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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 57347

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hyejoon Rim

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Guest Editor

Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Interests: corporate social responsibility; corporate social advocacy; social media activism

Dr. Holly Overton

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Guest Editor

Bellisario College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, PA 16801, USA
Interests: corporate social responsibility; corporate social advocacy; nonprofit communication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In cooperation with the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication (https://www.bellisario.psu.edu/page-center/), Sustainability will publish a Special Issue on Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Changes. The special issue is sponsored by the Page Center, and all published authors will receive special recognition at the Page Center’s annual reception. The journal has agreed to waive processing fees for some manuscripts (invited by the guest editors) accepted after peer review to this special issue.

This Special Issue seeks to enrich the body of knowledge on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social advocacy (CSA) communication. Specifically, this Special Issue aims to publish theoretical and empirical research that contributes to our understanding of the challenges, impacts, and benefits of communicating a corporate commitment to social and environmental issues, as well as social justice issues in a socially and politically charged environment.

As stakeholders increasingly expect socially responsible practices from organization, CSR has become an integral part of contemporary business practices (Lamberti and Lettieri, 2009), and our understanding of CSR as a knowledge and practice has been expanded (Ji, Tao, and Rim, 2021). However, the unprecedented social events and crises we have recently witnessed may reshape stakeholders’ expectations of CSR, creating a call to rethink the role of business corporations in society. For example, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, stakeholders demanded that corporations take action on inclusion, diversity and equality in their business practices. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed businesses to take a leadership role in protecting their employees, customers, and suppliers. In addition to the civic movement and the global health crisis, corporations have recently faced pressure from stakeholders to express their positions on controversial issues and exercise their power to effect social and political change (Edelman, 2020; Hydock, Paharia, and Blair, 2020). Such societal changes have re-established the interconnectedness between businesses and a broader society, and offer an opportunity for businesses to shift toward more authentic CSR that contributes to long-term business sustainability. Simultaneously, the economic and social changes may put corporations under the new forms of institutional pressures. This Special Issue particularly welcomes submissions including, but not limited to studies addressing:

social justice, social movement, and the role of business;
global health crisis and business responsibility;
best practices in CSR and CSA communication;
corporate social value and business sustainability;
corporate reputation management;
the role of public relations in CSR practice and communication;
stakeholder engagement

Dr. Hyejoon Rim
Dr. Holly Overton
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

corporate social responsibility
corporate social advocacy
CEO activism
CSR/CSA communication

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Published Papers (13 papers)

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16 pages, 273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

From Responsibility to Requirement: COVID, Cars, and the Future of Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada

by David Benjamin Billedeau, Jeffrey Wilson and Naima Samuel

Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6658; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116658 - 29 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3610

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant impacts to the automotive manufacturing industry. Despite substantial financial uncertainty, disruptions to supply chains, and shutdowns of manufacturing operations, automotive firms supported crisis response efforts throughout the course of the pandemic. Drawing on interviews with all the consumer automotive manufacturing companies in Canada (Ford, General Motors, Honda, Stellantis, and Toyota) as well as the two largest global automotive parts suppliers operating in Canada (Linamar and Magna), we investigated whether voluntary corporate responses to COVID-19 will shape long-term corporate social responsibility programs or simply constitute one-off crisis management actions. Ultimately, we argue that while Canada’s pandemic response efforts have benefitted from the voluntary involvement of automotive manufacturing companies, the limited coordination between stakeholders underscores the need for greater public sector oversight of the relationship between society and the private sector. To ensure preparedness for meeting new challenges, such as climate change, we call for the era of voluntary corporate social responsibility programs to yield to a period of corporate social requirements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

17 pages, 593 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Toward an Audience-Centric Framework of Corporate Social Advocacy Strategy: An Exploratory Study of Young Consumers from Generation Z

by Ioana A. Coman, Shupei Yuan and Jiun-Yi Tsai

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4099; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074099 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3572

Abstract

Increasingly, business-to-consumer companies engage in corporate social advocacy (CSA) to respond to growing pressures from stakeholders. CSA studies are quickly accumulating, yet in-depth explanations of when and why the public expect companies to take a stance (sometimes even action) on controversial issues remain scarce. To fill these gaps, we unpack how Generation Z audiences expect companies to act on public agendas and their reasoning process through a mixed-method analysis of an exploratory survey (N = 388) conducted at a public university. The results show major changes in CSA expectations and illuminate the reasoning behind them. The results highlight a critical need to further understand CSA from audience perceptions and inform message design and testing guided by audience-centric models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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16 pages, 552 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CSR, CSA, or CPA? Examining Corporate Climate Change Communication Strategies, Motives, and Effects on Consumer Outcomes

by Rosalynn Vasquez

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3604; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063604 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5851

Abstract

In response to the current social–political landscape, consumers’ expectations are changing. There is an increased need for companies to communicate about social issues such as climate change. This study is among the first to examine the differentiated and mediated effects of three messaging strategies: corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate social advocacy (CSA), and corporate political activism (CPA), in the context of corporations communicating about climate change, which currently lacks scholarly attention. An online-survey experiment (N = 1048) compared the messaging strategies’ effects on three consumer responses: perceived credibility, perceived reputation, and positive word-of-mouth intention. Results from a structural equation model indicate that the type of corporate climate change communication (CCCC) has a differential effect on consumer responses. The differences are magnified by the mediation of consumers’ attribution of corporate climate motives in the relationship between the climate change message and consumer responses. This study advances scholarship on CSR, CSA, and CPA, and provides theoretical and practical implications for how a corporation communicates about climate change using different communication and engagement strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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21 pages, 393 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Greening Professional Sport: How Communicating the Fit, Proximity, and Impact of Sustainability Efforts Affects Fan Perceptions and Supportive Intentions

by Virginia S. Harrison, Michail Vafeiadis and Joseph Bober

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3139; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063139 - 8 Mar 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3914

Abstract

Grounded in multidisciplinary literature from public relations, sport communication, and marketing, this study examined consumer reactions to sustainability initiatives launched by major sports leagues. Through an online survey (N = 254), the results showed that sports league-cause fit resulted in more positive organization–public relationships (OPRs) such as through trust, commitment, satisfaction, and control mutuality. Further, the findings revealed that a closer geographic proximity of the sustainability initiative and an increased perceived impact (donation amount and number of beneficiaries affected) triggered higher perceptions of trust, organizational authenticity, and fandom toward the sponsoring sports league. Interestingly, a significant two-way interaction between spatial proximity and impact suggested that lower perceptions of the impact of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) program evoked more positive attitudes when involving local beneficiaries, whereas higher perceptions of impact improved organizational attitudes when the beneficiaries were located faraway. Lastly, the findings indicated that the OPR variables, especially trust, as well as fandom, and organizational authenticity elicited higher supportive intentions (e.g., support CSR cause, donate, volunteer, share on social media) toward the sports league. Theoretical implications for fit, construal level theory, and CSR impact as well as implications for sport communication practitioners are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

19 pages, 1610 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Waging War” for Doing Good? The Fortune Global 500’s Framing of Corporate Responses to COVID-19 Pandemic

by Nur Uysal and Emel Ozdora Aksak

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 3012; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14053012 - 4 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3171

Abstract

This study examined corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication and pandemic responses of large corporations across multiple industries in a global context. Specifically, this research (1) described the state of CSR communication during the pandemic, and (2) identified how top global Fortune 500 corporations framed their COVID-19 pandemic responses as part of their social advocacy. An in-depth content analysis of the corporate communication messages revealed that top global corporations positioned their pandemic responses as an extension of their ongoing CSR commitment, prioritizing their philanthropic responsibilities over the ethical, legal, and economic responsibilities. They often relied on war metaphors, portraying the virus as the “common enemy” and employees as “heroes,” and highlighted their leadership role in the global “fight” against the pandemic as a “partner” of governments, “protector” of employees, and “supporter’’ of the communities. Analyzing a large data set from a global perspective, this study provides a comprehensive look at the state of CSR communication during the pandemic and demonstrates how corporations as authoritative societal actors help shape the ongoing discourse on the global COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the study makes several practical and theoretical contributions to sustainability research and our understanding of the evolving relationship between business and society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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15 pages, 666 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Examining the Impact of Issue Salience, Issue Proximity, Situational Motivation, and Communicative Behaviors on Environmental CSR Outcomes

by Nandini Bhalla

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2763; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052763 - 26 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2487

Abstract

Climate change has become a life-threatening problem. Guided by the Situational Theory of Problem Solving (STOPS), the main goal of this experimental study is to understand the relationship between issue salience, issue proximity, communicative behavior for environmental issues, situation motivation for climate change, and environmental CSR (ECSR) supportive outcomes. This study used a U.S. sample (N = 440) recruited from a Qualtrics online panel and conducted a 2 (issue salience: salient vs. non-salient) × 2 (issue proximity: local vs. global) experimental design to examine the role of issue salience and issue proximity on individuals’ environmentally friendly CSR outcomes. The structural equation model indicated that issue proximity has no significant impact, but issue salience impacted communicative behavior for environmental issues, which then predicted ECSR-supportive behavioral intentions. Importantly, most STOPS research has employed situational motivation as a mediator, but this study took a novel approach by assessing the impact of situational motivation as an independent variable on CAPS as well as environmental CSR outcomes. The results suggest that individuals with a higher motivation to solve the problem of climate change are not only likely to communicate about environmental issues (e.g., air pollution) with others but are also likely to support ECSR programs through positive word-of-mouth and higher purchase intentions. This study provides some noteworthy theoretical and practical contributions in the realm of ECSR communication by elucidating the impact of issue types and individuals’ communicative behaviors in supporting a company’s ECSR programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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38 pages, 2826 KiB

Open AccessArticle

We’re All in This Together: Legitimacy and Coronavirus-Oriented CSR Messaging

by Nicholas Browning, Ejae Lee, Sung Hyun Lee and Sung-Un Yang

Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2534; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052534 - 22 Feb 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3125

Abstract

This study investigates how legitimization strategies embedded in CSR messages related to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced multidimensional stakeholder assessments of reputation. The results of this 3 × 2 × 2 experimental survey, which manipulated pragmatic and moral legitimacy using three conditions (self- vs. other- vs. both-oriented messaging); substantive and symbolic management (informative vs. uninformative content); and popularization and standardization approaches (leadership vs. followership), indicate that popularization strategies communicated substantively and standardization strategies communicated symbolically generally yield the greatest reputational gains. More nuanced findings from three-way interaction effects are further discussed, with an emphasis on the role of double-sided messages seeking to simultaneously establish pragmatic and moral legitimacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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18 pages, 643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Meeting Consumers’ Expectations: Exploring Corporate Social Advocacy Communication in China

by Baobao Song and Xiaomeng Lan

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2385; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042385 - 19 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3577

Abstract

Unlike Western corporations, Chinese companies have yet to widely adopt corporate social advocacy (CSA) as a proactive strategy for corporate communication due to the different cultures and business environments. With only a handful of Chinese companies committing to CSA communication, the consequences of such practice on consumer relationship building and maintenance remain elusive. In light of expectancy violations theory (EVT), this study explores Chinese consumers’ expectations of domestic CSA on the issue of same-sex marriage and the effects of proactive corporate social advocacy communication. Through structure equation modeling of 418 survey responses, this study examines the relationship between the violation of Chinese consumers’ expectations of CSA and the quality of consumer relationships through the mediation of violation valence, violation expectedness, and relationship certainty. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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24 pages, 376 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linking CSR Communication to Corporate Reputation: Understanding Hypocrisy, Employees’ Social Media Engagement and CSR-Related Work Engagement

by Hua Jiang, Yang Cheng, Keonyoung Park and Wei Zhu

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2359; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042359 - 18 Feb 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5323

Abstract

Based on the social exchange theory and the signaling theory, we proposed a conceptual model of effective CSR communication and corporate reputation integrating employees’ hypocrisy toward their employers’ corporate behavior, employees’ CSR-related social media engagement and work engagement. We tested our proposed model based on an employee survey (n = 811). Structural equational modeling (SEM) analyses were conducted while controlling variables that could exert confounding effects on our proposed model. All the hypotheses were supported by our collected data. Effective CSR communication factors turned out to be significant predictors for hypocrisy, employees’ social media engagement and CSR-related work engagement, and corporate reputation. Hypocrisy and engagement were also significant mediators in our proposed model. The key findings of the study made theoretical contributions to CSR and employee communication scholarship. Practical implications of the findings of this study were also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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19 pages, 1044 KiB

Open AccessArticle

When Corporate Social Advocacy Meets Controversial Celebrity: The Role of Consumer–Brand Congruence and Consumer-Celebrity Congruence

by Khalid Alharbi, Joon Kyoung Kim, Christopher Noland and Jackson Carter

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1811; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031811 - 5 Feb 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5821

Abstract

This study investigates the role of consumer–brand congruence and consumer–celebrity congruence in the formation of consumer attitudes toward brands and their impact on behavioral intentions within the context of corporate social advocacy (CSA) involving controversial celebrities. Using a U.S. sample drawn from a Qualtrics panel (N = 372), the results of mediation analyses indicate that attitude toward a brand positively mediates the effects of consumer–brand congruence on consumers’ behavioral intentions, including purchase intention, brand preference, and boycott recommendation. The consumer–celebrity congruence moderated the indirect effect of consumer–brand congruence on brand preference and boycott recommendations, but not purchase intention. The findings of this study contribute to the CSA literature and practices by highlighting the role of consumers’ congruence with a controversial celebrity in determining consumers’ behavioral responses to CSA. When brands practice CSA, consumer–brand congruence rather than consumer–celebrity congruence could play a more important role in shaping consumer behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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16 pages, 1081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Tracking the Path of the Green Consumer: Surveying the Decision-Making Process from Self-Transcendent Values to Supportive CSR Intentions

by Nicholas Eng, Christen Buckley and Rachel X. Peng

Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031106 - 19 Jan 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4401

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between individual traits and values of consumers and their decision-making process pertaining to purchasing green products from companies with a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the main goal of this online survey (N = 463) is to understand the relationship between self-transcendent values, environmentalism, attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control, intentions, and purchase frequency to better understand how consumers make green purchasing decisions. A structural equation model shows support for our predictions that self-transcendent values significantly and positively predict environmentalism, which in turn predicted the TPB variables. Interestingly, only attitudes towards purchasing green products were significantly predictive of purchasing products from companies with strong commitments to CSR, which subsequently predicted actual purchase frequency. We hope that our research will benefit scholars and practitioners by contributing to the work in CSR and environmental communication. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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17 pages, 921 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contextualizing Motivating Language to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): How Leader Motivating Language Affects Employees’ CSR Engagement and Employee–Organization Relationships

by Yafei Zhang, Chuqing Dong, Andrea M. M. Weare and Song Harris Ao

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13357; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313357 - 2 Dec 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4207

Abstract

Drawing on motivating language theory (MLT), this paper aims to demonstrate the effects of strategic leader speech in the context of internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Specifically, the study (1) examines how leader motivating language strategies used in CSR communication influence employees’ CSR engagement and employee–organization relationships (EORs) and (2) identifies the mediator explaining the underlying psychological mechanism of the effects. Structural equation modeling was performed on a sample of 406 participants who are full-time and part-time employees in the U.S. The results showed that leader motivating language was positively associated with employees’ CSR engagement and EOR quality. Such relationships were significantly mediated by person–organization (PO) fit. This study advances CSR research and practice by explicating the impact of leaders’ oral communication in constructing employees’ CSR experiences and relationships with the employer. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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17 pages, 314 KiB

Open AccessProject Report

Mainstreaming Standardized Sustainability Reporting: Comparing Fortune 50 Corporations’ and U.S. News & World Report’s Top 50 Global Universities’ Sustainability Reports

by Stephen N. Hamilton and Richard D. Waters

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3442; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063442 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 5833

Abstract

Research has shown that sustainability reporting can positively influence organizational accountability and transparency. However, little research has been done to compare how sectors present their sustainability efforts. This research uses content analysis to examine how the two sectors leading reporting efforts detail their work. Specifically, sustainability reports published in 2020 were sought from the Fortune 50 and the top 50 institutions from U.S. News & World Report (USNWR)’s Best Global University rankings to examine compliance with the standard reporting frameworks and how the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals were presented. Results suggest Fortune 500 companies and educational institutions did not report sustainability in the same fashion, nor did either grouping follow a standardized reporting framework. For-profit corporations were more likely to publish a stand-alone sustainability report and more likely to address more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Advocacy, and Societal Change)

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