Conspicuous Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

There seems to be an intrinsic linkage between the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and that of public relations (PR). In large organizations it is the public relations function that is predominantly responsible for CSR and related concepts. Literature suggests a high and rising importance of corporate social responsibility for public relations with positive organizational and social impact. However, longitudinal results of an empirical study among communication managers across Europe disagree. Since 2007, the European Communication Monitor annually surveys over 2,000 professionals from more than 40 countries on the importance of strategic issues in European organizations. Since 2008 it has included a standard question about which issues respondents perceive will be the most important for public relations within the next three years. One of the offered items in this question is Dealing with sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. Understanding relative weight of corporate social responsibility in relation to other major issues public relations practitioners face may reveal its importance and any changes through time. If corporate social responsibility is gaining in importance this item should be climbing towards the top of the list. But, on the contrary, it fell from the second position in 2008 to the ninth in 2014 (of eleven offered). There is a rising trend of importance for the item Building and maintaining trust, while Dealing with sustainable development and corporate social responsibility and Dealing with the demand for more transparency and active audiences are falling.