspective is brought to the irresponsibility debate. The
authors from Australia, Norway and the USA, Jennifer Bartlett, yvind Ihlen and Steve May
present a theoretical essay which reviews relevant literature on CSR communication and
points to what they consider four key themes - their four aces. Communication studies alert
us to (1) how meaning is constructed through communication, something that has
implications for the management of organizations as publics hold different views of CSR and
expect different things from them; (2) how a dialogue between an organization and its publics
should be unfolded; (3) how practices of transparency can assist organizations to come across
as trustworthy actors; and, importantly, (4) how a complexity view is fruitful to grasp the
CSR communication process. These four key themes could be instructive for practitioners
that want to argue for and demonstrate the usefulness of strategic communication for the
management of CSR and bridge meso and macro levels of analysis.
With the paper Bartlett, Ihlen and May argue that communication studies has contributed a
particular epistemological perspective built around social constructionism and complexity, as
6

well as considerations about notions like dialogue and transparency in a way that can further
the ability for corporate self-reflection. By focusing on practices at the meso level, further
insights can be added to a dominant discourse in the CSR literature on institutionalised
pressures on organizations to comply with social and mandated norms. Dialogue and
transparency for example, allow the micro-foundations of organisations CSR practices to be
examined, which in turn impact the practices at the meso and macro level. This can pave the
way for new approaches to CSR and CSR communication that steer clear of too simple
solutions such as, for instance, reporting against best practice guidelines that favour
instrumental perspectives.
It is through such approaches they argue that communication studies can bring deeper
insights into the CSR discussion and seek to address paradoxes such as the co-existent
expectations and criticisms of CSR and CSI practices and communication. As such, they
bridge meso and macro levels of analysis to contribute to the broader CSR/CSI discussion.
The chapter by Joy Chia takes a community perspective and focuses on the understanding of
communication to support social capital development in different regional contexts. The
chapter argues from an empirical foundation that social responsiveness is possible when
organisations understand their community. More explicitly Chia argues that by fixing
organisations as members of their communities it is possible to see the value of their social
capital within everything they do which includes the planning and delivery of CSR
programmes. Coming from Australia the author uses examples of community-based projects
in the region but also compares these with examples from Canada. She uses three regional
community examples to explore different stakeholder and community needs to see how
organisations identify their communication targets, who might be missing from the dialogue
and also how communication could be better utilised in terms of form, content and medium.
The focus of Bernd Lorenz Walters chapter Corporate Social Responsibility
Communication: towards a phase model of strategic planning is on the need to involve
stakeholders in CSR communication processes. Reputation enhancement is acknowledged to
be an important feature and asset of CSR. Walter presents CSR as being a corporate mindset
that encompasses the economic, social and ecological responsibility of a corporation. This
view is supported and theoretically underpinned by the work of Crane and Matten (2007),
Carroll (1991) and Porter and Kramer (2011). There is no all-embracing, one size fits all
definition of CSR and recognising this is important as it raises questions such as what should
be communicated and how it should be done (or not done as the case may be). The need to
communicate and engage with CSR is reinforced by discussion of legitimacy theory. Walter
importantly points up the fact that once a business introduces CSR then communication is
inevitable. The issue then of course becomes one of how to manage such CSR
communication and this takes us to the rub of the problem presented in this chapter. Walter
posits four types of CSR communication: (a) communication on and about CSR, (b)
communication as part of the CSR mindset, (c) Responsible communication, and (d)
communication of ethical products and services. The place of ethics and how this might be
aligned with strategy is given thoughtful and insightful discussion. An impressive body of
literature is drawn on to build and sustain the flow of argument around reputation, credibility
7

and trust, and stakeholder strategies. The chapter then moves on to consider the phase model
of strategic planning in CSR communication and concludes with the observation that the
positive aspects of involving stakeholders in the strategic planning process of CSR
communication strategies outweigh the negative. This chapter is theoretically informed, rich
in detail and makes for a valuable and most worthwhile read.
Lars Rademacher and Nadine Remuss chapter Correlating Leadership Style,
Communication Strategy and Management Fashion: An Approach to Describing the Drivers
and Settings of CSR Institutionalization argues that CSR communication strategies need to
take the genesis and drivers of CSR institutionalization into account. The chapter develops a
complex set of interrelated drivers for CSR institutionalization from a literature review
among them leadership styles and management fashion. It further discusses the influence of
leadership styles and management fashions on CSR institutionalization and focuses on the
diffusion of management concepts along a management fashion cycle. It then refers to
executive trainers as the key facilitator and promoter of new business concepts and presents
data from a first online-survey among German speaking management trainers. The chapter
highlights the managerial role in institutionalization of CSR by contextualizing their
behaviour in a portfolio of performance indicators. From a management fashion perspective
the various forms of explicit and implicit CSR are linked to management styles. The chapter
lays the ground for further research of CSR institutionalization and integration into business
strategy by providing a conceptualization of CSR drivers and settings that relate to a given
organization.
In their chapter Fredriksson and Olsson propose a model for evaluating environmental
information based on 'informativity' as a measurement of whether corporate environmental
disclosures provide readers with information relevant for making reasonable assessments of a
company's environmental work. Their chapter and proposed model is based on primary data
collected from a limited study of the environmental disclosures from 20 Swedish corporations
listed on the Stockholm stock exchange. Fredriksson and Olsson propose that, on a general
level, informativity denotes a set of universal principles for information qualities. In order to
make informed assessments, reports should provide readers with information on specific
projects, outcomes and long term impact. From their research and analysis their model aims
to support researchers and practitioners to quantify corporate environmental information
based on a set of key textual variables. By allowing for the quantification of qualitative
information the model allows for comparative studies of CSR communication across for
example companies, sectors and nations. The model is therefore applicable for corporations
with an interest in evaluating their performance by applying standardized and set principles.
In addition the model has potential to be applied as a tool by consumers and investors who
are interested in making better and more informed assessments about a corporations
environmental initiatives and performances.
In the chapter The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in International Investment Law:
The Case of Tobacco, Yulia Levashova reveals the dilemma of CSR in international and
national legal frameworks using the specific example of public health. The right to health is
one of the human rights secured in international law and in the national legislation of a
8

majority of States. Yet, the cases of tobacco disputes provided in this chapter illustrate that
the Host states on the one side have to comply with the international obligations under human
rights and environmental treaties and on the other side have to fulfill their economic
obligations under BITs. The case studies cast rather general questions regarding the legal
framework of international investment and its role in providing sufficient policy space for
Host States to implement the public policies and to ensure that foreign companies adhere to
the CSR standards.
The chapter A dialectical approach to analysing polyphonic discourses of corporate social
responsibility by Ganga S Dhanesh proposes using a dialectical approach infused with
elements of dialogism to analyse polyphonic discourses of corporate social responsibility in
order to create more nuanced understandings of the contradictions, oppositions, tensions, and
complexities that characterize the conceptualization, enactment and communication of CSR.
The chapter illustrates the conceptual argument for a dialectical approach to examining
discourses of CSR by using the example of the dualistic discussion of corporations as agents
of empowerment or exploitation. When examined through a dialectical lens, the
empowerment-exploitation debate reveals, among others, the dissolution of boundaries
between the categories of empowerment and exploitation, the coexistence and interplay of a
multitude of related oppositions, and raises questions on praxical patterns employed by social
actors to manage the dialectical tensions inherent in everyday organizing. A dialectical
approach in communication studies could open possibilities for acknowledging the coexistence of and interplay amongst multiple voices in society, thus opening spaces for
engaging with diverse perspectives and creating a more holistic understanding of complex
social constructs such as CSR.
Gill and Broderick in their chapter tackle the CSR pedigree and history of an established
British brand, Marks & Spencer (M&S), the retail clothes and food business. M&S is a
longstanding high street food and clothing store in the UK with subsidiary businesses around
the world. M&S holds very strong brand recognition and values that Gill and Broderick
attempt to understand in a detailed analysis of historical document held in the companys
archives. Using a discourse analysis methodology the authors attempt to dissect and
understand brand heritage and its subsequent impact on CSR for the business. This is an
ambitious and challenging piece of work using over 43 annual reports as evidence from over
70 years of published reporting by the firm. Essentially the authors target three questions: (1)
an understanding of the textual patterns used by M&S in their CSR commentary for annual
reports; (2) to distinguish the extent to which specific stakeholder groups were targeted in the
discourse; (3) to identify which elements of brand heritage were prominent in the discourse
and how such elements were integrated with the CSR message. In tackling these questions
the chapter sheds considerable light on how one organisation consistently manages its CSR
messaging over a longitudinal period of time. It demonstrates aspects of brand heritage
consistency but also strategic issues of refreshment to maintain and update the thinking and
activity of the organisation over sustained periods of business activity with the danger of
stakeholder message fatigue. The depth analysis provides many insights but crucially

supports the contemporary literature view that authenticity in messaging and communication
is the invaluable commodity for modern firms.
The chapter by Adrian Zicari looks at the challenge of integrating different perspectives on
corporate performance. The question posed is whether or not it is possible to have one
corporate report that integrates key financial and non-financial information. Beginning with
an overview of issues related to corporate reporting mention is made of the work of the
Integrated International Reporting Committee (IIRC), the Climate Disclosure Standard Board
and, of course, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Concepts such as value creation,
stakeholders and the triple bottom line are used to explain, inform and underpin accounts of
corporate reporting. Integrating financial with non-financial information in corporate reports
is beset by a number of challenges and these are discussed in detail through theory and
application. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is a theme that runs throughout
this chapter. Zicari highlights the work of the IIRC and their identification of six different
capitals: financial, manufactured, human, intellectual, natural and social. The literature and
the nature of the on-going debate serve to highlight the fact that the link between CSR and
company performance remains contested. Integrated reporting might be described as a nice
to have idea but remains somewhat of an elusive concept in practice. It is undoubtedly
something to which many companies aspire to work towards. A definitive model for
integrated reporting has yet to be established. It might be described as a process that is ongoing and that models for reporting are in part emergent and in part evolving. One reason
given by Zicari for the limited progress made towards integrated reporting is that,
Companies could perceive additional disclosure on ESG as detrimental to their
competitiveness, particularly if their closest competitors do not make similar disclosures.
Undoubtedly a number of obstacles have yet to be overcome. However, Zicari make the point
that integrated reporting will allow for less opportunity for unsubstantiated or exaggerated
claims about the social/environmental performance of reporting firms. Integrated reporting
remains an issue that has yet to be fully and properly addressed, though moves made at
theory and practice levels suggest it will remain an item on future agendas for some time to
come.
The chapter Communicating about integrating sustainability in corporate strategy:
Motivations and regulatory environments of integrated reporting from a European and Dutch
perspective contributed by Tineke Lambooy, Rosemarie Hordijk and Willem Bijveld
examines the developments of integrated reporting in law and in practice. It explores the
motivation of companies and legislators to introduce integrating reporting, and then analyses
how integrated reporting can be supported by legislation taking into account the existing
regulatory environment in Europe. The authors find that although integrated reporting is
currently being explored by some frontrunners of the business community and is being
encouraged by investors, the existing legal framework does not offer any incentive. Nor is
uniformity and credibility in the reporting of non-financial information stimulated. The EU
law gives scant guidance to companies to that end. The authors argue that amending the
mandatory EU framework can support the comparability and reliability of the corporate
information. Moreover, a clear and sound EU framework on integrated corporate reporting
10

will assist international companies in their reporting. Currently companies have to comply
with various regulations at an EU and a national level, which do not enhance a holistic view
in corporate reporting. The authors suggest that this problem can be rectified by combining
EU mandatory corporate reporting rules with the private regulatory reporting regime
developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Theresa Bauer writes about The Responsibilities of Social Networking Companies:
Applying Political CSR Theory to Google, Facebook and Twitter. This chapter is very
topical. It draws attention to the profit motive driving companies such as Google, Facebook
and Twitter. However, it also draws attention to the ethical issues (for example, deception,
and cyber bullying) that surround Social Networking Sites (SNS) and looks at the
responsibilities such companies should have or aspire to. A qualitative case study approach is
adopted and a literature review on CSR and ethics in the SNS context provides a useful
theoretical backdrop. Internet ethics is a relatively new area of study and is beset by many
long standing ethical issues that pertain to the wider economy and society in which
individuals operate. Bauer offers a detailed discussion of CSR and Corporate Citizenship.
Drawing on the work of Mattten and Crane (2005) the increasing role that corporations play
in enabling civil rights, providing social rights and channelling political rights is highlighted.
Reference is then made to Habermass (1996) concept of deliberative democracy. The
chapter moves on to give some background information about Facebook, Google and Twitter.
The role of legislation of regulating technology in the age of the internet is explored. The
growth of corporate power is looked at, as is the issue of social networking providers
administering citizenship rights. Under the section Civil Rights a detailed and fascinating
discussion occurs around privacy. Equally so, the sections on Social Rights, Political
Rights and Ecological Citizenship warrant a close and detailed read. Bauer notes that
neither Google, Facebook nor Twitter have become members of the UN Global Compact,
one of the most important initiatives in global governance. However, it is also pointed out
that Twitter has as Corporate Social Innovation and Philanthropy team and that Facebook
and Google engage in charitable/philanthropic activities; all three companies show some
degree of commitment to ecological citizenship (i.e. environmental concerns). Bauer makes
the point that, Globally operating companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter face
various political, legal, cultural and moral systems. This of course does not condone or serve
to excuse their specific behaviours and practices with regards to issues such as human rights.
Bauer highlights the good that SNS companies such as Twitter, Facebook and Google do
with regards to their wider responsibilities and she does not shy away from discussing the
contradictions and deficiencies of policies, practices and actual behaviours.
Sarah Inauen and Dennis Schoeneborns chapter is titled Twitter and its usage for dialogic
stakeholder communication by MNCs and NGOs. Its focus, as the title suggests, is on the
practices of Twitter usage by both Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and MultiNational Corporations (MNCs). In the era of social media, the means and methods of, as well
as the opportunities for, stakeholder communication are of increasing importance. Social
media poses a number of challenges to traditional corporate communications. Inauen and
Schoeneborn draw on Habermass (1996) notion of deliberative democracy and suggest that
11

MNCs have to be in a constant communicative exchange with their stakeholders in order to

maintain their moral legitimacy. How MNCs use social media in the deliberative discourse
with their stakeholders in practice is the overarching problem presented and addressed in this
chapter. The microblog Twitter is used here as one example of social media. One key finding
from this study is that, MNCs and NGOs use relatively similar communication strategies on
Twitter. Most interestingly it is reported that, Both types of organisations use Twitter
predominantly for their one way communication. Issues such as legitimacy, profit,
globalization, regulation and various scandals are discussed throughout the section on
theoretical background. The chapter looks at and applies in context the concept of moral
legitimacy. The gathered data was analysed through Koch and Oesterrechers (1994) model
of conceptual orality and literality. The chapter reports on primary data findings and
concludes by highlighting the fact CSR communication has become potentially polyphonic.
Magdalena Bielenia-Grajewskas chapter The metaphorical dimension of CSR discourse:
Organizational metaphors in the food industry combines an interesting
theoretical/philosophical approach with keen real-world insights and observations. The
chapter offers an interpretative analysis of a sample of Polish and Italian food companies
websites. The perception of CSR communication is presented as being determined by
symbolic linguistic tools. The theoretical backdrop to this chapter is that of organizational
metaphor. A general overview of CSR is offered and this is followed by discussion of CSR in
the food industry. This section refers back to recent and in some cases on-going food safety
issues of public concern such as BSE, foot and mouth disease, GM food, and food labelling.
The potential breakdown of public trust in the food supply chain as a result of food related
risks is an undoubted cause of concern for the public and the businesses affected. CSR is
integral to the smooth, efficient and successful workings of the food industry and perceptions
of that industry. Bielenia-Grajewska makes the point that communication about food is
directly connected with linguistic issues since language can cause difficulties in
communicating food safety. One particular comment of real world practice based relevance
is worth highlighting, issues related to proper hygiene, storage and avoidance of cross
contamination should be available in the language of the worker. A section on CSR and
metaphors is followed by discussion of metaphors in organization studies. The work of
Sontag, Bourdieu and others is used to inform, build and illustrate argument. BieleniaGrajewska writes, metaphors should be framed for the selected audience since their power
depends on the effect on receivers and the way they address the experience of knowledge of
the person at whom the communicative act is directed. Six metaphors are used to explore
and analyse CSR communication in the food industry and these metaphors are: (a)
Organization as a teacher, (b) Organization as a network, (c) Organization as a protector, (d)
Organization as a traditionalist, (e) Organization as a travel guide, (f) Organization as a
family. These metaphors offer a fresh approach and a new lens through which to explore the
subject of CSR and for this, and other reasons this chapter requires close reading.
Balakrishnan Muniapan and Sony Jalarajan Raj write about Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) Communication from the Vedantic Dharmic and Karmic Perspectives. This chapter
employs hermeneutics, a qualitative research methodology, which involves the study,
12

understanding and interpretation of religious texts of Vedanta particularly the dharma and
karma in the context of CSR. This makes for an interesting religious/philosophical shift
and theoretical move in the analysis of CSR. The chapter adds to the debate that surrounds
the relationship between religion and business. A four stage approach is adopted. Verses that
relate to CSR are searched out from the Vedanta (Vedic literature) and then the verses are
investigated in terms of content and context. Following this the relevance and meaning of
verses that have some connection to CSR are subject to interpretation. Finally lessons from
the verses are used to provide commentaries from the perspective of CSR. Vedanta is the
source of Hinduism and draws on Vedic literature. The Bhagavad-Gita is one of the best
known scriptures in Vedanta. Dharma and karma are discussed and used to explore CSR and
the way in which it might be perceived and understood. CSR is presented as being an
evolving concept and the section exploring Responsible Business Entity An Introduction
to CSR offers a good review of relevant literature. The place of philanthropy in CSR in
acknowledged but recognition is also given to the fact CSR is a broad and deep concept and
ideal. Businesses are argued to be under pressure from their stakeholders to act responsibly
towards the wider society. Various corporate scandals are highlighted to demonstrate that
businesses do not always behave in a responsible way. One particularly noteworthy point
made, is that of a pressing need for organizations to be held accountable to the communities
they serve and to be more socially responsible. Furthermore, By integrating CSR into core
business processes and stakeholder management, businesses can achieve their ultimate goal
of creating both corporate and social value. This chapter offers fresh insights into the
relationship between CSR and religion. More work remains to be done in explaining and
exploring the role religion plays in shaping understanding of CSR.
Theofilou and Watsons chapter Sceptical employees as CSR ambassadors in times of
financial uncertainty builds on issues faced by organizations in times of financial turmoil
and uses for its case example an established Greek media company. Specifically they base
their empirical paper on an investigation of personality traits and characteristics and the effect
this has on employees and their interpretation of corporate responsibility messages. The
chapter bases its discussions on empirical data collected from one of the largest companies in
Greece. The case organization (To Vima) is a media company and is actively involved in
CSR programmes, particularly those that are focussing on employees. Self-completion
questionnaires to 612 employees were analysed. The findings are discussed around three
themes, firstly that for internal staff the relationship indicators affected by specific investment
are predictors of positive word of mouth. This translates into positive attitudes towards the
employer when investments are made into issues with a high social impact. These activities
are then positively shared via word of mouth on a voluntary basis. The most important
conclusion the paper draws is that dimensions of scepticism, as defined in the study, are
predictors of both the potential for relationship building and positive word of mouth.
In their chapter Creating Consumer Confidence in CSR Communications Guido Berens and
Wybe T. Popma examine the role of communication in stimulating consumer attitudes and
buying behaviour towards corporate social responsibility. Through a comprehensive literature
review on communicating CSR to consumers, they find that communication messages
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constructed and verified by the company can be quite effective in persuading consumers, if
they are communicated in a credible way. The latter can, for example, be done by including
specific behaviours and/or outcomes in the message. Messages constructed by the firm, but
verified by a third party tend to have a higher credibility, but risk containing either too little
information or too much. Messages constructed and verified by a third party can be seen as
highly credible, but can sometimes be seen as merely PR. In addition, both messages
focusing on deontological responsibility (the firms motives and behaviour) and on
consequentialist responsibility (the outcomes of the firms behaviour) seem important to
consumers.
Brigitte Planken and Steef Verheijens chapter Quid pro quo? Dutch and German consumer
responses to conditional and unconditional corporate giving initiatives in advertising
investigates consumer responses to conditional (CRM) versus unconditional (Corporate
philanthropy) corporate giving initiatives in advertising. A cross-cultural approach is used to
investigate whether Dutch and Germans differ in consumer responses. Involving 178 Dutch
and German consumers (convenience samples) in the investigation, this empirical research
reveals that participants exposed to the conditional (CRM) or the unconditional (Corporate
philanthropy) giving initiatives displayed significantly more positive attitudes to company
than participants in the control condition. German participants were significantly more
positive about the product and the company than the Dutch. There were no effects on
purchasing intent, and no interaction between nationality and type of corporate giving
initiative. The findings suggest that communicating about corporate giving (in advertising)
can contribute to positive consumer outcomes with respect to attitude to the company. The
two nationalities studied did not differ in their response to the two types of corporate giving
initiative, suggesting that both types could be effective in boosting corporate reputation in
these countries.

CONCLUDING REMARKS
Businesses add value and contribute to a good society by providing us, the public citizens
i.e. consumers, with the goods and services we need in order to survive and prosper in a
market economy and society. Commercial organisations also create value, wealth and profits
from which taxes are paid. In a liberal free market economy and society these are basic and
fundamental ways of behaving and have at their core CSR. In delivering on this, businesses
are by default and through their actions communicating their CSR credentials. Businesses of
course do not always operate to serve the public good but pursue their own private interests
for their own benefit by enhancing shareholder value or profits. Nevertheless, CSR
communication can serve to reassure investors and other stakeholders that the business is
serious about its commitment to environmental and social causes. Effective communication
of CSR can help develop stakeholder engagement and improve stakeholder relations (Panwar
et al., 2006). Communication tools provide businesses with the means to manage
expectations around CSR and to address the changing needs of stakeholders (Golob and
Bartlett, 2007). Understanding stakeholders needs has the potential to help business
improvement. It can help build trust, consent and legitimacy.
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Companies need to implement CSR communication strategies to explain and have

conversations with the various stakeholders with whom they seek to engage and consult.
However, CSR communication is complex, dynamic and uneasy because stakeholders
expectations and demands are various and changing and also because there is a lack of
common definition and understanding of CSR. Thus, the effectiveness and efficiency of CSR
communication is among the key matters in CSR studies. This volume serves as an initial
step in CSR communication research and it should encourage more future scholarly studies in
this emerging and fascinating field.

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