Pondering Digitalization: An Exploratory Study on Organizational Capitalization of Digital Media for Disclosing CSR

Abstract

The goal of this study had as a premise a perceived gap of knowledge regarding the use of digital media and platforms by Romanian organizations with the purpose to disclose corporate social responsibility (CSR) information. In the context of the ever-increasing digitalization process, the research aimed to explore the current situation within the organizational setting to provide evidence on the type of media and content used and with a view to identifying possible trends. To objectively assess the situation, the study employed models developed by various researchers to measure CSR disclosure on corporate websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results of the study indicate that the selected Romanian companies make limited use of online media for the purpose to reveal CSR. They rather prefer corporate websites and Facebook accounts to communicate such information to stakeholders, while Twitter is rarely utilized. The findings point to the fact that education and social development are the areas of CSR where Romanian companies mostly contribute, but, at the same time, they signal that the advantages and advances availed by systemic digitalization are yet to be properly exploited against the backdrop of CSR disclosure.