Do Corporations Communicate What the General Public Expects? Investigating the Gap between Corporate Self-image and Public Perceptions of Corporate Responsibility
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12800718 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anna Dudenhausen (University of Münster, corresponding author), Ulrike Röttger (0000-0003-0798-8288, University of Münster), Dominik Czeppel (University of Münster) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 25-40 |
| Publication date | 2019-11-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Strategic Communication (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1553-118X • E-ISSN: 1553-1198 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1553118x.2019.1688335 |
| OpenAlex | W2985974475 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
The present article uses a multi-method approach to compare two perspectives on the responsibility of corporations: the public image and the corporate self-image. Responsibility is understood as a social construct that depends on who attributes it. This also means that people can have very different perceptions of the responsibility of corporations, all of which may not be covered by typical Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication. Moreover, corporate legitimacy can be at risk if these perspectives drift too far apart. This article presents a public survey (N = 1,003) that was conducted in Germany, as well as a content analysis of responsibility judgments (N = 498) communicated by selected German corporations. The multi-method study uses the example of the clothing and banking industries. Results show differences between the self- and public images, particularly when it comes to the prioritization of responsibility fields. The people surveyed emphasize legal responsibility objects much more than the analyzed corporations. In addition, the self-image communicated by the researched clothing manufacturers deviates more from their public image than the self-image communicated by the banks. The findings suggest that corporations, especially from the clothing industry, should take stronger evaluation, communication monitoring and stakeholder dialogues into account
Business · Corporate communication · Corporate social responsibility · Perception · Political science · Public relations · Public trust · Corporate Identity and Reputation · Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Neuroscience · Psychology
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The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility
How corporate social responsibility is defined
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Medienunternehmen und der strategische Umgang mit Media Responsibility und Corporate Social Responsibility
Is Anyone Responsible?
The perspective of citizens on the responsibility of corporations
Strategic Communication as an Emerging Interdisciplinary Paradigm
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Legitimacy and Strategic Communication in Globalization
In the Twilight Zone Between Veracity and Lying
Strategic Communication
Strategic CSR Communication
Die Öffentliche Zuschreibung von Verantwotung
Corporate Social Responsibility Theories
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |