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Do CSR Messages Resonate? Examining Public Reactions to Firms’ CSR Efforts on Social Media

Author

Listed:
  • Gregory D. Saxton

    (York University)

  • Lina Gomez

    (Universidad del Este)

  • Zed Ngoh

    (University at Buffalo, SUNY)

  • Yi-Pin Lin

    (University at Buffalo, SUNY)

  • Sarah Dietrich

    (University at Buffalo, SUNY)

Abstract

We posit a key goal of firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts is to influence reputation through carefully crafted communicative practices. This trend has accelerated with the rise of social media such as Twitter and Facebook, which are essentially public message networks that organizations are leveraging to engage with concerned audiences. Given the large number of messages sent on these sites, only some will be effective and achieve broad public resonance. Building on signaling theory, this paper asks whether and how messages conveying CSR-related topics resonate with the public and, if so, which CSR topics and signal qualities are most effective. We test our hypotheses using data on public reactions to Fortune 500 companies’ CSR-focused Twitter feeds, using the retweeting (sharing) of firms’ messages as a proxy for public resonance. We find resonance is positively associated with messages that convey CSR topics such as the environment or education, those that make the topic explicit through use of hashtags, and those that tap into existing social movement discussions.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory D. Saxton & Lina Gomez & Zed Ngoh & Yi-Pin Lin & Sarah Dietrich, 2019. "Do CSR Messages Resonate? Examining Public Reactions to Firms’ CSR Efforts on Social Media," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 359-377, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:155:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-017-3464-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3464-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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