Utilization of CSR to build organizations’ corporate image in Asia: need for an integrative approach

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been found to be a strong predictor of a favorable corporate image [Gray, 1986. Managing the corporate image: The key to public trust. London: Quorum Books]. Websites have become an essential communication platform [Dawkins, 2004. Corporate responsibility: The communication challenge. Journal of Communication Management, 9(2), 108–119]. This study aims to investigate how CSR can be used in enhancing organizational corporate image. Content analyses of 150 corporate websites of organizations in Asia headquartered in Singapore were conducted, followed by in-depth interviews with public relations (PR) practitioners to examine the motivations behind their CSR engagement. Findings showed that organizations utilized CSR as a means to enhance corporate image via four ways: Engaging in two-way conversations with stakeholders, adopting an inside-out communication approach with employees, recognizing the relevance of other CSR communication channels, and communicating CSR with authenticity. However, some organizations hesitate to use CSR communication to enhance their corporate image because they wanted to avoid being seen as using CSR as a promotional tool.     

Postage stamps and digital philately: Worldwide and Indian scenario

‘Postage stamps’, basically as a token for payment of postal taxes, are now being recognized as an information source and historical document in recording national achievements that visually convey four core elements: denomination, country name, graphical design, and the textual element. They are a valuable means of communication easily available anywhere to anybody. Realizing them as source of extra revenue, commemorative stamps are made available over time. The information technology (IT) wave changed the hobby of stamp collection to Digital Philately, while information and communication technology (ICT) developments accelerated the hobby further to Virtual Philately.

This paper focuses on the aspects of digital and virtual philately. This study aims to evaluate The World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP) Numbering System (WNS) database, which provides free access to authentic postage stamps issued by Universal Postal Union (UPU) member countries and territories. A total of 48,159 stamps with 48 themes were found registered by 184 countries at the time of study. Indian stamps totaled 554 entries with the highest number of entries, 1258, from France, and followed by 1006 from Japan. A ranking was done using themes whereas “Fauna” was observed to be the most popular theme at 14.1% or 6800 stamps under study. For Indian stamps, politics and government, architecture and literature, press and comics are the most prevalent themes with 14.3, 9.8 and 9.8% respectively of the national contribution. The paper also presents a detailed analysis of the 15 Indian stamps commemorating the 14 Indian traditional universities issued over the 50 years of India’s independence.     

New scheme of communication: an exploratory study of interactivity and multimedia use in Chinese j-blogs and the implications

Major cultural values in Chinese and Indian TV commercials were identified in this content analysis. Commercials in both countries were found emphasizing modernity over tradition as a dominant value. Chinese commercials used more traditional values while Indian commercials reflected a more Western value orientation. Foreign brands used modernity more frequently than domestic brands. Foreign brands of Eastern origin used modernity even more often than those of Western origin. Product category emerged as the most important variable affecting cultural values in both countries' commercials. While contributing to international advertising research, this study provides implications for international advertising practice.     

A reputational approach examining publics' attributions on corporate social responsibility motives

This study introduced publics' perceived attribution about the sincerity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) purposes as the main reason why publics react differently to companies that practice similar CSR activities. The effects of congruence of CSR activities and the source of CSR-related information on publics' attribution were examined using prior corporate reputation as a moderator in an experimental setting. Overall, the study found that corporate reputation moderated publics' perceived attributions on the sincerity of the CSR purposes. Sincere motives were more severely downgraded when a negatively-reputed company engaged in a high-congruence CSR activity and used a company source than when a highly-reputed company did.     

Communication message cues and opinions about people with depression: an investigation of discussion on Weibo

A content analysis was conducted of the posts generated by mass media organizations and public opinion leaders on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo to investigate the associations between several communication message cues and opinions about people with depression (N = 102). The study revealed that the posts of the influential users were more likely to be stigmatizing when they communicated stereotypes, but less likely to be stigmatizing or more likely to be supportive when they made personal, genetic and medical, and social and environmental cause and responsibility claims. The posts were also more likely to be supportive if the influential users presented treatment and recovery information. In addition to finding out what communication cues activate the influential users' stigmatizing or supportive opinions, the study also examined and found the impact of the influential users' opinions on their followers' opinions on this issue (N = 8261). The findings showed that the public opinion leaders were more likely than the mass media to express support for people with depression. This support then translated into supportive responses among their followers toward those living with the disease.     

E-mail in government: Not post-bureaucratic but late-bureaucratic organizations

Empirical research provides evidence that electronic communication does not change government agencies into post-bureaucratic organizations. Structuration Theory is used to explore the interaction between e-mail use, communication patterns of civil servants, and two bureaucratic characteristics: formalization and hierarchy. Previous research suggested that the use of e-mail leads to less formalization and less hierarchy, but empirical research in three bureaucratic organizations in the Netherlands leads to different conclusions. First, the use of e-mail leads to informal formalization: the style of communication is more informal but the content focuses less on personal issues and emphasizes efficient recordings of agreements. Second, the use of e-mail leads to hierarchical horizontalization: horizontal contacts take a more central position in bureaucratic organizations but these horizontal contacts are tightly linked to vertical structures. The result of the interaction between e-mail and government bureaucracy is horizontal communication directly linked to vertical structures. Electronic communication turns government agencies into late-bureaucratic organizations.     

What happens when brands tell the truth? Exploring the effects of transparency signaling on corporate reputation for agribusiness

This study focused on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within agribusiness – an industry confronted with particularly high expectations from its societal environment. This study examined the effects of transparency signaling and its interaction with the nature of CSR on publics’ evaluation of an agribusiness company with regards to perceived integrity, perceived competence, and company reputation. Our findings showed that high transparency signaling led to higher perceived integrity, but there were no significant effects on perceived competence and company reputation. Moreover, the effects of transparency signaling were moderated by the nature of CSR on company reputation. The study also revealed that perceived integrity influenced the relationship between transparency and company reputation, while perceived competence was not influenced by transparency signaling. Researchers discuss the implications of these findings for communication professionals sharing CSR information, especially for high involvement industries like food and agriculture.     

From ‘poison’ to ‘seeder’: the gap between propaganda and xuanchuan is cultural*

Propaganda has been perceived as ‘poison’ in the field of communication study. Xuanchuan, propaganda’s counterpart in China with a master metaphor of ‘seeder,’ however, has different histories and traditions that do not fit into the ideology-charged theoretical framework. Drawing upon Chinese thought and scholarship on xuanchuan/propaganda, the author demonstrates a deep conceptual and perceptual gap, rooted in culture, between propaganda and xuanchuan. Revelation of the gap is of paramount importance for studying China’s propaganda, both theoretically and empirically.     

Self presentation in online environments: a study of Indian Muslim matrimonial profiles

This study examines the self presentation practices of Indian Muslim men and women in online matrimonial advertisements. Findings indicate that while Indian Muslims are using the new medium to adhere to traditional cultural and religious values, they are also making critical adjustments to adapt to the medium itself. While Muslim men and women claimed to possess different attributes in their profiles drawing upon gender role expectations in Indian society, they were identical in their preference for light skin or what is termed as ‘fair complexion’ in Indian English. An overwhelming majority of advertisers claimed to possess desirable skin tones and body types. Few Indian Muslim profiles highlighted external manifestations of religiosity, such as praying five times a day, wearing a hijab or burqa, and observing Ramadan. Further, results of this study also illuminate the influence of South Asian culture on Islamic practice, which is evident in the mention of caste identifications in the online matrimonial profiles.     

中国省级政府网站的共链分析

利用Bing搜索引擎对中国31个省级政府网站进行共链可视化分析及共链原因分析。可视化图谱显示出两大政府网站群,北京和上海政府网站作为强有力的政府信息控制源,在其中发挥桥梁纽带的作用。共链原因分析揭示出中国政府网站共链的主要因素是非营利性组织,而商业组织的因素显示微弱。政府网站的共链分析为政府网站的评价提供一个新的视角,为中国省级政府网站的整体建设提供有益的启示。     

Promoting patriotism through mediated sports: Political economy of Bollywood sports movies

Through the lens of political economy of communication and sports, this article examines the role of Bollywood’s sports movies in promoting patriotism and constructing an Indian national identity. Focusing on three popular movies premiered in the last decade, Dil Bole Hadippa (2009), Chak De! India (2007), and Lahore (2010), we explicate how Bollywood mobilized patriotic codes through these films in ways that are advantageous for the Indian government and the economic goals of the industry.     

Successful Web Journals

Summary

Two publishers of well-known print newspapers have launched successful Web versions. The editors described the evolution of their sites and discussed the advantages of Web editions: timeliness, depth of content, user-customized access to information, and community-building interactive forums. They detailed lessons learned, outlined future plans, and clarified similarities and differences between the two sites. Discussion centered on three main areas: library access and site licenses, the nature of archives and article retrieval, and advertising.     

Communication and Teaching

Summary

Recent research findings have documented the relationship between fostering diversity in organizations and overall organizational success. From the perspective of the library administrator, it is incumbent upon those in library and information science education to provide instruction and an academic environment, which facilitates learning about diversity among those who will be expected to contribute to the success of their employing organizations. However, there are difficulties associated with communication and instruction about issues such as diversity, race and gender. The scholarship associated with communication theory provides a worthwhile basis for understanding the nature of these difficulties and for identifying factors to consider in enhancing that instruction in better preparing graduates.     

Testing a communication network model of employee turnover based on centrality

This study tested Feeley and Barnett's (1997) Erosion Model (EM) of employee turnover which predicts that individuals who are more central in their communication network will be more likely to remain at their position (or less likely to turnover). Seventy employees from three different organizations were surveyed about their attitudes toward their jobs and were also asked to indicate (by checklist) which employees they spoke to regularly at work. Turnover data were obtained at 3 and 6 months time after the surveys were completed. Results generally supported the Erosion Model of employee turnover. Those employees with high Degree or number of links in the network were less likely to turnover. Employees who required fewer links to communicate to all others in the network (i.e., Closeness) were also less likely to turnover but this relationship only approached statistical significance (p = .06). Betweenness, defined as the frequency with which a person falls between pairs of other positions in a network, was also significantly related to employee turnover. It was also predicted, based on Feeley and Bamett's EM, that the relationship between network position and turnover would be mediated by an employee's level of commitment to the organization and his or her intentions to leave work. Closeness significantly predicted commitment while Betweenness and Degree were unrelated to commitment levels. Organizational commitment was negatively related to intentions to leave work and, unexpectedly, commitment levels were positively related to employee turnover. The results were discussed and the applications of this research for management practitioners were considered.     

Interim Leadership

ABSTRACT

Leadership training tends to focus on development and performance of leadership skills with the implied understanding that the position is permanent or the appointment is formalized. Yet organizations require temporary leaders during leadership gaps but there is limited information on serving in an acting role or for a short period of time. Serving as an interim leader has unique challenges and opportunities but several considerations should be made to make this a positive experience providing smooth transitions for an organization.     

Flexible information infrastructures in Dutch E-Government collaboration arrangements: Experiences and policy implications

How can the flexibility of an information architecture in E-Government collaboration arrangements – defined as a set of multi-rational agreements – be achieved, if one acknowledges the fact that the use of ICT may automate the status quo between organizations which work together in a policy chain? Research shows that flexibility cannot be achieved by only looking at technological requirements and agreements. Other agreements should be considered which express multiple (political, legal and economic) design rationalities and values. Moreover, flexibility is also influenced by the structure and dynamics of the power and trustworthiness of the relationships between the organizations involved. This implies that E-Government policies should focus not only on the technical aspects of information exchange infrastructures, but on the politics of collaboration.     

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a halo effect in issue management: public response to negative news about pro-social local private companies

This study investigates the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate nationality on public reactions to negative news about corporations. To explain how CSR activity works as a buffer for a negative issue of an organization, we propose a halo effect theory. This study conducted an experiment using a 2 (CSR activity vs. no CSR activity) x 2 (domestic company vs. foreign company) between-subject design. For this experiment, we developed a negative news story about a fictitious Asian local company. The dependent variable was whether individuals showed willingness to take actions against this company. We found that both CRS activities and corporation nationality have the main effects on individuals' willingness to take an action against the local company. CSR activities and the company's national identity (being domestic) were significant positive factors in attenuating participants' intention to take action against the local company. Further, there was a significant interaction effect of CSR activity and the company's nationality on individuals' willingness to take action against the company: CSR activity had a greater positive impact on soothing the public's negative reactions when the local company was identified as foreign rather than domestic. The results were discussed as a halo effect of CSR activities.     

Exploring strategic public relations management in China: current state and challenges

ABSTRACT

Applying four generic principles that are most relevant to strategic public relations management, this study examines the extent to which public relations is strategically managed in China. Public relations practitioners from four types of organizations participated an online survey (N?=?92) and an interview (N?=?20). It was found that public relations mainly contributes to routine operations rather than strategic policy-making. While typically given a direct reporting line with top management, public relations departments are not trusted to handle government relations and are considered inferior to the marketing department. Practitioners in the survey indicated the use of all four models to various degree in their organizations, despite that interviews revealed the difficulty to implement symmetrical communication model as compared to the other three models. In addition, practitioners were more proficient in fulfilling technician roles than managerial roles.     

Risk,affect, and policy support: public perception of air pollution in China

Air pollution is a critical environmental problem that has spurred great public concern in China. This study examines how issue salience, environmental value, risk perception, and affective response influence information seeking, objective knowledge, and policy support related to this issue. The recent release of a controversial environmental documentary on Chinese social media, Under the Dome, also prompted us to explore the impact of exposure to this documentary on Chinese social media users’ information seeking and policy support related to air pollution. Results showed that risk perception and negative affect influenced information seeking and policy support both directly and indirectly. Also, exposure to the documentary moderated the effects of key variables on information seeking and policy support. However, contrary to our expectations, no significant relationship was found between information seeking and objective knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.