Transparency in corporate social responsibility communication on social media

Abstract

PurposeRetailers recently have started communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments to their consumers directly on social media. That is to say, CSR communication has expanded to social media that allow two-way communication, distinct from traditional CSR communication channels. As transparency has been recognised as a crucial factor influencing the effectiveness of traditional CSR communication, this study investigated its role in the social media context.Design/methodology/approachA two-level, single-factor (i.e. transparency of a mock retail company's CSR communication) between-subjects experimental design was employed, and 237 responses from an online survey were used for PROCESS macroanalysis.FindingsTransparent CSR communication was found to increase the consumers' perceived CSR credibility and attitude toward the company, which influenced consumers' subsequent purchase intention (functionalistic outcome) and intention to respond to the CSR communication (constitutive outcome). The results of the study also corroborated that consumers' level of elaboration when processing CSR communication on social media depends upon their level of concern over the social issue.Originality/valueThe study extends the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to CSR communication in the social media context by validating that consumers' level of information elaboration is determined by their level of concern over the social issue. In addition, it provides the first empirical support for the significance of transparent CSR communication on social media and explains the mechanism of transparency's influence. Transparency indirectly affects consumers' behavioural intentions by forming a favourable attitude toward a retailer. The findings can help retail practitioners communicate CSR commitments persuasively on social media. The study also integrates functionalistic and constitutive perspectives of social media CSR communication, which is notable and discussed in depth.

The Effect of Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility on Local CSR Awareness: Examining the Role of Corporate Transparency in Ghana

“…This theory, in the context of our study, argues that Chinese companies operating in Ghana comply to societal expectations about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in order to improve their reputation and legitimacy in the local community. Mediating through corporate transparency is consistent with this theory since it facilitates the transmission of information (Lee & Chung, 2023), regarding philanthropic CSR projects, eliminating possible uncertainty and establishing trust among stakeholders. Companies may close information gaps and ensure that local stakeholders, particularly the community, gain a thorough understanding of the company's commitment to social responsibility by publicly discussing their CSR initiatives (Lee & Chung, 2023;Maignan, Ferrell, and Ferrell, 2005).…”

“…Mediating through corporate transparency is consistent with this theory since it facilitates the transmission of information (Lee & Chung, 2023), regarding philanthropic CSR projects, eliminating possible uncertainty and establishing trust among stakeholders. Companies may close information gaps and ensure that local stakeholders, particularly the community, gain a thorough understanding of the company's commitment to social responsibility by publicly discussing their CSR initiatives (Lee & Chung, 2023;Maignan, Ferrell, and Ferrell, 2005). Second, the study employs the stakeholder theory (Freeman, 1984), which states that firms should consider the interests and well-being of all stakeholders, including the local community.…”

“…The assumption is that when philanthropic CSR projects are publicized, stakeholders' impressions are more likely to be positive (Mu & Lee, 2023). Corporate transparency, as a framework, guarantees that information about philanthropic CSR efforts is available and understandable to stakeholders (Lee & Chung, 2023). This study adds to the current body of literature in three different ways.…”

“…Firm transparency refers to stakeholders' perceptions of an organization's operations and behaviors, as well as its communication with stakeholders being simple and unambiguous (Mehmood & Hanaysha, 2022). The literature suggests that corporate transparency may play a mediating function (Lee & Chung, 2023), between CSR, especially the philanthropic dimension of corporate social responsibility, and local CSR awareness. The paper addresses this knowledge gap by conducting an empirical study on the mediating role of corporate transparency in the philanthropic CSR-CSR Awareness nexus in the context of Chinese enterprises operating in African emerging countries, particularly Ghana.…”