Socially Responsible Corporate Communications in Mexico: Evidence of the Large Companies by Their Operational Levels

Abstract

The aim of this study is to know the general condition of business communications regarding Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in large Mexican companies, and identify the significant differences in terms of a set of indicators and in comparison with three different operational levels. Specifically, based in a relevant previous research work by Maignan and Ralston (2002) and analyzing the content of 150 Mexican business websites as a sample frame, the study evaluates the differences in a set of CSR indicators divided in principles, processes and stakeholder issues. And then, compare these indicators among the national, international and multinational level by utilizing the statistical Chi-square test. The main findings suggest a high prevalence of corporate communications regarding social responsibilities in large Mexican companies, especially from those that operate on a multinational level and coming from abroad. The performance-driven principle was found to be the main motivation behind CSR communications for all levels; quality programs were the most employed CSR process in order to build a good citizenship image; and the stakeholder issues related to shareholders and the indicator of service/product quality from the customers group, were those found more significantly similar among the groups.

“Corporate Sustainability” or “Corporate Social Responsibility”? A Comparative Study of Spanish and Latin American Companies’ Websites

“…Thus, some studies have investigated how CS(R) issues are communicated by companies in particular sectors (e.g., banking:Hetze & Winistörfer, 2016; and banking specifically in Spain:Bravo et al, 2012; the pharmaceutical industry:Sones et al, 2009). Others have focused on particular countries (e.g., Japan:Fukukawa & Moon, 2004; Mexico:Wendlandt Amezaga et al, 2013; Portugal:Augusto, 2017; Spain:Capriotti & Moreno, 2007; the United States:Gómez & Chalmeta, 2011). And still other research has compared CS(R) disclosure in particular countries or regions (e.g., Asia:Chapple & Moon, 2005; China and the United States:Tang et al, 2015; emerging markets:Wanderley et al, 2008; Latin America and South East Asia:Calderón, 2011; Sweden and Spain:Castelo Branco et al, 2014).…”

“…It is therefore somewhat paradoxical that studies dealing with CS(R) communication in countries where English is not the main corporate language tend to be based on English versions of reports or web pages. This is the case, for instance, ofWendlandt Amezaga et al (2013, p. 149), who state in their work that choosing Mexico as data source was a challenge because of the language spoken in the country—to which the authors responded by limiting their sample to those large companies in Mexico whose websites had an English version. Yet the English and Spanish versions of a single web page frequently include different contents and wordings, as they are not merely translated but instead are adapted to reach a different target audience.…”

“…The authors show how differently the awards were publicized, with some recipients not even mentioning them and others placing them prominently on their websites. Finally,Wendlandt Amezaga et al (2013)conducted a content analysis of the websites of 150 large Mexican companies. They found that the most common motivation behind CS(R) reporting was to improve the company’s performance in terms of sales volume and profitability (as opposed to value-driven or stakeholder-driven motives).…”

La comunicación corporativa de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE): El caso de las empresas de la provincia Sabana Centro de Cundinamarca, Colombia

“…En últimas, la rse se ha venido convirtiendo en un factor estratégico para las empresas que la adoptan como filosofía corporativa, no solo por la diferenciación frente a la competencia, sino también porque en la mayoría de los casos los clientes o compradores pueden asumir que, al adquirir el producto o servicio, están retribuyendo la acción social ejercida por la empresa. Por eso, las estrategias de marketing utilizadas por las empresas socialmente responsables resulta fundamental para comunicar información estratégica a sus grupos de interés pues, como lo mencionan Wendlandt et al (2013), el marketing apoya la rse en dos vertientes: primero, divulgando las acciones de beneficio social y ambiental; segundo, mejorando la percepción de marca, con el objeto de capitalizar la imagen y la reputación corporativa de la empresa, a través de la comunicación, posicionamiento, creación, percepciones positivas y opiniones favorables ante los grupos de interés.…”