Corporate image : role of CSR as a communication motivator

Abstract

Corporate image is an important facet of organisations, and there is an impetus for organisations to communicate a positive corporate image to stakeholders. Scholars have long identified CSR as a strong predictor of a favourable corporate image (Gray, 1986). While there exists various ways for organisations to communicate their CSR, websites have become an essential instrument for them to deploy (Dawkins, 2004). This study’s key objective is to investigate how CSR can be used as a driver in enhancing organisational corporate image from the corporate communication practitioners’ perspective. A content analysis of 150 corporate websites of local and foreign organisations in Singapore was first conducted to examine CSR communication of local and foreign organisations online. A second study involved in-depth interviews with 24 corporate communications practitioners from organisations in Singapore to examine the motivations behind their CSR engagement. Our findings show that both local and foreign organisations identified identical primary CSR themes, as well as similar motivations for CSR engagement. It was also revealed that organisations in Singapore utilise 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, recognising the relevance of other CSR communication channels, and communicating CSR with authenticity. Our findings present meaningful implications on how practitioners can enhance corporate image using CSR. They include constantly involving employees in their CSR messaging, engaging in dialogic communication with their external stakeholders, and maximising the potential of corporate websites as an image construction tool.