Communicating CSR: practices among Switzerland's top 300 companies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a picture of the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication among the top 300 companies in Switzerland and to investigate how favorable the cultural context is for this kind of communication.Design/methodology/approach – The investigation of the top 300 companies in Switzerland was conducted using a written survey that built on previous studies.Findings – CSR communication in Switzerland appears to be well developed, but still has broad margins for development. Examples are provided on how to improve CSR communication. Such improvements should be relatively easy to implement since Switzerland, it is argued, appears to be open to CSR communication.Research limitations/implications – The investigation considered only the communication objectives toward a limited range of stakeholders, such as clients, shareholders, and employees. The survey was conducted among the top 300 companies in Switzerland; these companies are not necessarily repr...

[1]  I. Maignan,et al.  Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe and the U.S.: Insights from Businesses’ Self-presentations , 2002 .

[2]  C. Deegan,et al.  THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING EXPECTATIONS GAP: AUSTRALIAN EVIDENCE , 1999 .

[3]  Kai Hockerts,et al.  Communicating Corporate Responsibility to Investors: The Changing Role of the Investor Relations Function , 2004 .

[4]  Kevin Lane Keller Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity , 1993 .

[5]  D. Turban,et al.  Corporate Social Performance And Organizational Attractiveness To Prospective Employees , 1997 .

[6]  Jenny Dawkins,et al.  Corporate responsibility: The communication challenge , 2005 .

[7]  J Snell Shaping Up , 2008, Science.

[8]  Daniel B. Turban,et al.  Corporate Social Performance And Organizational Attractiveness To Prospective Employees , 1997 .

[9]  C. Adams,et al.  Accountability, completeness, credibility and the audit expectations gap. , 2004 .

[10]  A. Carroll Corporate Social Responsibility , 1999, The Routledge Companion to Corporate Social Responsibility.

[11]  Sadrudin A. Ahmed,et al.  Comparison of Social Responsibility Information Disclosure Media Used by Canadian Firms , 1990 .

[12]  R. Gray,et al.  Accounting and accountability : changes and challenges in corporate social and environmental reporting , 2003 .

[13]  C. Fombrun,et al.  The Reputation QuotientSM: A multi-stakeholder measure of corporate reputation , 2000 .

[14]  S. Williams,et al.  Corporate social disclosures by listed companies on their web sites: an international comparison , 1999 .

[15]  Reginald Hooghiemstra Corporate Communication and Impression Management – New Perspectives Why Companies Engage in Corporate Social Reporting , 2000 .

[16]  T. Bauer,et al.  Green career choices: The influence of ecological stance on recruiting , 1996 .

[17]  R. Rivera,et al.  The Concept of Corporate Strategy , 2009 .

[18]  Michael Mainelli Ethical volatility: how CSR ratings and returns might be changing the world of risk , 2004 .

[19]  J. Jonker,et al.  AA1000 and SA8000 compared: a systematic comparison of contemporary accountability standards , 2003 .

[20]  Stewart Lewis,et al.  CSR in Stakeholde Expectations: And Their Implication for Company Strategy , 2003 .

[21]  C. Deegan,et al.  A Study of the Environmental Disclosure Practices of Australian Corporations , 1996 .

[22]  Jorge A. Arevalo Dimensions of corporate social responsibility: a time for new discourse , 2009 .

[23]  Karl Schoenberger Levi's Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace , 2000 .

[24]  S. P. Sethi,et al.  Dimensions of Corporate Social Performance: An Analytical Framework , 1975 .

[25]  D. Owen Accounting and Accountability , 1995 .

[26]  E. Brenda,et al.  Evolution and Implementation: A Study of Values , 2002 .

[27]  J. Jacoby,et al.  Brand Loyalty Vs. Repeat Purchasing Behavior , 1973 .

[28]  L. Porter,et al.  The Measurement of Organizational Commitment. , 1979 .

[29]  C. Deegan,et al.  The public disclosure of environmental performance information—a dual test of media agenda setting theory and legitimacy theory , 1998 .

[30]  Maud Tixier Soft vs. hard approach in communicating on corporate social responsibility , 2003 .

[31]  O. C. Ferrell,et al.  Corporate citizenship: Cultural antecedents and business benefits , 1999 .

[32]  N. Dando,et al.  Transparency and Assurance Minding the Credibility Gap , 2003 .

[33]  Sabine A. Einwiller,et al.  Corporate Foundations: Their Role for Corporate Social Responsibility , 2006 .

[34]  D. Payne,et al.  Evolution and Implementation: A Study of Values, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility , 2002 .

[35]  Minette E. Drumwright,et al.  Company Advertising with a Social Dimension: The Role of Noneconomic Criteria , 1996 .

[36]  Michael Pfau,et al.  The Impact of Web Site Campaigning on Traditional News Media and Public Information Processing , 2003 .

[37]  P. Schwartz When good companies do bad things , 2000 .

[38]  Stuart L. Esrock,et al.  Social responsibility and corporate web pages: Self-presentation or agenda-setting? , 1998 .

[39]  Abagail McWilliams,et al.  Corporate Social Responsibility: a Theory of the Firm Perspective , 2001 .

[40]  Diane M. Martin,et al.  Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Century: A View from the World's Most Successful Firms , 2003 .

[41]  Jarol B. Manheim,et al.  Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility. , 1986 .

[42]  Terence Cooke,et al.  The impact of culture and governance on corporate social reporting , 2005 .

[43]  J. Elkington Cannibals with Forks , 1997 .

[44]  Daniel Tschopp,et al.  Corporate social responsibility: a comparison between the United States and the European Union , 2005 .

[45]  William C. Frederick,et al.  From CSR1 to CSR2 , 1994 .