Tools for Professionals and Organizations
Research Spotlight
Research Spotlight #2
August 2017
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“Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility on Social Media: Strategies, Stakeholders, and Public Engagement on Corporate Facebook”
By Moonhee Cho, Lauren D. Furey, and Tiffany Mohr
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly 2017, Vol. (80) 52-69
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Research Questions
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How often do corporations communicate corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues on Facebook?
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Which CSR communication strategy — informing or interacting — is used more frequently in CSR communication on corporate Facebook pages?
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Who are the main stakeholders concerned with CSR communication (e.g., CEOs, senior managers, employees, nonprofit organizations, community members, suppliers)?
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Methods
The researchers studied 50 corporations that were found in the 2013 list of Fortune’s “World’s Most Admired Companies.” Forty-four of these companies had official Facebook pages and two other companies were added to the list for a total of 46 Facebook pages for analysis.
Key Findings
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Less than 20% of the messages had CSR communication
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People preferred to see CSR on company websites rather than on company Facebook pages
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General audiences were less likely to believe CSR postings on Facebook that seemed overly self-serving
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Audiences were more likely to engage with non-CSR posts on Facebook
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The audiences that did want to see CSR communication on Facebook, might be willing to follow a page dedicated to that type of information
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Advice for the Field
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Focus CSR messaging on the company website
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Use Facebook to post items that engage rather than merely inform followers
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If you are going to post CSR communication, do it on a CSR-specialized Facebook account
Researcher Approved Summary
Pending
Research Spotlight Author:
Alycia King
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Research Spotlight #1
August 2017
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“Social Media Adoption in Business-to-Business: IT and Industrial Companies Compared”
By Celine Veldeman, Ellen Van Praet, and Peter Merchant
International Journal of Business Communication, 2017, 54(3), 283-305
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Research Questions​
​How do Belgian business-to-business (B2B) companies perceive and react to social media?
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Methods
The researchers surveyed 92 Belgian companies about their social attitudes and activities. They also conducted in-depth followup interviews with 11 of the companies.
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Key Findings
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Less than 20% of the messages had CSR communication
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People preferred to see CSR on company websites rather than on company Facebook pages
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General audiences were less likely to believe CSR postings on Facebook that seemed overly self-serving
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Audiences were more likely to engage with non-CSR posts on Facebook
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The audiences that did want to see CSR communication on Facebook, might be willing to follow a page dedicated to that type of information
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Advice for the Field
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Recognize that a customer’s, employee’s, and potential employee’s expectations about a firm’s social media presence is highly influenced by the dynamics of the industry sector
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Avoid treating social media as a “stand-alone” communicative endeavor divorced from other essential organizational tasks
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Acknowledge the difficulty of crafting a useful social media strategy and encourage experimentation
Researcher Approved Summary
Pending
Research Spotlight Author:
Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph. D.
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