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Managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) together : the effect of stakeholder participation and third-party endorsements on the effectiveness of CSR initiatives

Seijdel, C.T. (2018) Managing corporate social responsibility (CSR) together : the effect of stakeholder participation and third-party endorsements on the effectiveness of CSR initiatives.

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Abstract:Engaging in strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, in which organizations voluntarily allocate resources (e.g., financial assets, human capital) to positively contribute towards societal or environmental challenges and issues, is one of the strategies firms employ to positively influence stakeholder perceptions and engender preferable business outcomes. However, emerging from the extant academic literature is the notion that merely employing a CSR initiative is not a guarantee for success, as a poorly executed and managed CSR strategy may in fact prove counterproductive and even inhibit organizations from reaping its theorized benefits. From a CSR management perspective, literature suggests that stakeholder participation and third-party endorsements are effective approaches, yet little scholarly attention has been devoted to investigating the claims empirically. To that extent, a 3×2 between-respondents factorial experimental design (participation strategy: “information” vs “response” vs “involvement” and third-party endorsement: “endorsed” vs “not endorsed”) was conducted to examine the effect of the approaches on individuals’ intention to engage with the initiative, and related it to key determinants of CSR effectiveness, namely CSR fit, company motives, and skepticism. Results demonstrate that only stakeholder participation positively affects individuals’ intention to engage with the initiative, and that this effect is mediated by increased perceptions of fit and company motives, and reduced perceptions of skepticism. All in all, organizations that employ CSR initiatives may benefit in numerous respects from letting its customers participate in the development and maintenance of such initiatives. Additionally, scientific implications, as well as recommendations for future research, are discussed.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/75056
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