Effects of corporate social responsibility activities for refugees

Abstract

Purpose When in the Summer of 2015 unprecedented numbers of refugees traveled through Austria, not only public and governmental authorities were challenged to provide support, but also the business sector. Various companies responded to the challenge by organizing relief actions, among them Austrian Federal Railways (OEBB). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of this initiative on stakeholder perceptions and behavior. Design/methodology/approach The case of OEBB served as the research context. Data were collected by means of an online survey in May of 2016, about eight months after the initiative. Findings Almost half of the participants mentioned OEBB’s activities for refugees in an unaided recall task. Unaided corporate social responsibility (CSR) awareness is related to people’s issue involvement and reminiscence of specific activities and communication measures. People unaidedly recalling the initiative expressed a significantly better CSR image and identification with the company; they also expressed a stronger intention to speak positively (positive word of mouth) about the company’s CSR activities. CSR image and attitude toward the initiative mediates this effect. Research limitations/implications The study stresses the importance of CSR awareness and communication. The non-representative sample does not allow general inferences. Originality/value This research uses an actual case to test the effectiveness of CSR activities and communication in the context of a highly critical situation, and sheds light on the mediating processes that drive the effects. The study extends existing knowledge from experimental studies.

Nike, Colin Kaepernick, and the politicization of sports: Examining perceived organizational motives and public responses

“…Furthermore, these examinations have not offered a distinction between CSR or CSA. For instance, Einwiller, Ruppel, and Strasser, (2019) found that individuals showed higher levels of PWOM when they had a positive attitude toward Austrian Federal Railways' decision to provide passenger transportation for refugees arriving from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The issue of providing support for the refugees was controversial due to the challenges from opposing parties regarding the concern of economic burden (Einwiller et al, 2019).…”

“…For instance, Einwiller, Ruppel, and Strasser, (2019) found that individuals showed higher levels of PWOM when they had a positive attitude toward Austrian Federal Railways' decision to provide passenger transportation for refugees arriving from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The issue of providing support for the refugees was controversial due to the challenges from opposing parties regarding the concern of economic burden (Einwiller et al, 2019). However, to our best knowledge, there are no studies that have tested attribution theory in a CSA context to examine the public's WOM intentions in response to a corporation's CSA efforts.…”

Researching educational barriers in participatory real-world labs: vocational training of refugees in rural counties in Germany

“…For example, refugee trainees are allowed to attend language courses in working hours. This reflects the changing strategies of companies to become attractive employer and to take social responsibility seriously (Einwiller et al, 2019) also for refugees (Baethge, 2014) by expanding and developing intercultural competencies (Vogel and Scheiermann, 2019).…”

Conceptualizing, Theorizing, and Measuring the Contributions of Business to Refugee Crises

“…More research is needed in this vein. Furthermore, we call on researchers to think through the relationship between refugee issues and frameworks for business responsibility—including not only CSR (discussed in one article in this special issue), but also business ethics and human rights (Einwiller et al, 2019; Goethals et al, 2017).…”