"Too Good to Be True!". The Effectiveness of CSR History in Countering Negative Publicity

Corporate crises call for effective communication to shelter or restore a company's reputation. The use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims may provide an effective tool to counter the negative impact of a crisis, but knowledge about its effectiveness is scarce and lacking in studie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of business ethics 2009-04, Vol.85 (Suppl 2), p.273-283
Main Authors:	Vanhamme, Joëlle, Grobben, Bas
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Business administration Business and Management Business communications Business Ethics Business reputation Business structures Business studies Communication Consumer advertising Consumer goods industries Consumer motivation Consumer research Consumers Corporate responsibility Corporate social responsibility crisis communication CSR history Education Ethics Humanities and Social Sciences Hypotheses Legitimacy Management Management of crises Marketing negative publicity Persuasion Philosophy Public relations Publicity Quality of Life Research reputation Reputations Skepticism Social norms Social responsibility Studies Sumer
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Summary:	Corporate crises call for effective communication to shelter or restore a company's reputation. The use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims may provide an effective tool to counter the negative impact of a crisis, but knowledge about its effectiveness is scarce and lacking in studies that consider CSR communication during crises. To help fill this gap, this study investigates whether the length of company's involvement in CSR matters when it uses CSR claims in its crisis communication as a means to counter negative publicity. The use of CSR claims in crisis communication is more effective for companies with a long CSR history than for those with a short CSR history, and consumer skepticism about claims lies at the heart of this phenomenon.
ISSN:	0167-4544 1573-0697