Perceptions of corporate communication on debated social issues

Abstract

Corporations are increasingly engaging in corporate social advocacy (CSA) by communicating on social issues that are controversial and contemporary and not necessarily linked to the corporations' business activities. The purpose of this study is to understand the desirability of CSA: Should corporations be communicating on these debated social issues, and to what extent? Using the online sampling platform Qualtrics, participants (N = 699, located in the United States and 18–35 years old) responded to a survey asking them how they perceived corporate communication on debated social issues. Findings indicate that participants view corporate communication on debated social issues as something that corporations should be engaging in, that this communication is helpful in solving these debated social issues, and that corporations should be the leaders in changing how society thinks about these debated social issues. At the same time, individuals do not trust the moral compass of corporations. Findings also show that certain corporate sectors (e.g., Health Care) should communicate more than other sectors (e.g., Chemicals), certain corporate characteristics (e.g., Reputation) matter more than other corporate characteristics (e.g., Size), and certain topics (e.g., Race Relations) should be discussed more than other topics (e.g., Confederate Flag Use). The implications, limitations, and directions for future research are also discussed.

Conceptualizing the relationship between corporate social advocacy and political polarization

“…For example, when corporations engage in social responsibility, this engagement is often met with skepticism (Skarmeas and Leonidou, 2013) because individuals are not sure if the corporations actually care about the social issue, or if the corporations only care about their images and bottom lines. By definition, CSA deals with corporations advocating for social issues that do not necessarily have a direct connection to the corporation's business considerations (Parcha, 2022). For example, Starbucks has advocated for helping coffee farmers (Splitter, 2019).…”

“…By definition, CSA deals with corporations advocating for social issues that do not necessarily have a direct connection to the corporation’s business considerations (Parcha, 2022). For example, Starbucks has advocated for helping coffee farmers (Splitter, 2019).…”

“…Although this opening is obviously intended for comedic effect, it illustrates a wider trend of how more and more corporations are taking stands on controversial social issues. In recent years, corporations are taking stances on contemporary and controversial social issues, many of which do not have a direct connection to the corporation’s business practices (Parcha and Westerman, 2020; Parcha, 2022; see also Dodd and Supa, 2014). These stances represent a “relatively new concept” (Lim and Young, 2021, p. 2) called corporate social advocacy (CSA).…”