Hypermoderin nCSR

TimesBledCom 2017

24th International PublicRelations Research Symposium

June 30 - July 1, 2017 | Bled, Slovenia

CSR in Hypermodern TimesBook of Abstracts of the 24th International Public Relations Research Symposium BledCom

June 30 - July 1, 2017 | Bled, Slovenia

EDITORS: Dejan Verčič, Ana Tkalac Verčič and Krishnamurthy Sriramesh

University of LjubljanaFaculty of Social Sciences

Organized by:

CSR in Hypermodern TimesBook of Abstracts of the 24th International Public Relations Research Symposium BledCom

June 30 - July 1, 2017 | Bled, Slovenia

EDITORS: Dejan Verčič Ana Tkalac Verčič Krishnamurthy Sriramesh

PUBLISHED BY: University of Ljubljana Faculty of Social Sciences Kardeljeva ploščad 5 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

COPYRIGHT: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences

AVAILABLE AT: http:/www.bledcom.com/knowledge

Ljubljana, 2017

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana

659.4(082)(0.034.2)

INTERNATIONAL Public Relations Research Sympo-sium (24 ; 2017 ; Bled) CSR in hypermodern times [Elektronski vir] : book of abstracts of the 24nd International Public Rela-tions Research Symposium BledCom, June 30-July 1, 2017, Bled, Slovenia / editors Dejan Verčič, Ana Tkalac Verčič and Krishnamurthy Sriramesh. - Lju-bljana : Faculty of Social Sciences, 2017

Način dostopa (URL): http://www.bledcom.com/knowledge

ISBN 978-961-235-820-4 (pdf) 1. Gl. stv. nasl. 2. Verčič, Dejan 290695680

3CONTENTS

Corporate (social) responsibility from the citizens’ point of viewDoreen Adolph, University of Münster (Germany)Ulrike Röttger, University of Münster (Germany)

39

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility Across CulturesKara Alaimo, Hofstra University (USA)

41

ANGRY BIRDS HOST ANGRY CONSUMERS: A dialogic communication approach to corporate responsibility for online racial abuseMark Badham, Aalto University School of Business (Finland)

43

(Re)constructing Fairness in Fair Wage Discourse: CSR Communication vs. Workers’ ArticulationsZhuo Ban, University of Cincinnati (USA)

45

Strategic communication at local level - Process of the creation of Communication Strategy for local self-governmentGordana Bekčić Pješčić, freelance communication consultant (Serbia)Jasmina Radovanović, City Administration of the City of Pančevo (Serbia)

47

1. Introduction 13

2. Editors 14

3. Authors 15

4. Paper Abstracts 39

5. About BledCom 149

6. BledCom2017 150

4CONTENTS

Integrated CSR communication: a theoretical approachLouise Bezuidenhout, Noordwes-Universiteit (South Africa)

48

Does the commitment to CSR start at home? Studying female communicators of CSR programmesElizabeth Bridgen, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)Isabel Ruiz-Mora, University of Malaga (Spain)

49

Cultural Differences in the Credibility of Cause-related-Marketing Campaign: A Sino-German ComparisonPaula Maria Bögel, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)Valentina Yee Kwan Cotton-Chan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Lisa Ulsamer, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)Sigrid Bekmeier-Feuerhahn, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)

51

When NGOs come calling: Strategies of engagement and influence for corporate social responsibilities (CSR)Vidhi Chaudhri, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)Elena Tankovski, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)

53

Transforming CSR: Creating shared value, public trust and corporate financial performance in the United States, Germany and ChinaYi-Ru Regina Chen, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China) Don W. Stacks, University of Miami (USA)Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (Germany) Chun-Ju Flora Hung-Baesecke, Massey University (New Zealand)Shannon A. Bowen, University of South Carolina (USA) Ben Boyd, Edelman (USA)

55

Company’s CSR on a societal level. Comparison of the UK, Bulgarian and Polish consumers’ level of acceptance of gender roles as resulting from company’s communicationMichal Chmiel, University of Kent (UK)

57

5CONTENTS

The Joys of Giving: Examining The Benefits of Strategic GivingRebeccca Cohen, Jesson & Co (Canada)

59

The Analysis of the Situational Theory of Publics in Turkey in the Context of CultureZuhal Gök Demir, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (Turkey)

61

CSR and hypermodernity: Of humanism, identity, experiences and spectaclesGanga S Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

63

The role of internal communication and corporate social responsibility in predicting employee engagement: Perspectives from the United Arab Emirates Gaelle Duthler, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)Ganga S Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

65

Curbing Harmful Online Communication – A Social Responsibility of Online Platform Operators Sabine Einwiller, University of Vienna (Austria)Sora Kim, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

67

Digital dialogue and engagementWim J.L. Elving, University of Amsterdam & Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands)

69

A General Review of Corporate Social Responsibility Development in China (1978-2016)Zheng Fan, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)Peng Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)Hui Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)

71

6CONTENTS

What do we know about greenwashing? A literature review of greenwashing researchLucia Gatti, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)Peter Seele, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)Lars Rademacher, University of Applied Sciences (Germany)

72

A culture-bound perspective on the CSR meaning networks: The case of Turkey and SloveniaUrša Golob Podnar, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)Selin Turkel, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)Ebru Uzunoglu, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)

74

CSR towards sustainable co-existence of humans and animals in a university campus: Case study on BILGI Animal Friends SocietyBarika Goncu, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)Vehbi Gorgulu, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)

76

Extending situational theory of problem solving to the strategic management of public relations: An internal perspective Justin Guild, Purdue University (USA)

78

Proposal of Corporate Reputation Model for Smart Tourist Destination (STD)Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, Universidad de Málaga (Spain) Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez, Universidad de Málaga (Spain) Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, Universidad de Málaga (Spain)

79

The contribution of theology to CSR: Civilisation of Shared ModestyKatharina Hetze, Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Germany)

80

7CONTENTS

CSR-based Employer Attractiveness: An African PerspectiveRobert E. Hinson, University of Ghana Business School (Ghana)Selorm Agbleze, Ghana Technology University College (Ghana)John Kuada, Aalborg University (Denmark)

82

Higher Education Institution’s Third Mission: Conscious CSR?Mario Ianniello, Udine University (Italy)Luca Brusati, Udine University (Italy)Silvia Iacuzzi, Udine University (Italy)

84

The Role of CSR Expectations in Consumers’ Moral Outrage toward Corporate MisconductSoojin Kim, Singapore Management University (Singapore)Arunima Krishna, Boston University (USA)Ganga Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

86

Influence Operations and Public Diplomacy: Hybrid symbiosis of strategic communication under the times of global tensionsEvgenia Korkova, Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry (Russian Federation)

88

From Corporate Towards ‘Shared’ Social Responsibility?Beata Kviatek, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (Netherlands)

89

How “social” is corporate social responsibility? A study on the use of social media by Greek Hotels for communicating CSR Athanasia Lampropoulou, DEREE-The American College of Greece (Greece)Katerina Diamantaki, DEREE-The American College of Greece (Greece)

90

Social Licence to Operate: Practical understanding of the concept and processes to attain and maintain itTatjana Laskovic, McMaster University (Canada)

92

8CONTENTS

Press co-creation behavior: Conceptualization and Scale Development Liane W.Y. Lee, Faculty of Management and Hospitality (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Leslie S.C. Yip, Faculty of Management and Hospitality (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Kara Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

94

Can public relations inform diversity engagement? The role of CSR and spiritualityRoxana Maiorescu, Emerson College (USA)

96

Indirect Reciprocity and CSR: Importing Theory from Evolutionary BiologyCharles Marsh, University of Kansas (USA)

98

Corporate cultural responsibility and shared value in the banking sector. A multi-case study in ItalyValentina Martino, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)Stefano Scarcella Prandstraller, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

100

Between smoke and crystal: CSR communication in hypermodern timesMette Morsing, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)Lars Thöger Christensen, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)Ole Thyssen, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

102

CSR in a time of climate changeJudy Motion, UNSW (Australia)

104

Who controls the framing of environmental discourse? Insights from 30 years of the struggle to decide communications strategies inside Friends of the Earth Michaela O’Brien, University of Westminster (UK)

106

9CONTENTS

Adequacy of pull promotional strategies in conducting CSR projectsIvan Pakozdi, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)Maja Banovac Barić, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia) Ivana Jeleč, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)

108

Beauty is in the Eye of the Stakeholder: Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility and Purchase IntentionJessica R. Peine, Purdue University (USA)

110

Public relations and social media in the post –truth era: Using concepts and critiques of propaganda to assess post-truth social media environments and data ethicsHeike Puchan, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)Andrew McWhirter, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)

112

Old concepts, new publics: CSR and MillennialsErica Rodrigues, CIES / ISCTE (Portugal)Mafalda Eiró-Gomes, ESCS / IPL (Portugal)

114

Project ANTURA: Creating Better Immigrant Integration and Greater Social Responsibility Harri Ruoslahti, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)Tarja Meristö, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

115

Sustainability and the missing ‘P’ Gabor Sarlos, University of Worcester (UK)

117

CSR and trust: A longitudinal analysis of CSR communication in the German pressJens Seiffert-Brockmann, University of Vienna (Austria) Wolfgang Weitzl, University of Vienna (Austria)

119

10CONTENTS

A framework for internal communication during organisational transformation: towards feasible corporate social responsibility Muriel Serfontein, University of Pretoria (South Africa)Ronel Rensburg, University of Pretoria (South Africa)

121

Sensegiving and Sensemaking in Internal CSR Communication with and without Social MediaHolger Sievert, Macromedia University (Germany)Riccardo Wagner, Macromedia University (Germany)

123

Rise of the Brand Ambassador: Social Stake, Corporate Responsibility, and Power among the Social Media Influencers Brian G. Smith, Purdue University (USA)Megan C. Kendall, Purdue University (USA)Devin Knighton, Purdue University (USA)Temi Wright, Purdue University (USA)Cody Blake Wilson, Purdue University (USA)

125

Infusing myth, ritual and archetypes in corporate advocacy campaigns: towards a theory of CSR master symbols and narratives Hilke Steenkamp, Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa)Ronél Rensburg, University of Pretoria (South Africa)

127

Perceptions of a link between spirituality and CSR, and its manifestation in practitioners’ work: A cross-cultural studyNeva Štumberger, Purdue University (USA)Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Purdue University (USA)

129

Unintended social gains from the public relations of activist investors Gareth Thompson, University of the Arts London (UK)

131

11CONTENTS

Employer Brands and Corporate Social ResponsibilityAna Tkalac Verčič, University of Zagreb (Croatia)Dubravka Sinčić Ćorić, University of Zagreb (Croatia)

133

Combining Forces for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – An Investigation Of Inter-Organizational CollaborationAniisu K. Verghese, Tesco Bengaluru (India)

135

Lost property? Locating responsibility for European PR-professionals and their organisations in hypermodern timesPiet Verhoeven, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (Germany)Dejan Verčič, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)Ralph Tench, Leeds Beckett University (UK)Angeles Moreno, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid (Spain)

137

Internal CSR communication and its role in shaping the employee understanding of CSR: The framing perspectiveNataša Verk, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)Urša Golob Podnar, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

139

Humility, Deliberation, Hyperactivism and Hyperbole: Why CSR is Best Viewed as a Wicked ProblemPaul Willis, The University of Huddersfield (UK)

141

Future or now? Planet or jobs? How politicians construct meaning and legitimacy on climate change policy using strategic positioningDeborah Wise, University of Newcastle (Australia)

143

An In-Depth Look at How Social and Digital Media Are Being Used in Public Relations PracticeDonald K. Wright, Boston University (USA)Michelle Drifka Hinson, University of Florida (USA)

145

12CONTENTS

A reconceptualization of Public Diplomacy Temi Wright, Purdue University (USA)

147

On Chamber of Commerce Combine Overseas Cooperation among Organizations: Case of Social Responsibility of AHK Great ChinaPeng Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)Jing Cao, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)

148

131 INTRODUCTION

It is our pleasure to warmly welcome you to BledCom 24. We think we have an exciting, and packed, program over the next two days, thanks to your involvement. We hope you will enjoy contributing to this symposium in multiple ways: making presentations; listening to presenta-tions, interacting with colleagues and friends from almost 30 countries and five continents, and engaging in wide ranging conversations about the field we have chosen for our career.

But please do not let your visit to Bled be consumed with work. We remind you to exploit pic-turesque Bled to relax and have some fun as well.

Finally, we do hope you will come back next year… and the next… and the next… to engage in scholarship and fun. We wish to remind you that 2018 is the 25th anniversary of BledCom! We wish to make that a memorable occasion. Do give us ideas on how to celebrate that landmark!

Scholarship and fun is what we want BledCom to be for you.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,Dobrodošli! Swagatam!Welcome!

Lep pozdrav! Namaste!Thank you!

142 EDITORS

Dejan VERČIČ, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)He is professor and head of Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. He received his PhD in social psychology in 2000 from the Lon-don School of Economics and Political Science. He is a former Fulbright scholar. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and 12 books. He is a member of the European Communication Monitor research team, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (UK), a honorary member of the Croatian Public Relations Association, and a past president and a current member of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association. In 2016 he was awarded the Pathfinder Award, the highest

academic honour bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in New York.

Ana TKALAC VERČIČ, University of Zagreb (Croatia)She is a Professor of Marketing communications and Public Relations at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. She has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books, book chapters and article and is a member of the editorial committee of the „International Journal of Strategic Communication“, and a regional editor of „Public Relations Review”. She is a former Fulbright scholar. Her research focus is oriented towards reputation and image building which she studied through various scientific projects such as “Develop-ment of strategy for building the image of the Republic of Croatia” and “Improving the capacity of the civil society”.

Krishnamurthy SRIRAMESH, Purdue University (USA)Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Purdue University, USA, is recognized for his scholarship on global public relations, corporate social responsibility, and culture and public relations. He has advocated the need to reduce ethnocentricity in the public re-lations body of knowledge and practice in 7 books, over 75 articles and book chapters and over 100 conference presentations around the world. His rich teaching experiences include teaching at 10 universities in four continents. He has won several awards for teaching and research at different universities. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations (USA) for “original scholarly re-

search contributing to the public relations body of knowledge.”

153 AUTHORS

Doreen ADOLPH, University of Münster (Germany)Adolph (M.A.) is research assistant at University of Münster, Germany. She works on a re-search project about the responsibility of corporations within public discourse. In that context, her Ph.D. project focuses the responsibility of corporations from the viewpoint of NGOs. In 2013 Doreen Adolph finished her studies in communication management at the University of Leipzig with a thesis about “framing of press coverage during public takeovers”. Just as her bachelor thesis in the field of communication and media studies, it was honored with the

Günter-Thiele-Award for outstanding thesis of the year.

Selorm AGBLEZE, Ghana Technology University College (Ghana)Agbleze is a Lecturer at the Department of IT Business, Ghana Technology University College. He holds a Master of Philosophy Degree in Marketing and a Bachelor’s Degree with specialization Agricultural Economics both from the University of Ghana. His research interests include Corporate Social Responsibility, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

Kara S. ALAIMO, Hofstra University (USA)Alaimo, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Hofstra University. A former commu-nicator in the Obama administration and the United Nations, she now consults on global com-munication campaigns and designs customized employee training programs for companies on how to adapt messages and strategies for different global markets. She is author of the book “Pitch, Tweet, or Engage on the Street: How to Practice Global Public Relations and Strategic Communication” (Routledge, 2017). Her research on international and political PR has been

published in many academic journals and by media outlets such as The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Washington Post. For more information, visit www.karaalaimo.com and follow her Twitter handle, @karaalaimo.

Mark BADHAM, Aalto University (Finland)Badham has more than 20 years of practitioner and academic teaching experience in public relations. Since moving to Finland from Australia in June 2011, he has developed and taught numerous public relations and other communications-related courses part time at six Finnish universities. At Bond University in Australia Mark taught public relations courses part time for almost 12 years. He is in the final stages of completing his PhD in the Unit of Organisational Communication at Aalto University School of Business, Helsinki. His practitioner experience

has mostly been in NGOs, politics and government.

Zhuo BAN, University of Cincinnati (USA)She is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at University of Cincinnati. Her research takes a global, critical perspective to contemporary issues in Organizational Com-munication and Public Relations, such as globalized supply chains, offshore labour politics, and corporate social responsibility discourses. Her work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals including Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Journal of International and Intercultural Communication. She

can be reached at banzu@ucmail.uc.edu.

163 AUTHORS

Maja BANOVAC BARIĆ, Edward Bernays (Croatia)She is lecturer and Head of Centre for Career Development and Market Cooperation at Ed-ward Bernays College of Communication Management. She graduated in political science at Faculty of Political Science of Zagreb University where she was employed as research fellow and worked at project “Republic of Croatia in European Security Architecture.” She continued her education at postgraduate doctoral programme in Political Science. Her field of interest are international relations, security studies as well as media and politics and she is author of

several papers. She is Executive Editor of scientific international academic journal Communication Management Review and member of Organizing Committee of international academic conference Communication Management Forum.

Gordana BEKČIĆ PJEŠČIĆ, Freelance communication specialist (Serbia)She is a freelance communication consultant, previously engaged in the Office for Coopera-tion with Civil Society of Serbian Government, as a communication advisor. She holds BA in philology, MA in political science and specialization in cultural and gender studies. She is PhD candidate, author of the book Od ideje do slobode (From Idea to Freedom), member of Man-agement Board of the Serbian PR Society, author of numerous articles, one of the co-authors

of the “Guidelines for the usage of social networks in the public administration institutions”, editor and a trainer at the Human Resource Management Service of the Serbian Government.

Sigrid BEKMEIER-FEUERHAHN, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)She is Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication and Cultural Management and member of the Institute of Management & Organization at Leuphana University, Luene-burg. She finished her PhD in the field of communication and marketing at the University of Paderborn. Today she leads various research projects in the fields of Change Communication, Entrepreneurial Communication, Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer

Experience Research as well as Cultural Organizations and Management.

Louise BEZUIDENHOUT, Noordwes-Universiteit (South Africa)She started her academic career at the University of Pretoria where she obtained her master’s degree in communication management and lectured on graduate and post graduate level in communication management and development communication. She is currently a PhD can-didate at the North-West University. Her research interests include communication for social change, CSR communication and communication management. She is also a lecturer in com-munication for social change and communication management at the North-West University

and involved in numerous community projects as part of her teaching and research.

Paula Maria BÖGEL, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)Dr Paula Bögel is a researcher at the Institute of Environmental and Sustainability Commu-nication at Leuphana University, Lüneburg. With a background in psychology and business administration, her interdisciplinary research focuses on the social psychology of human be-haviour in the context of sustainability and CSR. This includes the micro-level, e.g. consumer behaviour, the meso-level, e.g. employees’ participation in companies’ CSR programs, and the

macro-level, e.g. the role of individuals in socio-technical transitions.

173 AUTHORS

Shannon A. BOWEN, University of South Carolina (USA)Shannon A. Bowen (Ph.D. Univ. of Maryland) is a full Professor at the University of South Car-olina. Her research focuses on ethical decision making and issues management, as well as c-suite inclusion and contributions by public relations. Dr Bowen teaches and researches eth-ics across corporations, pharmaceutical firms, governmental entities, and the public relations industry. Her most recent book uses grant-based research to explicate “Excellence in Internal Communication Management” (2017; Business Expert Press) with Rita L. Men. Dr Bowen is one

of three joint-editors for the journal Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Arthur W. Page Society and has won numerous awards for her research.

Ben BOYD, Edelman (USA)Boyd has worked in the communications industry for over two decades. With Edelman, Ben oversees the Canadian and Latin American regions, as well as the global Practices and Sectors, which help to drive innovation and provide clients with deep industry expertise. Ben is also responsible for the firm’s signature intellectual property (IP) studies, Earned Brand and the Edelman Trust Barometer, and the use of IP as a driver of insights to inform the firm’s strategy and client programming. Throughout his career Ben has managed a diverse portfolio of clients

across industries, including serving as the global client relationship strategist on Edelman’s work with GE, one of the firm’s largest accounts. He continues to work as a senior strategist with a vast amount of clients, including Citi, Heineken, Novelis, Samsung and The Home Depot, to name a few.

Elizabeth BRIDGEN, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)Bridgen is Principal Lecturer in Public Relations at Sheffield Hallam University, UK. Her re-search explores the lived experience of public relations practitioners with particular focus on gender, diversity, and technologies. Liz’s work has been published in the Journal of Media Practice and PRism and she has written on practice issues for numerous books and websites including PRStack and Comms2Point0. She has delivered refereed papers at various EUPRERA conferences and at the BCN Public Relations conference, Barcelona, and BledCom. She is the

co-editor (with Dejan Verčič) of Experiencing Public Relations: International Voices to be published by Routledge in October 2017.

Luca BRUSATI, Udine University (Italy)Brusati holds a PhD in Management from Bocconi University and is an associate professor of management at Udine University, where he leads the Laboratory for research in economics and management. From 1991 to 1999 he worked as an assistant professor of public manage-ment at Bocconi University. In 1999 he joined WHO as health services management adviser. In 2001 he moved back to Italy, where he is also an adjunct professor of public management at SDA Bocconi. His main research interests are the different facets of business-government

relations.

Jing CAO, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)

183 AUTHORS

Kara Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China) Dr Chan, PhD (City University of Hong Kong) is Professor at the School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University. She worked in the advertising profession and as a statistician for the Hong Kong Government before she joined the academia. Her research areas include cross cultural studies and health communication. She has published eight books as well as over 140 journal articles and book chapters. She was a Fulbright Scholar at Bradley University.

Her journal articles won five Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence. She received Outstanding Performance in Scholarly Work at Hong Kong Baptist University in 2006 and 2014.

Vidhi CHAUDHRI, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)Chaudhri is Assistant Professor, Media and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA, and her research inter-ests include corporate social responsibility/sustainability, crisis communication and corporate reputation, social media, and employee engagement. She has published in  peer-reviewed journals such as Management Communication Quarterly, International Journal of Business

Communication, Public Relations Review, and Journal of Corporate Citizenship, and contributed book chapters to The Handbook of Crisis Communication; Corporate Reputation Decoded: Building, Managing and Strategising for Corpo-rate Excellence; and The SAGE Encyclopedia of Corporate Reputation. She is also co-author on several business cases.

Yi-Ru Regina CHEN, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Chen is Assistant Professor of public relations in the School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research areas include strategic communication and social media en-gagement, government affairs, health informatics, and corporate social responsibility and creating shared values in greater China. She has published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Public Relations Research,

Public Relations Review, Communication Research Report, Journal of Communication Management, Information, Commu-nication & Society and Business Yearbook. In additional to serving on journal editorial boards, she is also 2015/2016 Page Legacy Scholar of the Arthur W. Page Society (USA) and the research fellow of the Behavioral Insights Research Center of the Institute for Public Relations (USA).

Michal CHMIEL, University of Kent (UK)He is a social psychologist and researcher. Currently holds a position of a lecturer in social psychology at the University of Kent where he is responsible for courses on Public Relations, media relations and public speaking. In his applied line of research he compares advertising and public relations messages to identify how both types of communication work in unison to produce the most favourable consumer attitudes and influence buying behaviour. As a public relations practitioner, he has some more than 10 years’ experience in successfully incorpo-

rating social psychological evidence into PR and communications projects for multinational companies and public figures.

Lars Thöger CHRISTENSEN, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

193 AUTHORS

Rebecca Marissa COHEN, JESSON & CO (Canada)She works as an Account Associate at Jesson & Co in Toronto, Canada. She works on accounts including Spirits Canada and The Remington Group as well as with tourism boards for Antigua and Cuba. In the past, Rebecca has worked both as a freelance practitioner as well as in-structor at the college level. Rebecca completed her Masters of Communication Management degree from McMaster University in 2015. While in school, Rebecca volunteered with United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters, helping both organizations with communications and event

planning. Rebecca has presented her work at other conferences including the World Public Relations Forum, Inter-national Public Relations Research Conference, Illuminate, and the Communications Management Forum.

Valentina Yee Kwan COTTON-CHAN, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Valentina Cotton-Chan joins the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to teach subjects related to corporate communication in 2013, after more than fifteen years’ experience in the commercial sector with global companies (e.g. PwC, eBay and Aon Risk Solution) across sev-

eral markets and sectors. She has received the Faculty Award of Excellent Achievement / Performance in Teaching in 2013/14. As the sole principle investigator, she has been awarded three competitive teaching and learning devel-opment grants with over HKD 2.5 million research funds. She has a MSc in Management with Marketing from the University of Bath in the UK and a BA (first class honours) in Language and Communication from PolyU.

Pamela CREEDON, Zayed University (UAE)She is Acting Dean, College of Communication and Media Sciences (CCMS), Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. After 15 years in the public relations profession, she became a facul-ty member at The Ohio State University and earned her Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) credential. Former director of the Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University (Ohio) and University of Iowa, she has been involved in higher education in the United Arab Emirates since 1988. She led in the establishment of CCMS in 1998, which

has campuses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It was accredited in 2015 by the Accrediting Council for Education in Journal-ism and Mass Communications.

Ganga S. DHANESH, Zayed University (UAE)Ganga S Dhanesh is an Assistant Professor in the College of Communication and Media Scienc-es, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. She has had experience in corporate and non-prof-it organizations and has published in the areas of corporate social responsibility and internal relations in books and journals such as Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research, Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Inquiry and the Journal of Communication Management.  

203 AUTHORS

Katerina DIAMANTAKI, National University of Athens (Greece)Katerina Diamantaki holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Media Studies from the National University of Athens and is Assistant Professor in Digital Communication at Deree -The Amer-ican College of Greece. Her main area of scholarly expertise is communication, in both its strategic and its social aspects, focusing on the analysis of digitally-mediated practices in the areas of social interaction, community-building, identity politics, media discourse, and audi-

ence analysis. Her research interests also encompass the topics of digital memory, Facebook studies as well as use of web, online, digital and locative media in diverse communication contexts. 

Marcia DISTASO, University of Florida (USA)DiStaso, Ph.D., APR, is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Public Relations Department at the University of Florida. She is the Director for the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a research consultant for the Arthur W. Page Society. She won a Silver Anvil and MarCom Awards and was recognized as a Promising Professor and an Emerging Scholar by AEJMC and was the 2016 PRSA Outstanding Educator. Her research focuses on exploring and informing the practice of digital media.

Michelle DRIFKA HINSON, University of Florida (USA)

Gaelle PICHERIT-DUTHLER, Zayed University (UAE)Picherit-Duthler (PhD, University of Kentucky) serves currently as the Associate Dean of the College of Communication and Media Sciences at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Prior to this, she served as the Graduate Program Director for the M.A. in Communications. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses within her interests, such as public relations, internal communication, research methods, and CSR. She has published several articles and book chapters on issues of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility, public relations,

global virtual teams, and organizational culture. She serves on the board of the GlobCom Institute and is an active member of the Middle East Public Relations Association.

Sabine EINWILLER, University of Vienna (Austria)Sabine Einwiller is a Professor of Public Relations Research at the University of Vienna, Austria. She holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) where she also finished her post-doctoral thesis (habitation). Prior to her aca-demic career, Sabine worked as a PR manager in a multinational chemical company in Germa-ny. In the 1990ies she studied Psychology at the University of Mannheim (Germany) and at the University of Western Ontario (Canada). Sabine’s research focuses on the effects of negative

publicity and crisis communication, CSR communication, consumer-company communication in social media, and employee communication.

213 AUTHORS

Mafalda EIRÓ-GOMES, ESCS / IPL (Portugal)Professor of Pragmatics and Public Relations at Escola Superior de Comunicação Social, IPL (Lisbon) since 1991. PhD (Communication Sciences) from Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

Wim J.L. ELVING, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Zheng FAN, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)1990-Present, College of International Business, Shanghai International Studies University, served as Associate Director, Director, Deputy Dean and Dean in sequences. During this peri-od, was invited as management consultants, such as Director of SISU Group and in charge of management researches for many enterprises.

Lucia GATTI, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)Gatti is a post-doc researcher at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Institute of Marketing and Communication Management (IMCA) in Lugano – Switzerland. Previously she worked as a research and teaching assistant at USI (2011-2014) and research consultant for Tivigest Hotel and Resorts (2010). She has a PhD in in Communication Sciences at USI.

Zuhal GÖK DEMIR, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (Turkey)Zuhal Gök Demir (PhD) is an assistant professor at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University in the Faculty of Business in Turkey. She is the head of human resources management depart-ment. She gives lectures on public relations, corporate communication and advertising. Her research interests include strategic public relations and segmentation of publics. Recently she published a book on strategic public relations and practices in Turkish.

223 AUTHORS

Urša GOLOB PODNAR, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)She is an Associate Professor and Head of the Chair for Marketing Communication and Public Relations, Department of Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. She is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Human Sciences & Technology, IE University, Madrid. She is one of the co-founders of the International CSR Communication Conference. Her main research interests are in different areas of CSR and her work is published in several international journals such as: Journal of Business Ethics, Public Relations Review, European

Journal of Marketing, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Journal of Marketing Communications, Journal of Business Research, and Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. She has also authored or co-authored several book chapters on themes related to CSR. Currently she is co-editing a Special Issue of Journal of Brand Management on CSR and Brands.

Barika GONCU, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)In the beginning of her professional career Göncü undertook positions in English language teaching, editing, and coordinating international arts and culture events. In 1997, Goncu es-tablished her own public relations consultancy business, acting as the Agency President be-tween 1997 and 2011. Goncu lectured as a part-time instructor in the undergraduate Public Relations Program of Istanbul Bilgi University between the dates of 1999 and 2011. Since 2011, she is a full-time lecturer at the same program, also lecturing in the Public Relations and Cor-

porate Communication Graduate Program of Bilgi University.

Vehbi GORGULU, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)He is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public Relations, Faculty of Communication, Istanbul Bilgi University, where he teaches corporate responsibility, crisis management, and advertising and communication. His research interests include corporate communication, on-line communities and digital cultures. His most recent research has been published by the SSCI-indexed journal Information, Communication & Society and the AHCI-indexed journal Third Text.

Justin GUILD, Purdue University (USA)Justin Guild is a PhD student studying public relations and organizational communication at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. He received his bachelor’s degree in public affairs from Indiana University and master’s degree in public relations from Ball State Universi-ty. His research interests include internal communication, employee communication, network analysis, and qualitative methodology. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, he worked in public relations in the non-profit sector and also as a reporter for the Indianapolis Star newspaper.

Carlos de las HERAS-PEDROSA, Universidad de Málaga (Spain)He is a Professor in the field of Audio-visual Communication and Advertising. He currently teaches a course on Institutional Communication. His research production revolves around two main lines: “The history advertising and press in Spain” and “Institutional Communica-tion”. Among his academic and management positions filled he has been Co-director of the PhD Programme Organizational Communication; General Assistant Director of Communica-

tion, Protocol, and Presidents’ Cabinet; In the last eight years he has held the position of Vice-President for Institu-tional Relations and President’s Cabinet at the University of Málaga. Currently, he’s Coordinator of the Postgraduate Programme Strategic Management and Innovation in Communication.

233 AUTHORS

Katharina HETZE, Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Germany)Katharina Hetze earned her master’s degree in business administration and her PhD in sus-tainability science from Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Since 2013 Katharina has been a research associate at the Center for Corporate Responsibility at ZHAW School of Management and Law in Winterthur (Switzerland). In 2017 Katharina also became a research associate at the Institute of Corporate Development at Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Germany). She

investigates CSR communication from a communication and reputation management perspective. Furthermore, her new fields of interest are the Sustainable Development Goals, the concept of de-growth and the interdisciplinary approach to a sufficiency strategy.

Denise HILL, Elon University, North Carolina (USA)Hill (Ph.D.) is an assistant professor in the School of Communications at Elon University, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate strategic communication courses. Dr. Hill has more than 30 years of corporate communication and public relations agency experience. She held chief communication officer positions at Delhaize America, Quest Diagnostics, and a business unit of Wyndham Worldwide. In addition, she served as a vice president of communication at Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Cigna. Her prior teaching experience includes New York Univer-

sity and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Robert E. HINSON, University of Ghana Business School (Ghana)Hinson is Professor at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Ghana Business School. Dr Hinson is published in reputable International journals like the International Journal of Market Research, Thunderbird International Business Review and the International Journal of Public Sector Management. His current areas of research are financial services management, e-business, SME marketing practices, and corporate social responsibility in developing economy contexts.

Chun-Ju Flora HUNG-BAESECKE, Massey University (New Zealand)She teaches at Massey University in New Zealand. She is the Vice Chair-Elect of the Public Rela-tions Division in International Communication Association, the Secretary-General for Overseas Affairs of Public Relations Society of China, and is on the advisory board of International Public Relations Research Conference. She serves on the editorial boards of Journal of Public Relations Research, International Journal of Strategic Communication, and Communication Research Reports

and presents her research in international conferences and publishes in various international refereed journals, such as Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Communication, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Review, etc.

Silvia IACUZZI, Udine State University (Italy)Research fellow at the Laboratory for Research in Economics and Management of Udine State University, Italy, holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (socio-economic focus) from the University of Tübingen (Germany) and an honours degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford (England). She spent the last 15 years working as a researcher and consul-tant in over 40 countries for international bodies such as the EU, the UN and UNICEF, as well as for multinationals the likes of the BBC, Bosch, Daimler, Sony and VISA. She guest lectures at

various universities in Italy and Germany.

243 AUTHORS

Mario IANNIELLO, Udine State University (Italy) Adjunct professor of management at Udine University, holds a PhD in Public Administration and Management from Parma University and a Master in Public Relations from Udine Uni-versity. He taught university courses in the Balkans, Northern Ireland and Italy where he co-operated with NGOs and development agencies. His main research interests are stakeholder engagement and the relationship between PR and strategy, with a special interest in the public and non-profit sector.

Patricia P. IGLESIAS-SÁNCHEZ, University of Malaga (Spain)She holds a Doctorate in Economics with a specialisation in Marketing Research (2010) and lectures at Malaga University. She combines her research and teaching activities with her pro-fessional development as Project Manager in a business organisation (Confederación de Em-presarios de Málaga), and thanks to this experience she has in-depth expertise and knowledge about companies and their management. Additionally, she is an external advisor for several companies. Her main lines of research are: University spin-offs, Open Innovation in new prod-

uct development, innovation for SMEs and entrepreneurship. She has attended international and national confer-ences and her work has been published in different indexed journals.

Carmen JAMBRINO-MALDONADO, University of Malaga (Spain)She is a Professor in the field of Marketing. She currently teaches courses on Communica-tion and Marketing. She is Managing Director of the research team “Marketing for Pymes” of the University of Málaga. Her research production revolves around two main lines: “Spin-off”, “Open innovation” and “Strategies of Fundraising”. She has authored one book, and edited an-other. Moreover, her research production includes a great number of book chapters, academ-

ic papers in research journals, International Journal of Innovation and Learning, Interactions: Studies in Communica-tion & Culture, Economía Industrial, Revista Europea de Dirección y Economía, de Empresa, She has contributions in national and international conferences.

Melanie JAMES, University of Newcastle (Australia)James PHD is a Senior Lecturer in Communication at the School of Creative Industries, Uni-versity of Newcastle, Australia. Melanie is also a researcher and consultant in strategic com-munication, social media and public relations. Prior to commencing her academic career in 2007, Melanie worked as a consultant and in senior communication/marketing management roles in government (Australian Greenhouse Office, Australian Electoral Commission, Austra-lian Bureau of Statistics), health and financial services sectors. She won several national and

state awards for her communication campaigns, including the PRIA Golden Target Award. Melanie is the editor of the Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Public Relations Research. She is also a published creative writer and poet, and has also been a finalist in the Australian Vogel Literary Award.

253 AUTHORS

Ivana JELEČ, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)She works as the Head of the Center for Public Relations and a lecturer at the Edward Bernays College of Communication Management on courses related to public relations, strategic com-munication, corporate communication and Spanish and Italian language. She graduated in Public Relations and Political Communication at the Faculty of Political Science, and she is also currently finishing the Spanish Language and Literature and Italian Language and Literature

graduate study program at the University of Zagreb. She started her career in Millenium promocija, Croatia’s leading agency for integrated communication, where she had the opportunity to work on numerous projects in various fields such as education, tourism, banking and pharmacy.

Megan C. KENDALL, Purdue University (USA) She is finishing the Master of Science in Communication: Media, Technology and Society at Purdue University, Brian Lamb School of Communication. Research Interests: Social media, organizational identity, PR, strategic communications.

Soojin KIM, Singapore Management University (Singapore)Kim, PhD (Purdue University) is an Assistant Professor of Corporate Communication at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. Kim’s research focuses on strategic management of public relations, public sentiment, and public behavior. Her pub-lished articles are in Public Relations Review, International Journal of Strategic Communication, and Corporate Communication: an International Journal. She is a winner of several research grants including Media Development Authority of Singapore grant and Singapore Manage-

ment University-MOE (Ministry of Education Singapore Tier 1 Research Grant. She is also the recipient of research awards, such as ICA Top Faculty Paper and Enzyme Best Published Research Article Awards.

Sora KIM, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Kim is an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She earned her Ph.D. degree from the University of Tennessee. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility communication, and crisis commu-nication management. Her work has been published at Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Eth-

ics, Public Relations Review, and other international communication related journals.

Devin KNIGHTON, Purdue University (USA) Knighton is a doctoral student in Public Relations at Purdue University’s Brian Lamb School of Communications. He has more than ten years of practical experience directing public relations programs within organizations, ranging from technology startups to Fortune 500 companies. His research interests center on the public relations challenges within the entrepreneurial process. Knighton received his Master’s in Strategic Public Relations from The George Wash-ington University in 2010 and his Bachelor’s in Communication from Brigham Young University

in 2005.

263 AUTHORS

Evgenia KORKOVA, Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry (Russian Federation)Korkova is a PhD student in The Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry. She gradu-ated at the Moscow State Linguistic University.

Arunima KRISHNA, Boston University’s College of Communication (USA)Krishna, PhD (Purdue University) is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations at Boston Univer-sity’s College of Communication. Her primary research interests lie in understand how publics and corporations perceive and respond to controversial social issues. Her work has examined issues such as vaccine negativity, and workplace gender discrimination to unpack how publics understand and respond to these issues. Dr Krishna’s work has appeared in journals such

as Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Review, and Communication Yearbook, among others.

John KUADA, Aalborg University (Denmark)Kuada is Professor of International Business and Intercultural Management at the Department of Business and Management, Aalborg University, Denmark. He is the coordinator of the university’s master’s degree programs in International Business and International Marketing. His research interests include enterprise development in Africa, management in Africa, export marketing, and intercultural management. Professor Kuada is author and co-author of 10 books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. In addition to teaching and research, he has consulted for businesses and international organizations in Europe and Africa.

Beata KVIATEK, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (Netherlands)She is a Researcher and Senior Lecturer of International Business and Management at Interna-tional Business School of Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen in the Netherlands. She holds MSc in Political Science from Vilnius University (Lithuania) and got her interdisciplin-ary PhD from University of Groningen (the Netherlands). Her research interests include stud-ies on corporate strategy and corporate development, corporate social responsibility (CSR),

(corporate) public affairs, regulatory governance, societal aspects of energy transition, political decision making, and European politics. She is also expert in social and legal change and social innovation.

Athanasia LAMPROPOULOU, National University of Athens (Greece)Lampropoulou holds an MA in Strategic Communication and Public Relations from Deree - The American College of Greece. She has a background in Human Resources Management with focus on Employee Motivation and she has worked in business-to-business communication for the public sector, and internal and new media communication in the private sector.

273 AUTHORS

Tatjana LASKOVIC, McMaster University (Canada)Laskovic is a senior communications management professional, well versed in the public policy development processes and related technical issues and multi-stakeholder impacts. Tatjana’s professional and academic experiences and interests are in the areas of issues management, relationship building and decision-making, with a specific focus on improving business out-comes through integrated communications planning and facilitating strategic organization-al responses to operating environment. Tatjana is a graduate of Master of Communications

Management (MCM) program from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Liane W.Y. LEE, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Lee, PhD (Macquarie University, Sydney Australia) is Teaching Fellow at Faculty of Manage-ment and Hospitality, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi). She worked in the financial communication sector as Senior Product Manager and Strategy Devel-

opment for HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank (HK) Ltd for over fifteen years before joining as an academia. Her research areas include relationship management, co-creation (PR-journalist and banker-client strategies) branding, CSR and social marketing.

Roxana MAIORESCU, Emerson College (USA)Maiorescu (PhD, Purdue University) is an Assistant Professor at Emerson College in Boston, USA. She specializes in global public relations and social media. She published with Routledge, Oxford University Press, Sage, and Elsevier (Public Relations Review) and conducted research/consulting reports for AT&T, JP Morgan Chase, General Motors, and Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson. Maiorescu (PhD, Purdue University) is an Assistant Professor at Emerson College in Boston, USA. She specializes in global public relations and social media. She published with

Routledge, Oxford University Press, Sage, and Elsevier (Public Relations Review) and conducted research/consulting reports for AT&T, JP Morgan Chase, General Motors, and Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson.

Charles MARSH, University of Kansas (USA)Marsh, Ph.D., is the Oscar Stauffer Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas, USA. He is author of Classical Rhetoric and Modern Public Relations: An Iso-cratean Model (Routledge) and Public Relations, Cooperation, and Justice: From Evolutionary Biol-ogy to Ethics (Routledge); and co-author of Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach (Pearson) and Strategic Writing (Routledge). He teaches courses in communication ethics and theories of strategic communication. Before joining academia, he was senior editor of corporate publica-

tions for the J.C. Penney Company and editor of American Way, the inflight magazine of American Airlines.

Valentina MARTINO, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)Martino (Ph.D.) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and Social Re-search at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), where she teaches Corporate Communication and coordinates a seminar on scientific writing. Her main research interests are public rela-tions theory, corporate and cultural communication, university communication and innova-tion. Her researches are published in several Italian and international books and journals, such as in particular International Journal of Strategic Communication, Public Relations Review,

and Tafter Journal. Her most recent book: Dalle storie alla storia d’impresa. Memoria, comunicazione, heritage (Bonanno, 2013).

283 AUTHORS

Tina MCCORKINDALE, President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations, New York (USA)McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR, is the President and CEO of the Institute for Public Relations. She has 15 years of experience as a professor and research analyst with more than 125 presen-tations and academic publications, primarily in digital media. She is a member of Arthur W. Page Society, Commission for Public Relations Education, AMEC Academic Advisory Board, University of Florida Public Relations Advisory Board, Global Alliance Board, Society for New

Communications Research Board, and the Universal Accreditation Board. She graduated with a Ph.D. in communica-tion from the University of Miami, and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Andrew MCWHIRTER, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)McWhirter is Programme Leader of BA/BA (Hons) Media and Communication at Glasgow Cale-donian University. He has an industry background in advertising and arts journalism and is an academic researcher with interests in media analysis, social media, audio-visual pedagogies and sustainability in the screen industries. Dr McWhirter has published papers with Screen and Journalism Practice and has written a monograph, Film Criticism in Digital Cultures: Journalism, Social Media and the Democratization of Opinion (I.B. Tauris, 2016). He is currently working on

his second book, Learning, Teaching and Social Media: A Generational Approach, to be published by Routledge in 2019.

Angeles MORENO, University Rey Juan Carlos (Spain)

Tarja MERISTÖ, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

Mette MORSING, Stockholm School of Economics (Sweden)

Judy MOTION, University of New South Wales (Australia)Motion is Professor of Communication in the Environmental Humanities group at the Uni-versity of New South Wales, Sydney Australia. Judy’s most recent research focuses on public discourse and sense making in relation to environmental issues. Past research has included discourse and identity in organisational change, power and resistance in the implementation of new technologies and the influence of public relations on policy formation. Her latest publi-cation, ‘Social media and public relations: Fake friends and powerful public’, co-authored with

Robert Heath and Shirley Leitch was awarded the PRIDE outstanding book award in 2016.

Michaela O’BRIEN, University of Westminster (UK)O’Brien joined the University of Westminster in 2007 and is course leader of the pioneer-ing MA in Media, Campaigning and Social Change, which she co-founded in 2014. She also teaches on the MA in Public Relations. Michaela previously worked in a range of senior cam-paign communications and strategy roles in the not for profit sector including Business in the Community, Gingerbread, Amnesty International, War on Want, Carers UK, British Library and Refugee Council. Her research interests are around the under-representation of not for profit

campaign communications.

293 AUTHORS

Ivan PAKOZDI, Edward Bernays (Croatia)Pakozdi is executive director for development and lecturer at the Edward Bernays College of Communication Management. In 2007 he started his career in Millenium promocija, leading Croatian integrated communication agency, where he worked for nine years and was at a posi-tion of executive director and senior consultant. Ivan graduated in journalism in 2009 from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Zagreb. During his studies he majored in public relations and print media. He was a member of the first generation graduates of Matrix Croatica’s Commu-

nication Sciences School. He has been a member of the Croatian Public Relations Association since 2007.

Evgeny PASHENTSEV, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russian Federation)Leading researcher at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs RF, professor at the Chair of Philosophy of Language and Communication in Lomonosov Moscow State Uni-versity. Director of the International Centre for Social and Political Studies and Consulting. Co-ordinator of the international research and expert network on the communication and media management of the EU and Russia relations. Partner of the European Association for Viewers

Interests, Brussels. Honorary Research Fellow at Birmingham University (October-November 2005). Presentation of papers at more than 150 international conferences and seminars for the last 20 years. Member of the international Advisory Board of Comunicar (Spain) and the editorial board of The Journal of Political Marketing (the USA).

Jessica R. PEINE, Purdue University (USA)She is an undergraduate researcher who graduated from Purdue University’s College of Lib-eral Arts in May 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations & Strategic Communication and Anthropology. Jessica Peine’s research interests are in the responses to corporate social responsibility and the related public relations campaigns, specifically in regards to college stu-dents. Jessica Peine is currently pursuing a career in corporate communications and market-ing in Indianapolis, Indiana in the software industry.

Heike PUCHAN, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)Dr Puchan is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences, Media and Journalism at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland where she specialises in Public Relations and Media Studies teaching - at both post-graduate and undergraduate level - and research. Her current research interests lie in the area of public relations and sports, the mediatisation and commercialisa-tion of outdoor sports and the emerging phenomenon of post-truth, propaganda and PR. She has published on various other aspects of PR and media studies such as Crisis Communica-

tions, Adventure Sports and the Media and German Public Relations History.

Lars RADEMACHER, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Germany)Rademacher, PhD, MA (University of Siegen), is professor of Public Relations at the Media School of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and visiting scholar of public legitimacy at Macromedia University Munich. His research interests cover Stakeholder Management, CSR & Sustainability, NGO campaigning, Corporate Culture and Compliance Communication. He is a frequent reviewer for German and international journals and conference chair of the Academ-

ic CSR Summit at the German CSR Forum.

303 AUTHORS

Jasmina RADOVANOVIĆ, City of Pančevo (Serbia)Since 2009 Jasmina is the Chief of PR Department of the City of Pančevo. Previously engaged as a Senior Associate in the PR Department, she was a PR manager of many international, working on: establishment of communication mechanisms, enhancement of citizen partici-pation into decision making processes, coordination of participative budgeting programme, coordination of creation of Communication Strategy, establishment of E-Parliament, public hearings and ICT mechanisms at the local level. She is the author of documents and protocols

in the scope of communication and PR in the local government. Jasmina holds BA in philology and MBA in the field of public relations.

Ronél RENSBURG, University of Pretoria (South Africa)She is the former Head of the Department of Marketing and Communication Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria (2000-2008). She was also Deputy-Dean, and Acting Dean (2002-2005) and Chairperson of the School of Management Sciences (2002-2008) in the same faculty. Ronél is currently full professor in the Division of Communication Management. She is a former President of PRISA (the Public Re-lations Institute of Southern Africa), and had been a board member of the Global Alliance for

Public Relations and Communication Management (GA). She has been made a Fellow of PRISA (accolade for lifetime service) on 18 June 2015. Prof Rensburg is a founding-member and caretaker-director of the recently-established Centre for Communication and Reputation Management (CCRM) at the University of Pretoria. In 2015 CEO listed her as one of South Africa’s 100 most influential women in business and government.

Erica RODRIGUES, CIES/ISCTE (Portugal)She is a Senior Communication Consultant and Guest teacher at Escola Superior de Comuni-cação Social, IPL (Lisbon).

Ulrike RÖTTGER, University of Münster (Germany)She is professor for public relations research at University of Münster, Germany. She holds a graduate degree in journalism from the University of Dortmund, Germany, and a doctorate in communication science from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. She is applicant and mem-ber of the Research Training Group 1712/2 “Trust and Communication in a Digitized World” at University of Münster. Ulrike Röttger has published widely, including 17 books and more than 100 articles in several languages. Her research fields include public relations theory, trust and

strategic communication, CSR communication, public relations consulting.

Alenka Rozman, NLB (Slovenia)

313 AUTHORS

Isabel RUIZ-MORA, University of Malaga (Spain)She is a Lecturer in Advertising and Public Relations at University of Malaga, Spain. Her re-search is focused on CSR and the role of publics to create spaces for dialogue. She is involved in different funded projects about lobby and communication in Spain and the development of indicators of social profitability for the media. Her recent publications include “Public infor-mation and communication for public participation in Spain” and “Reluctant to talk, reluctant to listen: Public relations professionals and their involvement in CSR programmes in Spain”.

Isabel is editor of the academic journal Revista Internacional de Relaciones Públicas.

Harri RUOSLAHTI, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)He is a Senior Lecturer at Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Espoo, Finland), dividing his time between teaching, and research and innovation projects. He has a Master of Arts in Com-munication from Pepperdine University (California, USA); and is currently studying co-creation in multi-stakeholder settings at the University of Jyväskylä (Finland). Harri is the founder of Ahkera Smart Tech, a Finnish company offering innovative fully automated baggage and air

cargo handling solutions, which are based on his experience in the ground handling industry. Harri has worked in executive development, and in sales. Harri began his career in the Finnish Coast Guard.

Gabor SARLOS, University of Worcester (UK)Sarlos is a senior lecturer in Public Relations and Corporate Reputation at the University of Worcester. Previously he had similar position with the University of Wolverhampton and IBS Budapest. His professional career includes running of his own award-winning PR firm for over 20 years, development and execution of full range public relations and reputation manage-ment campaigns, and development of communication strategies for corporate and NGO cli-ents. His prime interests include sustainability communication, as well as crisis and risk man-

agement. He has an MSc in Economics and a PhD in Sociology, with focus on the social context of nuclear energy.

Stefano SCARCELLA PRANDSTRALLER, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)He has a degree in law and one in political and social sciences, a diploma and a master in methodology of social research, a master in international studies and the diploma in public relations and reputation management of the London School of Public Relations. He worked in the civil service in change management and social research and now is Assistant Professor of Political Sociology at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), where he teaches Public Relations.

Among his 40 publications: Institutional Relations and Relational Sociology: a discipline, a profession, a paradigm and Theories and techniques of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Peter SEELE, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)

323 AUTHORS

Jens SEIFFERT-BROCKMANN, University of Vienna (Austria)He is a post-doctoral researcher with the Corporate Communication Research Group in the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna. He received his doctorate in Com-munication Science in 2014 from the University of Leipzig, where he was a pre-doctoral re-searcher between 2009 and 2014. He also holds a Magister Artium in Communication Science and Political Science from his studies at the University of Leipzig. Jens has spent abroad study semesters at the Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, and George Mason University

in Fairfax, Virginia, United States.

Muriel SERFONTEIN, University of Pretoria (South Africa)She is an aspiring young academic in the field of Communication Management and Public Re-lations. She is a lecturer at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, in the Division of Communi-cation Management where she lectures Business Communication to undergraduate students and also acts as a study supervisor for postgraduate students. She completed her Masters of Commerce degree with specialisation in Communication Management, cum laude, in 2016 at the University of Pretoria. She is currently underway with the Doctoral research, at the

University of Pretoria, under the supervision of Professor Ronel Rensburg. This research is aiming at developing a transformative communication framework for higher education institutions in South Africa.

Bey-Ling SHA, San Diego State University, California (USA)Sha, Ph.D., APR, is professor and director in the School of Journalism & Media Studies at San Diego State University. She is editor-in-chief of Journal of Public Relations Research, co-author of the 11th edition of Cutlip and Center’s Effective Public Relations, member of the Arthur W. Page Society, and past chair of the Universal Accreditation Board, which oversees the world’s largest certification program in public relations. The Public Relations Society of America named Dr. Sha its 2012 Outstanding Educator of the Year. Dr. Sha’s primary research program examines

the intersection of identity and public relations.

Holger SIEVERT, Hochschule Macromedia (Germany)Sievert, Dr. is Professor for PR and Communication Management at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany, where he also acts as Head of the Media School. Prior to his current academic position, he worked in management positions for a leading German communication agency, an international foundation and a major management consultancy. Furthermore, he still serves as a strategic communication consultant – among others, also in CSR communication. Some years ago, he was By-Fellow for Corporate Governance and Corpo-

rate Social Responsibility at Churchill College and Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Dubravka SINČIĆ ĆORIĆ, University of Zagreb (Croatia)

Brian G. SMITH, Purdue University (USA)Smith, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University. He is a Director, Creator of Barce-lona Faculty-led Study Abroad Program (2015 – Present). In 2017, he is a Fulbright Fellow at Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria. Previously he worked as an Assistant Professor at CIMBA, Paderno del Grappa, Italy (2014), as an Assistant Professor at University of Houston, Texas (2009-2012) and an Instructor, Grad Assistant at University of Maryland (2006 – 09).

333 AUTHORS

Krishnamurthy SRIRAMESH, Purdue University (USA)Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Purdue University, USA, is recognized for his schol-arship on global public relations, corporate social responsibility, and culture and public re-lations. He has advocated the need to reduce ethnocentricity in the public relations body of knowledge and practice in 7 books, over 75 articles and book chapters and over 100 confer-ence presentations around the world. His rich teaching experiences include teaching at 10 uni-versities in four continents. He has won several awards for teaching and research at different

universities. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Pathfinder Award from the Institute for Public Relations (USA) for “original scholarly research contributing to the public relations body of knowledge.”

Don W. STACKS, University of Miami (USA)He is a Professor and Director of the Public Relations Program in the School of Communication at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida. Stacks has written more than 200 scholarly articles, chapters and papers. Stacks was elected as a Eastern Communication Association “Distinguished Research Fellow” and “Distinguished Teaching Fellow” and was inducted into the Institute for Public Relations first “Research Fellows” class. Stacks has authored or co-au-thored eight books on communication topics, to include the award winning Primer of Public

Relations Research, the National Communication Association’s PRIDE award and was named the Measurement Stan-dard’s “measurement tool” for 2003. He was inducted into the PRNews Measurement Hall of Fame in 2012. Stacks is currently the editor of Communication Research Reports.

Hilke STEENKAMP, Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa)Steenkamp is a lecturer in the Department of Journalism at the Tshwane University of Technol-ogy in South Africa. She holds a PhD in Communication Management, an MA (Visual Studies) and a BA (Languages) Journalism degree from the University of Pretoria. In her doctoral study she developed a new communication management framework to facilitate responsive and stakeholder-specific reputation management techniques on social networking sites. Her re-

search interests include social media, communication management, corporate reputation management, corporate social responsibility, ethics and moral philosophy as well as visual culture studies.

Neva ŠTUMBERGER, Purdue University (USA)She is a Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant in the Brian Lamb School of Communi-cation at Purdue University, Indiana. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Communication. Neva’s main research interests include corporate social responsibility and employee commu-nication. She received a Master’s degree in Strategic Marketing Communication and a Bach-elor’s degree in Journalism from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Giancarlo TAYLOR, San Diego State University, California (USA)Taylor is Director of International Programs in the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts at San Diego State University. He was born in Italy and raised in Mexico City, Washington D.C., and Seattle. After graduation from Beloit College in Wisconsin, Taylor joined the U.S. Peace Corps and served in the Republic of Niger, West Africa, for 27 months. Previously, Taylor worked in the International Office at the University of Texas at Austin sending students around

the globe. He earned his M.A in international education from the School for International Training, Brattleboro, Ver-mont.

343 AUTHORS

Elena TANKOVSKI, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)Tankovski is a MA student in Media and Business at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Neth-erlands. Elena’s MA thesis (ongoing) focuses on NGOs as CSR actors in the Swiss context.

Ralph TENCH, Leeds Beckett University (UK)

Gareth THOMPSON, University of the Arts London (UK)He worked in corporate, financial and technology public relations for 15 years, including a spell at London-based Citigate Dewe Rogerson which acquired an agency he founded in 1997. He then served as director of marketing and communications at Investia, a City brokerage and investment fund software business and its JPMorgan FundsHub joint venture. He joined London Metropolitan Business School (LMBS) in 2006 as a senior lecturer. In October 2013, he joined University of the Arts London as a senior lecturer in marketing and communications.

Gareth Thompson has a BSc from the University of London (University College London), MBA from University of Cambridge (Trinity Hall,) and a PGCert (Postgraduate Certificate).

Ole THYSSEN, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

Ana TKALAC VERČIČ, University of Zagreb (Croatia)She is a Professor of Marketing communications and Public Relations at the University of Za-greb, Croatia. She has authored, co-authored and edited numerous books, book chapters and article and is a member of the editorial committee of the „International Journal of Strategic Communication“, and a regional editor of „Public Relations Review”. She is a former Fulbright scholar. Her research focus is oriented towards reputation and image building which she stud-ied through various scientific projects such as “Development of strategy for building the image

of the Republic of Croatia” and “Improving the capacity of the civil society”.

Selin TÜRKEL, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)She, Ph.D. is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Communication Public Relations and Advertising De-partment at Izmir University of Economics and has been a member of the department since 2005. She received a B.A. degree in Public Relations and Advertising (Istanbul Bilgi University, 2004), a M.A. degree in Business Administration (Izmir University of Economics, 2007) and Ph.D. in Public Relations (Ege University, 2013). Dr. Türkel is co-author of  the SSCI journal article, A Strategic Approach to CSR Communication: Examining the Impact of Brand Familiarity

on Consumer Responses (Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Mgmt., doi: 10.1002/csr.1373) and the international book chapter Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Communication: A Turkish Industry Example.

353 AUTHORS

Lisa ULSAMER, Leuphana University in Lüneburg (Germany)She has recently graduated from the Leuphana University in Lüneburg with a Master of Sci-ence in Management and Marketing. The subject of her thesis concerned CSR communica-tion with particular focus on cultural differences in the perceived credibility of cause-related marketing campaigns. With regards to her previous work experience, she concentrated on corporate communication and public relations in the tourism and food retailing industry. That is why she decided to conduct a traineeship as a communication consultant in a PR agency in

Hamburg that works for clients from both sectors.

Ebru UZUNOĞLU, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)She is an Associate Professor at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) and worked as the Head of the Public Relations and Advertising Department for more than 8 years. In 2014, she has assigned as the Acting Dean of the Communication Faculty at IUE. She is currently working as a visiting scholar at Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications - Northwestern University. She teaches courses on Principles of Public Relations, Marketing Communications, Communication Campaign Design, Senior Project, and Brand Management.

Her research interests include integrated marketing communications, brand communications, corporate commu-nication, and social media implementations. She is the co-editor of Integrated Communication in Post-Modern Era with Prof. Dr. Philip J. Kitchen. She worked in several national and international companies as a marketing commu-nication specialist and product manager for 12 years.

Aniisu K. VERGHESE, Tesco Bengaluru (India)Verghese manages Corporate Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility for Tesco Bengaluru, the in-house technology and retail operations team of Tesco, one of the world’s largest retailers. He has over 17 years of experience with technology, financial services and consulting organisations such as Sapient, Accenture and Oracle. Aniisu is the author of Inter-nal Communications – Insights, Practices and Models and is passionate about engaging com-municators and students through workshops, teaching assignments and blogging. He serves

as the International Association of Business Communicator (IABC)’s South India Chapter Board member and is the recipient of the 2015 PR Hall of Fame Award from the Public Relations Council of India.

Piet VERHOEVEN, University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)He is Associate Professor Corporate Communication at the Amsterdam School of Communi-cation Research (ASCoR) and teaches at the College and Graduate School of Communication, both at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. His research involves studies in cor-porate communication and public relations, especially regarding business in the news media, crisis communication dynamics between organizations and the media and mutual relation-ships between the media and the stock market. Since 2008 Piet participates in the European

Communication Monitor (ECM), an annual survey among European communication managers on trends and key issues in the PR-profession. International publications appeared amongst others in Public Relations Review, Public Understanding of Science and PR Inquiry. Piet teaches seminars as Corporate Communication in Hypermodern Times and Philosophy of Science and Methodology.

363 AUTHORS

Nataša VERK, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)Verk is a teaching assistant and a doctoral student at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, and holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Marketing Communication. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility, corporate communication and frame analy-sis. Prior to her current position, she worked as a sales and marketing researcher for a tech software startup.

Dejan VERČIČ, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)He is professor and head of Centre for Marketing and Public Relations at the University of Lju-bljana, Slovenia. He received his PhD in social psychology in 2000 from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a former Fulbright scholar. He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and 12 books. He is a member of the European Communication Monitor research team, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (UK), a honor-ary member of the Croatian Public Relations Association, and a past president and a current

member of the European Public Relations Education and Research Association. In 2016 he was awarded the Path-finder Award, the highest academic honour bestowed by the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) in New York.

Riccardo WAGNER, Hochschule Macromedia (Germany)Wagner is an external doctoral Student with Prof Dr Stefan Wehmeier (First Examiner, Uni-versity of Greifswald) and Prof Dr Holger Sievert (Second Examiner, Macromedia University). Wagner is Head of Marketing & PR for “moneymeets”, a german fintech company. As a former journalist, PR & CSR consultant, he has been head of a joint working group on CRS communi-cation of the German Public Relations Association and the German Business Ethics Network for almost 8 years and published several business oriented articles and books on CSR Commu-

nication. He also works as a lecturer and co-organizes a (non-academic) German CSR Communication Conference.

Wolfgang WEITZL, University of Vienna (Austria)Dr Weitzl is a post-doctoral research associate within the Corporate Communication Research Group (CCom) at the Department of Communication at the University of Vienna. His main research interests include the following topics: (1) consumer engagement (with a special emphasis on online consumer-to-consumer interactions (eWOM) including online customer reviews, online complaints on social media, brand advocates/activists, and brand communities); (2) (proactive) crisis communication; (3) integrated (marketing) communication in the digital age; and (4) online persua-sion (including the role of trust and deception). Wolfgang Weitzl has published various articles on above mentioned topics as well as on issues related to marketing, retailing, consumer behaviour and psychology.

Paul WILLIS, University of Huddersfield (UK)He is professor of corporate communication at The University of Huddersfield. He joined the University from Leeds Business School where he was Director of the Centre for Public Rela-tions Studies. Paul previously held board level positions in the communication consultancy sector advising organisations such as BMW, BT, Proctor & Gamble, Walmart, the NHS, UK Sport and the Football Association. As an academic Paul has managed research projects for the EU, the UK Cabinet Office and Department for Health investigating a range of strategic commu-

nication issues including those linked to climate change and business sustainability. In 2016, he was appointed to the Government’s Future Communication Council by the Prime Minister’s Office. Paul is co-author of Strategic Public Relations Leadership and other published research can be found in his field’s leading journals and text books.

373 AUTHORS

Cody Blake WILSON, Purdue University (USA)Wilson is a graduate instructor at Purdue University.

Deborah WISE, University of Newcastle (Australia)She is an Associate Lecturer in Communication at the School of Creative Industries, University of Newcastle, Australia. Deborah has published in Public Relations Inquiry, The Asia Pacific Public Relations Journal, and Public Communication Review in the areas of health commu-nication, PR and positioning theory. Her mini case study was published in Issue and Crisis Management: Exploring Issues, Crises, Risk and Reputation (Oxford University Press, 2014), and she has presented her research at international conferences including the International

Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Conference and the Barcelona PR Meeting. Deborah has worked as a public relations researcher and until recently was the National Public Relations Manager for Austra-lia’s largest community service organisation.

Donald K. WRIGHT, Boston University (USA)Wright, Ph.D., is the Harold Burson Professor and Chair in Public Relations at Boston Universi-ty’s College of Communication, the world’s first degree-granting institution in public relations. He is one of the most published public relations scholars in the areas of ethics, employee communication and social media, and is an internationally known professor, author, speak-er, researcher, advisor, and corporate communications consultant. In addition to teaching, conducting scholarly and applied research, and lecturing in more than 30 countries on five

continents, Professor Wright has worked full-time in corporate, agency and university public relations, and has been a communications consultant for more than three decades.

Temi WRIGHT, Purdue University (USA)He is a 2015 recipient of the prestigious Fulbright scholarship. He taught language and culture classes at Indiana University on the Fulbright before joining Purdue University as a graduate student. Current research interests are in intersections of Public Relations and Intercultural Communication with the aim of understanding how culture dynamizes strategic communica-tion and relationship building efforts. Recent research has focused on Public Diplomacy and organizations’ use of separation – an image repair strategy –in constructing new identities

during crisis. Before coming to the United States, he taught English, Yoruba and Literature in Nigeria before being awarded for National Youth Service.

383 AUTHORS

Leslie S.C. YIP, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)Professor Leslie Yip (PhD) is Associate Dean of the Faculty of Management and Hospitality, Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi). Before joining THEi, Profes-sor Yip was an academic faculty at the Department of Management and Marketing of the Hong

Kong Polytechnic University. His major research interest includes relationship management, value creation and ap-propriation, service climate, and branding. Since joining THEi two years ago, he jointly developed the Public Relations and Management degree with his colleague Liane Lee and continues his relationship management research within the public relations and media professions. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Marketing and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.

Hui ZHANG, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)Zhang Hui, PhD Candidate of Public Relations in Shanghai International Studies University, Chi-na. His main research interests focus on International Public Relations and Public Diplomacy. He published Public Relations Strategies in China’s Nuclear Power Going Global in Public Relations, Research on International Public Relations in China’s shaping the National Image of Peaceful Devel-opment in Public Relations World, Analysis of Israel’s Strategy of Lobbying the U.S.A in International

Public Relations, Study on the Enterprises’ Public Diplomacy in Public Diplomacy Quarterly successively.

Peng ZHANG, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)July 2013- present, he serves as a lecturer in the Department of Public Relations, School of International Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University May 2014- July 2015, he attended the Post Dr program at Antai College of Economic & Management, Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Ansgar ZERFASS, University of Leipzig (Germany)Zerfass is Professor and Chair in Strategic Communication at the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Leipzig, Germany and Professor in Communication and Leadership at BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo. He is Editor of the “International Jour-nal of Strategic Communication”, USA, and initiated the European Communication Monitor, Asia-Pacific Communication Monitor and Latin-American Communication Monitor series cov-ering more than 80 countries as the world’s largest continuing study in communication man-

agement. So far, he has published 34 books and more than 300 journal articles, book chapters and study reports in multiple languages about his research areas corporate communications, international communication, social media and measurement/evaluation.

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Introduction/purpose of the studyCorporate (social) responsibility (CSR) can be seen as a management concept that corporations use to set themselves apart from competitors, e.g. in developing a positive reputation. Especially attractive activities for highlighting a corporation’s responsible behavior seem to be offering donations or charity, e.g. if employees are given paid time off to do volunteer work.

But, does that kind of CSR correspond to the expectations citizens have about a corporation’s responsibility? Or, would citizens’ expectations be better satisfied if all of a corporation’s business activities aligned with responsible behavior? Furthermore, what do citizens actually perceive to be effective responsible behavior? To answer those questions, this study is aimed to investigate citizens’ expectations and most common views about the responsibility of corporations.

Literature reviewWithin CSR research, there is hardly any discussion about the term responsibility itself. To address this issue, within this study responsibility is defined as socially constructed (cf. e.g. Lenk & Maring, 1993, p. 225; Gerhards, 2004, p. 17; Seidel, 2011, p. 58). Thus, assessments of responsibility can be seen as ascriptions comprised of the following dimensions: A sender assigns responsibility to a subject (person or organization) relating to a specific object including a normative judgement. Those four dimensions are obligatory, while evaluating the rationale behind the normative judgement is optional.

Most existing studies have concentrated on the effect that CSR measures have on consumers (cf. e.g. Beckmann, 2007; Mohr et al., 2001). However, when corporations expand their actions to include areas of responsibility, which deal not with economic issues but philanthropic ones, this affects people not primarily as consumers but as citizens. Therefore focusing on citizens instead of consumers broadens the discussion about the responsibility of corporations.

MethodologyIn two online surveys (each N = 500) conducted by a polling institute at the end of January 2017, German citizens were asked about their opinions

Corporate (social) responsibility from the citizens’ point of view

Doreen Adolph, University of Münster (Germany)Ulrike Röttger, University of Münster (Germany)

and expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations. A quota system (by age and gender, as well as educational status and income) was applied to align the sample of respondents with the characteristics of the German population. Serving as examples, one survey focused on German banking institutions and another on German clothing manufacturers. According to the dimensions of responsibility assessments mentioned above, in this study citizens represent the sender dimension, and corporations mainly function as subjects of responsibility.

Results and conclusionsSince the survey will be finished shortly before the

deadline of this Call, instead of results we highlight here some leading research questions: Are there significant differences in the preferred objects, normative judgements and given rationales between the two different sectors (banking institutions vs. clothing manufacturers)? What is the most popular type of understanding that citizens have about the responsibility of corporations – do they prefer corporations that “do good” actions, like make donations and offer charity, or do they prefer corporations that ambitiously try to “avoid bad” behavior? Are activities that are within the value chain of the given sector seen as more important than other activities? Are there differences in responsibility assessments between people who are highly involved with issues like responsible consumption or voluntary services and those who are not?

Practical and social implicationsUnderstanding what citizens expect in terms of

corporate responsibility can be helpful for developing and communicating reliable CSR concepts. Thus, this study may be able to offer recommendations for which types of actions a corporation should implement in order to be considered a responsible player within society.

Keywordscorporate (social) responsibility, responsibility assessments, citizens’ point of view, online survey

404 PAPER ABSTRACTS

ReferencesBeckmann, S. C. (2007). Consumers and corporate

social Responsibility: Matching the Unmatchable? Australasian Marketing Journal, 15(1), 27-36.

Gerhards, J. & Roose, J. & Offerhaus, A. (2004). AttrEU: Die Europäische Union und die massenmediale Attribution von Verantwortung. Eine länder-, zeit-, und medienvergleichende Untersuchung. Codebuch zur Inhaltsanalyse der EU-Berichterstattung der Süddeutschen Zeitung, der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung, der Times und des Guardian von 1994 bis 2003. Leipzig: Institut für Kulturwissenschaften, Universität Leipzig.

Lenk, H. & Maring, M. (1993). Verantwortung – normatives Interpretationskonstrukt und empirische Beschreibung. In L. H. Eckensberger & U. Gähde (Eds.). Ethische Norm und empirische Hypothese (pp. 222-243). Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.

Mohr, L., Webb, D. & Harris, K. (2001). Do Consumers expect Companies to be socially responsible? The Impact of corporate social Responsibility on buying Behavior. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 39(1), 45-72.

Seidel, P. (2011). Internationale Unternehmen, Gesellschaft und Verantwortung. Eine Kritik der Management-wissenschaft als Bezugsrahmen. Wiesbaden: Gabler.

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Introduction, Purpose, and Research DesignCorporate social responsibility is increasingly recognized as a required – not optional – component of excellent public relations around the world. However, best practices for communicating about corporate social responsibility initiatives differ significantly in cultures and countries around the globe. This study therefore investigated how to adapt messages about corporate social responsibility when working in different cultures.

Literature ReviewAccording to Verčič, Grunig, and Grunig’s (1996) seminal generic/specific theory of international public relations, when practicing public relations in a different country, practitioners must adapt their strategies to account for five dimensions on which nations differ: their political-economic systems, cultures, extent of activism, levels of development, and media systems. Alaimo (2017) added two new dimensions to this theory: local influencers and social expectations. Hofstede (2010) has identified numerous dimensions on which cultures differ which affect best communication practices, including power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long term orientation.

MethodologyIn-depth interviews were conducted with 75 senior communication professionals in 31 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The interviews with practitioners in Brazil and South Africa, as well as with professionals who attended the World Communication Forum in Davos and Social Media Strategies Summit in New York, were conducted in person. The other interviews were conducted via Skype.

Interview subjects were asked to describe the messages and strategies that work best in the markets in which they work.

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility Across Cultures

Kara Alaimo, Hofstra University (USA)

Interviews were utilized because they are the best tool for gathering detailed strategic insights from practitioners on best practices in different cultures.

Results and ConclusionsThe results section breaks the world into ten different cultural clusters - identified as part of the GLOBE study, a ten-year study of more than 17,000 managers in 62 societies conducted by 170 researchers (House et al., 2004) – and explains best practices for communicating corporate social responsibility within each of them. For example, in the Arab world, it is critical to convey emotion and to work with local influencers. In South Asia, it is often effective to involve local communities in corporate social responsibility initiatives, such as painting a school together. In Confucian Asia, it is necessary to work particularly hard to convince organizations to be transparent in order to overcome a tradition scholars call “risky communication,” which suggests that the best thing to do when facing a problem is to remain silent (Yu & Wen, 2003).

A limitation of this study is that, while a relatively large number of interviews were conducted, interview subjects represented only 31 of the world’s nations. Future research should expand this work through interviews in other countries, including Spain, Peru, Jordan, and Turkey.

Practical and Social ImplicationsThe results offer practical advice for how professional communicators should craft their messages about corporate social responsibility when working in different cultures around the globe. Making messages more effective stands to heighten their social impact.

Keywordscorporate social responsibility, global public relations, international communication, cross-cultural communication

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ReferencesAlaimo, K. (2017). Pitch, tweet, or engage on the

street: How to practice global public relations and strategic communication. New York, NY: Routledge.

House, R. J., Hanges, P. J., Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W. & Gupta, B. (Eds.) (2004). Culture, leadership, and organizations: The GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Verčič, D., Grunig, L. A., & Grunig, J. E. (1996). Global and specific principles of public relations: Evidence from Slovenia. In H. M. Culbertson & N. Chen (Eds.), International public relations: A comparative analysis (pp. 31-65). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Yu, T. H., & Wen, W. C. (2003). Crisis communication in Chinese culture: A case study in Taiwan. Asian Journal of Communication, 13(2), 50-64.

434 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purposeAs corporations strive to initiate communicative engagement with potential consumers in foreign markets through online communication campaigns, they face a number of hurdles that can potentially damage their reputation. A 2011 social media campaign run by two Finnish corporations, Finnair and Rovio (creator of Angry Birds), designed to increase their market share in a number of Asian countries ended up generating a plethora of racial vilification comments over an 18-month period among members of an online community on an Angry Birds YouTube channel. Although both corporations initiated consumer engagement on the social media platform, they neglected to engage in the ongoing discussion, resulting in racist expressions dominating the dialogue. In an increasingly globalized world where the tendency is to dehumanize online communicative interaction, this paper argues that a corporation’s tweets and posts can and do affect people’s lives. This line of investigation is pertinent in the age of President Donald Trump’s extensive use of tweets resulting in sweeping negative repercussions, such as confusion, controversy, and even racial abuse.

Literature reviewThis paper builds on a dialogic corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach (Kent & Taylor, 2016) by situating dialogic communication as central to the enactment of socially responsible behavior of corporations. In doing so it integrates and extends research on CSR communication, social media communication, and dialogic communication to examine the responsibility of corporations for the effects of their communication activities on consumers participating in corporate online environments. To date, the dual focus of CSR communication scholarship has been centered predominantly around both (1) engagement with stakeholders in the formation of a corporation’s CSR activities and (2) the communication of a corporation’s CSR achievements to stakeholders (Crane & Glozer, 2016). This paper contends that CSR communication scholarship would benefit from extending this dominant focus to also acknowledging the core function of communication itself as a social responsibility of a corporation to its consumers. In other words, a corporation has a duty to attempt

ANGRY BIRDS HOST ANGRY CONSUMERS: A dialogic communication approach to corporate

responsibility for online racial abuseMark Badham, Aalto University School of Business (Finland)

to ensure that its communicative acts leading to consumer-to-consumer communication on its online platforms does not adversely impact its consumers (e.g. through racial abuse).

Additionally, although social media communication continues to be viewed as a marketing practice enabling corporations to convey messages to target audiences (Colleoni, 2013), social media also offers opportunities for corporations to interact with consumers in mutually beneficial ways, such as with members of online communities hosted on corporate platforms. In examining how corporations manage dialogue with members of online communities, this study also contributes to research on dialogic communication as a theoretical framework for relationship building between organizations and their publics and to focus attention on how corporate communication activates consumer-to-consumer debate (Swenson et al., 2016) . To date, public relations research has paid little attention to dialogic communication (Pieczka, 2011: 119). This paper argues that public relations practitioners and scholars would benefit from adopting dialogue as a communication framework to redirect a focus back on the relationship building aspect of public relations (Kent & Taylor, 2016) and, by extension, on why and how corporations should care about the effects of their communication on consumers.

MethodologyThis paper draws on a netnographic analysis of an online community formed around a corporate social media campaign to examine how racial tensions were formed and expressed. Netnography, or online ethnography, was particularly useful to this immersive study of a dialogue of over 400 posts between members of an online community centered around the 2011 Angry Birds Asian Challenge with Finnair hosted on an Angry Birds YouTube channel.

Results and conclusionsFindings show that inadequate communication of a competition in the Angry Birds YouTube channel resulted in early widespread confusion and debate among online community members into aspects of the competition and that this fueled inter-nationalistic rivalry and expressions of racism between

444 PAPER ABSTRACTS

members. Interestingly, both corporations did not communicatively interact with the online community and thereby ignored the competition confusion and resulting racial abuse on their platform.

Practical and social implicationsThe study’s findings highlight for public relations practitioners the inherent danger of offensive expressions dominating the dialogue in corporate-sponsored online communities, which can threaten a corporation’s reputation. This focus of investigation raises a number of questions, including, but not limited to: Why and how should corporations attempt to avoid and respond to offensive dialogue within the communities ‘living’ on their online platforms? How and why do members of online communities express offensive behaviour such as racism on corporate-hosted social media platforms?

KeywordsCSR, dialogic communication, racism, social media

454 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyThe issue of fair wage is of particular importance in the context of globalized production and many of its critiques focusing on the exploitative labor practices. Amidst competing criteria for wage fairness, there is a staggering absence of voice from supply chain workers in the construction of wage fairness. This paper is guided by the practical question “is the fair wage constructed in CSR texts really fair?” I attempt to answer the following research questions: How is wage fairness constructed in CSR communication by the apparel industry? How do workers understand wage fairness? How are these two understandings different from each other?

Literature reviewAlthough increasing attention is being paid to issues of globalized production and labor in the field of communication, there has been limited interest in the concept of fair wage. Within the limited literature, the concept of fair wage is often defined in the context of productivity incentive or employer-employee disputes, especially those expressed in protests and other forms of collective action.

The issue of wage policy is fraught with controversy, especially concerning the criteria for wage fairness. This is further complicated by the complex network of supply chain manufacturing and global mobility of goods, capital and labor. Within this context, Vaughan-Whitehead (2010) propose to include wage issues in the CSR approach to “[promote] responsibility on wage issues among actors in the supply chain, thereby enhancing wage practices among suppliers”(p. 204). Conversely, Hale and Wills (2011) observed that “the plethora of CSR initiatives has done nothing to alter the facets of the global economy that cause the problem of poor and declining standards of employment in the first place” (p. 13). As such, there is need for empirical research that reveals the role CSR plays in improving/justifying wage policies in global supply chains.

MethodologyThis paper takes a dialectical-relational approach (Fairclough, 2009) to understanding the social

(Re)constructing Fairness in Fair Wage Discourse: CSR Communication vs. Workers’

ArticulationsZhuo Ban, University of Cincinnati (USA)

process of discursively constructing a “fair wage”. This approach, according to Fairclough (2009), focuses on the dialectic relationship between social structure and communication.

Data analyzed in this study derive from two sources. The first part of my corpus is a collection of the labor practice section of CSR reports from the top eight US apparel industry corporations. The second part of the corpus consists of 296 pages of transcribed and translated in-depth interviews with industrial workers who work in several garment manufacturing facilities in South China.

For data analysis, I employed a two-step procedure. First, I employed an iterative analysis and a constant comparative method (Charmaz, 2006). The second part of the analysis took Fairclough’s approach to CDA (Fairclough, 1993, 2009, 2013). Specifically, based on the themes (discourses) arrived at in the first part of the analysis, I looked for markers of intertextuality, genres, and styles. Comparison was made between the CSR text and workers’ articulation to gain insights into the varied constructions of wage fairness.

Results and conclusionsMy analysis reveals some interesting contradictions concerning the criteria for wage fairness and the execution of established standards.

First, CSR texts and workers’ articulation vary significantly in the level of importance placed on the establishment of standards and guidelines, in comparison to their execution. Corporate communication often assumes the compliance to code as norm and in compliance aberrance. Workers’ articulation, however, highlights widespread cases of questionable wage practices.

The second key difference in the construction of wage fairness concerns the relative weight (strategically) granted to various considerations. Specifically, the CSR articulations focuses on wages covering workers’ living cost, while workers highlight the difference between what they create and what they earn.

Third, workers’ articulations suggest new considerations to the established benchmarks of wage fairness, particularly by arguing against wage-level benchmarks based on the individual, immediate needs of the workers, which fail to consider the long-term needs of workers and their families.

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Practical and social implicationsFrom the perspective of discourse studies, my observations suggest the need to exercise a suspicious reading of CSR texts as a strategic corporate communication genre. In practical terms, it suggests need for CSR reporting guidelines that adequately connect texts (e.g., various mission statements, route maps and codes of conducts) to wage praxis.

Moreover, my analysis highlights the importance of studying alternative voices, especially discursive constructions from the margins. Alternative articulations of experience with labor and wage practices provide testimony to the impact of mainstream construction of fair wage. They also introduce opportunities for reconsidering what is important to the broader discussion of labor issues, especially concerning labor related regulations, thereby realizing the potential of discourse constitution toward positive social change.

KeywordsFair Wage, Corporate Social Responsibility, Critical Discourse Analysis, Labor

474 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyRepublic of Serbia is toward the road to the European Union. Therefore, numerous public policies of the Serbian Government have been shaped within the context of EU accession process. Public administration at local level is one of the key stakeholders in the process of implementation of EU acquis in the future. All local self-governments in Serbia are in the process of Public Administration Reform, which is one of three pillars of accession process for Western Balkans countries, together with financial transparency and the rule of law.

This paper will present the process of the creation of Communication Strategy for one local self-government in the Republic of Serbia, as a part of broader process of capacity building of local public servants, establishment of the communication procedures and overall communication management within the general context of the accession process.

Communication Strategy itself has been created as a toolkit for communication of local administration with all relevant stakeholders. Main goal of the Strategy are follows:

• It should significantly increase the eficiency of public servants in their service delivery to the citizens and bussines

• It should create procedures for internal communication of all brances of the local goverment

• It should give a big support to rebranding of the municipality

• It should obtain beter conditions for regular, tranparent and fluent information of the public about all activities of local administation

• It shoud increase satisfation of citizens as public administation clients

• It should increase the visibility of local administation and its work

The process is including: focus groups with employees, focus groups with head of departments, questionnaire about internal communication management, trainings, conference, round table, promotional campaign, integral text of the strategic document.

Strategic communication at local level - Process of the creation of Communication Strategy for

local self-governmentGordana Bekčić Pješčić, freelance communication consultant (Serbia)

Jasmina Radovanović, City Administration of the City of Pančevo (Serbia)

Literature review1. Official document of local self-government

(Development Strategy, Action Plans, internal documents)

2. John Brown, Pet Gaudin and Wendy Moran: PR and Communication in Local Government and Public Services

3. Simon Anholt: Places: Identity Images and Reputation (2010)

4. Press clipping of the city administration

MethodologyThe paper will be created upon the case study and therefore will present activities in the process of the creation of the document. Theoretical context will be the part of the introduction of the future symposium paper.

Results and conclusionsThe Communication Strategy above mentioned is in the process of creation. It is going to be over just few weeks before the BledCom symposium 2017 and it will be the brand new case study which the authors will present together with new results and conclusions.

Practical and social implicationsThis pilot process of the creation of strategic document has capacity to become an excellent example for other local self-government units in the Republic of Serbia. Templates, procedures and internal rules for communication management created within this document could be considered for implementation in other public administration units.

Keywords Communication strategy; local self-government; public administration; local development; Republic of Serbia, public image, reputation management, public relations, transparency

484 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyIt is widely accepted that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has a dual purpose, namely to generate a strategic advantage for an organisation and to contribute to sustainable development. In the achievement of the strategic goal, the focus of CSR communication is mainly on communication about CSR (Business CSR communication) whereas with the sustainability goal, the focus of CSR-communication is on communication within CSR (Societal CSR communication). A comprehensive literature review indicated that the current scholarly body of knowledge’s focus on CSR communication is mainly on communication about CSR and its objective to create a strategic advantage for the organisation with little attention being given to sustainable development. It was also found that these two concepts are mostly dealt with in a mutually exclusive manner. Research from the developing world focuses strongly on sustainable development and research from the developed world focuses on the strategic advantage for the organisation. It is argued that for communication practitioners to be relevant today, both in the developing and developed context, they should be able to contribute to both these goals within different contexts as an organisation will not gain a strategic advantage through CSR if it is not sustainable. The purpose of this study is to conceptualise a new integrated CSR communication approach that incorporates Business- and Societal CSR communication principals in a mutually inclusive manner that would contribute the body of knowledge as well as the role of public relations and strategic communication in CSR.

Methodology and literature reviewBy means of a literature study a new integrated CSR communication approach that includes communication about CSR as well as communication in CSR will be conceptualised. Communication about CSR can be described as Business-CSR communication as the main focus thereof is to create a strategic advantage for the organisation. The principles of Business-CSR communication are theoretically informed by the two-way symmetrical model, mixed motive model, strategic communication management and the reflective paradigm. These theories originated from the stakeholder theory that explains the relationships between organisations and their different stakeholders

in their environment based on mutual understanding. All of these theories stem from the meta-theoretical field of cybernetics, where the role of communication is seen as one of maintaining equilibrium. This implies that the main CSR objectives are to gain a competitive advantage, build a good reputation, build positive relationships and assist the organisation in attaining a licence to operate.

CSR communication in CSR is, in this paper, defined as Societal-CSR communication informed by the participatory communication approach and the Habermasian approach of communicative action. Here communication is viewed as the medium to facilitate sustainable development. These theories are largely grounded in the meta-theoretical framework of the critical theory where the assumption is made that the role of communication is to question the status quo and especially the distribution of power by means of a critical reflection of society in an attempt to explain and transform it. The aim of societal CSR is thus to contribute to sustainable development by empowering the beneficiaries of CSR to become self-reliant.

Results and conclusionThe challenge was to conceptualise a new approach that includes both Business-CSR communication and Societal-CSR communication, with their different and often conflicting theoretical groundings and focus, in a mutually inclusive manner. This issue was addressed by approaching CSR communication holistically: When the main goal of CSR communication is sustainability it will result in a strategic advantage for the organisation and the empowerment for beneficiaries.

Implications and further researchIn the next step of the research, this integrated approach will be tested through qualitative research by means of in depth interviews in South African businesses in order to establish the possible practical and social implications of this approach.

KeywordsCSR communication, strategic advantage, sustainable development

Integrated CSR communication: a theoretical approach

Louise Bezuidenhout, Noordwes-Universiteit (South Africa)

494 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyThis research explores whether women who work in organisations which have a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) have a more favourable working environment than those who are employed in organisations with a negative or neutral approach to CSR. In summary, this paper aims to explore whether CSR impacts on workplace cultures through practitioner stories from two European countries.

Literature ReviewThe common perception that a company’s desire to appear ‘green’ and responsible is motivated not by regard to the public but by economic and regulatory benefits means that organizations need to consider how to improve the significance and credibility of their CSR activities (Ruiz-Mora, 2014). Thus, in order to be credible, CSR needs to be a corporate attitude which is embedded into the internal core of the organization. Therefore, organisations which claim to have a commitment to CSR also need to demonstrate that CSR is part of the company culture and consequently communicated through the behaviours of management to internal publics (Ruiz-Mora, 2014). This internal dimension of CSR represents a real opportunity for organizations to demonstrate their commitment and gain credibility for the allied external dimension (Curto, 2012).

Jaakson, Vadi and Tamm (2009) observe that the intersection of organisational culture and CSR is not widely researched. Even less research focuses on the experience of CSR from the perspective of employees, something that this paper aims to address. Swanson (2014) explores the need to reshape CSR management practice through employee engagement in order to restore public confidence in a business and similarly, Sahakiants, Festing and Steger (2016) point out the role of employees in reinforcing the CSR culture of the corporation.

MethodologyThe aim of this study is to analyse the commitment to CSR in organisations from the perspective of female employees working in communications departments.

In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to explore whether a company’s external commitment to people and environment had any influence on the organisation’s culture and thus the working conditions experienced by women working in communication roles.

A phenomenological approach was taken in that each interview provided knowledge and context which could be used in future interviews. Grounded theory was used to analyse the interview transcripts and the organisation’s CSR credentials were established via scrutiny of organisational documents and websites.

Six women were interviewed - three in Spain and three in the UK. These women worked in a variety of sectors including public sector, construction, charity and consultancy.

Results and conclusionsThe interviews established that an organisation’s culture and commitment to CSR had little or no influence on the way the women were treated in the workplace or the attitude of colleagues towards them. The main areas of concern were work conditions, promotion, issues of equality of opportunity and behaviour of colleagues.

Our research suggests that organisational culture lags behind any organisational commitment to CSR potentially because workplace ideologies follow traditional masculine patterns since societal cultures are stronger than workplace cultures.

Practical and social implicationsThe experience of the women is valid on a number of levels. Firstly, these women belonged to teams who had partial or full responsibility for communicating CSR information and thus had an excellent overview of the company’s commitment to CSR and may have discussed it with the ‘C-suite’.

Does the commitment to CSR start at home? Studying female communicators of CSR

programmesElizabeth Bridgen, Sheffield Hallam University (UK)

Isabel Ruiz-Mora, University of Malaga (Spain)

504 PAPER ABSTRACTS

KeywordsGender, CSR, Culture, Organisations

BibliographyCurto, M. (2012). Reponsabilidad Social Interna de

las empresas. Barcelona: Cátedra “la Caixa” de Responsabilidad Social de las Empresas y Gobierno Corporativo - IESE, 12

Jaakson, K., Vadi, M. and Tamm, K. (2009) Organizational culture and CSR: an exploratory study of Estonian service organizations. Social Responsibility Journal, 5:1, pp. 6-18.

Ruiz-Mora, I. (2014) Expertos internacionales en Comunicación y Relaciones Públicas definen el futuro de la Responsabilidad Social. Principales, retos y cuestiones. Sphera Pública, special issue, pp. 100-116.

Sahakiants, I., Festing, M. and Steger, T. (2006). Organizational continuity and founder narrative: The role of primary stakeholders in sustaining a socially responsible corporate culture. Paper presented at 32nd EGOS Conference in Naples, July 2016.

Swanson, D. (2014). Embedding CSR into Corporate Culture: Challenging the Executive Mind. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Introduction and purpose of the study CSR is a century-old practice in modern times across the world and have regained attention in the last two decades. In hypermodern times, however, a key problem of CSR communication is the rising scepticism from the consumers towards CSR and the related promotional forms, e.g., cause-related marketing (CrM). Previous studies conclude that credibility, as a critical success factor of CrM campaigns, varies according to the nationalities of the consumers. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the cultural differences between young Germans and Mainland Chinese regarding their perceived credibility of a chosen CrM campaign. The two nationalities are selected due to their economic impact and the lack of coverage in past comparative literature of CSR. Literature review Numerous scholars suggest that intercultural comparisons on CSR and CSR communication is a significant research gap (Diehl et al. 2015). For example, Furrer et al. (2010, 393) described the CSR research development on cross-national differences as “embryonic”. The few studies address this subject mostly focus on the differences within Western European countries; and; between these European countries and the U.S.A. (cf., e.g., Fifka 2013). Research on countries that have more profound diversities in terms of their cultural proximities and CSR development cycle (Guzman & Becker-Olsen 2010) are very few.

China is considered in the early “market expansion” phase of the CSR development cycle with consumer awareness starting to raise (Cotton-Chan 2015); whereas Germany is regarded as a more mature market in the “competitive turbulence and fragmentation” phase similar to the U.S.A. The assumption is that Chinese consumers are less knowledgeable about CSR than the Germans, as CSR is less common comparatively. Previous studies indicate

more knowledge about CSR leads to a more skeptical evaluation of CSR campaigns. Germans’ high level of CSR knowledge in combination with a general tendency of distrusting institutions drive them to attribute self-centered motives to CrM campaigns, which have been proven to diminish campaigns’ credibility. Contrarily, Chinese consumers are more likely to assign other-centered motives to CrM campaigns as they generally consider companies as trustworthy and caring. They therefore are more inclined to believe that the reasons for companies to conduct CrM campaigns stem from an intrinsic motivation to do good.

Based on these assumptions, the following hypotheses are developed:

H1: Chinese assign a higher degree of credibility to a CrM campaign than Germans.

H2: The relationship between “Nationality” and “Campaign Credibility” can be explained by the motives attributed to the company’s social engagement.

Methodology An empirical online survey was conducted with 98 Germans and 91 Han-Chinese students in their native languages. They were asked to evaluate the CrM campaign “All for Children” by fashion retailer H&M with regards to its campaign credibility and corporate motives. H&M is chosen for the study due to the familarity among these two groups of participants, while the campaign theme also has universal value.

Results and conclusions The study reveals that Chinese assign a higher credibility to CrM campaign than Germans. Hereby, the motives attributed to a CrM initiative are found to have a mediating effect: Germans assign more self-centered motives while Chinese participants attribute other-centered motives to the H&M’s CrM initiative. The results emphasize that consumers’ motive attribution is a suitable variable to explain the influence of people’s cultural background on the perceived campaign credibility.

Cultural Differences in the Credibility of Cause-related-Marketing Campaign: A Sino-German

ComparisonPaula Maria Bögel, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)

Valentina Yee Kwan Cotton-Chan, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

Lisa Ulsamer, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)Sigrid Bekmeier-Feuerhahn, Leuphana University Lüneburg (Germany)

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Limitations and suggestions for future research Results from this study are limited to young Germans and Chinese university students with constrainted sample size, one should not make generalization of the nations’ population merely based one single study. To further enrich the knowledge of culture-specific CSR communication, it would be interesting to investigate how the credibility of CrM campaigns is evaluated by more different nationalities; and other cultural dimensions apart from nationalities.

Practical and social implications The findings show that the credibility of the CrM campaign differs across cultures, which organizations should factored in when designing CrM campaigns. Among the Germans, the attribution of other-centered motives must be encouraged to increase their low level of campaign credibility. A shift in motives can be achieved when outsiders speak for the social engagement on the companies’ behalf. For both nationalities, transparency and reporting are the most important factors to establish an authentic and credible CrM campaign.

ReferencesCotton-Chan, Valentina Y. K. (2015), The High-Hanging

Fruit: CSR in the Context of the Chinese Food and Beverage Industry, in: Ng, P. P./Ngai, C. S. (eds.), Role of Language and Corporate Communication in Greater China, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, pp. 149-173.

Fifka, M. S. (2013): Corporate citizenship in Germany and the United States – Differing perceptions and practices in transatlantic comparison. Business Ethics, 22 (4), 341-356.

KeywordsCSR communication, cause-related marketing, credibility, comparative CSR

534 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyDespite all its conceptual ambiguities and practice variations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is now firmly embedded in management practice and academic scholarship. With the recently announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ratified by all members states of the United Nations, corporations are working to align their existing initiatives with these global ambitions. One of the 17 SDGs explicitly focuses on the need for multi-stakeholder partnerships to solve global environmental and social problems.

Premised on the growing institutionalization of CSR and/or sustainability as manifested in (voluntary) corporate and transnational initiatives and the call for public-private partnerships, this paper unpacks the role of non-government organizations (NGOs) in influencing CSR agendas. This paper illuminates the strategies of engagement and influence that NGOs use to challenge business claims of CSR and/or prompt a review and change in CSR.

Literature reviewThe focus on NGOs in particular is warranted due to several reasons including the declining trust in business (especially after the global recession) and the failure of governments to meaningfully arrest or address market failures. For several years now, The Edelman Trust Barometer finds NGOs to be the most trusted institution, globally. There are, of course, contextual variations in levels of trust and NGO perceptions of their own roles and ‘power’ that cannot be ignored. Specifically from a CSR perspective, NGO “ability to meaningfully shape the contemporary discursive landscape within which corporations operate” (Dempsey, 2011, p. 446), the centrality of CSR as a driver of corporate reputation, and emergent calls for collaboration make NGOs a vital actor in the CSR conversation. Moreover, there is evidence that finding meaningful solutions to complex global problems necessitates new forms of engagement that are not primarily antagonistic and confrontational but make room for co-developing sustainable solutions (e.g., Austin & Seitanidi, 2012; Pedersen & Pedersen, 2013).

MethodologyA combination of expert NGO interviews and illustrative cases are employed to examine NGO strategies of influence and engagement. Interviews (in progress) are conducted with senior representatives in NGOs that are actively working in the CSR realm, in different capacities.

Results and conclusionsThe (work-in-progress) study finds that decisions about influence and engagement are complex, deeply entwined with ideology, history, and/or structural constraints. Equally, these strategies of influence may fuel ethical, political, and legitimacy challenges for corporations and NGOs alike. In this sense, NGOs are not a uniform or homogenous group, and their approaches and identities drive their approach toward working with business. Even as NGOs are assertive about their ‘value-add’ to CSR, they are acutely aware of accountability questions and the reputational implications of their approaches.

Practical and social implicationsThe study fills an important gap in examining the role of institutional actors, in particular NGOs, in furthering the CSR agenda. Historically, NGOs have been excluded and marginalized from mainstream public relations scholarship (Coombs & Holladay, 2012) but there is now a pressing need to develop in-depth and grounded understanding of their approach(es) to engaging with and influencing corporate behavior.

KeywordsCorporate social responsibility (CSR), Engagement, Influence strategies, Non-government organizations (NGOs), Reputation, Social media, Sustainability

When NGOs come calling: Strategies of engagement and influence for corporate social

responsibilities (CSR)Vidhi Chaudhri, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)

Elena Tankovski, Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands)

544 PAPER ABSTRACTS

ReferencesAustin, J. E. & Seitanidi, M. M. (2012a). Collaborative

value creation: A review of partnering between nonprofits and businesses: Part 1: Value creation spectrum and collaboration stages. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 41(6), 726-758.

Coombs, W. T., & Holladay, S. J. (2012). Fringe public relations: How activism moves critical PR toward the mainstream. Public Relations Review, 38, 880-887. DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.02.008

Dempsey, S. E. (2011). NGOs as communicative actors within corporate social responsibility efforts. In In O. Ihlen, J. Bartlett, & S. May (Eds.), The handbook of communication and corporate social responsibility (pp. 445-466). Boston: Wiley-Blackwell.

Pedersen, E. R. G. & Pedersen, J. T. (2013). Introduction: The rise of business-NGO partnerships. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 50, 6-19.

554 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of studySince 2011, the concept of creating shared values (CVS) has attracted much attention in both academia and industry as a long-term, strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach for sustainable business, environment, and society. CSV requires the corporation to innovate its core business to make profits while simultaneously solving social needs of the community in which it operates (Porter & Kramer, 2011). In other words, CSV differs from CSR in the way that CSV is a process to generate a firm’s economic value by creating social value while CSR is an initiative to build social value by sharing a firm’s economic value (Porter & Kramer, 2011; Wójcik, 2016). As a result, scholars who advocate CSV view it as an action-oriented concept that turns CSR (a philosophy of doing business) into practice (Wójcik, 2016). However, this concept has been subject to two major critiques. First, CSV is a self-interest profit-making behavior of a firm. That is, a firm will only perform CSV for social concerns that are related to its core business. Second, CSV, even though apparently popular among industry leaders, has been subjected to limited empirical examination. This study aims to make a contribution to CSV theory by investigating the effect of the corporate CSV performance on public trust and corporate financial performance in a comparative study.

Literature reviewThis study adopts Porter and Kramer’s (2011) definition of CSV – “policies and operating practices which enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates” (p. 66) – and Wójcik’s (2016) conceptualized differences between CSR and CSV (see Table 1). Freeman’s (1984) stakeholder theory is applied in this study to postulate that CSV has a more significant effect on public trust (in business and in CEO) and on corporate

financial performance than CSR does because CSV simultaneously creates economic and social values that benefit multiple stakeholders while CSR often creates social value for some stakeholders by sharing economic value of other stakeholders (investors and employees).

Methodology – By conducting a 3 (CSV vs. CSR vs. control) x 2 (informed public vs. non-informed public) between-subject experiment in the US, Germany and China (N = 1200), the study compares the influence of CSV and CSR (1) on public trust in corporations and in CEOs and (2) on purchase intention between different types of general population. The experiment is conducted using an online survey. The participants are randomly recruited from the online panels of a reputable international research firm. The three chosen countries represent the largest economies of their respective continents and are facing different economic challenges that require strong CEO leadership to maintain business profitability and create social values acceptable to society. In each country, 200 informed-public participants (i.e., college graduates in the top 25% of the household income in their age group, heavily consuming business news) and 200 non-informed-public participants (i.e., all population excluding the informed public) aged 25-65 are randomly recruited. Each participant in both categories is then randomly assigned to one of the three conditions (CSR, CSV, or control condition). Measures for trust in corporation and CEO are adopted from Hon and Grunig (1999) while purchase intention measure is a one-item statement asking the purchase intention of the corporation’s products.

Transforming CSR: Creating shared value, public trust and corporate financial performance in

the United States, Germany and ChinaYi-Ru Regina Chen, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Re-

public of China) Don W. Stacks, University of Miami (USA)

Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (Germany) Chun-Ju Flora Hung-Baesecke, Massey University (New Zealand)

Shannon A. Bowen, University of South Carolina (USA) Ben Boyd, Edelman (USA)

564 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Results and conclusionsA summary of the analysis results will be provided.

Theoretical and social ImplicationsResearch results will contribute to CSV theory by empirically validating the public’s reaction to CSV as a possible trust contributor and corporate financial performance driver. The results also have social implications because we see CSV as a form of ethical stakeholder engagement based upon moral responsibility that makes the corporation scrutinize its behavioral impacts on society from multiple perspectives in a local context.

KeywordsCSV, trust in business, CEO, corporate financial performance, CSR

CSR CSV

Normative stance Positive approach to business in society issues

Treats social issues as separate fromCompany’s core business

Treats social issues as potentially beneficial for the company

Company’s actions are driven externally(i.e. by external pressure)

Company’s actions are driven internally (i.e. managers are either economically motivated or by responsibility to seek uncontested space of social issues to address)

Assumes generating profits (economic value) implicitly

Profits (economic value) pursued and not obvious

Implicitly assumes sacrificing the profits in the so-cial interest (sharing the economic value created)

Includes those social concerns (issues) which relate to the company’s core business in the business model (creating economic value through creating social value)

Detached from strategy framework Involves strategy analysis tools (“diamond” model, value chain)

Table 1: Differences between CSV and CSR conceptsSource: Wójcik’s (2016), p. 41w

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Introduction and purpose of the studyThe presented set of four experimental studies (N=480) has been built on several premises. First, it is assumed that Public Relations takes a form of a two-way symmetrical communication between a company and its stakeholders. Second, any communication that is initiated by a company, influences attitudes and perceptions of its audiences beyond a mere level of purchase decisions by including messages appealing to consumers’ values, political views or social dilemmas. Thirdly, it is a responsibility that should be consciously assumed by a company to communicate values that would not lead to any form of prejudice, stereotyping or negative representations of any group existing in society.

The purpose of the studies was to understand to what extent stereotypical portrayals of women shape consumers attitudes.

Research questionDoes information about brands communicating stereotypical images of women influences attitudes towards and willingness to use company’s products, as well as whether it affects the level of acceptance of stereotypical gender roles in society.

Literature review Consistency of a brand’s communication is one of the prerequisites of effectiveness in designing IMC. It is not however an uncommon situation that communication of different brands belonging to an umbrella company is not unified on many dimensions as it is often directed at different audiences. For a PR specialist this may pose a risk of resulting from an inconsistency in brands communication. Findings related to a spillover effect suggest that company reputation may be at risk at least as a result of presenting inconsistent or conflicting attitudes. Social psychological research shows that various forms of objectification of women disrupt women’s activism, lower self-esteem, and increase intention to pursue cosmetic surgery.

Answering whether consumers care about

inconsistent communication of a brand belonging to an umbrella company seems interesting. Taking into account that corporate social responsibility is also a responsibility of the company on a social-ethical level, even more valid question should be posed; to what extent are consumers influenced by values and attitudes presented in company communication.

MethodologyIn studies 1 &2 (n=229) in a 2x2 design (objectifying women vs. not objectifying women X fictitious vs. existing brand), a short press release was presented to participants in an online computer task. In study 1, it included a description of a company owning cosmetics whose ads show women aware of their natural beauty and men fragrances whose ads show unobjectified (or objectified) images of women. Additionally, brand awareness was manipulated to examine whether prior knowledge about company’s products influenced participants responses.

In the second experiment, the editorials contained information about stereotypical vs. non-stereotypical portrayals of women found in women’s cosmetics brand and objectified depictions in the description in male fragrances products communication.

Irrelevantly from the presented women’s portrayals, analysis of variance showed no differences in consumers’ willingness to buy, the attractiveness of the communication assessment in the high awareness brand condition. Only when the company’s name was fictitious and participants did not have prior knowledge about the company, they favoured a brand presenting a non-stereotypical image of women. Although stereotypical portrayal of women were rated as less friendly towards women, they did not affect purchase decisions.

Studies 3 & 4 (n = 240) were aimed at replicating findings of experiments 1&2. Participants were recruited in Bulgaria and United Kingdom to assess to what extent different historical background and diversity on a societal level might have influenced the pattern of results. Additionally, at the end of the experimental procedure, participants were presented with short descriptions of men and women’s roles varying in a level of stereotypically. A level of perceived

Company’s CSR on a societal level - Comparison of the UK, Bulgarian and Polish consumers’ level of acceptance of gender roles as resulting from

company’s communicationMichal Chmiel, University of Kent (UK)

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typicality in society and its acceptance, measured on a Likert-type scales, were the dependent variables.

Practical and social implicationsAs in previous research on dilution effects (John et al., 1998), thanks to the strength of an existing network of associations about a brand, a new single belief is less likely to modify it. Findings of the experiments are also consistent with Devinney, et al. (2006) idea of CSR, manifesting itself as consumer’s active support for various social causes and expressing relevant opinions in surveys but not revealed in more frequent purchases of ethical goods.

Agreeing that promoting and sustaining simplified and sometimes sexist stereotypes of any gender is psychologically harmful to society in a longer perspective, we should expect a greater sensitivity from decision makers in the future as marketing campaigns can have a significant culture-shaping potential. This observation also directly calls for greater involvement of Public Relations professionals into campaign preparations. Skilled PR strategists and researchers should be more involved in the process of advertising campaign planning and execution.

KeywordsSex roles, Society, CSR, Company Reputation

594 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the study Corporate giving has become a prevalent trend amongst all sizes of business (Choi, 2008). Today more than ever, companies are partnering with non-profits, with a portion of sales going to these charities (Weisz, 2011). For decades, both for-profit and non-profit organizations have understood that value can be gained through strategic giving. While non-profit organizations, such as hospitals and educational institutions greatly benefit from corporate donations, businesses also profit as charitable contributions help to build consumer trust, recognition and brand loyalty (Smith, 1994). With respect to strategic giving in Canada, there is a considerable lack in current scholarship and therefore an examination of Canadian perspectives is needed.

In an attempt to shed light on these questions, this paper examined the opinions and attitudes of vice presidents at banks toward strategic corporate giving. This paper aimed to uncover insights that would be beneficial to businesses trying to maximize both their charitable contribution and their return on investment from that contribution. It was hoped that the findings would shed light on the barriers and motivational factors associated with corporate giving.

Literature reviewEvidence suggests companies can greatly benefit from strategic giving, and businesses can use charitable giving to increase sales and lift employee morale (Choi, 2008). Choi (2008) advises businesses not to think of corporate giving as solely about good citizenship; corporate giving must be part of the business strategy and should be operated as such. The author explains that like any other business objective, corporate giving should be structured to “maximize return, increase sales, strengthen employee retention and increase recognition” (Choi, 2008, para. 5) and if done correctly, philanthropy is good for business (Choi, 2008).

Many consumers feel corporations hold a degree of responsibility in solving social issues. Bonini, McKillop, and Mendonca (2007) reference a study conducted by McKinsey, which found that 60 percent of executives believed the public expects corporations to carry as much responsibility as governments for solving social issues. Similarly, the Arthur W. Page Society (2012) found consumers’ belief in the role of businesses

in improving society, had never been stronger. Additionally, the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer found that eight percent of Canadians felt business leaders could solve social issues (Edelman, 2013).

MethodologyThe conducted interviews provide in-depth information on the opinions of bank executives toward corporate giving. Five people were interviewed from four banks. The participants were asked six open ended questions, distributed to them one week in advance. The interview length varied, as some participants were able to provide rich content and examples.

Results and conclusionBased on the evidence examined in this report, it is clear that the all of the participants saw – although to varying degrees – the value in corporate giving. This report confirmed in large part the findings substantiated in the literature review, however, there are a few findings that differ.

While the majority of participants believe corporate giving helps their organization stand apart from other financial institutions, one participant strongly opposed the notion.

As expected, the majority of interviewees strongly agree that corporate giving unites employees and makes people feel proud of where they work. The interview results also indicate that the majority of employees felt that corporate giving was a great tool to help strengthen client relationships, but alone could not retain clients. Further, two of the participants expressed the belief that corporate giving creates opportunities for meeting potential clients that are affiliated with charitable organizations.

The results of the interviews did not align with Sen and Bhattacharya (2001), who found that when consumers were aware of corporate social responsibility policies, they had stronger intent to purchase products. A segment of interviewees strongly believe customers do not choose a particular bank based on corporate giving alone. One of the participants strongly opposed Choi (2008) who states businesses can use charitable giving to increase sales. This particular participant questioned whether the general public rewards the bank for its community giving efforts.

As anticipated, the majority of interviewees claim

The Joys of Giving: Examining The Benefits of Strategic Giving

Rebecca Marissa Cohen, Jesson & Co (Canada)

604 PAPER ABSTRACTS

their organization donates to countless organizations across Canada, and could not tell which charities were missing. Surprisingly, only two of the interviewees indicated that they trust their organization to give to the right charities, relying on the rigorous and lengthy decision-making process in place. While two of the interviewees expressed that their organization wants to diversify and donate to a wide range of causes and non-profits, another interviewee saw the benefits of having one signature event. It was surprising to hear that one of the banks focused on donating in a specific region of the country where it had a large market share.

Keywordscorporate giving, strategic giving, donor, community engagement

614 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and Purpose of the StudyThe situational theory of publics, one of the most well-known segmentation method, explains when and how public will communicate about the issue in which they are involved. Although the situational theory of publics, which provides a foundation for understanding the concept of publics and the variables important to segmentation of publics, has been widely researched and applied in various countries and cultures, it has not been researched in Turkey in detail. Thus this paper, researching the applicability of the situational theory of publics in Turkey, also aims to investigate the effect of culture on formation of publics. As Kim and Sriramesh (2009) indicate the necessity that five contexts (cultural, political, economic, media and organizational contexts) which are considered as antecedents to active communication should be researched in terms of situational theory of publics, this paper seeks to explore the effect of culture on the theory in Turkey, a country both witnessed drastically change for the last 15 years and considered as a bridge between Europe and Middle East.

Literature ReviewToday, organizations’ interactions with the environment they operate threaten sustainability of the organization itself if the interactions are established from corporate point of view. It is the basic strategic approach of todays’ management insight that developing appropriate strategies acceptable for both parties that meet stakeholders’ expectations. This perspective introduces the necessity that strategic public relations articulates publics into the organisation’s strategy formulation processes in order to assist the organisation to adapt to its environment. From this point of view the mission of strategic public relations is to determine the publics before they become an important threat. The situational theory of publics segments public by measuring how members of publics perceive situations in which they are affected by organizational consequences. The theory proposes that high problem recognition, low constraint recognition, and high level of involvement increase information seeking which also create active publics.

MethodologyThe purpose of the study is both to test the validity of the situational theory of publics in Turkey and to research culture’s effect on communicative behaviour of the publics. As publics gather around the issues, the first phase to start the research is to determine an issue widely covered in media. One of the most current issues covered in Turkish media is the banking issue which is debatable among people. Accordingly an empirical field study is carried out in three biggest metropolitan cities with 443 questionnaires consisting of the variables of the situational theory of publics, dimensions of culture by Hofstede and demographics. The effect of power distance, collectivism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long term orientation of cultural dimensions on the dependent and independent variables of the situational theory of publics are analysed in the study.

Results and ConclusionsThe results show that the situational theory of publics is a valid measure to segment the publics in Turkey. Although aware publics are found to be the largest publics, as the number of active publics are also enormous, from now on building asymmetrical relationships is considered as questionable in Turkey. Moreover, the study researches how culture affects communicative behaviour of the publics. It is found although all cultural dimensions have effect on the dependent and independent variables of the theory, power distance can be considered as the most remarkable dimension having effect on theory. The findings assert that as the power distance decreases, the recognition of problem and the level of involvement increases. Also in the paper culture are segmented in five segments and active publics are found to be among the cultural segment of who perceives the least of power distance. Both of these findings suggest that power distance can affect the communicative behaviour of the publics in Turkey. This paper has researched situational theory of publics and there is a need to study situational theory of problem solving in Turkey for future research.

Practical and Social ImplicationsWhen the results of the research are evaluated in terms of active publics in Turkey, it can be stated that there are

The Analysis of the Situational Theory of Publics in Turkey in the Context of CultureZuhal Gök Demir, Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University (Turkey)

624 PAPER ABSTRACTS

some implications for the corporations, practitioners and the academy, which are the trivet of the public relations field. It can be concluded that corporations in Turkey can no longer develop asymmetrical relations with the publics in order to be perceived as socially responsible, responsive and ethic. Accordingly the role of public relations practitioners should extend beyond only implementing the campaigns to relationship management. On the other hand as the current curriculum in the academies mostly relies on traditional public relations practices, it is suggested that this paradigm change should be reflected to the academy as curriculum.

KeywordsPublic Segmentation, Situational Theory of Publics, Culture

634 PAPER ABSTRACTS

IntroductionAny discussion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is dependent on the ethos of the times. Scholars studying contemporary society since the 1980s have increasingly adopted the notion of ‘hyper’ to characterize the nature of advanced, data-driven societies. The most crucial aspect of ‘hyper’ is the notion of excess. However, the age of excess, with its attendant anomies, is also riddled with paradoxes. The hypermodern individual, while intensely narcissistic and embedded in the present, is also concerned about others and anxious about the future. The hypermodern organization, while obsessed with accelerated performance in the short term, also embraces its social and environmental responsibilities that necessarily entail a long-term view. This conceptual paper traces the characteristics and paradoxes of hypermodernity, especially in the work of Gilles Lipovetsky, reviews the literature on CSR, and outlines the contours of CSR in hypermodern times, from the perspective of individuals and organizations.

Literature ReviewHypermodernitySelected paradoxes of hypermodernity relevant to a discussion of CSR would include the following, specifically drawn from the concepts of hyperindividualism and hypermodern organizations.

Hyperindividualism. Hyperindividualism is distinguished by the notion of extracting the most out of life, of consumption for the sake of individual pleasure, of enjoying emotive, enriching, qualitative experiences, and an intense focus on ‘me’ and the present moment. However, the excess of hyperindividualism, as opposed to the hedonism of the postmodern era, is tempered by a crippling anxiety about the future, often induced by the short-termism exhibited by hypermodern organizations; by the focus on foreseeing, planning and preventing crises of health, wealth and the environment; by the value placed on everything enduring such as stable relationships; by the value placed on human rights, charity and sustainability; by what is called a “humanistic deepening of individualism”.

Another characteristic of hyperindividualism, relevant to this paper, is extreme independence and autonomy, unleashed by the disintegration of dominant social structures of meaning imposed on individuals. In the absence of identities that are handed down, in the loss of fixed mandates, in the resultant chaos and uncertainty of the hypermodern world, individuals are

faced with new needs for meaning, for security and a sense of belonging. Belonging to a community helps to construct one’s identity and gain recognition, an activity that individuals engage in through reflexive deliberation.

Hypermodern organizations. Defined as organizations based on near-obsessive levels of acceleration, hypermodern organizations are hyperflexible, adapting their size to market conditions; enjoy competitive advantages derived from being excessively speedy and agile; are fully mobilized through the extensive use of mobile information technologies; have intangible assets such as reputation and; are transient, focused on the short term. Paradoxically, despite the focus on speed, the present and the short-term, companies across the world are increasingly adopting codes of social and environmental responsibility that necessarily entail a longer-term vision of companies as integral parts of society.

Corporate social responsibilityReviews literature on CSR and highlights CSR for (a) expressing an organization’s soul/character (b) stakeholder identification.

CSR in Hypermodern TimesThis paper argues that CSR has a significant place in hypermodern times from the perspective of individuals and organizations.

Individuals. If hypermodern individuals are not only individualistic but also concerned about the other, and yearn to belong to communities of meaning that enable them to reflexively and deliberately craft their identities, then taking part in CSR programs as citizen- or employee-volunteers can offer opportunities for these hypermodern individuals to (a) satisfy their longing to contribute to a social world that’s caring and humane, and (b) craft self-identities based on engagement with social and environmental issues that are meaningful to them.

Organizations. When enacting their CSR programs, organizations might want to emphasize the experiential and the emotional to align with the penchant for hypermodern individuals to engage in deeply satisfying qualitative experiences that enrich their lives and the lives of others, thereby enabling stakeholder identification. Organizations might also want to engage, albeit cautiously and authentically,

CSR and hypermodernity: Of humanism, identity, experiences and spectacles

Ganga S Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

644 PAPER ABSTRACTS

in hyperspectacles of CSR performance because hypermodern individuals are moved only by the excessively spectacular and the grandiose.

Future ResearchFuture studies can empirically examine the following:

• CSR as an identity-building bridge between hypermodern individuals and organizations

• CSR and soul-fulfilling, emotive connections among individuals and organizations

• Hyperspectacles, CSR communication and the role of stakeholder skepticism

ImplicationsTheoretically, this paper clarifies points of intersection between CSR and hypermodernity, thus deepening understandings of CSR as reflective of contemporary societies. Such rich insights can help practitioners to address the conceptualization and articulation of CSR in a manner well aligned to the needs of hypermodern publics. Socially, CSR can be re-conceptualized as a bridge between hypermodern publics and organizations, specifically dealing with the needs of belonging and identity creation.

KeywordsCSR, CSR communication, hypermodernism, hyperindividualism, identity

654 PAPER ABSTRACTS

IntroductionOne of the most widely accepted approaches to examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the strategic approach to CSR, wherein organizations are motivated to be socially, environmentally, and economically responsible because it engenders reputational and relational benefits. As organizations recognize the need to engage in CSR, it is imperative to communicate these initiatives to their stakeholders. However, most of the work generated in this area has focused on external stakeholders, although employees have been identified as an important stakeholder group with respect to communication, CSR and organizational engagement. Accordingly, this study aims to understand the relationships between internal communication, employees’ perception of CSR, and employee engagement, specifically in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We chose to conduct the study in the UAE for multiple reasons. First, the enactment of CSR is context dependent and there’s hardly any literature on CSR in the Middle East. Second, the socio-cultural contexts of the UAE foreground the notion of giving, and finally, the government has further elevated the focus on CSR, by making it one of the three pillars of the Year of Giving, 2017.

Literature ReviewResearch has found that internal communication plays a central role in the enactment of socially responsible behavior for employees. When employees understand the organization’s activities, they are more likely to embrace these socially responsible ideas. In order for CSR communication to be effective, the literature points toward the need for stakeholder involvement strategies based on dialogic, two-way symmetrical communication (Morsing & Schultz, 2006). When the organization and its internal stakeholders engage in dialogue and search for mutual understanding, studies point to several benefits. One such outcome is the increase in employee engagement, a crucial affective, cognitive and behavioral construct that leads to multiple organizational outcomes such as increased productivity, decreased attrition and increased

internal reputation (Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá, & Bakker, 2002). A few studies have explored the relationship between internal communication and employee engagement. However, these studies have mainly been exploratory and qualitative (e.g., O’Neill, Hodgson, & Al Mazrouei, 2015). This study aims to augment this emergent body of research by empirically testing the relationships among internal communication, employees’ perception of CSR, and employee engagement.

First, the research examines the effect of CSR perceptions on employee engagement. Second, the study seeks to understand the role of internal communication with regards to the relationship between employees’ perception of CSR and the level of employee engagement.

This research will focus on the following hypotheses:

H1: There will be a positive relationship between CSR perception and employee engagementH2: There will be a positive relationship between two-way communication and CSR perceptionH3: There will be a negative relationship between one-way/two-way asymmetrical communication and CSR perceptionH4: There will be a positive relationship between two-way communication and employee engagementH5: There will be a negative relationship between one-way/two-way asymmetrical communication and employee engagementH6: Internal communication mediates the effect of CSR perception on employee engagement

MethodologyThis research will survey employees from private companies in the United Arab Emirates using an online questionnaire. Researchers will use convenient sampling to recruit participants. The online questionnaire contains questions measuring demographic variables, employee engagement, employees’ perceptions of CSR and internal communication. The questionnaire is comprised of 5-point Likert Scale questions. SPSS v24 will be used to analyze the results. A pilot study was run to test

The role of internal communication and corporate social responsibility in predicting

employee engagement: Perspectives from the United Arab Emirates

Gaelle Duthler, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)Ganga S Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

664 PAPER ABSTRACTS

the validity and reliability of the variables. All variables were measured with existing validated scales or scales adapted from existing ones. Employee engagement was measured by 3 dimensions: Intellectual, social and affective engagement using the ISA engagement scale (α = .88). Perceptions of CSR contained 5 dimensions: Economic, legal, ethical, sustainability, and social (α = .95). Finally, internal communication was measured by 3 dimensions: two way symmetrical communication, two way asymmetrical communication, and one way communication (α = .82).

ImplicationsTheoretically, this study will contribute to the emergent body of research on CSR from the perspective of employees. The findings of this study will explain the interactions among internal communication, CSR and employee engagement, creating a model that has not been examined yet. Findings will also add to the body of knowledge on CSR in the Middle East. From the practice perspective, findings of this study can enable public relations professionals to manage CSR and internal communication and coordinate these with employee engagement programs. Socially, insights from this study can prove beneficial to creating employee publics who are highly engaged and productive.

KeywordsInternal communication, CSR, employee engagement

674 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyIn the early days of the internet, the online sphere was envisioned to provide a context for the development of collective values and community and to serve as an electronic forum where a plurality of voices engages in rational argument, thus fostering democratization. Yet, this vision is severely hampered by plenty of highly emotional and quite often aggressive, hateful and thereby harmful voices uttered and disseminated online. Such harmful online communication (HOC) - often debated as online “hate speech” (e.g., Gagliardone et al. 2015) - and ways to deal with it is a pressing social issue of intense discussion, which is led between various conflicting priorities, above all freedom of expression and defense of human dignity and safety. In this research, we address the overarching research question how organizations that provide and run online platforms address HOC and thus exercise their social responsibility to protect the targets of harmful communication while ensuring freedom of expression.

Literature reviewWhen communicating interactively online with their publics, organizations are challenged by HOC. We define HOC as ways of expression in online environments containing aggressive and destructive diction that violate social norms and aim at harming the dignity or safety of the attacked target, which can be a person, a social group or an organization. Compared to aggressive offline expressions, HOC engenders various specific challenges including its lastingness, its potential for virality, the often anonymous sender(s) and the cross-jurisdictional character. Countering this harmful communication can be considered a social responsibility of organizations that operate online platforms with comments functions in order to protect the target(s). At the same time, organizations face the danger of being accused of censoring and prohibiting an open and multifaceted discussion. Thus, organizations are confronted with the dilemma of curbing HOC while allowing free speech.

Various approaches to address HOC are being discussed (e.g., Gagliardone et al. 2015) including

national legislation. However, legislation is only one piece in the puzzle (e.g., Banks 2011) against the backdrop of the internet’s cross-national reach as well as the existence of mainly private organizations offering spaces for public discussion (e.g., online news media, social networking sites like Facebook and the companies using them as communication platforms). Partly pressurized by the public debate, partly in their self-interest, the private online platform operators have become more active in tackling the problem of HOC happening on their sites. As the owner of the space they are the actors who have decisive power of intervention (Citron & Norton 2011). Because of their central role in curbing HOC, this research focuses on the role of organizations that provide and run online platforms and their measures, to tackle this issue, particularly their comments policies. The specific research question to be answered is how online platform operators address HOC in their comments policies and with what effect they execute the policies.

MethodologyThe ongoing research comprises two phases: 1) identifying and analyzing online comments policies by organizations that operate online platforms with comments options by means of qualitative and quantitative content analysis; 2) interviewing selected representatives of the sample organizations to investigate how and with what effect the policies are executed. The research sample consists of different types of online platform operators (including online news media sites, e-commerce sites, and private companies) that are embedded in different national environments (including China, Germany, USA).

Results and conclusionThe study sheds light on how organizations attempt to solve the dilemma of curbing HOC while ensuring sufficient freedom of speech and preventing the appearance of exerting censorship. The analyses of phase 1 provide insights into the way organizations address the issue of HOC within their comments policies and shed light on the commonalities and

Curbing Harmful Online Communication – A Social Responsibility of Online Platform

Operators Sabine Einwiller, University of Vienna (Austria)

Sora Kim, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

684 PAPER ABSTRACTS

differences between the different countries and types of organizations. Interviews with representatives in phase 2 of the project allow for in-depth insights into the execution of the policies and their effectiveness. The findings will also have their limitations. While the analysis of the policies provides insights into the written rules and regulations it will not reveal the actual intervening behavior. Interviews with the organizations’ social media/online representatives are intended to generate this knowledge. Yet, the deepness of findings relies on the willingness and openness of the interview partners, which is one of the challenges inherent in qualitative interviewing.

Practical and social implicationsThe research findings will yield several implications. For organizations that provide and run online platforms it generates insights into good and effective practices of curbing HOC, i.e. safeguarding their reputation as an organization that protects its users while not appearing to censor unfavorable comments. On the societal level, the research aims to find solutions for promoting online considerateness as part of the broader concept of online civility (Papacharissi 2004).

KeywordsHarmful online communication, comments policy, hate speech, social media, social responsibility

694 PAPER ABSTRACTS

PurposeStakeholders are becoming of bigger importance in the digital age where organizations need to take social media into account, besides paid, owned and earned media. Our research question is: how do organizations organize their digital dialogue strategies with stakeholders and what are expectations of stakeholders on dialogue and digital dialogue of organizations? In this contribution we especially focus on CSR communication

TheoryThe classic PR excellence model (Grunig & Hunt, 1984) and the CSR involvement strategy (Morsing & Schultz, 2006) clearly indicate that dialogue is needed to come to an understanding between organizations and their stakeholders. Especially CSR seems to be a topic that is very suitable to involve stakeholders with how the company is taking its responsibilities. With the growing of web 2.0 and digital media more opportunities exist for organizations for dialogue with stakeholders and to get stakeholders engaged with the company. However, in previous studies we did find that organizations did not use the opportunities offered by digital media for dialogue and involvement of stakeholders. In this study we will further explore this by applying a multi-method study on stakeholder dialogue and stakeholder engagement.

MethodWe included a content analysis of the Twitter and Facebook posts of 32 Dutch organizations from a 10-month period (January 1st, 2016 - November 1st, 2016). Furthermore, we have panel data of 1382 respondents, featuring different variables, including online behavior, reputation of these 32 companies and whether the respondents are currently listed as friend or follower on Facebook and / or Twitter of the selected 32 companies. Furthermore, we specific included questions regarding what stakeholders (including customers) expect of the companies regarding CSR, which will be the focus of this contribution: what do stakeholders expect on CSR and to what extend are these 32 companies are engaging in dialogue on social media regarding CSR.

FindingsWe collected more than 100,000 posts on Twitter and Facebook of those 32 companies from the first 10 months of 2016. The preliminary findings are that Twitter is used mainly as webcare, given the fact that more than 60% of all tweets were responses to questions and inquiries by customers/stakeholders and others on Twitter. Contrary, organizations are using Facebook as a channel for providing information about the company, or the products of the company (as a PR or marketing channel) but seldom for dialogue with stakeholders. On average postings by the organizations show a lot of likes and a fair amount of shares, but hardly in a dialogue in which the organization is taking part. Digital CSR communication is only posted in a promotional way, not as a starting point for feedback or discussions or with the aim to engage stakeholders on CSR. We found only 507 (0,56%) of more than 90,000 tweets with words related to CSR. Of these 507 CSR related tweets, none were inviting for interaction or dialogue.

Panel-data showed that stakeholders and customers rated the organizations differently on CSR. In figure 1 we summarized the scores of responsibility of the respondents on the companies where they are customer of have been customer in the past. The score on responsibility is based upon 7 different items. Examples of items are: XX is operating ethical, XX has excellent leaders, XX is responsible regarding the environment (Cronbach’s α’s > .90). Our respondents were customer or were customer in the past at 26 of the 32 organizations. To be included in the analysis, we set the minimum number of customers/past customers at 25.

We are in the process of relating these scores with the postings on social media of these organizations, to see whether we can find a relation between how a company is posting and how customers are viewing the responsibilities of these companies.

DiscussionOur preliminary analysis show that the use of social media as a promotional medium, not using all the possibilities social media have for interaction, dialogue and connecting to establish interaction. From these, preliminary analysis, it showed that web 2.0 communications have not been established by organizations.

Especially CSR, the way the organization positions itself in the society for giving back to society is a

Digital dialogue and engagementWim J.L. Elving, University of Amsterdam & Hanze University of Applied Sciences

(Netherlands)

704 PAPER ABSTRACTS

complex enterprise for most organizations. Many (Morsing & Schultz, 2006; van Tulder & van der Zwart, 2003) have been pleading for sophisticated stakeholder dialogue and explained the benefits of dialogue in establishing a state of the art CSR policy of companies. Our preliminary findings show that digital stakeholder dialogue have not been established yet and that organizations need to take extra steps for developing this to be able to establish stakeholder engagement.

KeywordsCSR, stakeholder, dialogue, engagement

ReferencesGrunig, J.E. & Hunt, T.T. (1984). Managing Public

Relations. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate Social

Responsibility Communication: Stakeholder information, response and involvement strategies. Business Ethics: a European Review, 15, 4, 323 – 338.

Tulder, R. van, & Zwart, A. van der (2003). Reputaties op het spel. Utrecht: het Spectrum.

714 PAPER ABSTRACTS

In 1924, the British scholar Oliver Sheldon first proposed concept of »corporate social responsibility«(CSR). CSR has become one of the important indicators of corporate reputation. In the early years of reform and opening up in China, for China implemented cheap labor strategy, the value of people and CSR were not attached importance to. In 2004, the 1st International Corporate Social Responsibility Forum was held in Beijing.

2006 was another special year when the number of China's sustainable development reports increased significantly and State Grid Corporation of China (SOE) was the first state-owned enterprise to issue corporate social responsibility report.

The purpose of this paper is to give a main conclusion through reviewing CSR development history in China, and its characteristics can be found as below.

(1)On CSR principle, more and more Chinese enterprises begin to own the consciousness of credibility and abide by. (2)On CSR institution, literature review proves that Chinese enterprises regularly issue corporate social responsibility report, and its content and quality improve with stability.

Environmental taxes, CSR evaluation system, information disclosure system, and corporate social responsibility report are formulated and implemented gradually. In addition, the mass media, academics, NGO, and other social organizations are encouraged to join the groups of CSR supervision so as to facilitate forming good public opinion of CSR.

Several companies' CSR is included in the corporate governance gradually. (3)On the CSR content, CSR covers employees, clients, environment and innovation in science and technology in Chinese enterprise wiew.

The quality of enterprise products and services, social security of employees, the use of various resources, the way of enterprise competition, and the relationship between enterprises and publics become more standardized.

Besides, In the 4th International Corporate Social Responsibility Forum in 2008, CSR management was put more emphasis unprecedentedly in order to cope with the financial crisis in 2008.

With regard to the development model, more and more enterprises push forward intensive economic development and low-carbon economic development

by means of technological innovation, which not only increase green profits, but also play a vital role in improving their corporate image.

KeywordsCorporate social responsibility; Chinese enterprises; Corporate image

A General Review of Corporate Social Responsibility Development in China

(1978-2016)Zheng Fan, Shanghai International Studies University (People's Republic of China)

Peng Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People's Republic of China)Hui Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People's Republic of China)

724 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyRecently, an increasing number of companies have been accused of greenwashing, which generally means their claims on environmental or social issues have not been followed or supported by actual corporate activities. As the public concern over greenwashing has drastically grown in the last two decades, academic research has paralleled increased and there is now a substantial body of literature addressing greenwashing related issues. In this paper, we therefore revise and analyze greenwashing literature to provide a synthesis of the empirical and conceptual results presented in literature to better understand the main implications and characteristics of the phenomenon.

Literature reviewA number of studies suggest that greenwashing is becoming a central part of corporate marketing practices over the past decade and is reaching now “epidemic proportions” (Lyon and Montgomery, 2015). In this context, several decoupling and impression management tactics, as false labels or selective discourse, have been developed by businesses to project a responsible image and attain corporate pragmatic legitimacy (Golant and Sillince, 2007; Patriotta et al., 2011).

However, the diffusion of greenwashing practices as been followed by an increasing skepticism about their authenticity and civil society, together with governments and regulators, are currently working to detect and reduce greenwashing.

As the public concern over greenwashing has drastically grown in the last two decades, academic research has paralleled increased and there is now a substantial body of literature addressing greenwashing related issues.

MethodologyTo identify the academic literature about

greenwashing, we employed keyword searches using the ABI/Inform Global database, considered the most comprehensive source of information on business (Lyon and Montgomery, 2015), and Google Scholar.

For the ABI/Inform database, we applied the keywords “greenwash” or “greenwashing” to all the fields (including the title, abstract, key words and full text of articles) and we selected English articles published in scholarly journals.

The same keyword searches were applied to the Google Scholar search engine to detect those relevant articles not retrieved by the ABI/Inform search.

After a review of the text content, 37 articles were excluded from the analysis because, although they mentioned greenwashing in their title or abstract, this was not the focus of the study.

The final list, composed by 72 academic papers, was updated and finalized on July 09, 2016.

Results and conclusionsTo assess the state of art and development of the academic literature about greenwashing, we firstly categorized the 72 academic articles according to a set of variables: year of publication, type of research, methodological approaches, methodological techniques, scope of research, focus of research, and theoretical framework.

The analysis of the years of publication revels that in general publications about greenwashing are increasing.

In relation to the “type of research”, we only found one literature review revising greenwashing research and this suggests the necessity of a deeper analysis of the literature to see how research about the topic is evolving and changing. 41.4% of the other articles were categorized as conceptual. The remaining 57.1% comprised empirical papers. Empirical research was characterized by both qualitative and quantitative methods and by a number of different techniques. In particular, 30% of studies were based on a qualitative approach, 55% on a quantitative approach, while the remaining 15% employed a mixed method. Among the different methodological techniques, the case study method and content analysis were the most diffused in research.

To better understand how scholars have conceptualized and discussed the phenomenon so far we also conducted a qualitative content analysis. The main purpose of this analysis was to assess the main research questions addressed in the field and the core findings of empirical and conceptual research.

What do we know about greenwashing? A literature review of greenwashing research

Lucia Gatti, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)Peter Seele, Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland)

Lars Rademacher, University of Applied Sciences (Germany)

734 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Practical and social implicationsFirst of all, our analysis shows the current flourishing stage of greenwashing research and the centrality of the theme within the broader CSR debate. It also reports the variety of subjects addressing the topic, the main methodological techniques applied in the field, and the principal theoretical approaches of greenwashing scholars. This analysis reveals the interdisciplinary state of the field, characterized by a mix of methods, frameworks, and approaches to the topic.

Our analysis of literature offers also a useful summary for practitioners for evaluating the consequences and implications of corporate engagement in such practice. In particular, although sometimes it may be successfully used to influence consumers’ perception about the firm’s CSR and deflect attention away from negative behaviors, in the current context characterized by a high level of scrutiny and skepticism, the risk of negative effects on consumers’ attitudes, and more generally on the firm’s performance, is increasing. Therefore, greenwashing may finally backfire the company and dramatically decrease corporate reputation, leading to a reduction of corporate legitimacy resulting eventually in a legitimacy crisis.

KeywordsGreenwashing, Literature review, CSR

744 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purposeThis study focuses on investigating corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations in Turkey and Slovenia in order to reveal the social meaning of CSR in both countries. The study acknowledges the context of different societal and religious backgrounds that shape these associations.

Literature reviewAlthough several studies discussing CSR in different cultural contexts can be found in the literature, most of them tend to be either conceptual or focused on studying CSR representations in one country (e.g. Duarte et al., 2010). In addition, only a few use a qualitative approach of meaning networks to investigate the understanding and social meaning of CSR. Scholars tend to agree that most salient approaches to CSR today may be regarded as Anglo-Saxon (e.g. Blowfield & Frynas, 2005). However, the emerging stream of literature also suggests that CSR is something that needs to be considered in terms of its institutional and cultural roots and that while there may be many common elements in CSR understandings unique differences exist as well (Argandoña & Weltzien Hoivik, 2009). Thus, understanding “CSR as culture” means that the meaning of CSR may differ between societies and that people from different countries or cultural backgrounds emphasize different things when asked what CSR means to them (Blowfield & Frynas, 2005: 501-2).

MethodologyThis study uses a qualitative approach utilizing a semantic network analysis; more specifically, it uses meaning networks - with words and phrases of CSR associations as nodes - in order to best define collective cognitive structures or social meaning of CSR in Turkey and Slovenia. The study is based on a sample of 310 participants from Turkey and 210 participants from Slovenia who were given a task to name free associations with CSR as a stimulus. The data was analyzed with the social network analysis tool Pajek.

Results and conclusionsThe resulting networks consist of 132 vertices from Turkish and 156 from Slovenian dataset. Both networks are not very dense (3.4% Turkish and 2.1% Slovenian respectively) indicating that the associations are not highly connected with each other, hence the number of free associations is pretty high in both networks. The calculated measures of centrality which define the most important associations in both meaning networks show that in Turkish network associations such as: providing employment opportunities, producing high quality products and services, and support for education are the most important ones. In Slovenia, associations such as honesty, environmental concern and ecological orientation seem to be more important. One of the limitations of this study is sampling. Probability sampling would give us a more holistic view on the social meaning of CSR in both countries. Further research could investigate whether the differences in meaning networks based on religiosity, values and other cultural variables exist.

Practical and social implicationsA social or cultural view on CSR has important implications for CSR practice and communication: CSR cannot be understood without the reference to the specific context in which it emerges. It means that companies operating in a certain society need to be aware of the social meaning of CSR and the discourses emerging in the society. Thus, they need to be engaged in the ongoing interaction with their stakeholders through which the meaning and importance of CSR is defined or redefined.

ReferencesArgandoña, A., & von Weltzien Hoivik, H. (2009).

Corporate social responsibility: One size does not fit all. Collecting evidence from Europe.  Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 221-234.

Blowfield, M., & Frynas, J. G. (2005). Editorial Setting new agendas: critical perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility in the developing world. International affairs, 81(3), 499-513.

A culture-bound perspective on the CSR meaning networks: The case of Turkey and

SloveniaUrša Golob Podnar, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Selin Turkel, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)Ebru Uzunoglu, Izmir University of Economics (Turkey)

754 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Duarte, A. P., Mouro, C., & Gonçalves das Neves, J. (2010). Corporate social responsibility: Mapping its social meaning.  Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 8(2), 101-122.

KeywordsCSR, semantic network analysis, Turkey, Slovenia

764 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of study BILGI Animal Friends Society (BAFS) is a CSR project of Istanbul Bilgi University, which was established in 1996 and is privately owned by US-based Laureate Education. BAFS was initiated in 2014 by academic and administrative staff, as well as the students of Istanbul Bilgi University, in order to raise awareness about the stray cats and dogs living on campus. The aim of BAFS is to enhance the institution’s interaction with its social and physical environment and its stakeholders for common good. Another aim is to improve the living standards of stray animals on campus by intensifying their interaction with humans, and by cooperating with the local municipality for their health and well-being.

BAFS, which is the case of our research, is important for being one of the primary university-based CSR initiatives in Turkey to raise awareness on stray animals, to improve their living conditions on campus, and to create an exemplary model of sustainable co-existence of humans and animals. In line, our research explores structural and operational characteristics of the BAFS initiative and assesses its relation with key principles of CSR.

The research questions of our study are as follows:1. What are the structural and operational

characteristics of the BAFS initiative? 2. How can BAFS initiative be associated with key

principles of CSR?

Literature review Hypermodern societies differentiate themselves from the structuring principles of modernity with their emphasis on movement, flexibility and fluidity (Lipotevsky and Charles, 2005). These societies go beyond the structural limits of modernity and transform social norms, cultural values and production patterns in a radical way. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the relentless information flow via these technologies make these societies even more complex. The elaborate nature of hypermodern societies encourages us to reconsider our responsibilities towards individuals, communities and the environment around us at individual and business levels.

At business level, the response to this process of reconsideration is corporate social responsibility (CSR).

CSR is a pattern of corporate self-regulation that aims to foster corporate’s reputation and legitimacy (Sen, Bhattacharava and Korschun, 2006) in the public eye through increasing the corporate’s interaction with its social and physical environment. Communicative and networked practices play an important role for CSR for spreading the corporate’s intended message to the larger groups of individuals. Driving organizational and social change requires the establishment of an effective CSR strategy that encourages internal and external publics of the corporations for participation. Within this approach, BAFS initiative of Istanbul Bilgi University can be considered as an institutional effort to foster and organize social change through raising awareness about the stray cats and dogs living on campus in collaboration with various stakeholders.

MethodologyThe primary data collection technique of our research is guided semi-structured in-depth interview, which are conducted with academic and administrative staff and students volunteering for BAFS initiative. Patton (1987) explains, in-depth interview offers the researcher the opportunity “to achieve a holistic understanding of the interviewee’s point of view or situation” (p. 113). Moreover, guided semi-structured interviews allow researchers to elicit information on specific topics, on which they aim to obtain data. During the process, researcher begins with a set of open-ended questions and probes the interviewee to provide details and clarifications through their response. Thus, a semi-structured questionnaire and a basic checklist are designed prior to the interview date for guidance.

The primary and secondary sources, such as initiative’s catalogs, exhibition materials and collaborations with various in-house and external stakeholders inform the analysis as well. First-hand observations also enlighten the research, since as researchers, we have had the opportunity to observe and experience the initiative’s operations from the very beginning.

Results and conclusions Our study sheds light on the theoretical and practical implications of increasing human-animal interaction

CSR towards sustainable co-existence of humans and animals in a university campus: Case study on BILGI Animal Friends Society

Barika Goncu, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)Vehbi Gorgulu, Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey)

774 PAPER ABSTRACTS

through a university-based CSR initiative on campus environment. The findings of the study reveals daily structural characteristics, communication patterns, working routine, ethics, financial opportunities and limitations of the BAFS project. It also questions whether the initiative has succeeded in transforming the living conditions of stray animals living on campus by raising awareness.

Practical and social implications Findings informs other universities as well as corporations in general, in terms of applicability of an animal-focused CSR project in a bordered public sphere.

KeywordsCSR, Istanbul Bilgi University, environment, animal, social change.

ReferencesLipotevsky, G. & Charles, S. (2005). Hypermodern times.

Polity Press. Patton, M.Q. (1987). How to use qualitative methods

in evaluation. California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Sen, S., Bhattacharya, C.B. & Korschun, D. (2006). “The role of corporate social responsibility in strengthening multiple stakeholder relationships: A field experiment”. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(2), pp. 158-166.

784 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purposeThe multilevel study of employees and their communication behavior within an organization, and how it influences the solutions of organizational problems remains unexplored in public relations. Exploring these connections and its implications to the strategic management practice of internal public relations is worthy of study. One notable example of research into internal publics was conducted by Kim and Rhee (2011) who posited new concepts of positive and negative megaphoning, scouting, and microboundary scanning to explain employee communication behavior (ECB). However, these concepts studied the external communication behavior of employees (inside out, outside in) rather than the internal communication of employees solely within the organization itself. Thus, the major purpose of this study extends these concepts in the context of internal organizational problem solving to low, middle and senior-level employees inside an organization. By incorporating diverse levels of employees’ perspectives in examining the relationships between problems, problem solving and internal public relations, this study will attempt to provide more in-depth and nuanced explanations into the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) and add to the public relations body of knowledge. The following research questions will guide this study:

RQ1: How do different levels of employees approach organizational problems?

RQ2: How do different levels of employees communicate (engage in communicative behaviors) among one another to solve problems within an organization?

Literature reviewAs recently as 2007, it was stated “Although the body of public relations knowledge is significantly growing, scholarship exploring internal public relations remains relatively undeveloped”. Since then, and recognizing the dearth of research among scholars and practitioners, the study of internal communication in public relations has only increased. Despite the rising prevalence of studies focusing on internal communication, and employees in particular, the levels of employees inside an organization have been neglected. Since employees

have been regarded as one of the most important strategic constituencies in public relations inside an organization, exploring different levels of employees with separate positions and responsibilities is an important element to focus.

MethodologyQualitative research methods will be applied to STOPS for the first time to produce more complete, descriptive, contextual understanding of problems and ECB in problem solving inside an organization. Twelve in-depth interviews in a variety of organizations will be conducted (four each from low, middle, and senior-level employees) seeking to reveal and explicate deeper meanings of problems and the behaviors to solve them.

Preliminary ResultsPreliminary results from three completed interviews show themes emerging: levels of problems, types and nature of problem recognition, constraints and support of organizational goals, and behaviors influenced by the acquisition, selection and transmission of information.

ImplicationsThis study will hopefully elaborate more on the different information needs and communication purposes, focuses/behaviors of employees at different levels in an organization (with one another, with direct reports, and with superiors.)

Keywordssituational theory of problem solving, internal communication, employee communication behavior, strategic management of public relations

Extending situational theory of problem solving to the strategic management of public

relations: An internal perspective Justin Guild, Purdue University (USA)

794 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyTourist Destinations have experienced important changes in the  last decade as result of advances in Communication and Information Technology (ICTs). The State Society for Innovation Management and Tourism Technologies, SA (SEGITTUR) explains that Smart Tourist Destination (STD) is “an innovative tourist destination, supported in cutting-edge technological infrastructure, which guarantees sustainable development throughout the  region and accessible for everybody. Moreover this kind of destination facilitates interaction and integration between the visitors and the environment and offers them a quality experience.” In that sense, the management of such quantity of data is really complex so it is necessary to taking in account a lot of variables to ensuring the success.

In this research the most  important aim and contribution is develop a corporate reputation model as a key tool to generate value in smart tourist destination management. Up until now image audits had allowed for finding out the peculiarities of the companies. Additionally, they had shown some questions which could affect the corporate reputation. In spite of the advantages of image audits, monitors tend to standardize the analysis, consequently they are neither suitable for each stakeholders nor all sector.

MethodologyBearing all this in mind, this research revises the monitors which measure corporate reputation to propose a corporate reputation model useful to different kind of companies in tourist sector. This paper initially presented an overview of the major existing in smart tourist destination literature on corporate reputation, and corporate monitors. A qualitative approach has been the tool to get valuables ideas provided by all stakeholders in the tourism system. Some reputation variables, the relationship between soft and hard variables and the linkages between the different actors involved in STD are studied. Furthermore, it is analyzed the key informants and double evaluation systems.

Results and ConclusionsAs a result, the main objectives of the study are: (1) to identify stakeholders in smart tourist destination and (2) to develop monitor which integrates and measures the most meaningful factors. The analysis of the study framework has contributed to defining a model that allows to determining level of corporate reputation and the degree of success in STD. Consequently, we establish that the innovation in this research paper lies in providing a corporate reputation model for smart tourist destination based on four factors: brand management, quality of service (QoS), quality of experience (QoE) and Internet of things (IoT).

Practical and Social ImplicationsThe research findings identify specific reputational factors usable for Smart Tourist Destination (STD) also for emerging destination management. Furthermore, from this study, we can deduce numerous practical implications for national government tourist boards, public policy makers, local tourism businesses, travel intermediaries and the host community. In the light of the results, the destinations could enjoy additional benefits not only from the narrow financial objectives of tourism operators but also from social objectives through the collaboration and communication between the stakeholders from public and private sectors. We consider as future research testing the proposal corporation reputation model. In this way we would find out the improvement of the image of the destination as well as the profitability of this monitor in smart tourist destination management.

KeywordsCorporate Reputation, Smart Tourist Destination (STD), Stakeholders, Image audit, Communication and Information Technology (ICTs).

Proposal of Corporate Reputation Model for Smart Tourist Destination (STD)

Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, Universidad de Málaga (Spain) Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez, Universidad de Málaga (Spain)

Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado, Universidad de Málaga (Spain)

804 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyThe concept of CSR has its limits, which are seen, for example, in stakeholder scepticism towards the credibility of CSR activities and communication done by large companies. The limits of CSR are moreover evident in the unbalanced discussion of the three sustainability strategies, efficiency, consistency and sufficiency. The sufficiency strategy has mainly been neglected in society, and even more in the corporate context, because it is translated as renunciation. The topic gains attention, however, at theological events such as the Protestant Church Congress where business ethics and approaches towards a more sustainable economy are broadly discussed.

The United Nations called for sustainable development as early as 1987 in the ‘Brundtland Report’, and much more recently in September 2015 with the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals; responsible consumption and production are one of the goals (Goal 12). It can be argued that more sufficiency in industrialized countries is a necessity if we want to achieve sustainable development. It is therefore necessary to reflect on how a strategy of sufficiency can become more accepted in society and how different disciplines can contribute to this concept.

Interesting in this regard is a concept developed in “liberation theology”, which was first named “Civilisation of Poverty” and then renamed “Civilisation of Shared Modesty”. The research question for this study is whether and to what extent this concept of a “Civilisation of Shared Modesty” adds to the argument for a sufficiency strategy. Sufficiency and modesty represent a shared concept which has been discussed in both disciplines, sustainability sciences and theology.

Literature reviewThe academic and policy advisory work done on de-growth and sufficiency outlines ways to have prosperity without growth. It is about living a decent life. This study will discuss whether the term “decent” can be used synonymously for “modest”. The objective of living a decent life, or in other words, being part of a civilisation of shared modesty, could become a thinkable way of life for more and more people in industrialized countries. Studies show that, above a certain threshold, more wealth and consumption do

not lead to more happiness or satisfaction.

MethodologyThe paper’s approach is conceptual and the research is still in planning. The first step is to do a literature review to explore both the theological concept of “shared modesty” and the sustainability sciences’ concepts of de-growth and sufficiency. This review will show to what extent the two approaches are compatible or even congruent. In a second step, the study will look at the sustainable consumption literature to identify consumers who show sensitivity with regard to sufficiency and modesty (e.g. regarding different Sinus milieus) and how this affinity is reflected in their personal consumption patterns.

This conceptual approach will be complemented with a two-fold explorative approach. First, sufficiency-sensitive consumers will be interviewed on their views of sufficiency. The concept of “shared modesty” will be introduced to them and they will be questioned to assess their interest in a “Civilisation of Shared Modesty”. Second, the explorative study will also comprise interviews with company representatives to discuss the results of the consumer interviews. They will be asked what kind of commitment towards sufficiency and modesty in business practices their company could make in order to meet the consumer expectations predicted from the consumer interviews.

Results and conclusionsThe expected results can be outlined on two levels. The conceptual approach should test the compatibility of both concepts. The concept of a “Civilisation of Shared Modesty” could be found to reinforce the argument for a societal necessity for modest and decent lives in industrialized countries. This reinforcement could underpin a more active discussion of sufficiency strategies for consumers and corporations. The explorative study might show that some sufficiency-sensitive consumers are more attracted by a “Civilisation of Shared Modesty” than others and that this is potentially and to some extent explained by their differing attitudes towards theological concepts. The same differentiation might be true for the acceptance of sufficiency strategies at the corporate level: some company representatives might view them more positively depending on their personal inclination towards the concepts.

The contribution of theology to CSR: Civilisation of Shared Modesty

Katharina Hetze, Leuphana University of Lüneburg (Germany)

814 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Limitations and suggestions for future researchFirst, it must be admitted that liberation theology is not theological mainstream and that the idea of shared modesty has gained little attention in theology. Second, sufficiency is not a top priority on the political or societal agenda and is not likely to become one. Third, the study still has to be done and is thus a research outline. In turn, the conference discussion should provide useful stimulus for the project itself and possibly an impulse for others.

Practical and social implicationsThe originality of the study lies in its novelty, bringing theological approaches into the CSR discussion. This new interdisciplinary approach to studying shared modesty and sufficiency in industrialized countries could enhance the discussion on sufficiency. The approach could even promote the fulfilment of SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production.

KeywordsSufficiency, civilisation of shared modesty, theology

824 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyCorporations are increasingly faced with the expectation of being good citizens through the practice of CSR. However, there persist a need to establish the mechanism by which CSR practices of firms translate into positive stakeholder responses (Haspeslagh, 2010). Additionally, attempts at clarifying the mechanism by which stakeholders respond to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is yet to be extended to the African context where CSR idiosyncrasies have been found to differ from that of other contexts. Exploring this gap in the light of Stakeholder and Social Identity theories, this study attempts to fill the gap by investigating the role of individuals’ CSR predispositions and CSR-induced identification in proposed CSR response mechanism. The purpose of this is to establish an understanding of the way in which CSR practice and communication should be approached within the African context. The study focuses on employer attractiveness as a response to CSR practice.

Literature reviewIn attempt to clarify the mechanism by which CSR engenders positive stakeholder response, studies have proposed the existence of both direct and indirect relationships between perceived CSR practices and stakeholder responses. Brown and Dacin (1997) for example suggest that CSR associations have only an indirect relationship on consumers’ evaluation of products and hence purchase intentions. Additionally, Bhattacharya and Sen (2004) also found that when consumers feel congruence between the CSR initiatives and their self-concept, then they are likely to identify with the company and in turn, this company-consumer identification prompts positive consumer reactions including loyalty and word of mouth. Other studies have reported similar results among other stakeholders including employees, suppliers and investors. Kim (2014) for example, found that CSR initiatives have the higher potential to positively influence stakeholders’ intention to support, seek employment with, invest in, and purchase from CSR practicing firms when firms declare self-serving interests behind CSR initiatives. Research by Sen and Bhattacharya (2001) has however demonstrated that, in certain cases, CSR has a direct

effect on the attractiveness of companies’ products to consumers. They found that under certain working conditions and for consumers with certain CSR beliefs, CSR associations can have direct influence on the attractiveness of firms’ products. Thus suggesting the possible existence of a direct relationship between CSR practices and corresponding stakeholder responses.

MethodologyThe study employed the survey method with the use of semi-structured questionnaires. A sample of 308 students consisting of final year undergraduate students and MBA students of the largest university in Ghana was used for the study. University students in general are appropriate for employer attractiveness studies since many organizations are likely hire from pools of graduating students. Structural equation Modelling, specifically, the two-step approach was employed for the analysis.

Results and conclusionsResults of the study indicate that CSR predisposition of potential employees has negative direct effect on how attracted potential employees were to working for firms based on firms’ CSR engagements. However, CSR predisposition had significantly positive indirect effect on CSR-based employer attractiveness through CSR-induced identification.  The results therefore suggest that, potential employees in Ghana will react with scepticism to information on CSR initiatives of firms unless they first identify with a firm based on the firm’s performance of CSR.

The study however measured attitudinal measure of employer attractiveness rather than an actual behaviour. Future research could explore the use of actual behaviour to examine stakeholder response to CSR within the context.

Practical and social implicationsFindings indicate the need for managers, especially public relations managers to plan, implement and communicate CSR initiatives with the focus intensifying identification among stakeholders. Additionally, Kim (2014) found that acknowledging self-serving

CSR-based Employer Attractiveness: An African Perspective

Robert E. Hinson, University of Ghana Business School (Ghana)Selorm Agbleze, Ghana Technology University College (Ghana)

John Kuada, Aalborg University (Denmark)

834 PAPER ABSTRACTS

motive reduces sceptical attribution and enhances stakeholders’ favourable intent to seek employment with a firm. As such, firms should acknowledge self-serving motives in communicating CSR engagements so as to reduce scepticism on the part of stakeholders.

KeywordsCorporate social responsibility, employer attractiveness, identification, Africa

ReferencesSen, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2001). Does doing good

always lead to doing better? Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 225–243. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.38.2.225.18838

Bhattacharya, C.B., & Sen, S. (2004). Doing Better at Doing Good:When, Why, and How Consumers respond to Corporate Social Initiatives. California Management Review, 47(1), 9–25. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166284

Brown, T. J., & Dacin, P. A. (1997). The Company and the Product: Corporate Associations and Consumer Product Responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 68–84.

Haspeslagh, P. (2010). Forward. In C. Louche, S. O. Idowu & W. L. Filho (Eds.), Innovative CSR: From risk management to value creation (pp. 1- 9). Sheffield: Greenleaf.

Kim, Y. (2014). Strategic communication of corporate social responsibility (CSR): Effects of stated motives and corporate reputation on stakeholder responses. Public Relations Review, 40, 838–840. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363811114001222

844 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the study In the last thirty years, higher education and the application of knowledge has become an undisputed source of social, economic and political power and their contribution to economic growth can be so significant that they are regularly described as “the engine of development in the new world economy” (Castells 1994, 14). “Third mission” refers to activities by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which go beyond teaching and research in order to trigger transfers of knowledge and interactions with business, government and society. However, even though CSR refers to practices that benefit society and third mission activities are “ways in which universities empower societies” (Mehta 2011, 300), the relationship between HEI’s third mission and HEI’s CSR efforts has been little investigated.

This paper explores the relationship between CSR and HEI’s third mission to understand whether HEI’s third mission constitutes a CSR tool and help HEI’s accountability.

Literature review Since the 1908s there has been a shift towards a balanced configuration of “three helixes” for the transition to a knowledge society, in which HEIs collaborate with industry and government (Etzkowitz H. et al. 2000). Subsequently, a quadruple helix model was developed where government, industry, academia and society work together to co-create the future and drive structural changes far beyond the scope of what any one of them could do alone.

The Russell Report, one of the first systematic study of third mission activities in terms of the interaction with industry, government and society, emphasised the commercial and economic value of HEI’s work and cooperation with business, government and society at large. Several studies (Panduranga and Nair 2010) have emphasised the impact of HEI’s interaction beyond the various sectors of industry and government to social innovation. Universities have begun to move to more multidisciplinary areas to make learning and research a more immediately relevant and applicable pursuit.

In this perspective, HEIs are called to be “entrepreneurial”, where “the concept of the entrepreneurial university envisions an academic

structure and function that is revised through the alignment of economic development with research and teaching as academic missions” (Etzkowitz et al. 2000: 313). All this requires a strategic vision by HEIs, as well as new skills and organizational processes. Among them, the development of a clear CSR strategy with institutionalised processes and performance measurement tools seems crucial to answer increasing questions of accountability about HEI’s actions and activity vis-à-vis the needs and demands of society. However, “in the continuing narrative of CSR and its increasing centrality in corporate and financial sectors, the involvement of universities has remained in the peripheries” (Mehta 2011: 300).

Methodology Since a shared definition of third mission has not yet been agreed upon, for the purposes of paper we will refer to the dimensions identified through the E3M European Third Mission project, which in 2012 developed a series of indicators to measure HEI’s third mission activities defined as continuing education, technology transfer and innovation, and social engagement activities.

Starting from the analysis by Gerholz and Heinemann (2015), this paper explores whether there is a CSR framework within which HEIs develop their third mission activities and whether HEI’s third mission activities constitute a CSR tool.

Results and conclusions The analysis shows that even HEIs which are most active in their third mission activities do not necessarily develop them within a CSR framework or use them as a CSR tool.

Practical and social implicationsDisclosure of third mission activities as a CSR tool can help hold HEIs accountable for their impact on industry, government and society with the aim of promoting the growth of a community.

Higher Education Institution’s third mission: conscious CSR?

Mario Ianniello, Udine University (Italy)Luca Brusati, Udine University (Italy)Silvia Iacuzzi, Udine University (Italy)

854 PAPER ABSTRACTS

KeywordsCSR, third mission, Higher Education Institutions, accountability

ReferencesCastells, M. (1994), Technopoles of the world: the

making of 21st century industrial complexes, Routledge, London

Etzkowitz, H., Webster, A., Gebhardt, C., & Terra, B. R. C. (2000). “The future of the university and the university of the future: evolution of ivory tower to entrepreneurial paradigm”. Research policy, 29 (2): 313-330

Gerholz, K.-H., Heinemann, S. (2015). “CSR - A New Challenge for Universities? A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of German Universities”, in O’Riordan, L., Zmuda, P., Heinemann, S. (eds), New Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden: 507-529

Mehta, S.R. (2011), “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Universities: Towards an Integrative Approach”, International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 1 (4): 300-304

Panduranga, N. B. and Nair, P. R. R. (2010). Universities and Corporate Education: 21st Century Social Responsibility for Developing Countries. Discussion Papers in Social Responsibility, No. 1002. Available: http://www.socialresponsibility.biz.discuss1002.pdf

864 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the study Corporate misconduct, such as the BP oil spill, Korean Air nut rage, and Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, often results in negative consumer reactions, impacting corporations’ business performance negatively (e.g., Lindenmeier et al., 2012). Our study aims to build a theoretical framework of corporate crisis attribution, focusing on the a) perception of moral inequity of corporate misconduct and b) moral outrage across two countries – Singapore and the United States. Specifically, this study investigates how four dimensions of CSR expectations affect consumers’ perception of moral inequity of corporate misconduct and their outrage.

Literature review CSR expectations, moral inequity, and moral outrageCSR expectations are defined as stakeholder beliefs of what they expect from companies regarding their corporate social responsibilities (Podnar & Golob, 2007) based on the importance that stakeholders place on four dimensions of CSR (Perez & del Bosque, 2014). These are the economic dimension, which focuses on profitability as the primary expectation, the legal dimension where consumers expect lawful corporate conduct, the ethical dimension, which refers to moral standards expected by society, and finally, the discretionary dimension, wherein consumers expect corporations to contribute to social causes above and beyond the basic economic, legal and ethical responsibilities. These four dimensions are most often adopted to indicate what counts as a corporation’s social responsibilities among its consumers.

These expectations are often reflected in stakeholders’ behavior towards companies. Creyer and Ross (1997) found that CSR expectations have an impact on the extent to which consumers will reward or punish a company’s behavior. Incongruence between expectations and corporations’ actions may trigger consumers’ negative emotional reactions. Consumers’ intention to punish or forgive a corporation’s misconduct depends on consumers’ CSR expectations and perceived importance of ethical behavior.

Different CSR expectations may be associated

with different levels of perceived moral inequity of corporate (mis)behaviors. Individuals with high levels of economic CSR expectations may not necessarily see unethical corporate behavior as morally wrong as long as the corporation fulfils its economic responsibilities, while individuals with high legal, ethical and discretionary CSR expectations may be stricter in their appraisal of corporate misconduct. We posit that those with economic CSR expectations will perceive lower levels of moral inequity of corporate misconduct while individuals having legal, ethical and discretionary CSR expectations will perceive high level of moral inequity of corporate unethical behavior. Then, high levels of moral inequity of corporate unethical behavior would lead to high level of moral outrage.

Methodology We designed a web survey, which comprises measures of CSR expectations, perception of moral inequity, moral outrage, and demographics. The survey started with a question about general consumption behavior, followed by a fictional vignette describing a crisis situation. The hypothetical scenario presented participants with a news report on corporate misconduct. Participants then answered questions regarding their reactions and perception of the described misconduct. Data for this study were collected from Singapore and the United States. We conducted surveys in each country based on two crisis scenarios (i.e., human rights violation and gender discrimination at work) (2 x 2 design). Structural Equation Modelling was conducted for data analysis.

Results and conclusions Regarding the human rights violation, high levels of CSR legal and ethical expectations among Singaporean participants predicted consumer perception of moral inequity, which led to consumer moral outrage. In the U.S., only economic expectation was found to be negatively associated with consumer perception of moral inequity. In reaction to the gender discrimination crisis-scenario, we investigated the effect of gender. While US men’s outrage and perception of inequity was unrelated to CSR expectations, Singaporean men and women’s ethical expectations were related to

The Role of CSR Expectations in Consumers’ Moral Outrage toward Corporate Misconduct

Soojin Kim, Singapore Management University (Singapore)Arunima Krishna, Boston University (USA)

Ganga Dhanesh, Zayed University (United Arab Emirates)

874 PAPER ABSTRACTS

moral inequity and outrage. US women’s economic expectations were negatively associated to moral inequity and outrage while their discretionary expectations were positively associated with moral inequity and outrage.

Practical and social implications CSR expectations reflect how consumer publics view and interpret crises. By shifting the research focus from an organization’s to the audience’s perspective, our study presents insights into how consumer expectations may impact crisis management strategies. Specifically, this study points to the importance of understanding consumer expectations particularly in helping both academe and organizations better understand consumers’ reactions to a crisis.

Keywords CSR expectation, moral inequity, moral outrage, crisis communication

ReferencesCreyer, E. H. & Ross, W. T. (1997). The influence of firm

behavior on purchase intention: Do consumers really care about business ethics? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 14(6), 421-428.

Lindenmeier, J., Schleer, C., & Pricl, D. (2012). Consumer outrage: Emotional reactions to unethical corporate behaviour. Journal of Business Research, 65, 1364-1373.

Perez, A., & del Bosque, I.R. (2014). Customer CSR expectations in the banking industry. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 32(3), 223-244.

Podnar, K., & Golob, U. (2007). CSR expectations: The focus of corporate marketing. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 12(4), 326-340.

884 PAPER ABSTRACTS

PD is becoming more significant in Russian external policy, however no specialized offices have been organized within Russia’s embassies structure. But the work on promoting and explaining Russian government policies and processes, as well as the values and culture of the Russian people, is however conducted by the diplomatic corps.

This research refers to the Russian Embassy’s PD policy in Slovenia, a small EU and NATO country, but still Slavic, with the past of Yugoslavia as one of the closest USSR partners, being in wide interstate and business contacts with Russia.

This research is aimed to answer the so up-to-date question about the state of the Russian PD: how do Russian Embassy’s efforts on promoting Russia’s interests in Slovenia correlate with the results. To answer the stated question, we have to deal with the efforts themselves, estimate their effectiveness taking into account the counterstand from both the Slovenian society and EU’s / NATO’s activities, define the results of the efforts and finally compare efforts with the results. So the research is supposed to have a vast practical significance not only for the Russian Embassy’s staff in Slovenia in improving its work, but also for the Russian diplomatic officials serving in other countries.

This present article issue becomes even hot-button if to take into account the near-zero literature background. If, generally, the Russian PD is in focus as it’s analyzed by experts, specifically, we face a lack if not to say absence, of researches on the Russian PD particularly in Slovenia.

Methodologically the research is divided into 2 parts: if the first one relates to the Russian Embassy’s efforts on promoting Russia’s interests and forming positive public opinion about Russia and its policy within the Slovenian society, the second one refers to the obtained results on this field. The efforts taken by the Embassy are studied on the basis of interviewing the diplomatic staff along with monitoring the official Embassy web-site and both Facebook page and Twitter account. The results are estimated by using methods of supervision, rating, expert evaluation, opinion poll. The latest is maintained through social media. The sample is drawn from 2 big groups of population: 1. those Slovenians who are somehow involved in the Russian Embassy’s activities or just keep watch over them by monitoring the above mentioned social networks; 2. those who do not have anything to do

with Russian politics, business, culture. Application of different methods allows analyzing effectiveness of the Russian Embassy’s PD in a wide range: from Slovenian officials activities to just Slovenian people’s attitude to Russia’s policy and its cultural values.

The efforts taken by the Russian Embassy’s PD in Slovenia are, to be objective, huge. Together with Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Federal Agency for the CIS issues, living abroad compatriots and international humanitarian cooperation, the Embassy promotes Russia’s interests by extending intergovernmental, business, cultural contacts (Russian president Vladimir Putin visited Slovenian’s capital Ljubljana in summer 2016 during which he unveiled a memorial to Russian soldiers who died in World War II at the main cemetery in Ljubljana; Embassy’s project of opening an international research-centre-museum of World War II in june 2017 in Maribor, the second biggest Slovenian city). However these efforts are still not sufficient to form a positive image of Russia among the Slovenians. The Russian Foreign Ministry is to seek alternative ways in PD. But here is another question: is there a real need of enforcing Russia’s soft power in such a small country with already established position on the international arena? We tend to believe in a positive answer to this question. Then, what are these possible alternative ways? Create a special institution within the Embassy structure responsible for explaining Russian policy to the Slovenian public by maintaining accounts in different social networks on a day-to-day basis, publishing articles in both paper and electronic editions, organizing cooperation within the expert societies, facilitating university students exchanges. This institution is also supposed to analyze permanently the Slovenian public opinion about Russia and its foreign policy. Of course, this PD specialized office has to cooperate with other Russian governmental and non-governmental institutions which deal with PD pursuing a common goal of Russia’s image improvement.

KeywordsRussia, Slovenia, Russian Embassy, Rossotrudnichestvo, public diplomacy, efforts effectiveness, soft power.

Influence Operations and Public Diplomacy: Hybrid symbiosis of strategic communication

under the times of global tensionsEvgenia Korkova, Diplomatic Academy of Russian Foreign Ministry

(Russian Federation)

894 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and Purpose This paper examines the changing understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by looking at three aspects: the growing public demands regarding corporate behaviour, the role of government in “promoting” or “requesting” the socially responsible corporate behaviour, and the attempts of business to deal with changing demands.

Literature ReviewDuring the years the approach to CSR, as well as the concept itself, has undergone several shifts, moving from a narrow understanding of CSR to the one incorporating universal sustainability principles. Similarly, the scholarship on CSR has been growing and developing: starting with initial conceptualisations of the corporate responsibility to society (Bowen, 1953), the later attempts to rationalise the role of CSR for shareholders (Wallich and McGowan, 1970), through focusing on development of a link between CSR and corporate social performance (Caroll, 1979; Wartick and Cochran ,1985; Wood, 1991), then focusing on definition of CSR as part of strategic management and adaptation of stakeholders management model for CSR (Ullmann, 1985; Clarkson, 1995; Jones, 1995; Jones and Wick, 1999), to developing the link with studies on reputation (Kanter, 1999; Porter and Hamer, 2002) and marketing (Kotler and Lee, 2005; Haigh and Jones, 2006), and, more recently, by emphasizing the importance of stakeholders’ engagement for CSR process (Foster and Jonker, 2005; Prado-Lorenzo et al., 2008). The last development within the scholarship on CSR, the focus on stakeholders’ engagement, can be explained by the growing attention to societal legitimation of corporate activities. This paper contributes to the latter body of literature on the importance of stakeholders’ engagement for CSR process by studying the role of society and state in establishing corporate responsibility and by introducing the concept of ‘shared’ social responsibility.

Design, methodology, approach The paper employs a case-study method to study the development of public attitudes towards extraction of gas in Groningen, the Northern Province in the Netherlands, from the early 70’s till now. By the same, it will study the change in public expectations regarding

corporate behaviour and CSR and look at the role of government in this process. For this aim a historical reconstruction and process tracing as well as a number of interviews will be carried with local inhabitants as well as with representatives of a company responsible for gas extraction in Groningen.

Results and ConclusionsThe paper aims to reveal how corporations deal with growing social demands, what is the role of government in the face of changing social demands for corporate practice, and how does it change the concept of CSR. It is suggested that the understanding of CSR in hypermodern times might be moving from corporate towards ‘shared’ social responsibility with a greater role of society and government.

Originality The paper is original by introducing the hypothesis of changing CSR understanding, the process where solely corporate responsibility is being replaced with ‘shared’ responsibility with a greater role of society and government. It offers a new perspective by placing the CSR in a broader public context and considering the role of state, especially, with regard to societal legitimation of corporate activities.

Practical & Social Implications By introducing a new perspective on understanding of CSR, in which both society and government have more important role, the paper challenges the existent CSR strategies pursued by business.

Keywordscorporate social responsibility (CSR), shared CSR, corporate strategy, society, government, stakeholders’ engagement, societal legitimation, democratic accountability, gas, Groningen, the Netherlands.

From Corporate Towards ‘Shared’ Social Responsibility?

Beata Kviatek, Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen (Netherlands)

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IntroductionCSR is not only a force of innovation and a means to deal with heightened demands for sustainable development and competiveness, but also an expression of corporate self-awareness and corporate values. With their inherent interactivity and affordances for dialogue, engagement and information diffusion, social media seem to be fitting channels to communicate those values today. Not only do they allow companies to access their customers directly and more personally, but based on the four-part pyramid model, they are a tool for them to identify their key constituents, inform and reach out to publics as ‘fellow citizens’ (Carroll, 1991).

Literature ReviewThe tourism and hospitality industries are great beneficiaries of CSR programs, as well as of the social networks where people express, exchange and share their experiences and where the public sentiment is recorded. Social media made it difficult for companies to avoid confronting their responsibility and have helped establish a new set of values: transparency and authenticity over privacy and secrecy (Yeomans, 2013). Customers now expect companies to change their approach and focus more on open channels of communication, and that extends to sustainability (Stareva, 2014). This is aligned with and stresses the importance of Grunig’s (1992) two-way symmetrical model of communication.

Methodology Grounded in the fields of CSR, Digital Marketing/Public Relations and Online Behavior, this study attempts to bring together the concurrent trends towards CSR and digitalization of social communication, by exploring how CSR and digital media impact on each other.

This empirical study presents the findings of a mixed-method exploratory study on how top-end Greek hotels, all located in Greece, use social networking media to communicate with their publics, as well as how stakeholders and publics respond to such efforts.

The hotels of the sample were selected based on

their CSR activity, location and category. The sample is composed of ‘five star’ luxury hotels, which are actively communicating their CSR initiatives online, as it is assumed that these businesses function as trendsetters and innovators, early adopters of global best practices. Following sample selection, manually conducted qualitative and quantitative Content Analysis was applied on the selected Greek hotels’ websites and social media accounts, in order to record and interpret CSR-related content, both published by the company on its owned media, and generated by the connected users.

Results The content was analyzed according to various relevant indicators, such as the prominence of CSR messages within the corporate websites, the number of pages designed for CSR and their hierarchical structure, the topics and quantity of CSR messages, the stakeholders being addressed, as well as the format of CSR messages, their rhetorical strategies and the level of feedback encouraged. Quantitative data and social media analytics were also used to assess factors such as user engagement and message acceptance, while individual interviews were conducted with representatives from the selected hotels in order to elicit their perceptions about web-based CSR communication. The findings from this study will be integrated within a unified research framework in order to capitalize on their synergistic effect and ensure triangulation.

The communication strategies enacted by Greek hotels through their own brand pages will be assessed against best practices in the field of brand and CSR communication strategy, especially in its online, web-based implementation. This process will allow us to identify potential limitations or challenges hotel businesses face in their actual communication with stakeholders and publics in the networked environment. While the study only reflects the sample of hotels examined and does not make any claim to exhaustive or conclusive generalizability and transferability to other hotels and other industries, it does however highlight how major hotel brands representing Greece’s leading industry, tourism and hospitality, perceive of and practically use social media as media for communicating their responsible

How “social” is corporate social responsibility? A study on the use of social media by Greek

Hotels for communicating CSR Athanasia Lampropoulou, DEREE-The American College of Greece (Greece)

Katerina Diamantaki, DEREE-The American College of Greece (Greece)

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activities to their various stakeholders.

Implications The results of this study can potentially provide insight into what digital communication strategies are more effective for communicating CSR activities, as well as provide guidance to social marketers in the hospitality industry on how to better leverage the affordances of web and social media to put the message across and engage networked publics. Several recommendations for “social solutions” to CSR communication will be proposed.

Keywords Online CSR, CSR Promotion, CSR in Social Media, CSR in the Hotel Industry

ReferencesCarroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social

responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39-48. doi:10.1016/0007-6813(91)90005-g

Grunig, J. E. (1992).  Excellence in public relations and communication management. Hillsdale, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates.

Stareva, I. (2014). The Rise of Social Media for CSR and Sustainability. Retrieved January 21, 2017, from https://www.iliyanastareva.com/blog/rise-social-media-csr-sustainability

Yeomans, M. (2013, February 21). Communicating sustainability: the rise of social media and storytelling. Retrieved January 21, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/communicating-sustainability-social-media-storytelling

924 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and purpose of the studyThe concept of social licence to operate recognizes that business performance ultimately impacts the entire society. Today’s business realities present unique challenges to obtaining and maintaining this licence – the most important one being the chronic lack of trust in businesses and governments (Edelman, 2015). In addition, the lack of common understanding of the concept of social licence makes the related processes rather elusive (Boutilier & Thomson, 2011; Prno, 2013), while the proliferation of social media enables numerous publics to take over the social licence agenda and pressure companies to continuously prove they deserve the social licence (Yates & Horvath, 2013).

These challenges inspired research to better understand the concept of social licence at the practical level through the following research questions:

RQ1: How is the concept of social licence perceived in practice by the community, business, public participation experts and regulatory representatives?

RQ2: How and to what extent does organizational behaviour affect the social licence process?

RQ3: What role does communication play in processes related to social licence?

Literature review In general, social licence is considered an intangible concept, tied to a range of stakeholder perceptions. Relationships and interests of organizational stakeholders are key considerations in processes to obtain and maintain social licence (Boutilier & Thomas, 2011; Yates & Horvath, 2013). Therefore, the literature review focused on exploring the following theories and approaches that strive to explain the interrelationships between organizations and their publics: stakeholder theory perspectives, dialogic communication, reflective communications management, situational theory of publics, and CSR theory perspectives.

Methodology The study explored the extent to which the theoretical propositions specifically addressing key factors of social licence and related processes are relevant in a setting defined by natural resource development. Three data collection procedures were used: in-depth interviews, documentation, and archival material. Twelve interviews were conducted with representatives from the non-business sector and community oriented groups, representatives from one of Canada’s largest oil sands developers, public participation experts, and a regulatory representative.

Results This study builds on the previous research of social licence by providing a deeper understanding of the concept in practice and including the non-business perspectives on social licence into research. The study findings reveal that, in practice, social licence is considered a relationship. This relationship is fundamentally affected by the organizational behaviour and further shaped by organizational strategy. Specific factors underlying the organizational behaviour are competence, consistency and credibility. Specific factors underlying the organizational strategy are communication, focus on stakeholder perceptions and the extent to which an organization, as a whole, can embody an approachable personality.

Practical and social implications The study gave rise to several important considerations worth noting when pursuing any developments that impact various stakeholders and call for social licence:

1. Character matters. Credibility, dependability and competence are key to upholding a social licence. Therefore, the most powerful weapons in an organization’s arsenal are its own culture and values, which reflect in organizational behaviours and permeate all of organization’s interactions with stakeholders.

2. Talk is cheap. Communication must be supported by evidence of relevant performance, and stakeholders ought to be able to see that an organization is following through on its words.

3. You are judged by your own example. A history of an

Social Licence to Operate: Practical understanding of the concept and processes to

attain and maintain itTatjana Laskovic, McMaster University (Canada)

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organization’s performance record, including the qualities of relationships with stakeholders, is the best example of organization’s future performance and conduct in relation to stakeholders. In today’s business environment, when building relationships, you never start from a clean slate.

4. Details are important. Organizations should give due consideration to any small issue being raised by stakeholders in order to effectively move along the process of establishing a social licence.

5. Do not assume you know your stakeholders. Norms, values and interests are active forces that reflect in stakeholders’ perceptions; therefore, constantly changing the organizational stakeholder landscapes. Knowing who is important; when; and, how, in relation to what an organization is doing, is paramount to successfully achieving a social licence.

Keywordssocial licence, relationship management, stakeholder relations, public relations, CSR

ReferencesBoutilier, R. G, & Thomson, I. (2011). Modeling and

measuring the social licence to operate: Fruits of a dialogue between theory and practice. Retrieved from http://socialicense.com/publications.html

Edelman. (2015). 2015 Edelman trust barometer global results. Retrieved from http://www.edelman.com/insights/intellectual-property/2015-edelman-trust-barometer/global-results/

Prno, J. (2013). An analysis of factors leading to the establishment of a social licence to operate in the mining industry. Resources Policy 38(4), 577-590.

Yates, B. F., & Horvath, C. L. (2013). Social licence to operate: How to get it, and how to keep it. Pacific Energy Summit 2013 Summit Working Papers. Retrieved from http://www.nbr.org/research/activity.aspx?id=292

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Introduction and purpose of the study Recent trend has shown public relations-press relationship has been getting closer than ever. The down-sized pressroom, popularity of online e-news channels of communication and a 24-hour news cycle had put further pressure for journalists to collaborate with public relations practitioners. This backdrop had sparked a new research opportunity to re-examine the source-reporter relationship using a co-creation perspective. This study aims at developing the conceptual framework of press co-creation behavior and develops a measurement scale to empirically support the co-creation framework.

Literature ReviewCo-creation perspective viewed the publics as a long-term partner, a co-creator of meanings to be shared and interpreted with an objective to build relationships in order to fulfill organizational goals (Botan & Taylor, 2004). This view is an extension of the relationship management perspective where a group of public relations scholars believed that relationships should be considered as the center of public relations research (Broom, Casey, & Ritchey, 1997; Ledingham, 2003).

Regardless, extant literature in public relations with a focus on co-creation is sparse and with limited empirical support. Through a cross-disciplinary literature review, one can draw parallel with the service-dominant (S-D) logic by Vargo and Lusch (2008) in relationship marketing studies. The S-D concept advocates that customer acts as an active co-creator of value with the organization they are engaged with. In this context, co-creation is categorized into two main types: customer participation behavior, referring to “in-role” behavior; duties the customer needs to perform in order to create a successful value co-creation behavior. The other type is customer citizenship behavior, referring to “extra-role” behavior; the extra tasks the customer volunteers to do to provide additional value to the firm (Yi & Gong, 2013).

MethodologyTo adopt the concepts into a public relations context, in-depth interviews each lasting an average of 90 minutes has been conducted with 16 journalists in Hong Kong from October 2016 to January 2017 to study the co-creation behavior between journalists and public relations practitioner. The objective of the qualitative study is to develop a set of co-creation behavior measurement scales being adopted from Yi and Gong in a public relations (PR) practitioner-journalist context.

Results and conclusionsResults of the qualitative study had showed that press co-creation behavior is established as “Press Participation Behavior (PPB)” and “Press Citizenship Behavior” (PCB)”. The press co-creation measurement scale has thirty-five items measuring eight constructs that describes the multi-dimensional measures of Press Participation Behavior; information seeking, information sharing, responsible behavior, and personal interaction. Based on the results of the qualitative study, Press Participation Behavior can be expressed in an overall statement: “I [journalist] believe it is important to work with public relations specialists in order to generate news”. For Press Citizenship Behavior, the four measures are; feedback, advocacy, helping and tolerance. Overall, it is expressed as: “Press citizenship behavior is important in working with public relations practitioners”.

The implications of this study aims at theorizing and operationalizing the press co-creation behavior to be used in a larger theoretical framework to facilitate the study of antecedents and moderators in nurturing press co-creation behavior by public relations practitioners.

Practical and Social Implications The press co-creation behavior concept can help public relations practitioners and journalists to work in better harmony with each other. The measurement scale can

Press co-creation behavior: Conceptualization and Scale Development

Liane W.Y. Lee, Faculty of Management and Hospitality (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

Leslie S.C. Yip, Faculty of Management and Hospitality (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

Kara Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University, (Hong Kong, S.A.R. of the People’s Republic of China)

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be used to determine if media relations are improved through the press co-creation framework. Finally, the concept of co-creation is a natural extension to Grunig’s symmetrical model of communication (Grunig & Hunt, 1984) adapted in the context of 21st century press room environment.

KeywordsPress Co-creation Behavior, source-reporter relationship, Press-Participation Behavior, Press-citizenship Behavior, Symmetrical model

ReferencesBotan, C. H., & Taylor, M. (2004). Public relations: State

of the field. Journal of Communication, 54(4), 645-661.

Broom, G. M., Casey, S., & Ritchey, J. (1997). Toward a concept and theory of organization-public relationships. Journal of Public Relations Research, 9(2), 83-98.

Grunig, J. E., & Hunt, T. (1984). Managing Public Relations, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, NY.

Ledingham, J. (2003). Explicating relationship management as a general theory of public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 15(2), 181-198.

Vargo, S., & Lusch, R. (2008). Service-dominant logic: Continuing the evolution. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 1-10.

Yi, Y., & Gong, T. (2013). Customer value co-creation behavior: Scale development and validation. Journal of Business Research, 66(9), 1279-1284.

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Introduction and purpose of the studyThis paper builds on current literature on diversity engagement, spirituality, and CSR, to shed light on how public relations theory and practice can inform organizational engagement in the promotion of diversity internally, to provide an inclusive workplace and, externally to contribute to environments in which minority rights remain unprotected by legislation. Past studies stressed the role that public relations should play in diversity engagement in general (Garcia, 2013; Sha, 2013) and with regard to CSR in particular (Hon, 2000). Yet, little research has been done in this direction. The aim of the present paper is to address this gap.

Literature reviewFor this purpose, the paper reviews current literature on public relations and diversity, spirituality, and CSR. The literature review consists of past studies conducted in the realm of PR, organizational behavior and psychology, and business studies. Drawing on this literature, the author provides a critique of the present research and practice and gives further directions for the study and the implementation of diversity programs in a global context.

MethodologyThe present paper is a critical essay that aims to address the main concerns that emerge from the literature review on diversity engagement. The paper critiques the diversity management paradigm, which contends that the diversity extant in the macrosystem should be present at an internal level, and argues that the approach further encourages managerialism and impedes employee engagement in diversity programs. It proposes a public relations approach to diversity, informed by CSR and spirituality, and one that appeals to employees on a more personal level. The paper discusses a bottom-up approach to diversity engagement and highlights the way internal dialogue and CSR projects can be effectively developed in various international environments.

Results and conclusionsCurrently MNCs face two major challenges in implementing diversity programs: employee reticence and employee fatigue. These challenges stem from the implementation of diversity programs that had been designed to “manage diversity” and that ultimately caused a rift between those who manage and those who are diverse (Mazzei & Ravazzani, 2008). Changing the approach to diversity to meet not only the business needs but also those of the employee and the society, can lead to consistent employee engagement in diversity programs. Such programs require that public relations departments play a significant role in executive managerial decisions to facilitate dialogue and employee participation in the development of initiatives that revolve around CSR and spirituality (meta self-construal).

Practical and social implicationsPublic relations practitioners can inform a more responsible approach to diversity by recommending a bottom-up approach and one that revolves around CSR. The bottom-up approach enables higher employee commitment and constant participation in diversity engagement by appealing to moral values and self-construal. While social responsibility and self-construal differ across cultures, the approach to diversity will be manifest in the employees’ patterns of behavior. Such patterns are likely to transforms employees into agents of change outside the workplace and in environments with little to no tradition in the promotion of diversity.

ReferencesGarcía, C. (2013). Clientelism, economic structure, and

public relations in Southern Europe: An example of diversity in the Western World. Public Relations Journal, 7(2), 214-241.

Hon, L. C., & Brunner, B. (2000). Diversity issues and public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 12(4), 309-340.

Mazzei, A., & Ravazzani, S. (2008, January 25-26). Leveraging differences for competition: An exploratory study. Paper presented at the 7th International Congress on Marketing Trends. Venice, Italy.

Sha, B-L. (2013). Diversity in Public Relations: Special Issue Editor's Note. Public Relations Journal, 7(2).

Can public relations inform diversity engagement? The role of CSR and spirituality

Roxana Maiorescu, Emerson College (USA)

974 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Stroink, M., & DeCicco, T. (2011). Culture, religion, and the underlying value dimensions of the metapersonal self-construal. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 14(9), 917-934.

KeywordsCSR, public relations, diversity, corporate communication, social constructivism

984 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and PurposeThe BledCom 2017 Call for Papers asks “to whom” we owe social responsibility in a time when “individuals are becoming ever more self-centric and … we are probably becoming less interested in other humans and humanity as a whole.” The Call asks, “Could human spirituality and religion bring us together again?”

To those questions, this paper offers unusual answers from an unusual source: If we, as public relations scholars and practitioners, wish to enact the most successful model of resource-acquiring relationships, we primarily owe social assistance to those who may well do nothing for us in return. And rather than turning only to spirituality to unite us, we might do well to first examine evolutionary biology and its recent findings regarding indirect reciprocity.

Hearkening back to the early 21st-century calls of McKie (2001) to import new scientific discoveries into public relations, the purpose of this paper is to present detailed findings from evolutionary biology scholarship showing that the concept of indirect reciprocity strongly endorses publicly visible CSR.

Literature ReviewWithin the burgeoning scholarship of evolutionary biology, indirect reciprocity is defined as the assisting of others without the expectation that they will or even are able to return our benevolence (such a return would be direct reciprocity). In the resource-acquisition game-theory experiments of evolutionary biology, which have used both humans and computer models, indirect reciprocity has proven to be the most successful approach to building positive reputation and, consequently, acquiring desired resources. Essentially, indirect reciprocity builds reputation and, in turn, wins willing economic-relationship partners who have observed or learned of our benevolence and have come to trust us. The unrivaled power of indirect reciprocity to generate social capital and economic success is thoroughly documented by evolutionary biologists including Edward O. Wilson and Martin Nowak, director of Harvard University’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics.

The public relations journals Public Relations Review, Journal of Public Relations Research, and Public Relations Inquiry have yet to mention the concept of indirect reciprocity.

MethodologyThis paper adopts the qualitative process of close reading with an interdisciplinary aim. Welch (1990) has termed the interdisciplinary bodying of one area of knowledge into another “appropriation.” Brummett (2010) defines close reading as “the mindful,disciplined reading of an object with a view to deeper understanding of its meanings” (p. 3). The method here is to apply close reading to scholarship regarding indirect reciprocity with the aim of introducing those findings into public relations.

Results and ConclusionsAxelrod’s late 20th-century game-theory experiments focused on which strategies of resource exchange generate, over time, the most resources (in terms of both material rewards and successful reproduction). Again and again, Axelrod (2006) found – in experiments endorsed by skeptical evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene – that the most successful relationship strategies were “nice” (they begin with cooperation), “forgiving” (they forgive initial, selfish behavior by economic-relationship partners), and “retaliatory” (they sever ties with unrelentingly selfish partners) (p. 46). In a series of game-theory experiments conducted since the 1990s, Nowak confirms these findings and has highlighted the effectiveness of a strategy of indirect reciprocity:

To understand the indirect form [of reciprocity], we need to recognize the power of reputation…. Making a reputation has been shown to engage much of the same reward circuitry in the brain as making money…. We found that natural selection favored strategies, called Discriminating Strategies, that pay attention to the reputations of others…. We cooperate more with those who have a good reputation. As a result, people who started off by being generous ended up with a higher payoff. We like to give to those who have given to others. Give and you shall receive! (Nowak & Highfield, 2011, pp. 52, 55, 62, 64)

Practical and Social ImplicationsIndirect reciprocity offers well-documented

support for the social-harmony models of public relations, such as fully functioning society theory, as opposed to other-disregarding models, such as some forms of contingency theory and asymmetry.

Indirect Reciprocity and CSR: Importing Theory from Evolutionary Biology

Charles Marsh, University of Kansas (USA)

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However, an indirect -reciprocity approach to CSR not only endorses the general idea of CSR; it moves it into the realm of enlightened self-interest.

ReferencesAxelrod, R. (2006). The evolution of cooperation (Rev.

ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.Brummett, B. (2010). Techniques of close reading.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.McKie, D. (2001). Updating public relations: “New

science,” research paradigms, and uneven developments. In R. L. Heath (Ed.), Handbook of public relations (pp. 75–91). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Nowak, M.A., & Highfield, R. (2011). SuperCooperators: Altruism, evolution, and why we need each other to succeed. New York, NY: Free Press.

Welch, K E. (1990). The contemporary reception of classical rhetoric. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Keywordsevolutionary biology; indirect reciprocity; game theory; CSR

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Introduction and purpose of the studyBusiness communication strategies based on culture and arts represent an emerging phenomenon, which some scholars define “corporate cultural communication” (Martino, 2010) or “corporate cultural responsibility” (Azzarita et al., 2010). Such approach sees companies including artistic activities, programs, or even stable policies in their own strategic policies in order to support corporate identity and reputation.

In such changing scenario, the paper aims to investigate the trends in the field of corporate cultural communication and responsibility through the new approaches promoted by Italian banks, by analysing several best practices and innovative experiences developed by major players in the national banking sector.

In the international context, the Italian case traditionally distinguishes by relevant investments by the banking system and its own non-profit foundations, instituted by a specific law in 1990 (D’Orazio, 2016). Indeed, in order to value their own roots and responsibility toward territory, these organizations promote projects benefiting local communities especially in the artistic-cultural sector, which continues to concentrate in 2015 almost a third of their whole CSR investment according to the data provided by the Association of Italian Savings Banks and Foundations of Banking Origin (ACRI, 2016).

At the same time, Italian banks’ PR and communication strategies are experimenting nowadays an intense evolution, concerning both on and off line activities. Indeed, in the contemporary scenario, banking organizations are facing a difficult reputational crisis as well as a strong push toward internationalization (Dell’Atti et al., 2016), especially in Italy and after several dramatic crisis hitting the financial sector (the “four banks” scandal in 2015, following the clamorous crash of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank in 2013).

Literature reviewThe study will be supported by a review of the academic literature on public relations and corporate communication. The theoretical framework will

include scientific publications and previous studies investigating the field of cultural communication, strongly emerging in Italy and abroad as a strategic form of corporate social responsibility and shared value.

The literature review will examine also specialized publications and statistical reports concerning the evolution of banks’ communication and PR activities both in the Italian context and abroad.

Methodology The research will develop a multi-case study approach, based on the investigation of a selected panel of cultural experiences and best practices within the banking sector. In particular, the study will focus the initiatives promoted, during the last three years, by some of the major Italian banks, in particular Intesa Sanpaolo (Turin), Mediolanum Bank (Milan), and Unicredit (Milan), distinguishing themselves within the national context as some of the most innovative contemporary players in arts philanthropy and communication field.

The research study will use a multi-method approach including direct observations, meetings, and in-depth interviews with companies’ managers and PR leaders. The context analysis will examine several documental sources such as internal corporate materials, reports, publications, and communication documents.

Results and conclusions The in-depth examination of arts projects and strategies promoted by Italian banks can enrich the international corpus of academic studies investigating the phenomenon of corporate cultural communication and its new trends. In particular, it can help understanding the potential of arts and culture when they do not work as a tactical tool of corporate or marketing branding, but as a strategic investment, source of social value and innovation for both companies and the community they belong to, by cultivating quality long-term relationships among organizations and their market and social stakeholders.

Corporate cultural responsibility and shared value in the banking sector. A multi-case study

in ItalyValentina Martino, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

Stefano Scarcella Prandstraller, Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)

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Practical and social implicationsThe innovative cultural-artistic experiences promoted by the major Italian banks offer a best practice benchmarking model also for organizations doing their business in other market sectors and countries.

More in general, banks’ cultural projects and policies highlight the specificity distinguishing communication and PR strategies in the Italian context: indeed, they are strongly orienting toward the promotion of cultural contents and values especially by those companies which are called to internationally compete and represent the appeal of “Made in Italy” brand.

Keywords Corporate cultural communication, Corporate cultural responsibility, Corporate shared value, Banking communication and PR, Arts philanthropy

ReferencesACRI (2016). Ventunesimo Rapporto sulle Fondazioni

di origine bancaria. Anno 2015, Roma.Azzarita, V., De Bartolo, P., Monti, S., & Trimarchi, M.

(2010). Cultural social responsibility. La nascita dell’impresa cognitiva. Milano: Franco Angeli.

D’Orazio, C. (2016). La cultura delle banche oggi. Viaggio attraverso un anno di iniziative. Bologna: il Mulino.

Dell’Atti, S., & Trotta, A. (Eds.) (2016). Managing Reputation in The Banking Industry.  Theory and Practice. Cham: Springer.

Martino, V. (2010). La comunicazione culturale d’impresa. Strategie, strumenti, esperienze. Milano: Guerini.

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Introduction and purpose of the study Responsible corporate behavior is not defined once and for all. Rather it develops as society and organizations act, learn and change. It has convincingly been argued that in the area of CSR, there is a particular need for organizations to keep the definition of CSR open to new issues on labor rights, human rights, corruption or environmental protection that may emerge as a risk or as a potential for the business strategy (Rasche, Morsing and Moon, 2017; Christensen, Morsing and Thyssen 2017). This has led to critique that CSR has turned into a fuzzy, changeable and vague concept that is an empty signifier that everyone can throw his or her own interpretations into and hence, CSR means nothing to everyone.

It has been argued that organizations are inclined to want to develop communicative practices that make them look good, and we may add that organizations simultaneously depend on looking slightly better than they are. Importantly we suggest how hypermodernity challenges and pressures organizations to build up CSR and “do good” activities as a form (rather than an object) instead of focusing on the CSR practices and targets themselves being the reference point. Our framework draws attention to how CSR research has prioritized a modern approach to the study of CSR in its emphasis on how CSR communication must be aligned with CSR practice, while downplaying the notion of how the CSR phenomenon in its vague and depends on an explorative character, and how such fuzzy definitions are also being performative.

In this paper we argue that research on CSR has a tendency to focus its critique on the CSR form rather than the CSR function, i.e. critiquing the organizational work to achieve a desirable CSR image rather than achieving the CSR substance. We argue that this dichotomy is misplaced and misses the point. In this paper we attempt to demonstrate that CSR is about a continued balancing act between image and substance and most importantly it is a balancing act in which ”image” and public relations may drive organizations to improved “substance”. With reference to Odysseus, we label this a balancing act between the Scylla of crystal and the Charybdis of smoke.

Theoretical frameworkThe idea of a balancing act between image and substance is not new. Prior research has convincingly argued that the dynamics between the two dimensions is what keep organizations survive and alert. Drawing on this insight, we argue that CSR research as well as practice has a tendency to ignore and even warn against aspirational talk towards improved action. While this is a valid and fair critique in a time of “fake news” and distrust in public authorities, we argue theoretically for the counterproductive implications of downplaying aspirations and “hypermodern talk” in the area of CSR. We suggest that CSR is an area that depends on development and organizational alertness to changing interests, agendas, and emerging issues of global concern that quests articulation of future aspirations rather than a sole focus on past achievements. In this paper we point attention to how such future “images” also serve to perform new “substances” or realities.

MethodologyThis paper suggests is a conceptual paper and is as such drawing on theoretical and analytical research within communication, public relations and CSR studies. As it currently stands, the idea is to draw on second order empirical data.

Results and conclusions In this paper we draw attention to how CSR communication research has prioritized a modern approach to the study of CSR in its emphasis on how CSR communication must be aligned with CSR practice, while downplaying the notion of how the “fuzziness” of CSR is performative via communicative practices. We point to how such CSR research favors CSR to develop routines, stability and status quo rather than explorative practices. We draw on James March’s theorizing on exploitation and exploration, and the work of aspirational talk by Christiensen, Morsing and Thyssen, as we develop a framework to suggest the simultaneous pull and push mechanisms of stability and aspirations as a driver of CSR. We do so as we suggest the metaphor - with regard to respectively communicative stability and vagueness - of the Scylla of crystal and the Charybdis of smoke.

Between smoke and crystal: CSR communication in hypermodern times

Mette Morsing, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)Lars Thöger Christensen, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

Ole Thyssen, Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)

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Our paper is a conceptual paper and as such is limited by not demonstrating empirical new material to the idea. However, it is our hope that our conceptual framing will serve as a reference point for scholarly work interested in exploring profoundly the relations between modernity and hypermodernity in a diversity of empirical settings.

Practical and social implicationsThis paper adds to CSR communication practice by supporting the importance for CSR professionals to ensure organizational compliance with societal expectations to the firm’s CSR while importantly pointing to the equally important task of paying attention to and pointing to directions for future action. The idea of this paper is built on the notion of that a strengthened focus in research and practice on such balancing act will serves the broader interests of a liberal democracy.

KeywordsCSR, communication, hypermodernity, image-substance

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Introduction and purposeAlthough Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may be useful for public relations professionals and their clients, in many cases it functions as a smoke screen for organizations. A key tenet of CSR is it needs to keep the three pillars – economic, social and environment – in balance. Within this paper the notion of imbalance is explored and advanced to argue that social and environmental justice must be key priorities for public relations. Balance, I argue, is a neoliberal concept deployed to defend the status quo. In a time of climate change, public relations needs to reconfigure the focus from a discourse of sustainability to justice practices. Prioritizing justice opens up a new vocabulary for thinking through the ways in which social and environmental issues are subordinated to economic concerns.

Research questionHow could justice frames move organizations and governments beyond CSR in a time of climate change?

Literature reviewScholarly understandings of social justice draw heavily upon the work of Nancy Fraser (1998; 2001) whose work discusses inequalities and a broadening of political and cultural contestation. Fraser (2001) identified this contestation as a struggle for equitable redistribution of resources, recognition of identity/status and what she termed “a normative principle” of parity of participation in multiple domains. Framing social justice in this way makes it possible to problematize institutionalized patterns of cultural value, governance structures and decision making processes. Boundaries between various forms of justice are permeable and dynamic; environmental justice claims have social and cultural dimensions; and environmental concerns are generally subordinate to social concerns. Environmental justice claims generally include attempts to preserve, protect or reclaim space and place; assertions of identity, culture or meaning; and struggles for inclusion, power, control or autonomy. More recently notions of care and attachment have been explored in relation to environmental justice and indicate the emergence of affective shifts that are absent in considerations of CSR.

MethodologyA case study approach has been adopted as an entry point for examining how pluralistic justice claims are mobilized to contest the sponsorship of cultural institutions and advocate for climate change action. Case studies are considered “more likely to be contemporary descriptions of recent events” (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007, p. 25) that focus on “understanding the dynamics present within single settings” (Eisenhardt, 1989, p. 534). In this instance, the campaign against the Dakota access pipeline by the opponents, in particular the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, is the research setting and the events studied are a series of activist interventions that have garnered international media attention and sparked global collaboration.

Results and conclusionsA clear disjuncture between the ways the pipeline is promoted and and the issues prioritized by particular publics is evident. Public sense making challenges the framing of the issues; raises concerns beyond safety and risk – justice, equity and fairness are priorities. Responses are ambivalent, dynamic and highly conditional.

Social media is identified as a significant dimension of the ongoing campaign and has led to unlikely alliances and global collaboration. An examination of how social media has also been deployed as a site for ‘fake news’ about the protests is developed to call into question the notion of post-truth.

Practical and social implicationsSocial and environmental justice function as sense making narratives for inserting a diverse range of values into governance processes. These justice narratives are indicative of a contested moral order particularly in relation to corporate neo-liberal responses to climate change versus collective cultural values and responses. Within public controversies, issues of recognition/identity are mobilized to explain and defend certain community positions or exemplify particular social relations such as empathy and collective care. Identification as ‘water guardians’ was a mobilizing position that spanned multiple boundaries and opened up rights based claims. For public relations, considerations of how social and environmental justice plays out within public controversies and in relation to climate change indicate that CSR is unlikely to bring about critical, timely social transformations. Instead,

CSR in a time of climate changeJudy Motion, UNSW (Australia)

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the relevant social actors and their concerns and attachments in relation to justice and climate change need to be integrated into decision making.

KeywordsCSR; climate change, justice

ReferencesEisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case

study research. Academy of management review, 14(4), 532-550.

Eisenhardt, K. M., & Graebner, M. E. (2007). Theory building from cases: Opportunities and challenges. Academy of management journal, 50(1), 25-32.

Fraser, N. (1998). Social justice in the age of identity politics: Redistribution, recognition and participation. WZB discussion paper, No. FS I 98-108.

Fraser, N. (2001). Social justice in the knowledge society: Redistribution, recognition and participation. Heinrich Boll Stiftung, 5, 1-13.

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Introduction and purpose of the studyNon-governmental organisations (NGOs) help to frame public discourse on sustainability, and through that may wield substantial influence over business and government policies. But who controls the framing of that discourse inside these organisations? Communications, campaigns and fundraising teams all have a stake in shaping environmental messages, yet their objectives may not always be aligned. This paper draws on interviews with current and former chief executives of the leading environmental NGO Friends of the Earth to explore the factors that influence how NGOs position their messaging. It suggests a new framework through which PR practitioners inside NGOs and campaigning charities can understand the barriers and opportunities thrown up by internal negotiations.

Research questions: What factors have influenced the way Friends of the Earth has positioned its environmental campaign communication over the last 30 years? Have these changed over time? Who controls the decision making in this area, and why?

Literature reviewExisting public relations and organisational communications literature tends to pigeonhole NGO and charity communications into one of two roles. As Demetrious (2013) and L’Etang (2009) argue, these organisations are often seen as posing a threat to what is perceived as ‘legitimate’ - that is corporate - PR. Others, such as Tench and Yeomans (2013) see them as having largely the same constraints and opportunities as profit making organisations and therefore able to apply – with some caveats - generic PR theories and frameworks, from framing to campaign planning. However these approaches overlook the impact that very different organisational goals have on PR practitioners in the not for profit sector.

Public relations literature draws on systems theory to consider the role of PR teams inside organisations, exploring issues of control and legitimacy. Much of this work, eg Grunig (2006), considers PR teams inside commercial organisations, negotiating with production,

marketing, investor relations etc. Worth (2009) looks at the role of PR and the service delivery functions of charities. However, communications teams inside campaigning NGOs negotiate with different internal stakeholders: policy, campaign and fundraising teams. This paper asks how those negotiations influence the development of organisational communication strategies and messaging.

This research aims to enrich our understanding of not for profit public communication as a legitimate aspect of PR activity addressing the responsibility of organisations and individuals to the planet, and as a specialist PR field that faces influences that are different from those encountered inside corporate organisations.

MethodologyQualitative semi-structured in-depth interviews with current and former chief executives and communications staff from Friends of the Earth England Northern Ireland and Wales, a member of the world’s largest grassroots environmental network Friends of the Earth International. This is a purposive sample of up to 12 interviewees to elicit the views of the most senior decision-makers inside Friends of the Earth over the past 30 years. Content analysis of organisational documents including organograms, and thought leader pieces such as chief executive speeches and articles, provides triangulation.

Results and conclusionsThe paper suggests that the role and internal power of communications teams within Friends of the Earth has waxed and waned over the past three decades reflecting the evolution in NGOs’ understanding of how to achieve social change. The paper suggests that the internal legitimacy of communications is linked to the dominant ‘theory of change’ (which may focus on public engagement, windows of political opportunity, or partnerships). This determines whether messaging strategies are business-friendly, challenge corporations and government, or focus on developing individuals’ connection with and sense of responsibility for the environment. The blurring of roles between

Who controls the framing of environmental discourse? Insights from 30 years of the struggle

to decide communications strategies inside Friends of the Earth.

Michaela O’Brien, University of Westminster (UK)

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communications, campaigns and fundraising caused by digital media is an additional factor.

As the research is limited to one organisation, further research could refine the findings by comparison with other campaigning NGOs.

Practical and social implicationsThe paper aims to develop a new framework that describes the factors that influence NGOs and charities’ approach to positioning their campaigns. This framework will have practical impact for practitioners, as a resource developed from the study of their field, rather than something adapted from normative or positive theories developed primarily for the corporate sector. Its social impact will be to facilitate the development, through internal negotiation, of NGO communication strategies that address environmental issues.

KeywordsNGOs; environmental messaging; theory of change

ReferencesDemetrious (2013) PR, Activism and Social Change,

RoutledgeGrunig J. (2006) Furnishing the edifice: ongoing research

on PR as a strategic management function, Journal of PR Research 18(2), 151-76

L’Etang (2009) PR Concepts, practice and critique, SAGE Publications

Tench and Yeomans (2013) Exploring PR, 3rd edition, Harlow, England; New York: FT Prentice Hall.

Worth (2009) Nonprofit management: principles and practice. Los Angeles; London: SAGE Publications

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Introduction and purpose of the studyNumerous corporations in the world which invest significant efforts in developing CSR projects are frequently faced with the challenge of introducing publicly their programs to key publics in an unobtrusive manner. Namely, in modern times, characterised by the great disbelief in corporation’s honest intentions, almost every attempt of drawing attention to the sole entity of the CSR project (e.g. introducing it to the key public) is most likely to be characterised by the publics as an insincere and intrusive marketing promotion. In this context, a pull promotional strategy undertaken by the corporation in order to inform unobtrusively the key publics about CSR projects should imply usage of discrete and unobtrusive promotional (e.g. non-selling) messages. In order to gain higher level of relevance and trust, corporations should not use intrusive selling messages and those messages should not be the key motive while presenting CSR projects. Instead of that, the benefits of the project should speak for the project itself. The goal of undertaken pull strategy should be primary informing and educating key publics, getting them to understand all benefits for them and consequently attracting them to participate in the project. This paper has objective to research in what way large CSR oriented corporations in Croatia use pull promotional strategies, do they consider pull promotional strategies more adequate than push strategies, and how they face the need for intrusive promotion of their CSR projects in order to present them to the publics.

Literature reviewOver the last several years, numerous research projects were carried out and several studies were published on trends in the communication industry covering specific field of CSR. Majority of published materials refer to communication management, argumentation that CSR is not marketing, and general communication strategies. Not many works refer to specific experiences in using ‘pull strategies’. For example, in 2012, authors Dima Yamali and Yusuf Sidani from American University of Beirut dedicated one section of their book ‘CSR in the Middle East – Fresh perspectives’ to explaining and criticising pull strategies

Adequacy of pull promotional strategies in conducting CSR projects

Ivan Pakozdi, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)Maja Banovac Barić, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)

Ivana Jeleč, Edward Bernays College of Communication Management (Croatia)

in the R&D process. An author Bistra Vassileva from Bulgaria in 2008 covered similar topic ‘Implementing CSR in Bulgaria: »Push« vs. »Pull« Approach’ where she tried to clarify the overall relationship between CSR and the corporate marketing strategy based on specific corporate practices in Bulgaria. In 2005 authors Ashok Ranchhod and Ebi Marandi published a book ‘Strategic Marketing in Practice’ in which they described pull strategy in CSR as one of marketing communication strategies companies can adopt.

MethodologyIn order to collect mutually comparable experiences from communication experts involved in communicating CSR projects the authors decided on a qualitative research approach through a series of in-depth interviews with 10 respondents – 10 senior staff members of Public Relations, Marketing or Corporate Communications Departments in 10 large (250+ employees4) corporations operating in Croatia. All participants will be asked to objectively present standpoints of their corporations, based on current corporate politics and not their personal opinions. The authors will analyse how large corporations in Croatia introduce their CSR projects to the public, do they prefer pull or push promotional strategies, which type of promotional strategy results with better feedback, which communication consequences they withstand by using pull strategies, is pull promotional strategy perceived in the public as intrusive marketing and advertising, and finally is pull promotional strategy more adequate for communicating CSR projects in the public than push strategy.

Results and conclusionsThe obtained results will give an answer to the question whether unobtrusive communication based on education, information and presenting project benefits, rather than promotional messages (e.g. advertisements) is more effective in obtaining positive feedback from the publics while promoting CSR projects. These results will provide a key contribution in the field of corporate communications and promotion in the process of introducing CSR projects to the publics.

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Practical and social implicationsA special value of this research is the practical knowledge on how large corporations should develop their communication and promotional strategies for the positioning of CSR projects in the future. This research could help corporations to successfully estimate possible cost effectiveness while developing different communication strategies in CSR field. The research results could have a great impact on better understanding of the public opinion towards CSR projects and also lead to the conclusion that successfully communicated entity of the CSR project is more relevant to the publics than innovative and expensive advertising concepts.

KeywordsPromotional strategy, CSR, advertising, communication strategy

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Introduction and PurposeThe critical, yet difficult, conversation (at least for public relations professionals) is the influence of public relations activities on a purchase decision. Whereas not a traditional consideration of public relations scholarship, the contribution of public relations efforts to an organization’s bottom-line is critically relevant to communication management, even if it is not the primary imperative of those efforts. One of the more complicated public relations contributions is corporate social responsibility (CSR), whereby an organization offers goodwill to improve society or even the well-being of the region in which it does business. An organization’s CSR activities inevitably influence consumers’ purchase decisions, whether that is the intention of such efforts or not.

Principally, corporate social responsibility, as a public relations activity, may be a question of public perception, and the purpose of this study is to consider this connection between CSR and consumer perception, from a public relations perspective. Results from this study’s focus groups show that CSR is a complex concept, and that its beauty may be in the eye of the stakeholder. Findings show that perception of intention is critical, and that an extant organization-public relationship may also influence decision-making.

Literature ReviewCorporate social responsibility is a complex concept. On the one hand, it can engender positive reputation and even relationships from important organizational stakeholders. On the other hand, it can induce distrust among stakeholders who doubt the motives of an organization in engaging in CSR. And yet, in today’s environment, organizations are expected to engage in CSR and give back to the communities in which they do business.

Research has shown that CSR can have a varied effect on organizations. On the one hand, CSR reinforces organizational identity and mission, engender employee commitment, minimizes reputational damage during a crisis, creates organization-public relations, and can even lead to purchase decision (David, Kline, & Dai, 2005; Glavas & Godwin, 2013; Shim & Yang, 2016). Research in marketing suggests that CSR is a perceptual value to potential consumers,

including providing emotional and social value (Green & Peloza, 2011). At the same time, however, CSR can also engender skepticism and cynicism (Rim & Kim, 2016). Given that the value of CSR may be defined by the beholder, research is needed to evaluate public perception on an in-depth level.

MethodologyThis study employed qualitative methods to understand public perception of CSR and its influence on purchase intention. Specifically, we conducted two focus groups with individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 about their opinions of organizations’ corporate social responsibility activities and their own intention to make a purchase.

Results and ConclusionsFindings show that the benefit of CSR may be defined in perceived intention. Motives like reputational gain or the sense that an organization engages in CSR because “everyone else is doing it” did not “count” for participants in our study. In fact, instances in which companies were involved in CSR because they were “forced to” yielded a negative response from participants. Furthermore, participants said they would not purchase from a socially responsible company if they though the company was merely doing CSR for reputational gain or to cover up a previous scandal.

Practical and Social ImplicationsThough it is undeniable that CSR earns an organization trust, commitment, and even intentions to purchase products and services, findings from this study suggest that the relationship is too complex to label it a one-to-one connection. CSR value is borne in an organization’s efforts to be transparent in their charitable giving and other social contributions. In fact, it may even be said that an organization may toot its own horn, as long as their motives are genuinely in line with publics’ needs.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Stakeholder: Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility

and Purchase IntentionJessica R. Peine, Purdue University (USA)

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KeywordsCorporate Social Responsibility, Public Relations Measurement, Organization-Public Relationship

ReferencesDavid, P., Kline, S., & Dai, Y. (2005). Corporate social

responsibility practices, corporate identity, and purchase intention: A dual-process model. Journal of Public Relations Research, 17(3), 291-313.

Glavas, A. & Godwin, L. N. (2013). Is the perception of ‘goodness’ good enough? Exploring the relationship between perceived corporate social responsibility and employee organizational identification. Journal of Business Ethics, 114, 15-27.

Green, T., & Peloza, J. (2011). How does corporate social responsibility create value for consumers? Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 48-56.

Rim, H., & Kim, S. (2016). Dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) skepticism and their impacts on public evaluations toward CSR. Journal of Public Relations Research, 28, 248-267.

Shim, K., & Yang, S-U. (2016). The effect of bad reputation: The occurrence of crisis, corporate social responsibility, and perceptions of hypocrisy and attitudes toward a company. Public Relations Review, 42, 68-78.

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Introduction and purpose of the study2016 was an eventful and disturbing year for many reasons but the apex of what has previously been termed propaganda to the distilled, and Oxford English Dictionary’s recognised concept of, post-truth deserves most scholarly scrutiny.

Literature reviewFrom mainstream journalism to fake news to government-sponsored electoral influence to self-esteem and body image, propaganda in digital form is one of the most dominant communicative discourses in the twenty-first century (Lockie, 2017; Tallis, 2016). Whilst propaganda and PR has been explored extensively in the past (e.g. L’Etang, 2012; Fröhlich, 2015), post-truth has added a new and a renewed challenge for the professional public relations and communications industries. Trust in the truthfulness of communication has been acknowledged as one of the most crucial elements for the successful relationship-building between organisations and their stakeholders - be they private or public (e.g. Ledingham 2003). This trust is seriously endangered through the infiltration via social media of unsubstantiated, fake and non-evidence based communication.

MethodologyThrough a series of social media case studies, drawn from these themes above, concepts and critiques of propaganda are explored in order to better understand the phenomenon of a post-truth era. In doing so the paper is self-reflexive on the currently contested sphere of ethical data research into the web and its social media environments by researchers across the digital humanities.

The case studies will aim to draw on social media data and negotiate the complexities researchers now face when considering the concepts of public and private digital space. The terrain for such digital fieldwork or textual analysis is still being forged and

this article looks to contribute to the growing literature that aims to consider where the parameters are and what guidelines should be followed or developed.

Methodologies to capture data from social media will be explored adding another dimension to this burgeoning research area.

Findings and conclusionsThe findings of this paper will demonstrate how trust is created and established on social media by individuals and organisations and how consumers of information evaluate or fail to evaluate its truthfulness. Furthermore the paper will reflect on how organisations can maintain high standards of communication and transparency to counteract this phenomenon to sustain positive relationships with stakeholders.

Practical and social implicationsWe are faced with a society where social dishonesty has become the norm, even pandemic. Within an environment some have termed The Fourth Industrial Revolution, a blended habitat of self and code, a consideration of data ethics in light of the mainstream collapse of inter-subjective truths and empiricism is more important than ever in the history of the fifty plus years of the internet. Our modern society is based on a foundation of trust and the erosion of this through the embellishment and distortion of facts up to outright creation and dissemination of lies is starting to threaten established structures in society. This research will shed some light on the communication behaviour in the 21st century and will offer some guidelines on how the PR and communications industry – which has fought hard over the last 50 years to establish itself as a trustworthy participant in and contributor to the public sphere – can maintain public trust and credibility in a post-truth world.

 

Public relations and social media in the post –truth era: Using concepts and critiques of

propaganda to assess post-truth social media environments and data ethics

Heike Puchan, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)Andrew McWhirter, Glasgow Caledonian University (UK)

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ReferencesFröhlich, Romy et al. (eds) (2015) ‘Zur Problematik der

PR Definitionen’ Handbuch der Public Relations, pp. 103-120.

Ledingham, John A. (2003) ‘Explicating Relationship Management as a General Theory of Public Relations, Journal of Public Relations Research, Vol 15 (3) pp 181-198.

L’Etang, Jacquie & Pieczka, Magda (2006) Public Relations: Critical Debates and Contemporary Practice, London: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Lockie, Stewart (2017) ‘Post-truth politics and the social sciences’ Environmental Sociology, Vol 3 (1), pp 1-5.

Tallis, Benjamin (2016) ‘Living in post-truth’ New Perspectives, Vol 24 (1), pp 7-18.

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IntroductionSince the beginning of the new millennium, concepts as those of hypermodernity or post-truth seem to have invaded all our spheres of activity. Along with the effective changes and challenges brought up by technology, there is indeed a new generation with new interests, habits and desires (Strauss & Howe, 2000) that organizations should comprehend in order to successfully address and relate with them as stakeholders.

Literature reviewCalled “Generation Me” by some academics, the Millennials generation, defined by Strauss & Howe as those born between 1982 and 1994, actually inherited this label from their antecessors, baby boomers, who were first referred as a self-centred generation by Tom Wolfe (1976).

Sons of baby boomers, they are the largest generation who Deloitte estimate that will represent 75% of the working force by 2020. Due to their specific characteristic and notorious inadaptation to current reality, they are also the most studied generation so far and opposite to what was initially supposed, individuals who belong to Millennial generation are more aware to social diversity, are highly sensitive to social causes and available to help people in need. Because they want to help or due to their obsession with living new and growing experiences, the truth is that recent studies have demonstrated that they are effective supporters of volunteer activities and international NGO’s missions, being increasingly common to see them taking non payed leaves to integrate volunteering jobs.

Millennials are proven to have a high need for purpose in the activities they are involved (Gallup, 2016), whether we are talking about their hobbies or about their jobs. This desire for purpose is intimately connected with the Corporate Social Responsibility concept and rises the question whether CSR is nowadays a distinctive feature for organizations and should be addressed as a simple and usually not planned activity or should be embraced by organizations, who should attribute it a central role in their business strategies (de Woot, 2014).

Studies show that Millennials feel that making a difference in the world is their responsibility. From volunteerism, to the role in employees engagement, the ability to generate added value to shareholders (Sen et al, 2006) or even as a source of attraction to

new customers (Cone, 2008), the incorporation of CSR in strategical planning seems to have a powerful effect and engaging Millennials in CSR appears to be critical to organizational success.

MethodologyAfter reviewing some of the most relevant literature about corporate social responsibility, hypermodernism, generational studies and Milllennials characteristics and engagement with Corporate Social Responsibility, we will analyse a real case where an organization successfully uses CSR to engage Millennial stakeholders and create awareness to the advocated cause, through the use of social media and digital world potentialities.

ConclusionIn the end, we aim to be able to testify that rethinking the organization by placing CSR in the core of its culture is not only necessary but also a key to establish successful relationships with Millennials stakeholders and even to increase profits.

KeywordsCorporate Social Responsibility; Millennials; organizational changes

Referencesde Woot, P. (2014). Rethinking the Enterprise:

Competitiveness, Technology and Society. Sheffield: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.

Strauss, W., & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s future, 1584 to 2069 . New York: Harper Perennial.

Gallup (2016). How millennials want to work and live. Washington: Gallup Management and Consulting

Old concepts, new publics: CSR and MillennialsErica Rodrigues, CIES / ISCTE (Portugal)

Mafalda Eiró-Gomes, ESCS / IPL (Portugal)

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Introduction and purpose Project ANTURA evaluates the effects of the immigration themed citizens’ forums arranged by the Greater Leppävaara Citizens’ Forum (GLCF), a voluntarily coordinated arena for citizens’ participation in Espoo, Finland.

ANTURA includes network partner representatives to co-create forms of smoother immigration integration through open interaction, where all actors are encouraged to be on the same side.

This paper finds that there is a need to develop and duplicate positive working models, for activities that facilitate mutual understanding to soften the effects of immigration and promote positive integration in receiving countries. All actors, including individual citizens, are responsible for the conditions where immigrants and natives meet and together create something new for all.

Literature review“Policies and institutions play an extremely important role in providing the necessary solutions to integration process of the immigrants” (Vrânceanu, 2015), and continues to note that pro-immigration groups have a strategic orientation towards participation. Mostowska (2014) find that migrant policies and services should be inclusive and personalized, and also taking into account the views of social workers.

Participation in sports and arts build self-awareness and social connectedness (Bower & Carroll, 2015). Their conclusions are for youths, but we argue that these seem to be generalizable.

Knowledge transfers are induced in collaborative co-creative settings, and they are best achieved when stakeholders from network partners are included in the co-creation process (Ruoslahti, Tiainen, Kortelainen, & Vesterinen, 2011). End-user participation is facilitated, responsibilities become distributed between stakeholders, and decisions decentralized.

Social responsibility is not only for business purposes in the market place, it also prepares long-term conditions for success. Continents and countries are in different development phases, and all can learn from each other not only in business but in everyday life, too.

MethodologyThe study was completed as co-creative student integration, which is the learning method at Laurea University of Applied Sciences. The study included active cooperation, in the spirit of co-creation, by area actors, neighborhood and immigrant associations, researchers, and students. The time span of the Antura project is from May 2016 to May 2017.

The aim of project ANTURA is to evaluate immigration focused activities done by GLCF. This paper focuses on the participatory observation and interviews at the GLCF-immigration discussion in the fall of 2016.

There were approximately 40 participants, half immigrants and half Finns. Data was collected through eight observations and 17 interviews (12 with immigrants and five with Finns).

This study paves the way for finding best practices, and development suggestions for a better future with shared vision towards greater social responsibility.

Results and conclusionsThe study revealed ways to facilitate challenges caused by immigration by promoting active citizens’ participation.

Both immigrants and Finns see that opportunities to meet and common spare time activities will be needed to integrate immigrants into the Finnish society. These were seen as important as learning the language. Besides learning the language, immigrants also stressed the importance of getting to know the Finnish culture and finding employment, and vice versa.

Solutions are sought for in a separate future vision work shop, and handbook to activate and help citizens and communities to organize cooperative actions to bring immigrants and citizens closer together. The results open practical steps for five persona groups, in detail and for various actors: how to meet, engage, integrate people from both sides, and see matters on the same side.

Practical and social implicationsThis study promotes open communication and understanding active citizens’ participation towards a greater social responsibility. Also the study helps

Project ANTURA: Creating Better Immigrant Integration and Greater Social Responsibility

Harri Ruoslahti, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)Tarja Meristö, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland)

1164 PAPER ABSTRACTS

understand factors that facilitate immigration challenges, while it identifies examples of positive co-existence and social responsibility. One size does not fit all, i.e. individual hopes, fears and needs have to be studied carefully for example by ethnographic research analysis in towns, cities, villages and suburban areas.

KeywordsImmigrant integration, Social responsibility, Citizens’ forum, Knowledge transfers

ReferencesAccordino, F. (2013). The Futurium—a Foresight

Platform for Evidence-Based and Participatory Policymaking; Commentary. Philos. Technol. (2013) 26:321–332 DOI 10.1007/s13347-013-0108-9.

Bower, J.M. & Carroll, A. (2015). “Benefits of getting hooked on sports or the arts: Examining the connectedness of youth who participate in sport and creative arts activities”, International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 169-178.

Mostowska, M. (2014). “’We Shouldn’t but We Do’: Framing the Strategies for Helping Homeless EU migrants in Copenhagen and Dublin”, British Journal of Social Work, vol. 44, pp. I18.

Ruoslahti, Tiainen, S., Kortelainen, M., & Vesterinen, O. (2011). How Networking and Projects Can Best Promote Learning in Higher Education? Campus Encounters – Bridging Learners Conference “Developing Competences for Next Generation Service Sectors” April 13–14, 2011, Porvoo, Finland

Vrânceanu, E.S. (2015). “European Practices for the Integration of Immigrants”, Revista de Stiinte Politice, , no. 47, pp. 50-60.

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Introduction and purpose of the study Organisations have a strong influence on our social lives and we practically live our lives in organisations. Traditionally, the ‘triad setup’ of responsibilities, towards People, Planet and Profit, also reflected in the Triple Bottom Line criteria, have dominated the discourse describing the areas of responsibilities of organisations in the field of sustainability. The three categories supposedly cover all areas in which corporations have sustainability obligations. The current study analyses if the actual obligations cover the full spectrum and proposes an extension of the structure with corporate behavioural traits to cover sustainability responsibilities in their totality.

Literature review Globally, social, political and economic trends indicate growing unease and uncertainty. Traditional setups for political and social systems are being challenged. For corporations, reaffirming their position and what they stand for is both a challenge and an opportunity. New challenges receive a new perspective in the context of corporate sustainability and similarly, corporate sustainability faces new challenges in the envisaged era of uncertainty. Academic views on the definition and the theory of corporate sustainability differ considerably (Montiel and Delgado-Ceballos, 2014). However, most of them agree that by today sustainability has become one of the competitiveness elements of a company. Many academics believe that corporate sustainability is a way to respond to address social and environmental issues (Campbell, 2007). However, there are few who would address how corporate sustainability could not merely address but influence social and environmental issues. The two most commonly used sustainability disclosure instruments have a focus on measuring past performance. The GRI-G3 performance disclosure indicators lists economic, environmental and social disclosures, while the DJSI emphasizes embracing development related opportunities and risk management (Christofi et al, 2012). However, both lack a future oriented vision that would put corporate behavior in the focus.

MethodologyA thorough literature review addresses the issue of current challenges to sustainability. Original research embraces content analysis of Sustainability Reports

of leading global firms and provides a clear picture on how corporations envisage their responsibilities. Reports are selected according to the companies’ top ranking in the 2016 Corporate Knights report. This ranks the ‘World’s Most Sustainable Companies’ that ‘are getting the most out of their capital, maximising employee performance, and making careful use of resources’. Identification and comparative analysis of bodies of texts, structures, wordings and of visual information will help better understand patterns of sustainability thinking and reporting.

Results and conclusions The study shows that the ‘triad setup’ and the Triple Bottom Line orientates corporate focus towards measurable actions in specific fields related to their stakeholders, the environment and the shareholders. However, the system lacks information and orientation towards a set of general expectations relevant to today’s world. These will become increasingly important in maintaining sustainable corporate development. Obligation to society at large is not represented in its full extent in the reports. Fulfilment of the obligations to society is radiated through corporate behaviour and attitude, and concludes in corporate posture. Posture is the missing P in the current sustainability formula. It is the summative expression for corporate ethics, actions and communication. It sums up what the company believes in, what is does and what it says. Posture culminates in the radiation of the organisation.

Practical and social implicationsAccepting Posture as a key responsibility will help companies consolidate trust, both in the corporate world and in society at large, as well as contribute to their sustainable development. Extending sustainability responsibilities with the criteria of Posture will help companies reaffirm corporate integrity and consequently contribute to the pre-emption of future corporate crises. By adding Posture to People, Planet and Profit, the study will furthermore contribute to modification of corporate focus and the adaptation of a more future looking and outward oriented approach. Ultimately, placing Posture on their mental map will make companies realise better their global responsibilities.

Sustainability and the missing ‘P’ Gabor Sarlos, University of Worcester (UK)

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ReferencesCampbell, J. L. (2007). Why would corporations behave

in socially responsible ways? An institutional theory of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 32, pp. 946-967.

Christofi, A., Christofi, P. and Sisaye, S. (2012),Corporate sustainability: historical development and reporting practices, Management Research Review, 35.2. pp. 157-172. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01409171211195170

Montiel, I., & Delgado-Ceballos, J. (2014). Defining and measuring corporate sus-

tainability: Are we there yet? Organization & Environment, 27, pp. 113-139.

Keywordsposture, sustainability, performance indicators, corporate behaviour

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Introduction and purpose of the studyNowadays, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a standard practice among major companies. Firms invest heavily in CSR activities to support worthy causes but also to communicate them to the public. In the past, many companies have dedicated huge resources to inform their stakeholders about their positive societal impact via media campaigns and cultivated press relationships. However, the question remains whether the resource-intensive relationship maintenance with the media actually pay-off for the firm. Past research shows, that CSR communication often breeds public cynicism, suspicion and mistrust among consumers (e.g., Porter & Kramer, 2004). In this study, we analyze how the issue of CSR is covered in German newspapers and magazines. Specifically, by providing a profound insight into the state of CSR media coverage we investigate how CSR is typically related to attributions of trust towards companies and, amongst other, whether CSR elicits more positive or negative news reporting compared to other issues.

Literature reviewSeveral public relations scholars have suggested that favorable CSR communication has the potential to engender positive stakeholder reactions such as trust in corporations (Hung-Baeseke et al., 2016; Bentele & Nothhaft, 2011). Lunenberg, Gosselt and Jong (2016) highlight the favorableness of independent CSR press coverage as the authors find a positive tone in a majority (73.7%) of CSR-related articles. However, Lunenberg et al. investigate the status of CSR reporting at a single point of time and for a very limited time period of three months. In times of growing skepticism, when business ways of conduct are generally questioned (Franklin, 2008), we theorize that journalists regularly make negative attributions to CSR motives (Ellen et al., 2006). Given the long history of various corporate scandals, ethical misbehaviors and corporate failures, we expect that CSR news coverage is, in fact, far less positive and convey less attributions of trust in companies than earlier research indicates.

MethodologyWe content analyzed 306.854 articles, published in fifteen national German magazines and newspapers between April 2007 and December 2010. In total, 39.133 articles dealt with CSR, of which 17.131 articles contained attributions of trust. In order to better understand the state of CSR communication, we quantitatively analyzed (i) article content differences between CSR reporting and other corporate news (e.g., product information, corporate strategy), (ii) source effects (company- vs. journalist-initiated reporting), (iii) industry effects (e.g., automotive, banking), (iv) time effects (i.e., variations in CSR reporting within five years) and, most importantly, (v) tone and weighting of trust attributions towards the respective companies.

Results and conclusionsSelected preliminary results indicate that CSR communication is a double-edged sword when it comes to building trust through the public discourse represented in news media. Specifically, CSR content (including company- and journalist-initiated reporting) is significantly less positive (M=2.72, SD=1.14; 1 – negative attribution of trust, 5 – positive) than any other corporate news (except corruption reporting: M=1.32, SD=.55; for comparison, news on products: M=3.34, SD=1.15). Interestingly, journalist-initiated CSR coverage is more negative (M=2.65; SD=1.27) than company-initiated news (M=3.47; SD=1.11). Similarly, over the four year period, trust attributions in CSR articles are on average low (M=2.88, SD=1.27). Sponsoring is generally communicated with a similar skepticism (M=3.06, SD=1.27) and corruption topics, as expected, convey the lowest trust attributions (M=1.56, SD=.95). Longitudinal analyses show that trust attributions in CSR articles are generally on a low level (with a period low in 2008; M=2.54, SD=1.34; probably due to the great recession) representing a significant decline from 2007 (M=3.38, SD=1.26), t(5389)=22.82, p<.001). We also found a significant change in the impact of CSR reporting: While in 2007 the impact (i.e., the product of the tone and weighting of the trust attribution in the analyzed article; the full paper will discuss the trust impact in more detail) of CSR articles was positive (M=.496, SD=2.20), the trust impact turned considerably negative the following years, with an all-time low in 2009 (M= -.38, SD=1.58).

The study is limited due to its focus on trust

CSR and trust: A longitudinal analysis of CSR communication in the German press

Jens Seiffert-Brockmann, University of Vienna (Austria) Wolfgang Weitzl, University of Vienna (Austria)

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attributions in printed news just in Germany, regarding only major companies listed in the German stock index (DAX). Furthermore, trust attributions only allow conclusions concerning journalists’ perceptions of the trustworthiness of companies. Thus, future research should match the presented data with survey data (e.g. with the Edelman Trust Barometer).

Practical and social implicationsFor companies, disseminating positive CSR information via the press is more challenging than previously expected, as journalists seem to doubt CSR motives. On the other hand, coverage initiated by companies shows higher levels of trust attributions which implies, that PR seem to be successful in drawing a positive, but still balanced, picture of organizational CSR-efforts.

KeywordsCSR; Stakeholder trust; Media coverage, Content analysis

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IntroductionThe social landscape in South Africa, after the apartheid era, is one marked with various inequalities. South African organisations are increasingly pressured by the government and various interest groups to actively participate in the transformation of the social landscape and become more socially responsible. Despite the growing attention given to organisational transformation in South Africa, many attempts at organisational transformation are still ineffective. Although this failure could be ascribed to any number of reasons, it has become evident that many attempts at organisational transformation fail due to a lack of internal organisational communication regarding the transformation. Communication is thus necessary for the effective implementation of organisational transformation. Therefore, the research conducted investigated if and how internal communication could assist in organisational transformation. The research concludes with a framework for internal communication in organisational transformation.

Although the relationship between internal communication and organisational change has been investigated ad infinitum, this study proposes a novel perspective as the relationship between internal communication and organisational transformation has been investigated in a South African context, where the social landscape is quite turbulent. The research focused specifically on transformation within the context of a higher education institution in South Africa, the University of Pretoria.

PurposeThe purpose of the research was to establish, in general, whether internal communication could aid organisational transformation to allow organisations to effectively move towards social responsibility; and more specifically to determine how the internal communication of the University of Pretoria can aid the intended organisational transformation – UP 2025 strategic plan (UP’s Journey to Change) – in order to allow the organisation to effectively move towards being more socially responsible and responsive.

Literature reviewThe theoretical framework, which acts as a point of departure, is based on the philosophy of continuous change, the excellence theory and communicative constitution of organisations theory.

Building on the foundation of the theoretical framework, the literature review focuses on the main concepts: internal communication, organisational transformation and CSR, as well as the constructs branching from each; message content, message channels, message flow, resistance to transformation, organisational culture and corporate identity.

Transformation in institutions of higher learning and more specifically transformation at the University of Pretoria is reflected upon, to highlight the context of the research.

Design, methodology and approachAs this research was aimed at providing a holistic view of internal communication in aiding organisational transformation, a qualitative approach had been followed and semi-structured interviews were undertaken. The target population of the research study was the staff members of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria. The unit of analysis for the research was the individual staff members interviewed. A sample size of 14 individuals was selected by means of probability sampling. The interviews conducted were recorded and then transcribed, these transcriptions were then analysed through thematic analysis. The items in the interview schedule focused on the concepts identified in the literature.

Originality and valueAlthough the relationship between internal communication and organisational change has been investigated exhaustively in past research, a research gap was identified with regards to the South African higher education landscape. The research brings about a new perspective, as the relationship between internal communication and organisational transformation in the context of a higher education institution in South Africa, the University of Pretoria,

A framework for internal communication during organisational transformation: towards

feasible corporate social responsibility Muriel Serfontein, University of Pretoria (South Africa)Ronel Rensburg, University of Pretoria (South Africa)

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was investigated. The research aimed to provide insights on how internal communication could aid organisational transformation, in order to allow the organisation to effectively move toward being a more socially responsible organisation.

FindingsIt can be concluded that internal communication and organisational transformation are inextricably linked. In order to effectively implement organisational transformation, and thus move toward becoming a more socially responsible organisation, effective internal communication is vital. Therefore, if effective, internal communication can aid better implementation of the intended organisational transformation at University - providing organisational members with clarification and understanding.

ContributionsThe two main contributions of this research are, firstly, the new insights regarding the relationship between internal communication and organisational transformation in the context of a higher learning institution in South Africa and how internal communication can aid organisation transformation, allowing the organisation to move toward being more socially responsible. Secondly, the research formulated ‘recommendations towards excellence’ based on the research findings and implications, with the aim of providing the University of Pretoria with guidance on how to utilise internal communication to aid organisational transformation. Although these ‘recommendations towards excellence’ cannot be generalised across various organisations, it can act as a broad framework and point of departure.

Proposed KeywordsCommunication Management, Internal Communication, Organisational Transformation, CSR, University of Pretoria

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Introduction and purpose of the studyIf one asks for the responsibilities of businesses and other organizations, and especially for the role that Public Relations and strategic communication have in that context, it is very important to look not only at the external communicative perspective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), but even more at the internal one. The decisions that dictate if a responsible approach is really “lived” are taken inside corporations and NGOs. This paper therefore aims to ask for an appropriate approach towards excellent internal CSR communication with a focus on the communicative approach used (sensegiving or sensemaking according to Weick) as well as on the technology implied (classical communication within hierarchies or really open use of internal social media).

Short literature reviewThe concept of sensemaking involves the ongoing retrospective development of plausible images that rationalize what people are doing (Weick 1995, Weick et al. 2005). Sensemaking should therefore be a core element in all strategic change processes – such as the institutionalization of CSR (Hanke and Stark 2009), because it is the primary site where meanings materialize that inform and constrain identity and action (Mills, 2003). Communication is fundamental to this process of institutionalization (Schultz and Wehmeier 2010) and sensemaking in turn is about organizing through communication.

For the implementation of CSR-Strategies, sensemaking and sensegiving stimulate the creation of new management approaches by involving different organizational actors and stakeholders. “…on the one hand, sensemaking is a catalyzer for the essential business processes of a company – in particular, for the new implementations. On the other hand, sensemaking can make sure that the old and stable structures and values still fit new requirements, if procurable. These values are particularly important engagement drivers for CSR processes.” (Hanke and Stark 2009: 510, always own translation if not English sources).

MethodologyFor this paper, a two step methodology is used: The first step is a mix of qualitive research methods, such as interviews, observations and document analysis, related to the case study of the international CSR communication in a medium-sized German insurance company; this research was conducted over the period of a year, with a focus on the status quo of the sensegiving or sensemaking question shortly elaborated above.

The second step consists of a quantitative online interview survey conducted on an existing sample of about 1.000 German companies related to the question of how intensively and how successfully internal social media can be used in the future for internal CSR communication; to gain very up-to-date data for the conference, this research will be conducted at the end of May 2017, with a clear focus on the sensemaking perspective.

Results and conclusionsAs the research is partly still ongoing, only preliminary results can be presented in this abstract.

So far, the first study step shows clearly that even in highly committed companies, with a distinctive, value-oriented corporate management and homogeneous corporate culture, it is not easy to inspire employees for CSR and to encourage active participation. On the contrary, there is a climate of positive passivity, with which the employees issue an internal license-to-operate, but, if possible, still remain passive themselves. Above all, the further development and the increase of the effectiveness of CSR measures de facto may be limited without the active cooperation of the colleagues.

The second step will try to ask how this active collaboration can be accelerated and motivated by a cultural change that is mainly or at least partly based on the introduction of collaborative working tools like internal social media or even full Enterprise Social Networks (ESN).

To mention the limitations, both research steps have to be understood as heuristically focussed. One the one hand, they are not representative, though in the second case based on quite a broad sample. On the other hand, they have the classical methodological limitation of each research design: the case study offering an in-depth perspective, but only for one

Sensegiving and Sensemaking in Internal CSR Communication with and without Social Media

Holger Sievert, Macromedia University (Germany)Riccardo Wagner, Macromedia University (Germany)

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company; the online survey offering an overview about many organizations, but more superficially.

Practical and social implicationsThe practical and social implications of this research should be obvious: with more knowledge about the process of internal CSR communication as well as of the chances and limitation concerning new technologies used for this purpose, internal CSR communication can be improved considerably for businesses and other organizations. To answer every day anew what it means to be socially responsible and to whom, the main focus should be on a more participative sensemaking approach – probably in combination with modern collaboration tools.

KeywordsInternal CSR Communication, Sensegiving vs. Sensemaking, Internal Social Media

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Introduction and PurposeIn this digital age, organizations have faced unprecedented opportunity for engagement with stakeholders through digital media channels. Similarly, stakeholders have taken that opportunity to engage organizations to advance their own agenda, through the access, visibility, and empowerment that digital media provide, influencing an organization’s brand and reputation without official association with the organization. In fact, the growing trend is for social media users to ‘flex their social media muscle’ by labeling themselves brand ambassadors on social media. In many cases, this association is without explicit organizational recognition, and yet, these influencers represent a critical stakeholder group. This study examines the factors that drive brand ambassadors, including their sense of stake, the role of corporate social responsibility, and their empowerment through social media engagement.

Literature ReviewBrand ambassadorship has been relatively un-defined and under-studied in strategic communication research. For the purposes of this study, we define brand ambassadors as social media users who consider themselves ambassadors, but who are not employed by the organization. To understand brand ambassadorship, this study examines the intersection between stakeholder theory, strategic communication and corporate social responsibility, and social media engagement.

Stakeholders are traditionally defined using Freeman’s stakeholder theory (1984), as individuals or groups who may affect or be affected by an organization. Stakeholder theory prioritizes the relationship among stakeholder groups and organizations, and seeks to establish the stake, or resources, each party may contribute or withhold (Freeman, 1994; Heath, 1994). Stakeholder theory is based on the notion that organizations owe a level of responsibility to the groups that legitimate and support the organization’s existence beyond the

whims of shareholders or needs for revenue (Freeman, 1984).  For brand ambassadors, then, corporate social responsibility may be a significant interest, though up until this point, the values and considerations of this stakeholder group have been under-examined.

Brand ambassadors may be unique to other stakeholder groups, as they are predominantly created through social media use and popularity. The brand ambassador uses social media as a vehicle for influence, rendering social media engagement a significant consideration in the brand ambassador tool kit. Brand ambassadors seek the attachment, absorption, and immersion from social media users that characterize engagement (Oh & Sundar, 2016) and earn the popularity from fellow social media users that enables them to consider themselves influencers.

MethodologyUp until this point, few studies have considered the ways brand ambassadors seek to engage their social media audiences, much less how they balance their stake in the organization and stake in their social networks. This study uses in-depth interviews with 20 brand ambassadors in the United States and Europe to understand their social media content considerations, including an organization’s strategic communication and corporate social responsibility, their sense of empowerment, and their stake.

Results and ConclusionsFindings suggest that brand ambassadors balance their responsibility to their social networks and their connection to organizations. While ambassadors express the need to provide valuable content to their followers, they also value the benefits they get from representing the organizations with which they profess connection.   Identity, power, and considerations of an organization’s socially responsible behavior all factor into a brand ambassador’s sense of legitimacy. Findings also expand the concept of social stake, which comprises an individual’s sense of influence through

Rise of the Brand Ambassador: Social Stake, Corporate Responsibility, and Power among the

Social Media Influencers  Brian G. Smith, Purdue University (USA)

Megan C. Kendall, Purdue University (USA)Devin Knighton, Purdue University (USA)

Temi Wright, Purdue University (USA)Cody Blake Wilson, Purdue University (USA)

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and with their social media networks (Smith, 2010).  

Practical and Social ImplicationsThis study suggests that brand ambassadors help facilitate the standard set by Heath (2007) in his fully-functioning society model of public relations, that an organization should be actively involved with the issues afloat in society and contribute to the marketplace of ideas. The study’s results also suggest a scale of value by which brand ambassadors assess organizational content, and the subsequent practitioner need to empower these influencers to build legitimacy for their social media profile and activities. Overall, sustainability in a digital world requires a recognizable and trusted online brand identity. Unaffiliated social media influencers who become brand ambassadors may be one way for organizations to build and grow that digital identity.

KeywordsCorporate Social Responsibility, Social Media Engagement, Branding

ReferencesFreeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A

stakeholder approach. Boston: Pitman.Heath, R. L. (1994). Management of corporate

communication: From interpersonal contacts to external affairs. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates.Heath, R. L. (2007). Management through advocacy:

Reflection rather than domination.In E. L. Toth (Ed.), The future of excellence in public

relations and communication management (pp. 41-65). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Oh, J. & Sundar, S. S. (2016). User engagement with interactive media: A communication

perspective. In H. O’Brien & P. Cairns (Eds). Why engagement matters: Cross-disciplinary perspectives of user engagement in digital media (pp. 177-198). Switzerland: Springer.

Smith, B. G. (2010). Socially distributing public relations: Twitter, Haiti, and interactivity in social media. Public Relations Review, 36, 329-335.

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Introduction and purposeCSR has been investigated from a number of perspectives and disciplines. Accounting and business management studies highlight that integrated reporting on triple communication issues (social, environmental and economic matters) are integral to effective corporate governance principles. This is, in turn, related to the sphere of business ethics where notions such as virtue-based ethics, morality and the legitimacy of organisations have been explored.

Researchers in corporate reputation management stress that CSR messages can align the organisation’s corporate reputation with the expectations and values of stakeholders. It has been argued that CSR not only signifies, enforces and builds reputation, but can also lead to competitive advantage. The literature suggests that CSR is a double-edged sword: while CSR can enhance an organisation’s reputation, CSR claims can also pose a crisis risk and cause stakeholder scepticism (Coombs & Holladay, 2015).

Recently more attention has been given to the communicative dimension of CSR within the communication management discipline. The shift to focus on communicative content and the role language plays in message formulation is partially due to the prolific influence of social networking sites (SNSs). Although the dissemination, interpretation and resultant effects of CSR communication have been widely studied, the foundational and semiological elements that comprise CSR master narratives have not been identified and theorised. This research aims to address this gap in the literature by critically investigating the overarching CSR discourse in Sun International’s CEO SleepOut corporate philanthropy campaign. It intends to theorise the process of creating a master CSR narrative, the appropriation of master symbols in communicative campaigns and conceptualise reasons why CSR master symbols bring about contestation.

Literature reviewSchrempf-Stirling, Palazzo and Phillips (2016) examine political CSR in the context of how organisations’ historical master narratives are established. In other cases only sub-sets of master symbols and narratives such as archetypes, rituals and myths, collective

memory and symbolic representation have been studied (Aras & Crowther, 2011; Chaudhri, 2016).

Only one study that specifically deals with the creation of a master CSR narrative was identified. Hirsch (2016, p. 49) contends that organisations do not create a “central theme” for their CSR communication as they oscillate between notions of sustainability, creating shared value for stakeholders and being purpose-driven in terms of reaching strategic organisational goals. He argues that, instead of following CSR trends, a master narrative pertaining to corporate citizenship should be created.

Although useful, Hirch’s (2016) four identified issues to be used in creating a master CSR narrative do not necessarily reflect the complexity of CSR narratives. Based on this, the researchers propose that the under-researched area of the discursive practices inherent to CSR communication should be studied from a new, multidisciplinary perspective. This involves drawing on disciplines such as psychoanalysis, visual culture studies and film theory that do not typically appear in the current body of knowledge on CSR.

MethodologyThe research is conceptual and focuses on theory building. Despite its conceptual nature the researchers employ a phenomenological paradigm to unpack the incorporation of master symbols and master narratives in a South African organisation’s corporate philanthropy campaign.

Results and conclusionsThis research provides the following key insights:

• In hypermodern times where greater disengagement exists organisations employ master narratives, master symbols and archetypes in corporate communication in an attempt to enhance stakeholder engagement and to signal CSR commitment.

• Corporate philanthropy campaigns are enacted as spectacles especially on SNSs. In South Africa these campaigns draw on collective memory as a means of narrating identity as well as signalling moral agency and legitimacy to stakeholders.

• Characteristics of the CSR master narrative in South

Infusing myth, ritual and archetypes in corporate advocacy campaigns: towards a

theory of CSR master symbols and narratives Hilke Steenkamp, Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa)

Ronél Rensburg, University of Pretoria (South Africa)

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Africa include paternalistic benevolence; celebration of corporate virtue; visualisation and narration of CSR based on a historical/mythic past; and the portrayal of the organisation as a change agent.

• The visual representation of images within corporate advocacy campaigns require greater scrutiny. When CSR images become simulacra (i.e. fake copies) embedded in corporate advocacy campaigns, it results in distrust and negative stakeholder sentiment (i.e. corporate philanthropy campaigns are regarded as poverty porn).

• Contested interpretations of CSR that signal stakeholder disinterest and scepticism can be attributed to selective transparency, inadequate communicative engagement and the use of empty signifiers in communication campaigns.

Practical and social implicationsThis research does not propose a single solution for CSR communication but offers a theoretical framework for organisations to enhance their CSR narratives. This calls for the critical re-evaluation of communication strategies and whether CSR activities/narratives are aligned to core brand values and needs of communities.

KeywordsCorporate social responsibility, Corporate philanthropy campaigns, Master narratives, Master symbols, South African narratives

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Introduction and purpose of the studySpirituality has been gaining traction as a topic of interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) research and practice. With the need for a greater shift toward culture-oriented approaches to CSR, we have become interested in addressing how spirituality may inform, and shape, individual and organizational values that eventually reflect in socially responsible and ethical corporate practices. While more public relations scholars have begun to study perceptions, and drivers, of CSR from a culture-oriented view, there is still rather sparse empirical research on how the relationship between spirituality and CSR is perceived among practitioners. Drawing on qualitative interviews with practitioners working in India and Slovenia, this study explores perceptions of the link between CSR and spirituality, and whether (and how) perceptions of such a link may be manifested in practitioners’ work.

Literature reviewRecent studies have suggested that the meanings that individuals construct with regard to CSR, and the different values they attach to it, may inform and shape how people perceive and practice CSR, and the expectations they may have regarding CSR (e.g., Kim & Kim, 2010). In particular, culture and cultural values have been considered an important determinant or driver of CSR. This also impacts people’s perceptions of CSR and the ways people carry out and engage in corporate practices that they consider as being socially responsible and/or ethically sound (Coppa & Sriramesh, 2013; Dhanesh, 2014b; Sriramesh et al., 2007). As such, CSR can be regarded not only as a social construct but also a cultural one. It would be interesting to know, for example, how organizational members in different sociocultural environments communicate, practice, and make sense of CSR (Basu & Palazzo, 2008). This would help us establish culture and tradition as important drivers of CSR (Habisch & Jonker, 2005). Accordingly, this study delves into the congruence of spiritual and CSR values as practitioners perceive them, and how such values may inform and shape the work of practitioners.

MethodologyThis study relies almost exclusively on qualitative interviews with communication practitioners in India and Slovenia working for companies of different sizes across various industry sectors.

Results and conclusionOur preliminary findings suggest that practitioners in distinct sociocultural environments – along with its distinct traditions and histories – perceive the link between spirituality and CSR differently. In addition, our preliminary findings suggest that this link may be manifested differently in the ways participants conduct themselves at work and/or do their job. Our study points to interesting nuances in CSR perceptions as culture driven or/and culture dependent.

Practical and social implicationsThis study adds to the understanding of the interplay between various dimensions and values that come into play in practitioners’ perceptions of CSR in a distinct sociocultural environment by taking into account spirituality as a potential driver of CSR. In addition, it contributes to greater knowledge of how such understandings may affect the way communication practitioners engage in CSR practices and CSR communication from a culture-oriented and context-sensitive view of CSR.

KeywordsCorporate social responsibility; public relations; religion; spirituality; cross-cultural CSR

ReferencesBasu, K., & Palazzo, G. (2008). Corporate social

responsibility: a process model of sensemaking. Academy of Management Review, 33(1), 122-136.

Coppa, M., & Sriramesh, K. (2013). Corporate social responsibility among SMEs in Italy. Public Relations Review, 39, 30-39.

Perceptions of a link between spirituality and CSR, and its manifestation in practitioners’

work: A cross-cultural studyNeva Štumberger, Purdue University (USA)

Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, Purdue University (USA)

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Dhanesh, G. S. (2014b). Why corporate social responsibility? An analysis of drivers of CSR in India. Management Communication Quarterly, 29(1), 114-129.

Habisch, A. & Jonker, J. (2005). Introduction. In A. Habisch, J. Jonker, M. Wegner, & R. Schmidpeter (Eds.), Corporate social responsibility across Europe (pp. 1-11). Heidelberg: Springer.

Kim, Y., & Kim, S. Y. (2010). The influence of cultural values on perceptions of corporate social responsibility: application of Hofstede’s dimensions to Korean public relations practitioners. Journal of Business Ethics, 91, 485-500.

Sriramesh, K., Ng, C. W., Ting, S. T., & Wanyin, L. (2007). Corporate social responsibility and public relations: perceptions and practices in Singapore. In S. May, G. Cheney, & J. Roper (Eds.), The debate over corporate social responsibility (pp. 119-134). New York: Oxford University Press.

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Introduction and purposeThis paper explores how the financial public relations (PR) output of activist investors can generate unintended social gains. The case discussed here challenges some aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) orthodoxy relating to corporate agency, in particular the assumption that social gains result from planned programmes or enlightened organisational self-interest.

Literature reviewActivist investor tactics such as the break-up of businesses, selling of assets and cutting jobs have long been criticised for putting short-term rewards ahead of the long-term health of companies. Public relations on behalf of activist interests in the social sphere has been largely positioned as positive (McKie, 2009; Demetrious, 2013; Holtzhausen, 2013) but it has also been argued that it can be harmful as a result of the tyranny of minority effect in which a small number of vocal activists secure change that favours their interests.

Investigation into financial market communications (Stiglitz, 2014) has offered detailed work on the value of information, including a consideration of the role of intermediaries such as public relations and investor relations firms. The exit-voice-loyalty continuum of Hirschman (1970) has been applied to help understand the role of investor relations intermediaries and is used here as a theoretical framework to consider the social gains resulting from a recent case of investor activism.

MethodologyThis exploratory investigation combined case study methodology with episodic contemporary history. The object of the investigation was the activist involvement of Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square hedge fund with health products firm, Herbalife, from 2012 onwards, which included what Herbalife called “an extraordinary political, public relations and underhanded campaign in Washington.” Ackman made a multi-billion dollar bet (via a short position) against the company that would pay out if Herbalife went bankrupt. Pershing Square spent $50m on investigations into Herbalife attempting to prove fraud. Ackman then spent more to publicise the findings through press relations, publication of reports and made-for-television documentaries.

The author analysed this communications output, along with the related press releases, news articles and regulatory filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Results and conclusionsAckman’s short position meant that he was interested in the failure of Herbalife - or as large a decline as possible in its share price - so had a huge incentive to publicise wrongdoing. He pursued this goal through engagement with the media and stock market using financial public relations and issues-based campaigning. The information he fed into the marketplace triggered a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation which found that Herbalife had made misleading marketing claims and that the structure of its compensation was flawed. The result, according to a Financial Times article in July 2016, was a “social gain without monetary ones”. Despite his vocalising, Ackman’s option was out of the money by many billions of dollars although “his relentlessness has performed a public service” in exposing the flaws in Herbalife’s business and protecting investors as well as generating better terms for those who work part-time selling Herbalife products.

Practical and social implicationsThe Ackman/Herbalife case presents a paradox for some accepted orthodoxies of CSR, financial public relations and activism – particularly in the area of corporate agency. The supra-normal financial rewards of this type of activism give incentives for deep levels of research in order to uncover information helpful to an investor position and then publicise the findings through financial communications in order to drive the share price down. In the terms of economist Albert Hirschman’s (1970), the Herbalife case is unusual for the intensity of the “voice” dimension in his response continuum of “exit-voice-loyalty.” This included the high investment in research in order to generate communicative assets such as investigative reports into Herbalife’s business practices. The result was an unintended social gain as the regulator would not have had grounds to mount an investigation into Herbalife’s business practices without the extensive dossier of information gathered on Herbalife by Ackman.

The case of Herbalife suggests that the economic

Unintended social gains from the public relations of activist investors Gareth Thompson, University of the Arts London (UK)

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exit-voice-loyalty continuum of Hirschman is useful in considering activist investor scenarios and the socials gains and losses associated with the communication strategies of activist investors. The findings from this exploratory project suggest rich potential for future work exploring the wider application of Hirschman’s theories on the role of voice (as opposed to just selling or holding the stock in an exit or loyalty response) as a tool of financial communications and its relation to social gains or losses as a result of informational exchange in financial markets, as well as other areas of public relations practice.

KeywordsActivism, financial public relations, investor relations.

ReferencesDemetrious, K. (2013). Public Relations, Activism, and

Social Change: Speaking Up. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Hirshman, A. (1970). Exit, Voice and Loyalty. Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University Press.

Holtzhausen, D. (2013). Public Relations as Activism: Postmodern Approaches to Theory and Practice. United States: Routledge.

McKie, D. & Munshi, D. (2007). Reconfiguring Public Relations: Ecology, Equity and Enterprise. New York: Taylor & Francis

Stiglitz, J. (2015). The media and the crisis: An information theoretic approach. In S. Shiffereres & R. Roberts (Eds.), The Media and Financial Crises: Comparative and Historical Perspectives, (pp. 140-152). Oxford: Routledge.

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Introduction and purpose of the studyA number of studies show that corporate social responsibility is an important aspect of job selection (Bustamante, 2014). Other studies also reveal that it positively influences commitment (Brammer, 2007), organizational identity (Fukukawa & al., 2007) as well as motivation and productivity (Bustamante, 2014). Our study is based on the assumption that CSR serves as a signal for being fair to potential employees and through this underlines the function of the employer brand.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the relationship between employer branding and perceived corporate social responsibility, with organizational reputation serving as a mediating variable. Units of analysis for this study were top twenty Croatian organizations according to a national study of employer attractiveness. We asked fourth year business school students to rate their perception of corporate social responsibility, reputation and employer brands for mentioned twenty organizations.

Literature reviewDuring the last decade there has been an increase in the number of studies on ethics, sustainability and social responsibility in corporate communications and corporate branding (Elving, 2010). Today’s organizations should understand their employees and potential employees as important stakeholders and contributors to the corporate brand. In order to accomplish this, they should have a good understanding of the employer employee relationship and how it impacts organizations’ attractiveness, profitability and license to operate. Organizations are dependent on a high level of employee commitment to their corporate brand. At the same time they also expect a high level of employee commitment as a result of their corporate brand (Morsing, 2006). However, research shows that most organizations still don’t approach this issue strategically and that sustainability and social responsibility are still ignored. Similar is true when it comes to the area of employer branding (Aggerholm, 2011).

Whether we define employer branding as the application of branding principles on human resource management (Backhaus & Tikoo, 2004) or as long

term commitment towards attracting talent as well as developing strategies and solutions with which talent is retained and motivated to be more productive (Suliman & Al-Khatlibe, 2014), most of the definitions stress the importance of increasing the attractiveness of an organization to potential employees (Herman & Gioia, 2001). This is why we decided to explore the potential connection of employer brands and the level of perceived corporate social responsibility of an organization.

MethodologyIn order to answer the proposed purpose of the study, we measured students’ perception of three concepts – perceived corporate social responsibility (by using items proposed by Shin, Hur and Kang, 2016); perceived organizational reputation (by using items proposed by Ponzi, Fonbrun and Gardberg, 2011) and perceived employer brands (by using items proposed by Berthon, Ewing and Hah, 2005). Described items were applied among a sample of 500 Croatian fourth year business school students, chosen as a good sample of potential employees. Each of the students rated two (out of twenty) companies on their corporate social responsibility, reputation and employer brands.

Results and conclusionBy measuring the connection between the perception of employee engagement and corporate social responsibility among students, we hope to get a better insight of the relationship between the two concepts and their specific dimensions. We will also test the mediating effect of the organizational reputation.

Practical and social implicationsThe main practical implication of the study is to help organizations in deciding how important CSR is in enhancing employer brands.

KeywordsEmployer brand, Corporate social responsibility, Organizational reputation.

Employer Brands and Corporate Social Responsibility

Ana Tkalac Verčič, University of Zagreb (Croatia)Dubravka Sinčić Ćorić, University of Zagreb (Croatia)

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ReferencesAggerholm, H., Andersen, S. & Thomsen, C. (2011).

Conceptualising employer branding in sustainable organisations, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 16 (2), 105 – 123.

Backhaus, K. & Tikoo, S. (2004). Conceptualizing and Researching Employer Branding. Career Development International, 9(5), 501 - 517.

Berthon, P., Ewing, M. & Hah, L. L. (2005). Captivating Company: Dimensions of Attractiveness in Employer Branding. International Journal of Advertising, 24(2), 151-173.

Brammer, S., Millington, A. & Rayton, B. (2007). The contribution of corporate social responsibility to organizational commitment, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18, 10, 1701 – 1719.

Bustamante, S. (2014). CSR, Trust and the Employer Brand, in: Reichel, J. (Ed.), CSR Trends:

Beyond Business as Usual, Centrum Strategii i Rozwoju Impact (CSR Impact), Łódź, 71 – 89.

Elving, W., J., L. (2010). CSR and skepticism: The influence of fit and reputation on skepticism towards csr communications. Proceedings of the Conference on Corporate Communication, 63-78.

Fukukawa, K., Balmer, J. M. & Gray, E. R. (2007). Mapping the interface between corporate identity, ethics and corporate social responsibility, Journal of Business Ethics, 76, 1–5.

Herman, R., & Gioia, J. (2001). How to become an employer of choice, Winchester, VA: Oakhill Press).

Morsing, M. (2006), Corporate moral branding: limits to aligning employees, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 11 (2), 97 – 108.

Ponzi, L. J., Fombrun, C. J. & Gardberg, N. A. (2011). RepTrak™ Pulse: conceptualizing and validating a short-form measure of corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 14, 15–35.

Shin, I., Hur, W. & Kang, S. (2016). Employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility and job performance: a sequential mediation model. Sustainability, 8, 1 – 12.

Suliman, A., M. & Al-Khatib, H., T. (2014). CSR and employer branding in work organizations. In Stachowicz-Stanusch, A (Ed). Corporate social performance : Paradoxes, pitfalls, and pathways to the better world. 223 – 241.

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Introduction and purpose of the studyThe purpose of this paper is to understand the motivations for inter-organizational collaboration especially among businesses with respect to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Evidence suggests that joining hands for CSR with other corporations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and stakeholders can amplify the impact for the communities they serve and provide business value. While there is evidence of inter-organizational interactions and partnerships among NGOs, businesses and citizen groups there are limited collaborative effort demonstrated among businesses themselves. There are scant attempts to understand the reluctance indicated by businesses to engage each other for the common good. With businesses having access to resources, expertise and funds there seems to be merit in collaboration. This study attempts to fill a gap in inter-organizational collaboration and contribute to current practices in CSR.

Literature ReviewThere is growing interest among organizations to invest in the communities they serve impacting lives of millions, gain business benefits, become more strategically significant and be viewed as responsible corporate citizens. About USD $20 billion is spent every year by the Fortune 500 companies on CSR. Evidence suggests an increase in dialogue and collaboration between business and NGOs although there is a lack of field based studies on non-profits and companies. Joining hands for CSR with other corporations can amplify the impact for the communities they serve and provide greater business value. Pooling resources and effort can help companies stay focused on common concerns for the communities and reduce duplication. To scale CSR programmes and make an impact there is value in companies joining hands to tap resources and funds. (Austin, 2000; Jamali & Keshishian, 2009; Majumdar, Namrata and Neeti, 2014; Du, Bhattacharya & Sen, 2010; Jonker, & Nijhof 2006; Murray, Haynes & Hudson, 2010; Varkey Foundation, 2015).

A study on CSR initiatives of 50 companies in the S&P BSE Top 100 only 28% are engaging with other corporations for CSR initiatives even though such collaboration is critical, can improve reach and is

sustainable. (Ernst & Young, 2013). Also, 84% of CEOs believe that business should lead efforts to define and deliver new goals on global priority issues only 33% think organizations are doing enough to address sustainability challenges. Leaders believe that tapping the private sector’s resources can scale progress and impact. (UN Global Compact-Accenture CEO Study, 2013). Literature points to a gap which warrants further investigation. Understanding the reasons for this low engagement, decoding the motivators for partnership among organizations is the purpose of this study and can help boost collaboration and further collective impact on society.

Research QuestionsThe research objectives are to understand the drivers and motivators for effective inter-organizational collaboration in CSR. The following questions will be probed among CSR practitioners -

• What are the factors and motivators for effective inter-organizational collaboration in CSR?

• How can inter-organizational collaboration improve the CSR outcomes on the communities?

The sub-questions to these broad themes will be about attributes that influence the decision to engage in collaborative CSR initiatives, the goals and measures that organizations set for themselves, the approaches adopted to engage and the methods of involving stakeholders.

MethodologyInterviews will be conducted with CSR practitioners in the Indian market, who lead and implement practices to probe the challenges, motivators and possibilities of collaborating in CSR. From their vantage position practitioners are best placed to share perspectives on the complexities of partnerships between businesses.

Results and conclusionsLimited engagement can reduce the cumulative effect of collaboration and therefore CSR’s overall impact. Drawing on inter-organizational relationship theory and collaboration literature this study attempts

Combining Forces for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – An Investigation Of Inter-

Organizational CollaborationAniisu K. Verghese, Tesco Bengaluru (India)

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to understand the motivations, challenges and opportunities by engaging CSR practitioners who direct activities and have access to these resources and funds. With growing demand and interest to do more for societal needs and an increase in CSR fund globally, enhanced governance and specific reporting there is a need for improved collaboration among businesses.

Practical and social implicationsPrudently spending on CSR through collaborative effort can lead to effective actions for the communities organizations are meant to serve. Understanding the barriers to collaboration can improve the value organizational derives from such associations.

Keywordscorporate social responsibility, partnerships, inter-organizational collaboration, CSR practices, shared value, CSR practitioners

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Lost property? Locating responsibility for European PR-professionals and their

organisations in hypermodern timesPiet Verhoeven, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR),

University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)Ansgar Zerfass, University of Leipzig (Germany)Dejan Verčič, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Ralph Tench, Leeds Beckett University (UK)Angeles Moreno, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid (Spain)

Introduction, purpose and research questionsOrganisations and their strategic communication activities are a major force in today's hypermodern global society. A hypermodern society is a society in overdrive, characterized by a culture of hyper consumption, hyper change, hyper narcissism and paradoxes (Lipovetsky, 2005). Organisations are confronted with all kinds of different interests and opinions and have to react effectively and responsibly. To deal with the paradoxes of hypermodernity value-driven management, business and organisational ethics, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) came to the forefront of organisational policy. Good ethical business that goes hand in hand with strategic calculation is the overall paradox organisations of all kind have to deal with (Rendtorff, 2014). This and other paradoxes create a big communication problem: How to communicate with this double sidedness for stakeholders and the global audience? Virtually nothing is known about how organisations do this and how PR-professionals relate to these hypermodern challenges. The purpose of this study is to find out how organisations deal with their hypermodern environment according to communication professionals. We address the following research questions (RQs):

RQ1: To what extent can European organisations be characterized as hypermodern?

RQ2: How important are hypermodern values in European organisations?

RQ3: To what extent are European organisations facing the hypermodern values of their stakeholders?

RQ4: To what extent have hypermodern values of stakeholders already changed strategic communication and how will this change in the future?

RQ5: Which kind of ‘hypermodern’ topics are European organisations communicating about?

Literature reviewThe concept of hypermodernity was introduced by Lipovetsky (2005). In hypermodern culture an increasingly large part of life is characterized by consumption, a majority of people have become turbo-consumers. Modernity is also in overdrive; continuous change and flexibility are key.

Furthermore the postmodern individualization shifted to hyper narcissism. For example everybody is expected to behave responsibly automatically . Continuous reflection is expected of organisations as well (Roberts & Armitage, 2006). Hypermodern culture is not straightforward though, it also full of paradoxes, paradoxes that make life difficult for organisations and their communicators. For example organisations have to be open and flexible and at the same time managing and controlling their internal and external environment in order to reach their goals. They have to be both authentic and strategic at the same time. And, simultaneously, be ethical and make as much profit as possible. These paradoxes raise important questions about how to run an organisation today and how to communicate for it. Corporate social responsibility and ethical business is an important response to these hypermodern challenges (Rendtorff, 2014; Gupta, Briscoe & Hambrick, 2016) and so is the rising attention to human rights by organisations (Stohl & Stohl, (2017).

Based on the literature about hypermodernity and organisations we hypothesize that:

H1: European organisations have higher scores on hypermodern characteristics than on postmodern characteristics

H2: Hypermodern values are considered more important than modern values in most organisations today

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H3: Hypermodern values are considered more important than modern values in excellent organisations than in average organisations

H4: Professionals in excellent European organisations will observe consumer mentality in their country more than professionals in average organisations

H5: Professionals in joint-stock, private organisations and consultancies will observe consumer mentality more than professionals working for government organisations and non-profit organisations

H6: Most professionals will think that the communication between the organisation and the stakeholders will change in the next three years

H7: Hypermodern organisations will score higher on engaging in public debates than non-hypermodern organisations

H8: Excellent organisations will score higher on engaging in public debates than average organisations

MethodologyThe research questions are part of the European Communication Monitor 2017, the annual survey among European communication professionals about the current state of the practice and trends for the future. Data collection will run in February and March 2017. More than 30,000 European communication professionals will be invited to participate in the survey.

Results and conclusionsAt the conference the results of the survey will be presented. In the analysis comparisons about dealing with hypermodern culture will be made between countries, types of organisations, excellent vs. average organisations, disciplines / areas of work, hierarchical level of the professional, the importance and use of social bots, social media and other communication channels and instruments.

Practical and social applicationsFirst of all the results will shed light on the awareness and the degree of hypermodernity in European organisations and the challenges organisations face in a hypermodern environment. The results will also show how excellent communication departments deal with hypermodern culture and how other communication departments can learn from that.

Keywordshypermodernity, values, responsibility, European

organisations, hypermodern issues

ReferencesLipovetsky, G. (2005). Time against time: Or the

hypermodern society. In: Lipovetsky, G. & Charles, S. (Eds.), Hypermodern times (pp. 29-71). Malden, MA: Polity Press.

Rendtorff, J.D. (2014). Gilles Lipovetsky: From postmodernity to hypermodernity. In J.D. Rendtorff (Ed.), French philosophy and social theory. A perspective for ethics and philosophy of management (pp. 288-298). Dordrecht: Springer

Roberts, J., & Armitage (2006). From organization to hypermodern organization: On the appearance and disappearance of Enron. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 19, 558-577.

Gupta, A., Briscoe, F., & Hambrick, D. C. (2016). Red, blue, and purple firms: Organizational political ideology and corporate social responsibility. Strategic Management Journal. DOI: 10.1002/smj.2550

Stohl, M., & Stohl, C. (2017). Human rights and corporate social responsibility. In Brysk, A. & Stohl, C. Expanding Human Rights: 21st Century Norms and Governance (pp. 115-138). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.

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Introduction and purpose of the studyThis paper explores corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a meaning-making process. Its objective is to improve the current understanding of how CSR meanings are being developed and construed by adopting a framing perspective, which builds upon the idea that all social issues can be approached to and interpreted from many viewpoints, be it in communication or in one’s mind. Specifically, the main goal of our study is to inspect how specific framings of CSR, which are developed by companies and communicated or accessible to internal publics, affect the employees’ understanding of CSR (i.e. the CSR frames that arise in employees’ minds).

Literature reviewA growing attention devoted to the characteristics of the CSR communication process and its effects can be interpreted as an indicator of CSR-related research entering into a new phase. Recent reviews of the state of the relatively young CSR communication field, however, portray CSR communication research primarily as customer-focused (Golob et al., 2013). This means that scholars, so far, have put much more attention to studying external CSR communication practices and external publics’ attitudes towards CSR than to internal CSR communication or its effects on internal publics (i.e. employees). Yet, according to the advocates of the inside-out approach to CSR communication, companies should make sure that their employees are well informed about and, if possible, involved in CSR activities prior to their disclosure to external stakeholders, which makes the employees “the key stakeholders of concern for CSR activities” (Morsing & Schultz, 2006, p. 102).

The question remains, however, how this specific stakeholder group interprets the internal messages about the CSR and how it thinks about the latter in general. For this purpose, our paper draws on the findings of framing theory. This theory proposes that framing is both a psychological process as well as an organisational process. In the first case, the framing process is associated with the cognitive structures that guide an individual’s representations

of everyday events; in the second case, however, it refers to frames ‘in communication’, which arise “from networks of professional communicators that engage in framing, defined as selecting some aspects of a perceived reality and construction of messages that highlight connections among them in ways that promote a particular interpretation” (Entman et al., 2009, p. 176). We appropriate this dual understanding of framing because it helps us to examine both the communicator and the receiver side of the CSR communication process. In connection to the first, our interest lies in the variety of frames that can be found in a company’s internal communication about CSR. With regard to the receivers of the internal CSR messages (i.e. employees), on the other hand, we focus on their cognitive understanding or interpretation of such messages (i.e. frames in thought).

MethodologyThis study is based on a case study approach; it looks at CSR communication in three Slovenian companies representing different industries. Framing analysis is used both for the identification of a company’s CSR frames ‘in communication’ (i.e. frames that can be identified by examining internal sources of CSR communication, such as internal magazines and intranet) and the CSR frames that appear in employees’ minds (for this purpose in-depth interviews with employees are conducted).

Results and conclusionsThe findings will point at how and to what extent employee understanding of CSR is affected by a company’s approach to the internal communication about CSR. Also, they will address the role of internal communication in the process of co-creation of CSR meanings and the importance of understanding the employees’ views about a company’s CSR for developing CSR programmes and its CSR communication activities or for encouraging employee engagement in CSR programmes.

Internal CSR communication and its role in shaping the employee understanding of CSR:

The framing perspectiveNataša Verk, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Urša Golob Podnar, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)

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Practical and social implicationsThe findings of this study will have implications for CSR communication practitioners and academics, as well. They will expose the untapped potential of exploring the framings of CSR communication on multiple levels (i.e. organizational and micro level) as well as point out the suggestions for the development of internal CSR communication strategies and for further investigation of internal aspects of CSR communication in general.

KeywordsCSR, internal communication, framing, employees, case studies

ReferencesEntman, R. M., Matthens J., & Pellicano, L. (2009).

Nature, Sources, and Effects of News Framing. In K. Wahl-Jorgensen, & T. Hanitzsch (Eds.), The Handbook of Journalism Studies (pp. 175–190). New York, NY: Routledge.

Golob, U., Podnar, K., Elving, W. J., Nielsen, A. E., Thomsen, C., & Schultz, F. (2013). CSR Communication: Quo Vadis? Corporate Communications: An International Journal 18(2): 176–192.

Morsing, M., & Schultz, M. (2006). Corporate Social Responsibility Communication: Stakeholder Information, Response and Involvement Strategies. Business Ethics: European Review, 15(4): 323–338.

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IntroductionThe purpose of this study is to set out the benefits for the public relations (PR) field of framing corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a wicked problem (WP). The paper further suggests that discrete issues associated with CSR, such as business sustainability, are also best regarded as wicked problems (WPs). This analysis leads to the promotion of three organisational priorities positioned as strategically important to PR leaders seeking to influence CSR policy and practice. These are the encouragement of organisational humility, the promotion of deliberative approaches to stakeholder engagement and localised innovation. The last priority is set against a growing trend of hyperactivism and hyperbole in contemporary public life. It is argued these tendencies contribute to the creation of communicative cultures which work against the collaboration necessary to tackle the WP of CSR, simultaneously intensifying the levels of complexity entangling this challenge.

Literature reviewThe paper draws on research from public policy and organisational studies to highlight the defining features of a WP. The discussion highlights how the complex nature of WPs generates uncertainty for organisations given it is difficult to determine their cause and the search for a solution never stops. WPs therefore require on-going action and commitment, while those involved will differ on what an acceptable solution might be. Strategies for resolution are therefore assessed within a complex social context characterised by competing perspectives, values and goals. To add further value the paper also engages with complementary literature from public policy and behavioural economics to consider how WPs are best tackled.

MethodologyThis is a conceptual paper. Having identified the characteristics of a WP from the existing literature and considered strategies designed to resolve such complex issues, the study applies this scholarship theoretically to CSR and PR.

Results and conclusionsThe paper suggests the responsibilities a business has towards individuals, institutions, communities and the planet is usefully framed as a WP. This insight is informed by the tensions and contradictions generated by the conflicting expectations stakeholders place on an organisation. For illustrative purposes, the paper notes the pressure on business leaders to serve the short term interests of shareholders to the wider detriment of society, a view reinforced in recent research by European central banks (Haldane, 2015) and governments (Kay, 2012). In addition to the impact of quarterly earnings targets and reporting, particular concern is expressed in these studies about the generational shift in the nature of shareholding. While in the 1970s the average shareholding was held for six years, today that figure stands at six months.

The utility of viewing CSR through the conceptual lens of WPs is reinforced by further theorising. This discussion explores the idea that the complexity of many challenges framed as CSR issues can be categorised as ‘wicked’. These include sustainability dilemmas associated with climate change, human rights and the need to work with stakeholders in a fair and reasonable manner. The study concludes by suggesting that at the nexus of CSR and WPs is a pre-occupation with stakeholder engagement, highlighting the relevance of both concepts to PR.

Practical and social implicationsTo add practical value the paper suggests three organisational priorities designed to guide the strategic advice PR leaders might give when considering how best to tackle CSR issues. The first priority concerns the promotion of a collective organisational humility. This recognises that addressing CSR challenges is an interdependent and collaborative activity involving different stakeholders. Such a symbiotic and networked orientation leads to the second priority which is the promotion of deliberative approaches to stakeholder engagement. These are methods of working through which the views of all participating actors can be heard to inform strategies designed to address the WP.

The final priority emphasises the importance of localised innovation. The complexity associated with WPs generates multiple ‘solutions’ as stakeholders will have different views on appropriate ways forward.

Humility, Deliberation, Hyperactivism and Hyperbole: Why CSR is Best Viewed as a Wicked

ProblemPaul Willis, The University of Huddersfield (UK)

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Furthermore, it is not possible to assess quickly whether a solution has been successful, while attempts at resolution generate consequences over time. This uncertainty requires small scale experimentation at subnational level and a commitment to adaptive learning (Ferraro, Etzioni & Gehman, 2015). It is further suggested that the need for distributed forms of innovation are necessary given a growing culture of hyperactivism and hyperbole in contemporary public life. The excessively activist behaviour of national political leaders in the United States and Europe, complemented by the use of deliberately exaggerated rhetoric, disrupts the conditions needed to tackle WPs through national and international institutions. What is required instead is a commitment to more localised forms of innovation which build incrementally from the bottom-up to offset such fragmentary forces. In recursive mode, the discussion ends by noting this contemporary context adds further value to the paper’s initial proposition that CSR is best conceptualised as a WP.

KeywordsCSR, wicked problems, strategy, hyperactivism

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Introduction This paper reports how, through the strategic use of environmental and social responsibility discourses in political speeches, two Australian political leaders worked to position factors related to climate change policy in Australia.

Literature reviewStrategic positioning remains relatively underexplored in public relations scholarship, and is often referred to in marketing terms. The positioning of political parties and leaders is a growing area of interest in positioning theory, wherein strategic positioning is a discursive practice that is invariably linked to issues of power. This paper draws on recent studies by Roper , Ganesh and Zorn (2016), together with earlier scholarship including that of Motion and Leitch (1996) and Moffitt (1994) on discourse articulations and positioning in public relations.

MethodologyThe research approach taken in this case study employed the qualitative method of positioning analysis (e.g. James, 2014). Positioning analysis permitted an analysis of texts through the core positioning theory concepts of rights and duties and local moral orders. Twenty-two transcripts of political speeches delivered over a three-month period by former Australian Labor Party (ALP) Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and former Liberal/National Party (LNP) Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, were examined by the researchers.

Results and conclusionsThe findings suggested that although both politicians deployed different discourse strategies, the environment and climate change were constructed primarily in economic terms, and that both Gillard and Abbott rationalized these discourses by articulating them with discourses of social responsibility. Abbott’s strategy foregrounded the economic risks of a ‘carbon tax’ over the risks of climate change. These discourses called on people’s pre-existing fears about globalisation and job insecurity, as well as appealing

to an individualist ideology. Social responsibility was thus constructed by Abbott as focusing on the present and immediate future, caring about Australians and protecting Australian jobs. Gillard’s positioning strategy differed by focusing on a longer-term vision. She articulated a ‘clean energy future’ for the nation promulgating the economic, environmental, and social benefits of a carbon price. This was contextualised in global terms wherein Australia was positioned as a world leader.

It was clear from the transcripts’ contents that Julia Gillard, in her role as a Labor Prime Minister, saw that she had a social responsibility to Australians and she strove to bridge the divide between economic and environmental concerns. This discourse strategy failed to gain traction with a majority of voters, as the subsequent federal election results showed where Labor lost government, and the Liberal/National Coalition government led by Tony Abbott quickly removed Australia’s ‘world-leading’ climate mitigation policy and what he called ‘the carbon tax’. The positioning analysis indicated that, despite the Prime Minister having a duty to act in the best interests of the environment and Australia, both Gillard and her government’s position on pricing carbon as part of Australia’s climate change policy was successfully deligitimised by Abbott’s approach.

Practical and social implications In 2011 Australia became the first nation to introduce legislation to price carbon emissions. Yet, as it stands in 2017, Australia is the first developed nation to repeal its carbon pricing legislation, and its carbon emissions are currently rising. At the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Australia was rated third last out of 58 countries assessed in the Climate Change Performance Index. This study thus raises important questions concerning how Australia can move beyond its current myopic position towards one in which social responsibility to the environment is constructed as extending beyond its own borders. Although it is beyond the scope of this study to answer these questions, the study explores, at a macro level, the rights and duties of nations to enact climate change policies (0r remove them) within globalised ‘hypermodern’ times. Taking this approach further permits an examination of power and how it is wielded

Future or now? Planet or jobs? How politicians construct meaning and legitimacy on climate

change policy using strategic positioningDeborah Wise, University of Newcastle (Australia)

1444 PAPER ABSTRACTS

to maintain some socio-cultural practices and not others (Motion & Leitch, 1996) at the meso and micro levels of society.

This study contributes to the growing body of scholarship applying positioning theory to public relations, as well as to public relations scholarship that adopts social constructionist and critical perspectives. Strategic public relations positioning is shown to be a discursive practice that is invariably linked to issues of power. In political public relations practice, viewing strategic positioning as a discursive practice may assist in developing positioning strategies, particularly as they relate to corporate social responsibility, the right for an organisation to take a particular position, and what duties accompany the taking up (or assigning to another) of such a position. The study furthers understanding about how political leaders frame social responsibility in their storylines as a device to legitimate their own positions, while seeking to delegitimise the positions of others.

KeywordsPositioning analysis, social responsibility, political public relations, climate change, positioning theory

ReferencesJames, M. (2014). Positioning Theory and Strategic

Communications: A new approach to public relations research and practice. London: Routledge.

Moffitt, M. A. (1994). Collapsing and integrating concepts of ‘public’ and ‘image’ into a new theory. Public Relations Review, 20(2), 159-170. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0363-8111(94)90056-6

Motion, J., & Leitch, S. (1996). A discursive perspective from New Zealand: another world view. Public Relations Review, 22(3), 297-309. doi:10.1016/S0363-8111(96)90051-X

Roper, J., Ganesh, S., & Zorn, T. E. (2016). Doubt, Delay, and Discourse: Skeptics Strategies to Politicize Climate Change. Science Communication, 38(6), 776-799. doi:10.1177/1075547016677043

1454 PAPER ABSTRACTS

Introduction and PurposeThis paper takes an in-depth look at how social and other digital communication media are being used in public relations practice. Results are based upon two studies: (A) A twelve-year, longitudinal analysis trend study involving more than 5,500 public relations practitioners; and, (B) A follow-up survey asking specifically how social and other digital media are being utilized.

Literature ReviewThe literature review for this paper will consist of two parts. The first of these will focus upon the work of traditional mass communication scholars including Katz & Lazarsfeld (1954), Lasswell (1948), McCombs & Shaw (1972) and others whose names and citations are not part of this abstract due to space limitations. The thrust of this part of the literature review will focus upon scholarship pointing out the importance (and sometimes the necessity) of traditional news media in delivering public relations messages from senders to intended receivers.

The second part of this study’s literature review will discuss contemporary studies by authors such as DiStaso, et. al. (2011), Duhé & Wright (2013), Wright (1998 & 2001), and Wright & Hinson (2015 & 2016). This research points out many advantages of social and other digital communication media that have provided opportunities for message senders to communicate directly with intended receivers essentially bypassing any need to deliver such messages via traditional news media.

MethodologyThis study’s methodology features a longitudinal trend analysis based upon answers to a web-based survey questionnaire plus a follow-up survey that attempts to discover exactly how these social media are being utilized in public relations.

Each year since 2006 the authors of this proposed paper have asked various purposive and/or random sample groups of public relations practitioners questions about how they use social and other digital media. More than 5,500 practitioners have participated

in this study since 2006. In 2017, there were 538 usable responses to the study’s questionnaire. During the twelve-year history of this study, annual usable responses average more than 450 per year. Each year since 2009, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has partnered with this study by distributing e-mailed invitations to participate in the study to a random sample of its membership. Research questions have asked how social and other digital media are managed and monitored. The paper also reports on the monitoring and managing of social and digital in organizations, how much time public relations practitioners spend working with social and digital media and how social and digital media use in public relations is being measured. Subjects also are asked specific questions about how they use various social media while working in public relations.

If this paper is accepted for presentation at BledCom it will include never before published information about how some public relations practitioners are effectively using Facebook and Twitter in public relations practice. Methodologically our biggest struggle with this research project is motivating subjects to complete our online questionnaire. This has necessitated our shortening of the questionnaire in every year since 2014.

While the results of these annual surveys will become an important part of the paper proposed for BledCom, an even greater contribution will come from follow-up interviews with some of the 2017 responses in an attempt to determine how these social media (especially Facebook and Twitter) actually are being used.

Results and ConclusionsAs has been the case each year since 2010, our study’s major finding in 2017 involves Twitter and Facebook, and how frequently both are being used for public relations activities. For the past six years we’ve been asking our subjects about their use of Facebook and Twitter in the public relations workplace. Every year except 2015, we found Facebook being used more frequently than Twitter. Results of the second survey are not yet available. On the topic of which organizational function is responsible for monitoring and managing social and emerging media

An In-Depth Look at How Social and Digital Media Are Being Used in Public Relations

PracticeDonald K. Wright, Boston University (USA)

Michelle Drifka Hinson, University of Florida (USA)

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communication in organizations, a clear majority tell us this is the responsibility of the communication or public relations function within their organizations.

Practical and Social ImplicationsMany examples could be provided to address practical and social implications of the work discussed in this proposed paper. They include, but are not limited to, how social media was used in the United Kingdom to promote the “Brexit” idea of breaking that nation’s relationship with the European Union. Additionally, the last two people elected as President of the United States (Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump) both made effective use of social media (especially Facebook and Twitter). Indeed, the practical and social implications of the topic addressed in this paper are endless.

KeywordsSocial Media, Facebook, Twitter, Public Relations

ReferencesDiStaso, M.W.; McCorkindale, T.M.; & Wright, D.K.

(2011). How public relations executives perceive and measure the impact of social media in their organizations. Public Relations Review. 37,3, 325-328.

Duhé, S. & Wright, D.K. (2013). Symmetry, social media and the enduring imperative of two-way communication. In Sriramesh, K.; Zerfass, A. & Kim, J.N. and Jeong-Nam (Eds.), Public relations and communication management: Current trends and emerging topics, pp. 93-107). New York: Taylor & Francis.

Katz, E. & Lazarsfeld, P.F. (1954). Personal influence. Glencoe, IL: The Free Press.

Lasswell, H.D. (1948). The structure and function of communication in society,. In Bryson, L., (Ed), The communication of ideas (pp. 117-130). Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

McCombs, M.E. & Shaw, D.L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of the mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36, 176-185.

Wright, D.K. (1998). Corporate communications policy concerning the Internet: A survey of the nation’s senior level, corporate public relations officers. Gainesville, Florida: The Institute for Public Relations and MCI Communications Corporation.

Wright, D.L. (2001). The magic communication machine: Examining the Internet’s impact on public relations, journalism, and the public. Gainesville, Florida: The Institute for Public Relations and MCI Communications Corporation.

Wright, D.K. & Hinson, M.D. (2015). An updated examination of social and emerging media use in public relations practice: A longitudinal analysis between 2006 and 2015. Public Relations Journal, 9,

2.Wright, D,K. & Hinson, M.D. (2016). Tracking social and

emerging media use in public relations practice: An annual longitudinal analysis. Paper presented to the 19th Annual International Public Relations Research Conference, Coral Gables, Florida, March.

1474 PAPER ABSTRACTS

IntroductionThis paper looks at the literature on Public Diplomacy and attempts to re-conceptualize the definitions of Public Diplomacy commonly found in the literature while proposing new ways of understanding what Public Diplomacy is as well as its Publics and dimensions.

MethodThis paper is primarily a theoretical paper that considers the current literature on Public Diplomacy and attempts to propose new ways understanding Public Diplomacy synchronizing views from Diplomacy and Public Relations scholars.

Results and ConclusionsLike many scholars of Public Diplomacy, White and Radic in their 2014 article comparing Public Diplomacy message strategies of countries in transition, define Public Diplomacy as “a nation-state’s attempt to favorably influence public opinion in other countries, which relies on and helps build national reputations.” (p. 461). I argue that this conceptualizing of Public Diplomacy, commonly found in the literature, is faulty on several grounds. This view of Public Diplomacy makes the assumption that the government engaging in Public Diplomacy has a reputation to leverage on – which is not always the case. In addition, as seen in the example of stateless nations, Public Diplomacy is not the exclusive preserve of nation-states but can be engaged in by stateless nations (Xifra and McKie, 2012), nongovernmental organizations corporations among others (L’Etang, 2009). Third, Public Diplomacy, while generally transnational in goals, may as well be aimed at domestic publics as seen in Servaes (2012)’s study of the Chinese government’s Public Diplomacy efforts aimed equally at the people of China. Finally, as with other scholars, White and Radic (2014)’s definition presents reputation as both the tool and perhaps the goal of public diplomacy. Again, this is faulty in that while reputation may serve as a sort of lubricant in public diplomacy, it is neither “the” tool nor the outcome of effective public diplomacy (although one may see reputation as a sort of by-product of good public diplomacy).

In this presentation, I critique the common view of Public Diplomacy and propose a new way of conceptualizing Public Diplomacy which encompasses the different dimensions of Public Diplomacy including Nye (2008)’s three dimensions and other dimensions

spread through the literature, bringing in its goals as well as distinguishing it from traditional diplomacy. Furthermore, in re-defining Public Diplomacy, I ask the question, Who is the “Public” in Public Diplomacy? In answering this question, I examine the divergent perspectives on the public of Public Diplomacy and propose a multifaceted discussion instead of the publics of Public Diplomacy. I take into cognizance the role of social globalism, migration, information and communications technology, and social media drawing examples from around the world including the United States, China and Nigeria.

Practical and social implicationsThis view reinvents the understanding of what Public Diplomacy is and how it should be practiced. It also provides new theory that may be tested through further research projects.

KeywordsPublic Diplomacy, Reputation, Global Public Relations

References L’Etang, J. (2009). Public Relations and Diplomacy in a

Globalized World: An Issue of Public Communication. American Behavioral Scientist, 53(4), 607–626. http://doi.org/10.1177/0002764209347633

Nye, J. (2008). Public Diplomacy and Soft Power. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 94–109. http://doi.org/10.1177/0002716207311699

Servaes, J. (2012). Soft power and public diplomacy: The new frontier for public relations and international communication between the US and China. Public Relations Review, 38(5), pp. 643-651.

White, C., & Radic, D. (2014). Comparative public diplomacy: Message strategies of countries in transition. Public Relations Review, 40(3), 459–465. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2014.01.012

Xifra, J., & McKie, D. (2012). From realpolitik to noopolitik: The public relations of (stateless) nations in an information age. Public Relations Review, 38(5), 819–824. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2012.04.005

A reconceptualization of Public Diplomacy Temi Wright, Purdue University (USA)

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The global economic integration progress combined the power of the chamber of commerce, national interests and social responsibility together. This phenomenon becomes a kind of “neomorph” in international relations, business studies and cross-culture management activities.

The purpose of this paper try to explain the three levels “combination”- public diplomacy, business communication and social responsibility- of chamber of commerce in the 21st globalization business environment. AHK Great China will be the case for this paper.

Therefore, the literature review will cover chamber of commerce study both from German and China.

From comparative study perspective, since Chinese enterprises are going out to the world within these decades, Chinese geopolitical relations and business culture also demonstrated in the front of the world, it’s a real competition with western economic bodies and with east-west cooperation at the same time.

As a research conclusion, the levels of factions of the chamber of commerce in overseas corporation among organizations be ignored by Chinese enterprises but be proved successful used by AHK Great China at the same decade, especially form Public Diplomacy, Business Communication and Social Responsibility. Chinese organizations should learn from how to build an efficiency chamber of commerce networking for the next decades. AHK Great China with Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taipei offices, is a part of DIHK and the official public organization of all German industrials and companies in the Great China, while with some specific administration missions under German law.

Generally speaking, this paper explores and compares the differences between AHK culture and Chinese business culture of the chamber of commerce with three hypotheses of the factions of the chamber of commerce in public diplomacy, business communication and social responsibility.

KeywordsChamber of Commerce; Public Diplomacy; Social Responsibility; Chinese Business Culture; AHK Great China

ReferencesBasu, K. & Palazzo, G., Corporate Social Responsibility:

A Process Model of Sensemaking, Academy of Management Review, 2008, 33 (1).

German Chamber of Commerce in China: Annual Report 2013, 2014, 2015 (East China)

Jia Xingping &Liu Yi, External Environment, Internal Resource, and Corpo-rate Social Responsibility, Nankai Business Review, 2014, 17(6).

Rowley, T. & Berman, S., A Brand New Brand of Corporate Social Performance, Business and Society, 2000, 39 (4).

Website of DIHK: http://www.dihk.de/ Website of German Center Shanghai: http://de.german-

centre-shanghai.com/index.html

On Chamber of Commerce Combine Overseas Cooperation among Organizations: Case of

Social Responsibility of AHK Great ChinaPeng Zhang, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)

Jing Cao, Shanghai International Studies University (People’s Republic of China)

1495 ABOUT BLEDCOM

The primary mission of the international symposia that have been organized over the past 24 years under the aegis of BledCom, is to provide a venue for public relations scholars and practi-tioners from around the world to exchange ideas and perspectives about public relations prac-tice in all its forms such as corporate communication, public affairs, reputation management, issues and crisis management, etc.

Building from this history, BledCom seeks to help establish a state-of the-art body of knowl-edge of the field with each annual symposium attempting to widen the horizons of the field by attracting current and new perspectives and state-of-the-art research from public relations and related disciplines. Toward this end, every BledCom symposium seeks to offer a venue for practitioners and scholars to share their conceptual perspectives, empirical findings (adopting any/all methodologies), or case studies related to the field.

As an international symposium, BledCom welcomes participation of scholars (including doctor-al students) and practitioners from every region of the world so that we can help improve the public relations profession and theory-building to cope with a world that is globalizing rapidly. The symposium is known for its relaxing, pleasant and above all informal atmosphere, where all the participants can engage in debate and discussions with colleagues who have similar in-terests, and of course, enjoy the delights of the beautiful Lake Bled setting.

1506 BLEDCOM 2017

BledCom Programme CommitteeDejan Verčič

(University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Krishnamurthy Sriramesh(Purdue University, USA)

Ana Tkalac Verčič(University of Zagreb, Croatia)

Partners

BledCom is grateful for the support of theEmbassy of the United States in Slovenia.