Research to reveal best ways to communicate CSR

By Eun Go, Penn State graduate student

My research funded by the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication intends to explore what kinds of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities an organization should choose and how to communicate CSR through media. Organizations are increasingly engaging in, and publicizing, myriad CSR activities. However, it is questionable whether publics perceive CSR messages as organizations intend. In other words, even though an organization may communicate the positive actions it is taking, the public may not always react to this communication positively. One potential reason for this may be the public’s perception of the message’s credibility (or lack thereof).

Therefore, my research aims to investigate “what” to communicate about an organization’s commitment to CSR and “how” to communicate CSR to increase credibility perception of CSR messages. In considering the first aspect of CSR communication (“what”), I will examine the effect of organizations’ selecting CSR activities that are relevant to the organization’s target group’s interest, product type or business. Regarding the second aspect of CSR communication (“how”), I attempt to investigate how to communicate CSR activities on social media by using interactivity tools as social media become a popular venue for communicating organizations’ messages. In doing so, the study will offer useful insights for understanding how individuals perceive an organization’s CSR message.