Utilization of CSR to build organizations’ corporate image in Asia: need for an integrative approach

ABSTRACT

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been found to be a strong predictor of a favorable corporate image [Gray, 1986. Managing the corporate image: The key to public trust. London: Quorum Books]. Websites have become an essential communication platform [Dawkins, 2004. Corporate responsibility: The communication challenge. Journal of Communication Management, 9(2), 108–119]. This study aims to investigate how CSR can be used in enhancing organizational corporate image. Content analyses of 150 corporate websites of organizations in Asia headquartered in Singapore were conducted, followed by in-depth interviews with public relations (PR) practitioners to examine the motivations behind their CSR engagement. Findings showed that organizations utilized CSR as a means to enhance corporate image via four ways: Engaging in two-way conversations with stakeholders, adopting an inside-out communication approach with employees, recognizing the relevance of other CSR communication channels, and communicating CSR with authenticity. However, some organizations hesitate to use CSR communication to enhance their corporate image because they wanted to avoid being seen as using CSR as a promotional tool.

KEYWORDS:

• Strategic communication
• content analysis
• in-depth interview
• Singapore

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Augustine Pang, PhD, is Professor of Corporate Communication (Practice) at Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University. He is the 2016 winner of the Kitty O. Locker Outstanding Researcher award from the Association of Business Communication (US) for his body of work on crisis management and communication. He was inducted as a member of the Arthur W Page Society (US). He is also an Honorary Fellow at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

May O. Lwin, PhD, is Professor and Associate Dean (Special Projects) at the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and Director of NTU University Scholars Programme. Professor Lwin has done substantial research in health communication, cyber-wellness, advertising and public relations, and sensory communication in marketing communication contexts. She has received numerous accolades, such as the prestigious Fulbright ASEAN Scholar 2015 Award, and the Ogilvy Foundation International Award for Academic Leadership 2014.

Chrystal Shu-Min Ng, B.Com Studies (Hons), M. Comm, is a film and humanities educator in Singapore. Her master's dissertation at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), NTU, was on film studies. Prior to her Masters, her research centered on Public Relations and CSR. Currently, she is an Adjunct Lecturer at both the Puttnam School of Film and Animation at the LASALLE College of the Arts and at WKWSCI.

Ying-Kai Ong, B.Com Studies (Hons), specialized in public relations and research while at Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU. Currently, she is teaching and planning the curricula for English Language and Literature at a local secondary school. She is also passionate in the great outdoors and has been involved in experiential learning and service learning projects with the National Youth Council (NYC), Singapore Red Cross and her school.

Shannon Rose Wing-Ching Chau, B.Com Studies (Hons), joined Edelman as a Client Executive in 2017 and is involved in regional coordination, media and influencer relations, internal communications, content and strategy development for clients including EOS, Telstra, Smiths Detection, ARRIS, SAS, VMware and Criteo. Prior to joining Edelman Singapore, Shannon worked in a conference production firm and was tasked with conference development, content creation, speaker liaison and market research.

Kristle Poh-Sim Yeow, B.Com Studies (Hons, worked in Public Relations for two years before she decided to pursue her passion of working with children. She now holds a Professional Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education, and currently works on the Academic Development Team at St. James' Church Kindergarten, one of Singapore's top kindergartens.